The next day, when I got up, I received a text that got me upset: Mary Jane had died two days ago. Mrs. Coonts wanted to know why I didn't answer yesterday when she texted me. I explained that I'm not allowed to use my cell phone in school telling her I was trying to be a good example for the other students and wanted to enjoy my birthday. I didn't want it to spoil my day. She finally understood why. I couldn't believe that she passed on the day before my birthday.
I told my dad about it and he was shocked about the news. I told him that I explained why I didn't answer the text on that. I was glad that I didn't check it. I managed to focus in school. I told Stephanie during lunch.
"That's why her mother texted me," said Stephanie.
"But it still got you in trouble," I pointed out. "She understood why I didn't check my messages. I didn't want to be upset on my birthday."
"I don't blame you," said Stephanie.
Later, I learned the funeral is going to be this weekend in California. But I don't think I would go. It would upset me too much. After all, Mary Jane has been my long-time best friend. Sarah and Janet tried to convince me to go the funeral since they would be there, but I told them I'd be with Mom over the weekend. I told Stephanie that I didn't want to go California with her. I explained it would upset me even more. She understood and didn't blame me for that. I didn't even want to try the wake. I'd cry my eyes out in front of everyone. Dad told me he's planning to go there to support the Coonts.
"It's odd that Mary Jane would meet her birth folks in heaven," I said.
"That's true," agreed Dad.
"I already texted Mrs. Coonts to tell her that I'm not attending the funeral. I'll just stay with Mom until you return. I rather do that than being at the funeral," I said.
"What did she say?" asked Dad.
"She was okay with it. She wished I would be there, but I mentioned it would bother me a lot," I replied.
"Do you want me bring back a mass card for you?" asked Dad.
"Sure," I replied. "Glad I got the memory book. It would help me remember all the times that we had. I would miss all that."
"I know, sweetie," said Dad.
"I'll let Mom know," I said.
I did and it was all set. She felt bad for me when I told her about my best friend's death.
A few days later, Dad packed his suitcase. The wake was tomorrow from 6:00 to 9:00 pm and the funeral is on Saturday morning at 10:00 am at Los Angeles funeral home. The burial would be at Holy Cross Mortuary. That's where Grandma Tricia is buried with Grandpa Luke.
"The flight is at 9:00 am on Sunday, so we'll be back in the late afternoon," said Dad.
"Okay," I said. "What time is the flight for California?"
"First thing in the morning, so Stephanie said she's not going to school. She figured it would be easier than waiting to catch a plane after school," replied Dad.
"That makes sense," I said.
What I like about having clothes at Mom's is that it saves me time. I'm starting to think about living with Mom full-time when the time comes, but I haven't thought about it. I'm still comfortable being with Dad. Visiting her is still good enough for me. I didn't say anything to either one of them. At school, Sam and I learned that Frank decided to join the crowd, which wasn't a good idea for him. Samuel tried to tell his friend that, but he thinks Samuel is 'jealous'.
"If they're mean to you, don't come crying to me," said Samuel.
"Yeah, bad groups do dump things," I added. "One of them wanted Stephanie to join back in California, but she declined it because she was afraid they would change her to be mean to people and lose her friends. I didn't blame her for doing the right away."
"That was smart thinking," commented Samuel. "So, you better not let them change you."
That was when Frank walked away.
"I got a feeling he won't last too long," I said.
"Me, too," said Samuel.
Later, Frank tells Samuel he was going to skip school on Monday.
"Why? Is it to hang-out with that wrong crowd?" asked Samuel.
"Yes, and you're not going to tell anyone about it," said Frank.
Luckily, Samuel walked away and reported that to the principal and he said, "He didn't want me to say anything, but I wasn't going promise him that."
"You did the right thing to come and tell me," said the principal.
"Don't tell him that I told you in case he flips out on me," said Samuel.
"No problem," said the principal.
An hour later, we heard Frank got in trouble for planning to skip school Monday. He was going to be kept after school for a detention today. That would teach him a lesson.
"I think I'm making up my mind and end that friendship with Frank," said Samuel.
"I don't blame you for that," I said.
"I'll tell him tomorrow or after school if I see him," said Samuel.
After school, Samuel had the guts to tell Frank that he wanted no longer to be friends with him. Samuel told me they had been friends since grade school and Frank was never like that before until now.
"I'm glad you did the right thing," I said. "I would do the same thing if any of my friends did that to me.
"I know you would," agreed Samuel.
We were heading out of school.
"I'm heading over to Mom's for the weekend. Dad was leaving to California first thing this morning. He told me that Stephanie decided to go with him instead of waiting for an afternoon flight, which is why she didn't come to school with us," I said.
"Did you need to pack for anything?" asked Samuel.
"No. I buy new clothes for Mom's house so I won't have to bother to pack an overnighter," I replied.
"That was a smart idea," commented Samuel.
"I know. I find that much easier for me. Plus, I left my other suitcase in case Mom goes on vacation and if she decided to invite to with her," I continued.
"That makes sense," said Samuel.
"Dad thinks so, too," I said.
When Samuel got to his house, I decided to check the mail for Dad and I brought it in on the way to Mom's. We get the mail in an early afternoon, usually when I get home from school. When I got Mom's, I did my homework while she was at work. After that, I watched some TV. She gets out of work at 5:00 pm every day. She doesn't work Saturdays or Sundays, just Monday through Friday. I plan to meet her at work so we can go out for dinner. It's easier for the both of us.
At 4:00 pm, I left to get to the mall and met Mom. She meets me in the food court. I didn't wait for long when she got out of work. We went to Friendly's for supper. After that, we rented a movie and got some popcorn before going back to her house. We rented Titanic. I like that movie. I've seen it while I lived in California. Sarah has that movie, so we'd watch it during any sleepover parties at one of our houses. We would take turns to select different movies. We'd pick one of the names of a hat and that person picks a movie. It was actually Mary Jane's idea when we first had sleepovers. Stephanie liked that idea, too. We figured that was a fair way to take turns. We included the other girls when we first met them. There's one thing we don't change: food since we like to have pizza for our sleepovers like I mentioned before. I miss those moments in California.
At home, we watched the movie. It's a sad one since the ship sank at the end after it hit an iceberg. It took Titanic about an hour or two to sink so it would give enough time for the others to get into the lifeboats. I still enjoy that movie. It was a true story and that happened in 1912. I did a book report on it for English one year in middle school and had an A+. I could say that was my favorite project. Between you and me, I always get all As on every project. It's never been lower than that. When I need an advice, Dad would always give me great ideas on what to use for every project.
After the movie ended at 10:00 pm, I went to bed.
The next day, I had the nausea feeling, so I didn't eat anything. I took it slow. I didn't feel like going out right away because I'd be afraid to get sick anywhere, especially in the car. Mom understood. It didn't go away until later that afternoon. I didn't hear my phone vibrated while I was resting for the day. It was probably Dad, but I'll read the text later. I didn't read the text until that after evening. Sure enough, it was Dad saying the funeral went very well. They had a branch at a church that the Coonts attend. I replied I didn't get the text right away because I was nauseous and that I was resting all day. He understood and didn't mind about that. I added that Samuel ended a friendship with Frank yesterday and the reason. He didn't blame Samuel for doing and says Samuel was smart enough an adult for what Frank was going to do. I agreed with Dad.
In the middle of the night, I was getting thirsty, so I got up to get a drink of water. In the meantime, I was getting back pains. What else is new? Thank god I got the heating pad with me in case I needed that. When I got back to bed, I put the pad on my back. It helps me sleep better for the rest of the night. Mom knows about it, so she bought one for me in case it happens at her house. It got better the following day.
Dad texted me saying he just got on the plane and would be home later this afternoon. Mom and I were shopping for more clothes.
"Brenda's daughter, Melissa, is getting married in two weeks and invited me to her wedding. I asked her if I can bring a guest and she said yes, so I told her I'd bring. She remembers you. The wedding is going to be in Freeport, Bahamas. She always dreamed to be married there. Her daughter plans to stay there for the honeymoon," said Mom.
"Okay," I said. "I remember Melissa used to baby-sit for me while you and Dad were at work."
"That's right," said Mom.
"In fact, she always baby-sits while my friends and I have sleepovers in California until we got old enough to be on our own when we were 12," I said. "The last time I saw her was before I moved here. She almost cried when I told her that. I bet she can't wait to see me again."
"Yes," replied Mom. "Brenda's mother is going, too."
"Aunt Kathy just turned 71 a month before I left there. Dad and I went to her birthday party," I said. "She looked very good for her age."
"Melissa's fiancée, Bill, is very good to her," said Mom. "Bill is her best friend's brother and is very excited to be her sister-in-law."
"Wow," I said.
I bought a green dress with a few dots on it. Mom got herself a blue shirt with a black skirt.
"I don't think I can wear high shoes during pregnancy. What if I fell with high shoes? I'm worried it could harm the baby. I think I should get flats to be on the safe side," I said.
"That would be a good idea to do," said Mom.
I found green flats and it would be a good match for the dress. After that, we went to have lunch in Newport. Then, Dad texted me saying the plane just landed in Providence. I told him I was having lunch with Mom. She offered to bring me home after that. He was fine with that when I told him.
"I'll keep the dress at my house until we leave for Bahamas," said Mom.
"Okay," I said.
After lunch, Mom dropped me off at Dad's on her way home. I thanked her and went in. Dad was already home. He was unpacking.
"Miranda picked us up at the airport," said Dad.
"That's good," I said. "Mom took me shopping because Melissa is getting married in two weeks. She was letting Mom to bring me."
"Good for her," said Dad.
"She plans to have a wedding in Bahamas," I said. "I got a green dress and flats. I decided to buy flats instead of high shoes. I'm afraid it could harm the child if I fell with them. Mom agreed to do that."
"I don't blame you for that either," said Dad.
That night, Samuel called me and said, "Frank killed himself late last night."
"What? Isn't that a dumb thing to do?" I asked.
"Yes. According to the note, Frank did it because he was 'depressed'. I told his mom on why I had to drop that friendship with him and she believed me for those reasons. She already learned on what Frank planned to do tomorrow. She was glad I told the principal instead of waiting," said Samuel. "She couldn't believe how much Frank has changed and she said I was right to do what I had to do."
"I agree with her," I said. "You didn't have a choice but to do so. Frank should've thought about that before."
"I know," said Samuel. "I'm mad for what he did. I told his mom there is no way I'll attend his funeral services. She doesn't blame me for refusing to do that. He was going to be cremated anyway. Luckily, there will be no services. Once his ashes arrive at his house, they would be spread at the beach."
"Good. You didn't have to worry about that part," I said.
"I know," said Samuel. "I believed his father's death caused to his bad behavior. It just happened two weeks before you moved here."
"Does he ever admitted that?" I asked.
"No. No one knew about it," said Samuel. "His father died the same thing that Frank."
"He killed himself, too?" I asked.
"Yes, it happened to be an accidental overdose," said Samuel. "I went to that funeral and Frank didn't get why he did that. His parents got divorced about 2½ years ago and I think his father took it the hardest."
"Wow," I said. "Was he depressed that long enough to do that to himself?"
"Yep," said Samuel. "Frank didn't know about and he wished he should've saved his father. We tried to help him out and told him that's not his fault. His mother had no idea either."
"That's a shame," I said.
"Yeah. But that's not an excuse to act that way," Samuel pointed out.
"I agree with you," I said. "He should've asked for help when he needed the most."
"I asked his mother if that was the reason and she thinks that's what triggered his behavior, but she doesn't think he ever brought that up," said Samuel.
"He should've," I said.
"I know. I didn't think of that until now. If he did mention that to me, I would've told his mother right away so she can help him," said Samuel.
"I know. I remembered when I helped Mary Jane one time. Her cat, Kiki, got hit by a car and was killed. She got so depressed that she told me she wanted to kill herself to join her cat. She didn't want me to say anything, I told the others that we shouldn't let that happen. They agreed with me. I didn't know what to do, so I told Dad, who wanted me to inform her parents right away. They were glad that I told them. Mary Jane was glad I helped her out. I told her that's what best friends do. She thanked me," I explained.
"You were smart to save a friend's life," said Samuel.
"Yes. I felt good about it because if it wasn't for me, she would've killed herself," I said.
"I agree," said Samuel.
"I knew that you should never keep those dangerous secrets. That's what I learned. The only time you can tell a secret if a friend is in danger, like you did the other day, to an adult that you trust," I added.
"I learned on that, too," said Samuel.
"I didn't even learn about that number one rule if someone says they plan to kill him or herself, never stay silent. I just knew it right away," I said. "But like you said, you didn't know that was going to happen to Frank while he didn't know his own father planned it."
After we finished talking, I went to Dad and said, "Samuel was just telling me some news: Frank killed himself last night."
"What a horrible thing to do," said Dad.
"I know. He said that his mother saw the note saying he was depressed. Samuel explained the reason to Frank's mom and she didn't get mad about that. She couldn't believe that Frank changed so much. Samuel thinks his father's death caused it that way. He told me his parents got divorced about 2½ years ago. Ever since, his father was so heartbroken that he did the thing that Frank just two weeks before you and I moved here. He didn't know his father was going to kill himself," I explained. "Samuel didn't know that was the reason since Frank never mentioned why he acted so badly. He also that's not an excuse for that behavior. I agreed with him."
"Me, too," said Dad.
"I explained on how I saved Mary Jane's life when she wanted to take her own life," I said. "I added I knew if it wasn't for me, she would've killed herself right off the bat."
"I remember that. I gave you credit for that," said Dad.
"He said I was smart to do so," I said. "I still felt proud for what I did to save my best friend's life. Samuel didn't know Frank was going to do that. He wished he should've told him that problem and he could've told his mom. He said Frank used to tell him about his issues all the time. Samuel did the same thing when he had his own problem."
"I bet," said Dad. "That's unusual for Frank for not talking about any of his issues anymore."
"I agree," I said.
Two days later, Frank was already cremated and his ashes arrived at his house. Samuel invited me to go to the beach so we can spread the ashes in the ocean. I didn't mind going. That's what we did. It didn't take too long. Samuel didn't have any emotions since he was angry Frank has been changed and what he did to himself.
"Did those boys dared him to do so?" I asked. "I just thought about that."
"That's what I'm thinking, too," replied Samuel.
"If it was, it's a stupid thing to take the dare," I said. "If that was me to be dared to do so, I'd say no right away and walk away. If they didn't like, too bad."
"I know," said Samuel. "I would've talked to my mom if that happened to me, too."
When I asked Frank's mom that, she was wondering about that as well.
"I'll let you know when I found out more," I said. "I doubt he would do while he was depressed. He should know what he has been doing to Samuel is wrong. He doesn't seem to care."
The next day, at school, I heard one of the boys did dare Frank to kill himself. He must have told them about it. I couldn't believe on what I found out. I mentioned it to Samuel before I went to the principal right away and told him what I found out on why Frank took his own life.
"I had a feeling about that part. I bet he told them what he was going to do that. If that was the case, why didn't they tell an adult right away? They should never keep that silent," I said.
"I agree with you," said the principal.
"That's why Samuel tried to stop Frank going near those troublemakers, but he went for it anyway," I said.
Later, those boys got in big trouble for what they did. They all got suspended for a week. Another witness found out Frank told them about taking his own life and that was when they dared him to do that.
"You shouldn't let anyone do that," said the principal. "You don't dare someone to do so either."