Slipped Away.

Slipped Away.1

‘It’s unfair.’ 2

The room was silent. There was no speaking, no noise other then gasping, wracked sobs that travelled through bodies crushed into the small church. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place, not even Marks as he stood at the front, struggling for composure as the tears blurred his eyes and he couldn’t read his notes; not that he needed them. What he was saying came from the heart, from everyone’s heart. 3

‘That we are all here together, two days away from graduation when Tre is about to be buried, away from his degree and VCE and the enter score he worked to the bone for. All of us will achieve what he we dream of, while he will never live past two days ago. Never.’ He choked on his words. It was hard not to. ‘We all remember that day, when he slipped away. The most memorable when he walked into the classroom and slammed the door, a boy who had never made a noise louder then a pencil scratching during class. We all looked around…’4

Shaking with anger and fear, Tre slammed the door to the classroom as hard as he could manage, it was unexpected and he could tell from the way everyone stared at him. Smirking he walked quickly, fists clenched to the front of the class. Standing in front of everyone he smiled again, a mysterious little grin that defied what he was about to do. ‘Today boys and girls, today you are going to notice me for the first time ever.’ Looking around, his eyes settled on Mark, the only person in the whole school who could possibly understand him, mourn him. If he could do it. His hands were shaking to the point he was almost useless, his voice wasn’t much sturdier when he spoke again. 5

‘I want all the tables and chairs put up against the door right now, I want nobody leaving or entering during this.’ They snickered and called out at him, paying him out. They never took him seriously. ‘I said move the fucking furniture dick heads!’ He pulled the gun from his pants; a little unsure he pointed it at the girl in front. She hadn’t yet looked up; he saw the headphones coming from her ears. When the girls in the back row screamed but, so did her, her eyes going wide as she stumbled out of her chair, hands over her head cowering. ‘Do what I say!’ 6

They moved quickly, working together to move all the chairs and tables in front of the door, after a few moments they stood stunned in the centre of the room. The girl Tre had the gun pointed at was shaking more then him now, he could see her stockinged legs bumping together as she stood there, still covering her face in fear. Lowering the gun he pointed it towards the group, everyone flinched, including Mark who looked pleadingly at him, asking him what he was doing through his eyes. Tre couldn’t answer that look, only stared at the ground while the girl ran to her friends crying. 7

‘The way he controlled the room. We were all scared of that boy with a gun, the nightmare we thought only happened in American high schools, scared for our lives. But not as scared as he was, nowhere near as mortified of the gun as him. But it was there, he was there, and we were there. In play daylight we saw his distress, which he will hopefully never have to feel again.’ Mark coughed into his hand, he was finding it hard to keep the words coming, and his body was shaking like Tre’s. He didn’t understand, he wanted him back, to be there with him right now for support. ‘But he is gone now, and we can do nothing but feel the blame.’ 8

‘It’s your entire fault I am doing this! All yours!’ Tre screamed at the boys who were covering the girls, he got up close to their faces and waved the gun in front of them. ‘I should pop you right now! I hate you! All the times you dissed me, made me feel like I was the most pathetic form of life on this planet!’ Tre sank to his knees in front of them all, crying. A banging started at the door and he turned around in fear, tripping on the hem of his jeans he fell face first to the ground. Groaning he stood up, embarrassed he looked back at them all, pale faced and concerned for him, for the boy who could take their life if they didn’t look that way. 9

‘Open this door right now!’ It was Mr Boomer, demanding like always to be let in, demanding for an answer, for him to pay attention, to take his head out of the text book and listen to him for once. Tre regretted not waiting for that overgrown man to be the in room, but there was too much chance he could have been overpowered, then he wouldn’t reach his plan. ‘I said open this bloody door!’ Boomer’s face appeared in the window; Tre looked him right in the eye and raised his gun, finger shaking at the trigger, bouncing on the suspension to pull it. The way the old mans eyes went wide, his pupils dilated and his mouth gaped like a fish on air. And they all thought he was pathetic. 10

‘Do you even feel sorry for me? For me doing this?’ Tre asked imploringly, he stared right Jason. Fashion brand clothing, cigarettes and all the girls. He was the epidemic of cool, of what all the boys in their year wanted to be and looked up to. The reason for Tre’s miserable body, the bruises and the beatings. The oral and physical abuse. ‘Did you even feel sorry for me once, after you beat me black and blue? Broke my teeth and bones, slammed my face in the cement? Did you?’ His bottom lip quivered, his fingers wrapped around the area his bone had needed to be reset after Jason has snapped it like a twig, grabbed him and thrown him against the fence, forgetting to let go of his sinewy arm. 11

‘He questioned us all that day. Opened up to everything he was put through, nobody answered and now it is too late. Tre slipped away. Now it will never be the same, for me, or any of us. Now it is my turn.’ Mark looked them all in the eye, meeting especially Jason’s red rimmed, watery ones. His cheeks were puffy and his skin was pallid, the face of a sleep denied man. Mark hoped he was haunted.12

‘Will you miss me when I am gone?’ Tre had moved on to Lucy now, she looked at him shocked. She was the prettiest girl in school. She didn’t even know Tre’s name. Or remember that he had been in their class; he could see it in her confused, shocked look. ‘I really liked you, Jason knew I did. One day he set me up on a blind date with you. Guess what, your kiss is a real rib breaker, a little manly but you know. Not like you knew I existed when I arrived to find Jason and his mates there, letting me know you didn’t even know my name.’ Tre reached out and touched Lucy on the cheek; her skin was everything he had imagined, soft and supple. ‘Will you miss me?’ Tears slid down her cheek, falling against his shaking fingers. 13

Turning away he walked to the front of the class and slid down the wall, gun still in his hand as he watched them all, cluttered together in the middle of the room. All to scared to stand alone, not like him, always alone. Not even Mark could be there for him all the time. Not when he needed him the most. 14

‘Why are you doing this Tre?’ Mark stepped forward; the first person to ask him what was going on, why he was doing this, the obvious question.15

‘Because I have had enough Mark. None of you care anymore. I don’t care anymore, I just want to let go. None of you like me, or love me.’ He looked at Lucy who blushed in shock. 16

‘We all knew then. It was our fault. But we did nothing, at all.’ Mark looked down, tears dripping on his hands. ‘Even though he was there with a gun, I can remember it so clearly.’ He looked up at the ceiling. ‘I miss you so bad Tre. I hope you can hear this mate, I really do. If only you could come back… we could do it all over again.’17

‘I am sorry I never noticed you Tre.’ Lucy walked forward now, Jason’s hand slipped from hers as she approached Tre who looked up, teary. Looking into her eyes, he felt like a little child again, looking at his mother. Lucy knelt beside him and took his hand, the one without the gun and gave it a little squeeze. ‘I am sorry.’ She picked it up and was about to bring it to her lips when Jason grabbed her, pulling her away. 18

‘Are you crazy?! The fucker has a gun, what if he had shot you for touching him then?!’ Jason yelled. Lucy pulled away from him. 19

‘You’re such an asshole! Look at him, he is upset. Worrying about his gun isn’t the main priority. Don’t be such a jerk.’ She screamed back, cheeks burning with anger as she turned back to Tre who was standing now, gun in hand, pointed at Jason who glared at him angrily. 20

‘I’ve had enough of this. We aren’t being held hostage by some half wit who can’t take his head from a book. It probably isn’t even loaded.’21

‘None of us could have known what was going to happen. Lucy if you could please, say your part?’ Mark stepped down from the stand, he clasped Lucy’s cold hands for a second, sharing a sad moment with her, before joining the other students of 12MM in the front. 22

‘I know all of you will have trouble in believing this right now. But there is always that someone in life, someone who you know doesn’t match up with your status in life, you watch from a distance. I didn’t know his name, or who he was, but I did like him. The kind heart he seemed to have, the way he reminded me of a little kid, the smile he rarely wore but I loved to glimpse. Now I have nobody to watch from afar like that, and it makes me feel lonely. He is gone somewhere we can’t get him back, somewhere I can’t say goodbye to him. All I wanted to do was kiss him on the hand, and I didn’t even get the chance to do that. Not even a goodbye.’ Lucy looked down at Jason, with malice. 23

‘Get away from me!’ Tre screamed his voice coarse with effort as he struggled against Jason. Their hands were locked around the gun, struggling for control of it. Jason felt like he was winning for a moment, he had his hand around the glock, a finger caught in the trigger. Pulling the gun towards him, he felt his mouth open in shock as Tre’s crumpled. 24

For a moment, Jason didn’t understand. There was the pop, the retaliation in his hand and then silence. Tre looked normal for a moment, the way his body hung in the air, eyes open wide with fear and anger as the light left them. A small circle of red exploded from his chest, right between the sternums as blood spread like fire through his yellowed white shirt. Then it hit home and Jason felt the gun drop from his hand. Then the room erupted in screams, all the girls crying out at once. Turning he met Lucy’s eyes for a moment as she fell to the floor, hands cupping her mouth so he could only see the horror in her eyes, the hurt as finally Tre hit the ground, his head twisted to the side, eyes staring open and wide. 25

‘That look will be something I remember for the rest of my life. When the bullet hit him, I knew nothing would be the same, ever. I miss you.’ Lucy stepped down and stood beside Mark, clasping his hand. 26

I miss you
Miss you so bad
I don't forget you
Oh it's so sad27

The day you slipped away.....
Was the day i found
It, won't be the same
Oh28

I didn't get around to kiss you
Goodbye on the hand
I wish that I could see you again
I know that I can't ooooooooooooh
I hope you can hear me
Cause I remember it clearly29

I've had my wake up
Won't you wake up
I keep asking why.
And I can't take it
It wasn't fake it
It happened you passed by30

The casket was carried outside as the song played by Avril Lavigne. There were still no dry eyes, not even as the dirt covered the flowers and memories, the boy who changed their lives forever. 31

The day he slipped away. Would be one they remembered for a lifetime. 32

Mark looked up at the sky, the image of Tre embedded their in the clouds. ‘I miss you.’