You Taught Me Something I’ll Never Forget

“…We are gathered here today to mourn the death and passing of our dearly beloved, Jay Williams; a friend, a brother, and a friend to many…”

Everyone was dressed in black, everyone was heartbroken, and everyone was content to blame me. As if I don’t feel bad enough already, I thought to myself. I knew Jay better than all of them put together and then some. Why? Because I was his twin brother, his closest friend, and his most trusted confidant. Who was I? I was Tyler Williams. So why does everyone hate me? I could’ve stopped him from making the biggest mistake of his life - but didn’t.

I had heaps of friends, a long-term girlfriend, everybody liked me, and I had just won myself a basketball scholarship – my life rocked – until that Wednesday; two agonizingly long and painful weeks ago. The day that changed my life, forever…

FLASHBACK

“Tyler!” My head snapped up at the sound of my name. I turned quickly to see my 16 year old identical twin brother jogging toward me. I nodded a brusque greeting as he slid to a stop beside me. Then I bent my arms as I prepared to throw the basketball in my hands, my brow furrowed in concentration. Jay smiled brightly, showing two rows of perfect teeth.

“Let’s go!” He said. “Mum called before and said that we could spend the afternoon hanging out and at the beach.” His voice was full of excitement. Jay was the typical little kid.

“C’mon, Ty! Schools over! You can practice basketball any other time. But you’re already great though. You’ve got that cool basketball scholarship to prove it. I wish I had some of those fantastic skills you got, hotshot.” He made a face at me.

I made an equally horrific and grotesque looking face back at him. He mock gagged.

“My brother has such a nefarious mind!” He said, gasping melodramatically. He snickered suddenly, “and face!”

“Yeah? Well my only brother uses his brain to think up insidious plans on how to get my chocolate chip cookies.” I retorted theatrically, going along with him.

Sniggering, I followed him out of the basketball courts. We lived in Melton Shire and because of how close we lived to the beach, since we had first leant to swim; we were always allowed to go there alone. We always protected and looked after each other, so we were pretty much responsible. Most of the time.

Jay tore off his pants and tee, revealing blue-green board shorts. He dived in without a word. I pulled off my own school clothes and changed into my midnight blue trunks before dashing in after him. We swam around for an hour and splashed around before jumping out and drying ourselves off. Then along came a group of guys around about seventeen to nineteen years of age, strolling down the beach, talking in loud voices. They were dressed as punks, and I had no doubt that they probably were. They spotted us and came over.

“Hey kids, how old are you?”

I glanced at Jay, who was toweling his hair dry, before answering. “16.”

The guy, it was evident that he was the leader, poked Jay. “What about him then?”

I answered quickly, seeing Jay open his mouth furiously at being jabbed in the chest by the punk looking leader. “16 as well. We’re twins.”

The leader spoke again. “He looks a bit on the puny side though. You know what I mean? A bit…short.”

I heard a growl behind me. I blocked Jay’s view from the other’s smirk when I saw his hand curl up into a tight fist.

The leader laughed, “I’m the boss around here. The name’s Spaz.” The rest of the guys laughed with him as Jay glared at him from behind me. “What are you guys called then, huh?”

Jay stepped out from behind me, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. I could tell it was to control his immense anger. “I’m Jay. He’s Tyler.”

Spaz shrugged. “Whatever. Doesn’t really make a difference. So are you going to join us or is he going to be doing his girly little things today, hmm?” He said maliciously, and he pointed, once again, at Jay. His mouth turned up in a sneer.

I had a sneaking suspicion that he was getting his kicks from infuriating Jay. But he just shrugged back, an uncommitted look on his face. “Well, we got time.”

So for the next hour or so, we went around town with Spaz and his ‘gang’ of friends. We ended up in some bizarre, abandoned warehouse a little while later. Spaz took out from his jacket pocket what I recognized as Ecstasy tablets. He handed them out to his friends. Then he had two left over. He beckoned Jay and me closer. Jay went and I followed him unwillingly. Spaz showed the drugs to us.

“You guys want one?” But I just stared, appalled and slightly revolted, at the tablets. I pushed his rough hand away shakily.

“No way.”

He just moved his hand to Jay instead. He grinned. “It’s the best thing ever to try, you know. You don’t know what you’re missing here.”

Jay’s hand slowly snaked towards the drug, before he moved it slightly back. Then he took the pill, though hesitantly. Spaz smiled widely. My breath caught in my throat. I tried to speak but no sound came out. I managed to squeak out my brother’s name before he did anything else.

“Jay…”

He met my scared gaze with his own bold and determined one boldly. He swallowed the pill in one gulp, never taking his eyes off mine as he did so. I stood there, shaken and horrified at my twin brother’s choice. Spaz and his friends congratulated Jay away from my frozen frame, on the opposite side of the warehouse. Suddenly, Jay gave a loud, strangled yell and collapsed onto the ground in a heap. The other’s leapt back, startled. My frozen body snapped back to life as Jay started to shake violently, as though having a seizure.

I sprinted as fast as I could to his convulsing body. He was foaming at the mouth by the time I got to him. Petrified and uneasy, Spaz and his buddies ran or it. I called my brothers name over and over, my voice becoming more hysterical with each and every passing minute. I pulled my mobile phone frantically out of my backpack and dialed the three emergency numbers.

“Melton emergency department.”

I told them everything and in return, they told me that an ambulance was coming. I was distraught with fear, Jay’s movements had slowed. He was becoming more and more still. I stared down at his still body; my throat ached with unshed tears. I stared at a mirror image of myself as I looked down at him. Green eyes and blonde hair. We both had tips in our hair but different colors. His eyes opened once more, he smiled at me weakly.

“Don’t make the same mistakes that I did, don’t ever do drugs. And don’t you dare stop practicing basketball, Ty; you’re on your way to fame. Don’t forget that I have and always will love you, Tyler.”

He smiled peacefully at me once more. Then the light in his eyes dulled and he took his last breath. His heaving chest stilled - and I knew he was gone. Forever.

In the distant, I could hear the loud wailing of the ambulance. Its sound an insult to what I had just been through. I stared down at Jay’s limp form. The ambulance slowly drew closer as I did.

The mouth that would never again twitch up into his cocky trademark smile. His blonde tresses with his fiery red tips never fussed over again. His eyes were open. But the eyes usually so full of life and fun were now devoid of all feeling. The vivid emerald green eyes were blank. For the first time in my life, I cried. I cried over my brother’s dead body.

I reached up and closed his eyes with a shaking hand, covering the blank lifeless green orbs that stared up at me for the last time…

END OF FLASHBACK

I stood to the back, leaning against the trunk of the giant oak tree. I watched as Jay’s coffin was lowered into his grave. I bit back the sob threatening to spill out of me. I had to be strong. Jay would’ve wanted me to be. I wouldn’t stop living, no; I would use Jay’s sacrifice on life and turn it into something good, something valuable. I had learnt the lesson of a lifetime, and it was my brother that paid the price. Unnoticed by all, I slipped out of the cemetery and started walking towards the slowly setting sun.

I had a long journey ahead of me.

The End.

By: Julie Pham