Walking into the classroom, I already felt the change. It was quiet for a Wednesday morning. I saw that the other students were filled with gilt and regret. Some even had tears in their eyes knowing they had something to do with the recent incident. After shoving my three-ringed binders into my desk, I laid my head onto the desk. It was cold and it helped a little with my pounding headache.

My breathing became uneven. Either because of the pain I was in or because I was trying to hold back my tears. My eyes watered and a few drops fell, but I tried my best to stay calm. Someone tapped on my shoulder and I picked my head up. I swung my body backwards and faced Kai. 

"Is it true?" He asked. I nodded my head as I wiped my face clean.

The color in his cheeks flustered. He was hoping for all the whispers to be a lie. I don't blame him, so did I. Biting his lip, he thought about his next response. I saved him his breath and turned away. I stared at the front board. All the words and symbols looked like scribles, I couldn't read them. My eyes, pricked with tears, wondered off some where else. It was dark outside with all the rain clouds.

It was raining a lot less when I went to go check up on him this morning. When I didn't know the thought of suicide was in his head. When I thought he was smarter than that. Stronger. More capable than I was. I found him lying on the bathroom floor with a half a bottle of open antidepressants left on top of the sink. He was alone in the house, no one was home. I called 9-1-1 and watched the ambulance drive away. And by the looks of some of these students, so did they. 

That's how the word of his death got out so quickly. Rumors and stories like to be told, especially if they were about a gay couple. I've heard so many stories of how I might've been the one that killed him. Or how he took his own life just to get away from me. Do you wanna know which story hasn't been talked about? The truth. They would rather believe a lie than listen to the real thing. That's how it's always been around here. I took a deep breath, feeling the lump in the back of my throat like I was close to crying. I felt a shadow over me. I looked up to face another cause of this whole thing. 

"I'm sorry for your loss." Chen said. But by the sound of his voice, the apology was about to be followed by a snarky remark by hi