“The parents of three young men whose lives were lost in the Greek Row fire have been notified. Police say the explosion was due to a gas leak within the building, although they’re unsure of how this happened. So far, only the bodies of Jack Davies, Toby Cooper, and Chad Williams, have been found inside the remnants of the house, and firefighters are still combing the area. In other news, the body of Patrick Chambers was found by Lake Plummet in the early hours of this morning. It’s said he died in a head-on collision with a truck that…”
What the fuck?
“Mom?” I breathe softly, my eyes darting from her to the television and back. She jumps up from the couch, eyes bloodshot and tears streaming down the apples of her cheeks.
Christ, she’s physically shaking.
“Ricky?!” she cries in panic, bounding around the three-seater couch and rushing into my arms. My mother holds me close to her—even though she’s much shorter than I am—sobbing in my arms only for the briefest of seconds before she pulls back. Her face is pink, eyes swollen and drenched with tears as she begins to check me over. “Are you okay? What happened? Where wereyou? Are you… my god, sweetheart, are you hurt?” She asks one question after the other, not giving herself a chance to breathe, or me a chance to answer either. My mother is in full-on panic mode, and honestly… I completely understand why.
“Mom.” I take hold of her wrists as I try to calm her. “I’m… hey, hey… shh, it’s alright.” I pull her back towards me and wrap her in another warm hug. “I’m fine, I swear. I was home last night,” I lie. “I decided the party wasn’t for me.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” she cries. “I don’t know what I would’ve… Oh—”
“Shh,” I comfort her. “You’ll never have to find out, I promise. I’m right here.”
I look back at the television once more, watching the overhead clips of the burning frat house from the news helicopter circling around. Fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars are scattered around the entire building. Thick, black smoke billows from every window, and a multitude of news reporters and white vans surround the area.
“What happened?” I ask, resting my chin on top of her head.
None of this has happened before.
Did I change something?
Did I finally break the cycle?
“There… oh my god.” She sniffles, pulling out of my hold as we both watch the details fly across the screen. “They’re saying there was a gas leak, and the house it… it—” She chokes on more thick sobs of emotion. “I thought… I didn’t see you in bed when I came home, and… oh god, I was so scared you were in that fire.”
“It’s fine.” I squeeze her, holding the warmth of my mother closer to me. “I’m safe.” I take a slight step back and lift her face. “Look.” I smile as best as I can. “See?”
“I wish I could feel sad for everyone else… but… I’m just happy you’re okay.” My mother lifts her hands to her face, wiping thecontents of her tears from her blotchy skin. “What an awful thing for me to—”
“Mom?” I ask, cutting her off and still looking at the television. “What’s the date today?”
“The date? What do you—”
I look at her. “Yes, Mom, the date… please. It’s important!”
“November first, sweetheart, why?”
I did it… I… I broke the chain.
I’ve been living October thirty-first for so long it’s good to finally hear another date said out loud. “I… I have to go, but I’ll be back in a little while.” I chuckle, excitement running through me.
“What?” she asks as I press a kiss to her forehead, and I smile when I step back from her. “Ricky, where are you—”
“I’ll be right back. I just… I need to see if my friends are safe.” I hate lying to her, and even though I love her more than life itself, I need to find Heather before I give a fuck about anything else. Storming from the living room, I grab the keys to my bike from the crystal bowl by the kitchen sink and bound towards the front door.
“Make sure you call Heather and check if she’s okay!!” my mother calls from behind me, and I stall momentarily.
“Heather?” I ask turning around to look at her once more. “What do you—”
“Yes… your girlfriend, Heather. She called me last night as she couldn’t get hold of you.” She steps closer, pressing the back of her hand against my forehead. “Sweetheart, are you feeling alright? Maybe you should stay home today.”
“What did she say?” I swipe her hand away as gently as I can.
“Uh, something about staying home. I don’t know, I couldn’t hear her very well what with how busy I was at work.”
“Alright.” I smile softly. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
