“I know where he is.” I tell Ember and rush to grab my keys from beside the door.
“Wait!” She yells as she runs to keep up with me. “We’ll take Shelby!”
Her car is a beast on the road so I don’t argue, I jump over the window to land in the passenger seat. If there’s one thing I can count on Ember for it’s that she’s always crazy, no matter what she’s doing, and that includes her driving. So, I tell her where to go and grab on to anything with both hands as we fly down the streets.
The parking is empty save for the cobalt blue Civic parked across three spots. Ember barely has the car in park before I jump out and run to the doors. Of course they’re locked, it’s well past the end of day.
“Around here.” Ember points down the side of the building. “It takes you to the field. I can’t run with you, it hurts. Go get him, I’ll be close behind.”
I take off in a full sprint and see as the baseball diamond comes into view. But I know he’s not sitting out here, this isn’t his main source of pain, this field relieved some of it. I rush to the locker room doors and pull them open.
“Trav!” I call out and hear no response, “Travis! Answer me!”
I run down the aisle of lockers but he’s not here. Please God, I chant over and over in my head, just praying to find him. I stop my running, bent over trying to catch my breath when I hear the sound of water hitting tiles. I follow it and come to a line of showers. The one at the far end is on and I run as fast as I can to it.
I get to the end cubicle and what I see has me screaming and rushing in. Travis is laying across the tiled floor, the water spraying out and onto his legs. His face is white-too white-and tinged with blue. I rush to get to him and slip on the water, my head hits against the tile wall and I know it’s cut open. I don’t think of that as I grab his shoulders and pull him up. His skin is cold and my fingers keep slipping along his neck when I try to find a pulse. I pull him up more and hear something drop from his hand. I look down and see an orange pill bottle.
“Emmett!” I hear Ember, “where are you?”
“Over here!” I scream, “oh God! He took pills… Ember hurry!”
“Where is he?” I hear Vin and he comes up behind me. “Move Emmett, let me get to him.”
I move out of the way and Vin lays Travis on his side then sticks two fingers down his throat. I stand up and turn off the water and slowly back up. Nothing is happening, Vin does it a few more times and curses as he hoists Travis up and over his shoulder.
“We need to get to the hospital.” He begins to rush to the front of the locker room.
Ember and Adri are standing there and both gasp as they see Vin rush by them and out the door. I run close behind, we put Travis in the backseat of the Hummer and rush to the hospital. I know Ember will get Adri there.
“What did he take?” Vin asks as he runs his second red light.
I lift the empty bottle that I somehow have in my hand and read the label. “Vicodin. It was prescribed to his mother.”
“Shit!” Vin hits the wheel and we skid tires as he turns into the emergency.
After that, it’s a mess of nurses and doctors. I watch as they rush him away compressing his chest. Vin and I stand there long after they disappear, just staring down the empty corridor.
A few hours later, a doctor comes into our waiting area and sits beside Vin. I don’t like the look he has on his face and my stomach is tied so tight with knots.
“Travis has had a severe opioid overdose, we attempted a Naloxone treatment but…”
His voice fades and I rest my head back against the wall, letting my eyes shut. Adri’s and Ember’s cries are dim in the background and I vaguely hear Vin cursing.
Why Travis? Why did you decide to leave me?
29
There's always worse…
30
They say if it rains during a funeral, the spirit is at peace. Well I say, fuck that. I know for a fact anyone would rather be alive than dead and if there are such things as spirits, why the fuck would they be at peace with death? Especially if they are young and have so much more life ahead of them. A life that would’ve been filled with love-so much fucking love-and family. I know there’s no fucking peace here and there never will be.
The rain pounds down on top of my head and I refuse the offer of Adri’s umbrella. It’s late autumn and the rain is so fucking cold it’ll probably be snowing soon, but I don’t care if I catch a flu, at least I’m alive. The mud sucks around my polished dress shoes as we make our way to the Mausoleum. Our family crypt is filling up quickly and I clench my hands to my sides in anger. Why do good people die young? Why would any deity deem it right to take away the ones filled with light and good intentions while letting the festering rot of evil stay here? I know that I will never get that answer.
We had a small service and when it came time for the sealing of the crypt, we decided to let it be just the four of us. We
