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A/N: So, this is my first story on fictionpress. woohoo. I hope you like it...it may get a little sad...and I hope you like it...
Her name was Caley Adams. She was the same age as him- seventeen. She had beautiful green eyes, that one could easily get lost in- something Chad often did. She had long dark brown hair, that she never wore up in a ponytail.
Things can get worse?
He was also close to the shooter. The student who snapped. Who killed six people, including Caley. Innocent Caley. Who did nothing to anyone. Oh yes, he was very close to the shooter.
His name was Kyle O'Riely.
Chad's smart, sensible, kindhearted, good natured older brother. Beautiful Kyle. A mother's perfect dream.
Or perfect nightmare.
Perfect Kyle was always messed up. Depressed. He was a beautiful person, but no one saw that. Instead they wore him down, beat him into the ground beneath him. So what did they expect? A pat on the back? A laugh?
I'd bet they never expected a bullet to the head. Kyle took a bullet to the heart, his weak, but kind heart. In return they got a bullet to the head. From Kyle, the one who never hurt anyone.
But Caley never hurt Kyle- never anyone. And...she never would.
Chad stood amongst the pews, head bowed, his black hair hanging over his face. He saw his mom fussing with the sleeves of the black tuxedo he was wearing. He saw it, but he didn't feel it. He was numb, silenced, and cold. He felt raw and frozen- as if his heart had stopped pumping blood through his veins.
He remembered it clearly. The only thought running through his brain... the sight of his brother, storming into the cafeteria, holding out his uncle's raptor magnum in front of himself. He heard his angry shouts, and he felt the nausea rush through him as he saw Caley running up to him.
She had shouted at him to stop. And it took seconds- mere seconds, which seemed like hours, to turn on her, gun aimed at her head. She stumbled back. He felt himself running to Kyle, his legs ready to give out. And then he heard the unmistakable bang of the gun. He had heard his Uncle Raymond and Kyle practicing with it outside in the summer.
She fell to the ground, then next came Devon- the one who made Kyle's life as it was- miserable and bleak. He pivoted without any warning, and right away, Devon went down. Blood pooled around his head.
Chad's vision became blurred as the boy he grew up with, and looked up to shot down fellow students- all in the head. No suffering. He remembered the wail of sirens as Kyle fell to his knees, the gun clattering to the ground. Chad's heart stopped as he dreaded one thing- that he would pull the gun on himself. But he didn't.
Sensible Kyle. Would never hurt anyone.
Chad's eyes snapped open again, as he was walking to the open casket. He looked down at her. Resting peacefully upon the soft velvet. He reached down, but drew back as he looked at his black gloves. He pulled them off, and touched her cheek. He felt a tear roll down his own cheek. She felt warm, and soft. Nothing what he expected from someone death had claimed. She was still...beautiful. And always would be.
His mom touched his shoulder. He drew back, then looked up at her. She looked him in the eyes.
"Are you ready to go?" She asked softly. He swallowed, then nodded slowly, taking last look down at Caley.
They had put her hair up in a ponytail. He reached down, and gently pulled it out, and fixed her hair as she always had it. Now she looked more natural- more normal.
He inhaled again. He knew where they were going now. The hospital.
Kyle was 'sick', and they were helping him get better. If they even decided to let him go.
When he opened his eyes again, he was in the car and on the way to see Kyle. Kyle...this was his brother- his own brother...someone shouldn't have to be afraid of their own brother.
But he had seen that look in his eyes...hate, anger, fear and sadness...all in those same dark blue eyes... he still looked like Kyle...but, was this still the one he had known for all his seventeen years?
Their footsteps echoed in the brightly decorated halls of the hospital. Who knew the psychiatric ward wouldn't be dull and white...but it had hand-made paintings on the wall...they appeared to be made by small children- about five years old. But these were all made by people his own age.
He looked into the rooms as he passed them. People- all from around thirteen to twenty years old. He felt another tear falling. This wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair. Some of these teenagers wouldn't go to the prom, they wouldn't graduate, never get their dream job...never get married...
But then again.
Neither would Caley.
He felt rage flaring up in him. Which suddenly turned into a sinking, heavy feeling in his stomach as the nurse that was leading them stopped in front of a door. This door led to a room. Like any other room in the wing. Except this was different- Kyle was just past this door...Chad looked away, as his mom touched his shoulder.
"You don't have to come in if you don't want to." She told him quietly, as he shook his head.
"I have to see him." He whispered, not really fully understanding what he meant.
When they walked in, there was a teen sitting on a bed. He looked like Kyle. His eyes were dark blue. His hair was blonde and styled like Kyle's. He was thin, and about the same height.
But this was far from Kyle.
It was but a shell of what once was Kyle.
His eyes were clouded and sunken in. He was staring ahead, expressionless, until he looked over at his family.
He half smiled, then grimaced as he tried to shift positions.
His mom's eyes were watering, and she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, at a loss for words. She just gave him a sad sort of look.
After a long period of silence, Kyle looked up.
"May I speak to Chad alone?" He asked quietly. Chad's heart began to race, as he willed silently for the nurse to say no.
Just let her say no.
No.
I can't be alone with him.
This monster. He killed her.
I can't speak to him...not now...not ever...
No...
"Of course." The nurse smiled, nodding at their mother, signaling for her to leave the room.
As the two women exited the room, Chad's eyes met the floor, and locked on. That's how it was for a few minutes, until Chad couldn't take the feeling anymore. The feeling of his own brothers deep blue eyes boring into his head.
He glanced up, and looked into Kyle's eyes.
"It's been awhile, huh?" Kyle smiled with a strange, airy kind of voice.
"Yeah..." Chad agreed quietly...it had only been a week...but the less words said the better.
There was another long silence, but Chad took this opportunity to look around the room some more. It didn't have white walls like he expected them to...they had a pale blue kind of colour to them. The blankets on the bed were of a matching colour, and the pillows were a light, creamy yellow colour.
There were a few darker blue cushy recliner chairs, a wooden stand with a TV on top of it. Close to the TV was Kyle's gamecube, a stack of his games... Chad looked to the window. It was rather large..kind of a picture window. But there were bars over it. Cold, black steel bars. Blue curtains draped over half the window...
There was a CD player with a bunch of Kyle's CDs...his favourite bands all neatly stacked in a pile by the window. It was so strange how this looked almost exactly like his old room...right down to the photo of him and Chad by the left corner of the bed, and the football beanbag chair in the corner.
Except the bars. That's what got Chad...the bars scared him. They made him feel closed in, trapped...alone.
Kyle looked at him again.
"Do you want to sit down?" He asked, motioning to one of the chairs in front of the bed. Chad nodded, and sat down, his throat dry, his eyes wet.
"So...what's up?" Kyle smirked. This used to be a common greeting between the two of them...
"Oh nothing really bro...you just took a gun to school...you shot the girl I loved...killed five other students we both went to school with..remember Caleb? You went to kindergarten with him. You guys used to be best friends as well. You guys played in the sandbox together. Made things out of play-do. Coloured pictures of what you wanted to be when you were older. Played with your toys together. Shared everything. Your toys, your lunches, hell even your clothes. Your dreams, thoughts, ideas...
So you guys grew up, grew apart, and hung out with different people.
He tried to help you Kyle, tried to stop you, Did you have to shoot him too, Kyle? Did you have to? What did he do to you? Nothing, but try to help. That's all bro...he tried to help you. He's dead... You had a reason to shoot Devon...but not Caleb.
What about Drake? He was one of your friends in grade eight. Don't you remember going to grad together? Remember the picture of you two? You were wearing the same tuxedos. Hah...they were black...you guys were wearing blue shirts and pink ties... remember? It was to make your girlfriends at the time laugh...Because they were so scared of moving on...they didn't want to graduate...but you made them happy. Remember? Everyone loved you two. You cheered grad right up. And the grad party...you two rented the clown to make everyone laugh...and he fell in the pool...well, Drake pushed him more so...hah and he just...floated around for a bit...
Do you also remember shooting him in the skull? He didn't do anything wrong...did he? Did he!?
So why, Kyle? Why did you do it? There were so many more you didn't have to kill...
Why?"
Chad shrugged.
"Nothing really new..."
There was another really long silence. Chad looked up again and saw that Kyle's shoulders were shaking...he was laughing... a weird...sad, deranged, sobbing laugh. Tears were streaming down his face as he tilted his head back, laughing and crying violently.
He looked down, tears still falling down his cheeks, he sobbed quietly. Chad couldn't help but look into his now clouded eyes. He felt a pang of sadness and guilt...but relief. Maybe Kyle was still somewhat there...he still had some emotions...but it was also scary watching him act this way...
Kyle's sobs slowed down as he stared Chad in the eye.
"Chad... what the hell is wrong with me?" He cried softly.
That's when Chad started to sob as well, and fell into his brothers arms.
He had to think a lot of things in his life over...and it wasn't going to be that easy.
-emma lea