A Perfect Rose pt. VI

Thanks for reading my first short story. You have made it to the final chapter. If you haven't read the other chapters make sure you go back and read them all! You can find links to all of them here.

Cam was confused.  He was in his room alone crying tears like he had never cried before. How long had he been there?  Time seemed to stand still and nothing was making sense to him.  He was alone, his best friend and his sister was gone.  It hadn’t fully dawned on him how he would never see her again.  She was just gone.  She had taken her own life before he could have done anything to save her. He felt completely helpless at this moment.

What was the last thing he had said to her?  They had been fighting just the night before, as they always did. Bickering back and forth about some silly thing they disagreed on.  “Why, why did I have to yell at her and tell her I hated her, told her to leave my room? Why would I say I hope I never see you again? I didn’t mean it when I told her I never wanted to see her again.  I just was annoyed with her being around when my friends were over” Cam thought as he laid in his bed crying.

If only he had gone home sooner from playing basketball. Maybe then he could have saved her. He could have been there for her. He could have talked to her and made her feel heard if only he had been around. Instead, he had spent his time trying to beat all his friends at the dumb game of basketball. Nothing was ever going to be the same again. Cam felt like he would never be able to forgive himself for not being there more.

It was a gloomy day which reflected the way he was feeling. He didn't have the strength to get out of bed and his eyes burned from all the tears that they shed the night before. It was an unusual feeling for this high school athlete who was too cool to have emotions.

He heard a gentle knock on the door before it slowly creaked open and his mom's face appeared in the entryway. "Hey buddy", she said in a hushed voice. Cam hated it when people called him buddy, but he actually didn't mind it today. It made him feel comforted and seen. He didn't care about all the things he had previously like his popularity and status at school amongst his peers. He didn't need to try to be cool he just needed to be strong. He wasn't the only one struggling. He could see it in his mom's face. She hadn't stopped crying since she found Ellie the night before.

Had it really been a whole day already? It felt like just moments ago but also an eternity ago all at the same time. Time seemed to be at a standstill and they didn't know where the unpause button was. Cam's whole family just sat there wondering if they were stuck in a nightmare. They were waiting to wake up, pinching themselves hoping that would drag them out of this terrible dream they were stuck in.

But the days kept going and they weren't slowing down. Cam trudged his way through the last few weeks at school just trying to get by. The halls seemed so empty now. The laughter all seemed to fade out as he walked down the halls to his classes. Everyone felt bad for him, he was known as the kid who lost his sister. But he didn't want that to be his identity. He wanted to remember the reason for his sister's end. He wanted to help people. He didn't want anyone else to feel lost and that they didn't belong.

Cam was thinking back to the last few weeks he had had with Ellie and realized he had missed all the signs if there were any. He had taken their relationship for granted and he felt bad for that. The effect that Ellie taking her life had on Cam was extraordinary. She would have never expected and she will never know the impact she had on other people's lives. And that is something Cam was going to have to live with for the rest of his life. Knowing that his sister was hurting and he didn't recognize that until it was too late. He wanted to start something that would help other people feel loved and appreciated before they lost their hope in life.

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Thank you so much for reading my first short story. I hope if you are struggling with something you will go and find help and not let it talk you out of living your life to the fullest. You may not see it but people look up to you and people need you in their lives.

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