Bitter Summer

A month into the summer, two months left, 61 days. Time really flies and I wish I could clip its wings. What do I wanna do? Neils training because he doesn want to lose to me again, Leon is also training because he wants to be scouted, Aliyahs making art and she doesn wanna be disturbed.

T seems to be free. I guess Ill hang out with him.

I walked to Ts house, a slow walk. The sun from the side, setting gradually. On the way I stopped by a convenient store to buy a few of Ts choice of snacks and some drinks too. Its been a while since I hung out with T alone. Actually when was the last time? Ever since I got with Aliyah wed always hang as a group.

Hopefully hes down to hang out. Because I am bored out of my mind. My dad is busy, but thats fine. Hes always busy with his work, I really look up to his dedication. Hes a good dad, a good person, and loyal too. Its been years since my mother passed and he never remarried. I talked to him about it several times but he always shys away from the topic.

He said, and I quote ”Ill never remarry, your mother was the one for me and shell always be. ” I didn mind with that kind of mindset, just that I didn want him to be lonely.

Arriving at Ts house I got nervous. Why was I nervous? No clue. Maybe because we haven hung out as much in the summer. And I just felt guilty.

I walked up to the door and was about to knock on the door. Every part of my body was shaking, it was telling me to not knock on the door and leave. A fight or flight sense. But why? My mind couldn process why but my heart felt heavy. It was warning me? About what? T? Hes no threat. Hes a cinnamon roll.

I ignored my senses and knocked on the door anyway. I heard muffled footsteps from behind the door.

The door unlocked and opened but not fully. Ts head popped up from behind the door.

”Hey, T. ” I greeted

”Hey, Cal. H-hows it going? ” He greeted me back

I noticed he was wearing his usual clothes to go outside, he also had his fanny pack for his medicine. Is he going somewhere?

”Pretty good. Wanna hang out? ” I ask anyway

”Oh, sure. Where? ” He ask back

”Anywhere you wanna go. Your house is fine. ” I say

”Oh, lets not. Its messy in here. Lets just go somewhere else. ” He said

”Okay, got any spots to go? ” I ask

”Yeah a couple. ”

And so the two of us went out together. He took me to the park. The park Ive been to a million times. Surround the park was woods that were off limits. Im not sure why it was off limits but probably a good thing. The woods look a bit creepy from the outside.

T dragged me in. I hate him. He walked pass the big ass sign that say ”Do Not Enter ”. Whatever, I thought. I just followed him. First few yards into the woods was fine, maybe it wasn as bad as it looked from the outside. We kept walking in further. I was following his lead, he didn spoke a word to me but was mumbling things. I couldn make out what he was exactly saying but I thought he was just nervous. Or maybe lipsyncing a song he a had in his head, not that I know he listens to any kind of song.

”How far is this spot? ” I ask

”Pretty deep in. ” T replied

”Me when Im in… Never mind. ” I cancelled out my joke because it wasn with Leon, Aliyah nor Neil, he has a different sense of humor

”Heh. ” T chuckled

Then we see that up ahead is a broken shack it looks like. Or a very old, unused lodge. T pointed at it.

”Over there! ” He said

T started running and I jogged following him from behind.

It was a lodge, but small. A small lodge. The outside was covered in mold and it smelt of dirt. Several windows were smashed from the outside it looks like. The double doors at the front were 0.5. And by that I mean that one door was missing and the other door was only half a door. It looked torn.

T told me to come inside, I was unsure of entering a house that looks like its on its last leg. Then the same fight or flight sense kicked in. Only this time louder and more intense. My body really tried to tell me to run. But from what? Why? I just couldn think of what I needed to do with this feeling. So I ignored it again.

I entered the house vigilantly. Watching everg step I make. I see scattered glass below the windows. A shelf filled with items. A rope, a pair of scissors, an old camera, I think its a polaroid. several crates on the floor. The roof had a big log across the front wall to the back, but it seemed too low and easy to reach with one of the crates on the floor. I stood on one of the crates and I can reach the top of the log easily.

”What is this place? ” I ask

”I don exactly know. But I use this place a lot to clear my thoughts. ” He said

I looked on the floor and saw red stains. I crouched and drag my index finger through it. It was like dried up paint or blood. I smelled it and confirmed it, blood.

”Whos blood is this? ” I ask aloud

”… ” T paused for a second

”I don know. ” He said

”This place was probably a murder scene. Or something I don know. ” I assumed as I stand back up

T then paused for a very long time.

”M-maybe. ” He stuttered

That was weird. Why did he stutter? Probably nothing. Hopefully nothing.

”Howd you find this place? ” I wondered

”I just followed the v- I just wandered to it. ” He claimed

”Uh huh… So, you wanna hang out in this creepy lodge? ” I ask feeling weirded out

”Do you want to? ” T ask me

”Im fine with this place. Not waving any red flags whatsoever. ” I said sarcastically

”Okay. Lets sit here. ” He dragged two crates close to each other.

I sat on the one in the left and him on the right. Seem like he took it literally. I didn actually want to hangout here. Seems creepy. But whatever.

”What you been doing? ” I ask

”Not much. Just doing my stuff. ” He replied

”Are you feeling okay? ” I ask again

”Yeah, Im fine. ”

”Can I ask you something? ”

”Sure. ”

I took a deep breath and ask away.

”Why don you like hanging out with the others? ” I genuinely wondered why he doesn want to

”They hate me. ” He said

”Umm… No, they don ? ” I said

”Yes, they do. They never want to hangout with me. ” He claimed

”Neil asked you to watch our race didn he? ”

”… ”

T paused for a while there. It was a yes or no question, shouldve been easy. As I look at him, he looked like he was thinking about it really hard.

”No, he didn . ” He said

”But you still came, right? ”

”Yeah. ”

Why did he lie? Neils a very honest asshole. He told me he did. He ain the type of guy to lie.

”So, whatd you think about the race? ” I ought to just not question it.

”Im glad you still beat Neil. ” He said awkwardly. He wasn looking at me, he was looking at the floor. Why?

”He should just back down and accept that you
e better than him. ” He said in a straight vocie with no tone

”Hmm.. What do you mean? ” I ask

”You know… He should just admit that you
e better than him. ” I repeated

”Whyd he ever do that? And why would I want that? The point of racing is to beat other racers no matter how fast or good they are. It wouldn be real if they just held back. ” I believe this is why racing is fun

”… ”

Without me even realizing, the sun setted completly and it turned dark. I looked up my phone to see the time and it was 8 PM already.

”Wow, its 20.37 already? ” I said

”Are you leaving? ” He asks worriedly

”Huh? Oh, no. My dad said its okay to come back late. ”

”Uhh… H-How is he? ” He ask

Is he reading off of something? Why did he suddenly have to rehearse the question in his head?

”Hes okay. Busy as usual. ”

”But hes your father. Why doesn he have time for you? ”

”He does. And besides, I don mind. Its important work. ” I don want to get into saying that Im leaving yet.

If I say it too soon it might ruin the mood. So I might say it later. But probably not tonight.

”But you
e his son! He should have time for you! ”

”Yeah, I guess. It is summer after all. But, as I said its fine. Ill have plenty of time. ”

”Anyway, hows your mom doing? ” I ask this time

”Shes okay. ”

”Thats it? How about you spending time with your mom? Got any good stories? ” I ask again trying to get him to tell a cool anecdot or something

”I hope shed just drop dead. ” He said

What the absolute **? I was so caught off guard with what he said. His voice suddenly deepen and hes dead serious about it. Not a single bit of hesitation in his body language or breathing. He **ing meant it.

”How could you say that? Shes your mom. ”

”Im sorry. ”

”Don apologize to me. Why would you say that about your mom? ”

”I didn mean it. ”

”I hope you didn . ”

Whats with him? His mom is a genuinely nice person trying to raise her son alone. Ts father left because he couldn handle him. I guess thats where I can kinda relate. In my case it being my mother, but she didn leave, she died. I can see how hard he tries to raise me alone. Thats why I try my best to be independent.

And I can see that Ts mother is the same or at least similar. But she definitely tries harder, considering Ts mental condition. Maybe thats it. Has he taken his pills yet? He looks tired now. Exhausted actually. He started panting, scratching his head really hard, starts punching the crate hes sitting on.

”Are you okay? ” I ask

”Hihihi.. Im fine. ”

”Oookay… ”

He started chuckling to himself. Im starting to get really worried.

”Have you taken your meds yet? ”

”Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. ”

He may have but it definitely wore off, I think thats how that works anyway. The pills he take are antipsychotics and anti-tremor. The former is to reduce or suppress his psychiatric condition and the latter is to reduce the side effects of the former and the psychiatric condition itself.

I was told his condition was uncureable? But I never knew what it was.

Glancing at a text from my phone on the crate and the time showed 21.27. It was a short conversation of 50 minutes. Maybe I should leave. I think I should leave. But he needs me to take care of him.

”T. Hey, buddy. Are you there? ”

He looked at me dead in the eyes, his left eye was twitching, both his hands were shivering, his breathing was so erratic.

”I need you to take your medicine. ” I said

”I did! ” He yelled

I reached my hand slowly to his fanny pack and unlatch it from his waist. He started giggling as if something was tickling him. I slowly drag the pack to me and unzip the bag. I grabbed both pill bottles that were in the pack. I looked at the labels and the antipsychotic was empty. The anti-tremor had one pill left. I thought maybe he should just take it. I opened the bottle and let the pill fall to my palm. I cuffed my hand to make sure it couldn fall. I reached with my other hand to grab a water bottle. I handed the pill and the water to him.

”You need to drink this. ” I tolf him

”Okay. ”

He grabbed the pill and water. Then he drops the pill on the ground and stomps it. Crushing the pill.

”I said Ive taken it. ” He said angrily, his entire body was tremoring

”… ”

”I have s-s-s-something to tell you. ” he said

”What? ”

”I love you. ” He said

I chuckled a bit but it was because I was nervous. I knew he was being serious.

”But why? ”

”You were the only, only, only, only person to ever been there for me. It only make sense if you love me too, right? It would make sense that we should be together, right? You and me. Forever. Forever? Forever! ”

”T, you know I have a girlfriend, right? ”

He then stood up and started walking around the room. As a defense instinct I stood up too.

”So whaaaaaaaat???? Break up with that bitch! She doesn love you! Only I do! Your dad doesn , your girlfriend doesn ! ”

”Terrance, stop. You
e sick. ”

”I AAM AS HEEEEAALTHYY AS I CAN BE!!!! ”

”Ill call your mom to pick us up. ”

I raised my phone to my face and was about to call his mom. T then knocked my phone away from my hands. It landed on the ground, and the screen cracked a bit, I could tell because it landed facing up.

”No. ”

”Youll stay here with me. ”

”Forever. ”

”Listen T. Even if I wanted to I can . Im moving away after this summer. To a different country. ”

”Wha? ”

”Ive been meaning to tell you that for a while now. ”

T then turned around and walked away from me. He started pulling his hair as he dropped to his knees. He started whining. Crying.

”Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! PLEASE SHUT UP!! ” He started yelling at himself

”T, are you okay? I got really worried

”NO!! ” He yelled

”HOW COULD YOU LEAVE?? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STAY HERE WITH ME!! ” He screamed angrily, as if Ive betrayed him

I grabbed my phone and it won turn on, so I holstered it in my pocket.

”Im sorry, but I need to leave. ” I said

”Wait, please! ”

I started walking to the door. I didn know what to do, I just knew I wanted and needed to leave.

11 HOURS LATER

Cal was watching the news on TV. His eyes were shrouded in blackness, he looked like he didn get enough sleep.

”I am here on the scene, and two dead bodies were found. An adult male by the name Jason □□□□□ and a 16 year old named Terrance Harrol from Princeton Highschool. Police reports said that the death of Jason □□□□□ was committed by Terrance and Terrances death was a suicide. ” The reported on the scene said

Cal sat on his couch alone, in absolute terror. Fear in his eyes, he was shaking, he was with him last night and he died a very tragic death.

Aliyah and Neil were in Leons house. They were completely shock at what the news reporter had to say.

”Terrance killed someone? ” Neil questioned

”I can believe it. But why did he kill himself? ” Leon also questioned

”He would never. ” Neil replied

”Holy shit. What are we gonna do? ” Leon started to feel anxious, so did the rest however.

”We need to see Cal. ” Aliyah said

Aliyah started crying, Neil and Leon started tearing up too. They were terrified and they felt guilty.

Mr. Moore, Cals father, heard the news on his car radio, he was listening to the local radio. The moment he heard it he immediately hit a U turn and stepped on the gas pedal and went as fast as he can to go back to his house, to his son, Cal.