A Fan, A Friend., chapter 3
February 13th-2006.
I sat at the table with Zack and his father. Zack looked completely pale. His jet black hair, usually very tidy, was jutting everywhere. His eyes were puffy, He looked like a total wreck. He had worsened ever since the end of October. He was now sixteen years old.
"How are you feeling today, Zack?" I asked him. I had been told to ask him how he felt everyday.
He turned to me. He spoke in a very hoarse voice, "I feel horrible. Cold, weak, stuffed up, and exhausted. Dad, can I stay home from school today?"
His father, Lance, looked down at him.
"Of course you can. I'll call you in sick at school. Nick, will you help him up to his room?" Large bags hung underneath his reddened eyes. He had been up all night worrying about Zack.
"Yes. I'll do it," I replied.
I put an arm around Zack and helped him hobble out of the kitchen, into the foyer, across the hall, up the stairs and into his room.
When he was laying down in his bed, he spoke.
"I look like Hell, huh?" His voice was more hoarse than ever.
I nodded.
"Your dad says he'll be here all day if you need him. Rest up. Remember-you have a gig tonight," I reminded him.
He coughed.
"Yes...Don't worry...I'll be fine. I'll be singing and playing guitar just fine tonight. Go get ready for school. Bye, Nick," he dismissed me.
If I had known what was going to happen once I got home from school that day, I would have said a lot more than I did.
"Get some rest," I said, walking out and gently shutting the door.
I hopped off of the bus and ran toward our house. I stopped when I saw Ian's (Zack's older brother) car parked outside of our house.
That's odd, I thought.
Ian was a teacher at Zack's school, and he wouldn't have been out of school yet. Plus, he wouldn't have had to come here. He lived a few miles away with his wife, so why was his car here?
I dashed toward the house and opened the front door. I stepped into the foyer, closing the door behind me. I dropped my Vans and my backpack onto the ground.
I headed up to Zack's room. Maybe they were all up there.
Once I had started to ascend the steps, I heard crying. I recognized Ian's voice, his wife's voice, Zack's father's voice...but I didn't hear Zack's voice.
No...
I raced up to Zack's room. The door was ajar. Inside were Leanne (Ian's wife) Ian, Zack's father...and Zack.
They were all huddled over by his bedside. I stepped past them to look at Zack.
At that moment, I felt my entire world get flipped upside down. My heart skipped a beat.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I didn't want to see it.
In his bed, lay Zack Scale. He was not moving. His eyes were closed. He was not breathing. He looked paler than usual.
"No..." I said aloud.
I felt his forehead.
Cold as ice...
I pulled my hand away and beat the floor with my fist. Tears streamed down my face.
"No! No! No! No! No! NO!" I screamed, weeping.
I looked Lance.
"Lance! H-h-how-?! Wh-when?!" I mustered.
Lance's eyes were red from crying.
"Two thirty today...I don't know why God had to take our Z-Zack..." he broke into a fit of silent tears.
I took another look at Zack.
"Wh-why?!" I cried.
February 14th-2006.
I sat in the front row of the church, clad in a grey and white striped tuxedo. A black bow hung around my neck.
Several people came to his wake. I stared at the open casket, my tears staining the cloth that was beneath Zack's body.
My father took me home after that. I still had the funeral to get through.
February 15th- 2006.
The priest said a lot of things. I didn't listen to everything he had said. I was too lost in my own thoughts. Why had Zack been taken away? Why so young?
Eventually, Ian spoke up.
"Um...Zack and I were in band. We would play something in honor of him...but I don't want to mess up the vocals with my tears. So here is a song that describes the way we feel."
I didn't listen to the song. I didn't care what it was.
After it had needed, the priest asked me to do the eulogy.
I slowly walked up to the podium. I had never done an eulogy before. I took a look at everyone sitting in the pews. They were all silently weeping.
A tear started to form in my eye. I then remembered how great a person Zack was. He had always been an inspiration to me, he had always been there for me.
But to keep things short for Ian, I had two words to say about him.
"Um...well...Zack was a lot of things. I don't want to take up a lot of Ian's time, as I'm sure he wants to say something, too. So I'll just say this about Zack."
I cleared my throat.
"He was a fan...a friend."
I sat at the table with Zack and his father. Zack looked completely pale. His jet black hair, usually very tidy, was jutting everywhere. His eyes were puffy, He looked like a total wreck. He had worsened ever since the end of October. He was now sixteen years old.
"How are you feeling today, Zack?" I asked him. I had been told to ask him how he felt everyday.
He turned to me. He spoke in a very hoarse voice, "I feel horrible. Cold, weak, stuffed up, and exhausted. Dad, can I stay home from school today?"
His father, Lance, looked down at him.
"Of course you can. I'll call you in sick at school. Nick, will you help him up to his room?" Large bags hung underneath his reddened eyes. He had been up all night worrying about Zack.
"Yes. I'll do it," I replied.
I put an arm around Zack and helped him hobble out of the kitchen, into the foyer, across the hall, up the stairs and into his room.
When he was laying down in his bed, he spoke.
"I look like Hell, huh?" His voice was more hoarse than ever.
I nodded.
"Your dad says he'll be here all day if you need him. Rest up. Remember-you have a gig tonight," I reminded him.
He coughed.
"Yes...Don't worry...I'll be fine. I'll be singing and playing guitar just fine tonight. Go get ready for school. Bye, Nick," he dismissed me.
If I had known what was going to happen once I got home from school that day, I would have said a lot more than I did.
"Get some rest," I said, walking out and gently shutting the door.
I hopped off of the bus and ran toward our house. I stopped when I saw Ian's (Zack's older brother) car parked outside of our house.
That's odd, I thought.
Ian was a teacher at Zack's school, and he wouldn't have been out of school yet. Plus, he wouldn't have had to come here. He lived a few miles away with his wife, so why was his car here?
I dashed toward the house and opened the front door. I stepped into the foyer, closing the door behind me. I dropped my Vans and my backpack onto the ground.
I headed up to Zack's room. Maybe they were all up there.
Once I had started to ascend the steps, I heard crying. I recognized Ian's voice, his wife's voice, Zack's father's voice...but I didn't hear Zack's voice.
No...
I raced up to Zack's room. The door was ajar. Inside were Leanne (Ian's wife) Ian, Zack's father...and Zack.
They were all huddled over by his bedside. I stepped past them to look at Zack.
At that moment, I felt my entire world get flipped upside down. My heart skipped a beat.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I didn't want to see it.
In his bed, lay Zack Scale. He was not moving. His eyes were closed. He was not breathing. He looked paler than usual.
"No..." I said aloud.
I felt his forehead.
Cold as ice...
I pulled my hand away and beat the floor with my fist. Tears streamed down my face.
"No! No! No! No! No! NO!" I screamed, weeping.
I looked Lance.
"Lance! H-h-how-?! Wh-when?!" I mustered.
Lance's eyes were red from crying.
"Two thirty today...I don't know why God had to take our Z-Zack..." he broke into a fit of silent tears.
I took another look at Zack.
"Wh-why?!" I cried.
February 14th-2006.
I sat in the front row of the church, clad in a grey and white striped tuxedo. A black bow hung around my neck.
Several people came to his wake. I stared at the open casket, my tears staining the cloth that was beneath Zack's body.
My father took me home after that. I still had the funeral to get through.
February 15th- 2006.
The priest said a lot of things. I didn't listen to everything he had said. I was too lost in my own thoughts. Why had Zack been taken away? Why so young?
Eventually, Ian spoke up.
"Um...Zack and I were in band. We would play something in honor of him...but I don't want to mess up the vocals with my tears. So here is a song that describes the way we feel."
I didn't listen to the song. I didn't care what it was.
After it had needed, the priest asked me to do the eulogy.
I slowly walked up to the podium. I had never done an eulogy before. I took a look at everyone sitting in the pews. They were all silently weeping.
A tear started to form in my eye. I then remembered how great a person Zack was. He had always been an inspiration to me, he had always been there for me.
But to keep things short for Ian, I had two words to say about him.
"Um...well...Zack was a lot of things. I don't want to take up a lot of Ian's time, as I'm sure he wants to say something, too. So I'll just say this about Zack."
I cleared my throat.
"He was a fan...a friend."
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