Page 25 of Don't Let Go

I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and crossed my ankles, swinging my legs gently. “It’s fine. You’re from another world. I bet our crummy school is a joke to you. You probably went to a private school with uniforms.”

He laughed. It sounded truer, like for a moment he forgot about his sorrow and heard a good joke. “No uniforms. I haven’t been to a school like that since elementary school, and I hated every moment of that. I just miss my girlfriend and my teammates.”

“What did you play?”

“Basketball.”

With his tall, lean frame, I could picture him running down the court and doing a high jump, the ball flying, making it in. Nothing but net. Our team had a handful of tall players. This season, our boys’ basketball team was miraculously still playing and we were getting close to the playoffs. If we made it that would break the record for our school even if we didn’t win the title.

“You look like you play ball.”

He rubbed his hands together and stared at them for a long moment. “Yeah. Been playing since I could walk. My old man taught me.”

“That’s how they live on within us, memories.” I sighed, dipping my head back to stare at the bright spot known as Mars. “It’s a struggle every day. I can’t stop thinking about my papà sometimes.”

His eyes drifted over my body, studying me like I was an interesting art piece. “That’s how I felt when I lost my mom. Now I’m just numb. Like this is all a nightmare and Freddy Kruger is going to jump out of the shadows and stab me through the chest with his claws.”

“Did… did you witness him… did you watch…” I choked on the words. My tongue didn’t want to ask the absurd question burning in my chest.

“I saw my mom die. My father and I held her hands as she slipped away. The doctors said it was heart failure.” He became thoughtful, almost childlike. "But my dad never believed that…"

“That’s what stole my uncle a few years ago.” Hair fell in front of my face as I bowed my head, talking about my feelings always made me feel vulnerable.

Tyler sniffed, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. “I didn’t get to say goodbye to my dad. I found peace in losing my mom. It still stings, don’t get me wrong. We had some time to see itcoming though. I was prepared. She was prepared.” His voice was a harsh whisper, like gravel on cement. He screwed his eyes closed and his jaw welded shut.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t—”

He stared at me as if trying to dig deep into my soul. “No. I need to talk about it. I haven’t told anyone and it’s eating away at me.” He rubbed his hands on his jeans. “I haven’t had time to process it all. All I know was I won the basketball game and I was pissed at my dad for coming late. I dissed him to go to a party with my best friend and my girlfriend. While there I kept getting calls and finally answered. I raced to the hospital, but he was already too far gone. Then a doctor came out and told me there was nothing they could do. That my dad had passed away.”

“Wow. That’s horrible. I can’t imagine going from being so high after a win and being at a party to crashing nose-first into the worst news like that.” I traced a star on my PJ bottoms. “My papà died in a gas station. We were coming home from a camping trip, just him and I. We went into a gas station to use the bathroom and buy snacks. When I came around the corner with candy in hand, my papà motioned for me to get low. I was used to it living in Phoenix all my life, but it was strange up north since the worst things that happen there were usually weather related, like forest fires.” I pressed my lips together, the memory of my papà stung like a million wasps. “I obeyed and got down on my hands and knees.” I closed my eyes. The flash of the gunfire still blinded me. “That’s when I melted into the ground and buried my face into my hands. First, the cashier was shot, and then my papà. All for whatever was in the drawer and a carton of cigarettes.”

Tyler reached over and squeezed my forearm. “He died protecting you. You were all he thought about.”

I shook my head as tears burned my cheeks. “No. He was still alive. I tried to stop the bleeding, but it was so much. It was hardto get a signal on either of our phones and the robbers cut the phone line. He… he died in my arms. When help finally arrived I was drenched in his blood.”

Tyler sucked in a sharp breath. “Damn. That’s deep shit. How long ago was that?”

“Two years,” I said in a shaky voice.

Another round of popping echoed up from the street. A red car darted down the road, wheels squealing as white puffs of smoke filled the air behind it. The scene made for the perfect timing to cut this too-deep conversation with a hot stranger off before I revealed too much about myself.

“You’ll get used to it.” I put one leg in my room. “I’m going inside now.” I stole a glimpse of Tyler. He stared intently at where the car was a few seconds ago.

“I don’t think I’ll get used to this,” he mumbled.

I gave him a grim smile and ducked inside. I placed a hand on my window to slide it closed.

The glass was about to hit the end of the track when Tyler said, “Wait.”

I pushed it open enough for me to stick my head out. “Yeah?”

“Can we talk later? I think it… helps.”

“Of course. You coming inside?”

He shook his head. “No. I’m going to stay out here and think. Night.”

“Night.” I shut and locked my window.

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