Page 23 of What Comes After

But something else had happened.

Something became clear to me over the course of the last few years. Devyn had been my best friend, always supporting me at every play and being there to hang when we just wanted to chill.

We studied together or worked on homework at the same time with one another. And whenever I needed help rehearsing, she’d help me with my lines.

Finally, after all this time, I realized I’d fallen in love with her. Part of me had wanted to go to her immediately and share the news with her, but I didn’t. Instead, I held onto the realization for more than a year now, worried I might ruin the friendship we had with one another.

I had a plan, though. I made a promise to myself, that before the school year was over, I was going to work up the courage to tell Devyn the truth. I was going to tell her that I’d fallen in love with her, and that I wanted her to be my girlfriend.

But as I sat in my bed, the television on in the background while I ran through my lines for my part in my senior year’s spring production while thinking about Devyn, something happened that I hadn’t been expecting.

Something that was the complete opposite of everything I’d been experiencing in my life lately.

My body tensed momentarily as the sound of a horrendous scream floated up to my bedroom. I remained frozen to the spot for all of a few seconds before I hopped out of the bed, swung my bedroom door open, and raced down the stairs.

One look at the scene before me didn’t tell me anything specific, but from what I could manage to gather, something was very, very wrong.

My mother was in tears, barely able to keep herself upright, as my dad’s arms were around her, taking her weight and holding her up.

Though she was crying, I could see that my mom was physically fine. My dad was as well.

More alarming than even the sound of my mom’s scream or the fact that she was in tears was the police officer.

Standing just inside the front door to my house was a single officer, and the look he wore on his face did not indicate good things at all.

I was torn.

Part of me desperately wanted to know what was wrong, but the other part of me could see the devastation written all over my parents’ faces. I wanted to avoid learning about whatever it was that put those looks there.

Sadly, I had no choice.

Because I caught the officer’s attention, and his eyes moved in my direction. “Are you Theo?” he asked.

Confusion washed over me. I hadn’t done anything to get myself into any trouble, so I had not a clue as to how the officer knew my name. Worse, I couldn’t image what he wanted.

“I am,” I confirmed. Before he could respond, I shifted my attention to my parents, who were now looking at me. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”

That was such a stupid question.

Of course, something had happened.

Why else would I be standing here, witnessing what I was and feeling all that I did about it, if nothing had happened?

I couldn’t miss the sympathetic looks that washed over my parents’ faces. It was sympathy mixed with a healthy dose of agony.

Neither one of them responded to me.

Instead, the officer said, “Theo, I’m here because I was told by a young lady named Devyn Jade to come over here and share the news.”

Devyn had sent this guy?

None of this made any sense.

“What news?” I questioned him.

Now it was the officer’s turn to send a sympathetic look my way. Following a beat of silence, he shared, “Earlier this evening, Devyn’s parents were involved in a fatal car accident. Both of them died on the scene.”

In an instant, everything ceased to exist.

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