“Jack?” Lexy said a minute later, but I barely heard her. “Jack, what’s wrong? Jack!” She tapped me on the shoulder, and I came out of my trance.

“What?” I asked.

“What’s wrong?” she asked me again.

“Uh, nothing. Look, I gotta get started on my homework.” I started to walk away, but Lexy stopped me.

“Jack, it’s obvious that something’s wrong. What is it?”

“Alright, I’ll tell you, but not here. Meet me after school, and we can go somewhere and talk.”

“OK, but are you gonna be alright the rest of the day?”

“Yeah, it was a long time ago. Don’t worry about it.” I went over to my seat, sat down, and pulled out my math homework, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate. My thoughts drifted back to that horrible day. It had been about a year ago, the day Gabby and I had broken up, and on that same day, her brother had died.

*Flashback*

“Jack, come on, don’t you love me?” Gabby had asked.

“Yes, of course I do!” I had answered her. “You know that.”

“Then let’s go back to my place,” she said pleadingly.

“OK,” I said hesitantly, and we walked back to her place. No one else had been home, and we stayed in the family room. She started to kiss me, but I knew what she wanted, so I held back, and she got mad.

“I thought you loved me!!” she screamed at me.

“I do!” I had yelled back, “But I’m not ready for that!”

“Fine!” she screamed just as her brother had walked in. He automatically assumed it was my fault that we were breaking up, and he walked over, and pulled a knife out from somewhere. He held it to my neck, and Gabby just stood there and watched.

“Do something!!” I had yelled at her.

“Go to hell!!” she had screamed back and ran upstairs. I could feel the knife against my neck, and I knew that it had started to go through, because I could feel the blood trickling down my neck.

I grabbed the knife, and we struggled, until Joe’s eyes had suddenly gotten very big, and he fell to the floor, the knife in his chest, right where his heart would be. Gabby had come back down the stairs when she heard us fighting, and when she saw her brother, she screamed at me.

“What have you done?!!?”

“Oh, my God, Gabby! It was an accident!! I swear it!!”

“You killed my brother!!” I had gone to call the police, and just a couple moments later they had arrived. After they questioned me, they called my mom, and let me go home. They knew it had been self-defense, so I was never charged with anything. Even though I had sworn it was an accident, and the police told her it was self-defense, Gabby had always thought I had done it on purpose.

Just then, the bell rang, and Study Hall was over. It was my last class, so Lexy walked over to me. I slowly came out of my trance, and started to put my things away. Lexy saw the look on my face, and came and sat down next to me.

“Jack? What is it?” she asked me when she saw the tears in my eyes.

“Come on, let’s go,” I answered, “We need to talk.” She followed me out the door and I went outside, and around the side of the school. I faintly heard Jen call to Lexy as we walked down the hall, but I ignored her, and Lexy kept following me. When we got to a secluded place, I stopped and leaned against the school building. I took out the newspaper article out that Lexy had handed me earlier, and started to tell her the whole story. I didn’t care what she thought about me, I let the tears flow freely. I told her the whole story.

Then added, “I can only imagine what she felt like. I love my brother so much, and I miss him, but at least he’s still alive. I don’t know what I would do if I were to lose him too.” I collapsed in tears, and Lexy sat down next to me, pulled me into her arms, and let me cry.