Chapter 144
Emily
I reached out to my childhood friend. His name is Jack, somebody who was there that day when Derek died. Him and his family left the city, but have recently come back in the last few months, living in a house, just down the road from my father’s current
one.
I texted him over social media last night, asking to see if he had the time to talk. Thankfully, he did, and agreed to meet me at my favorite café in the downtown area.
Now I’m sitting in a booth towards the back. My eyes scan the busy coffee shop, the place is unusually busy for a day like today. I feel apologetic for Jack who pushes through the crowd, taking a seat at my side.
“Long time no see, Jack,” I breathe the words out, refusing to let my anxiety take over my body. It has been in control for long enough. It is time for me to take control of my life back, to hold the reins in my hands once again.
“You look good,” Jack comments. I force a smile onto my face, telling myself to be nice and cordial since he’s doing me this favor. He tilt his head to the side and adds, “you look tired though Did you get enough sleep?”
“I’ve had better nights,” I notes with a small chuckle. He chuckles back and the tension dissipates between us. “Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it, it means the world to me, really.”
“It’s no problem at all,” he waves away my concerns, his typical charming smile flashing across his face. “it’s the least that I Could do. Derek was one of my best friends back then. He deserves to have the truth come out about his death.”
Jack’s resonates deep into my soul. It feels good to know that somebody else wants to get to the bottom of this and not frame the first person that my parents pointed the finger up. It feels good to know that somebody else is on my side, somebody that I know won’t abandon me as soon as things get tough.
“Could you tell me what you remember about that day at the playground?” I ask, grabbing my warm cup of tea between my hands to keep me grounded. “is there anything at all that sticks out to you? Something weird or out of place that you can possibly remember?”
Jack diverts his gaze. He looks at the stained wooden table, his side of the booth squeaking as he uncomfortably shifts in a seat. He places his hands on the top of the table, and I let out a quiet sigh, hoping that this all was in vain in that he has something to
tell me.
I watch as he sucks in a breath. He holds it in, slowly exhaling as one of the waiters in the café brings over his drink. He quietly thinks them before turning back to me. I lick my lips and anticipation, my mouth running dry as he read himself to show me his
side of the story.
“We were so young then,” he says in a low voice. It is tinge with sadness, an angsty version of nostalgia washing over his body. I feel it too. “I can barely remember what happened, but I do remember that there was somebody else there other than our mother’s.”
I freeze. The revelation shocks my body to life, my blood rushing through my veins at a rapid pace. I stare at him in shock, the only thing I’m able to do is to blink at him as I process this information, allowing him to freely speak.
“Derek was having the time of his life. He really wanted to go on that slide and I remember a man’s voice telling him that he’ll take him up there himself since he was too small to walk up the ladder on his own,” Jack lets out a quiet laugh, rembering the way Derek tried to argue his way out out of getting help.
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