Ding, Dong the Witch is Dead

A Chapter by Tori

Draco's dead....For REAL this time. none of that maybe he is maybe he isn't s**t like with Romeo. DEAD.

I hated him. I hated everything about him. I would have rather died myself than spend another day with him. But yet…now, as I watched his limp, cold body being wheeled away, I realized that I still loved him. Sure, he lied to me and used me…but those few lies had been enough to keep me hoping someone truly loved me. It was clear after the incident that he didn’t feel the way I did, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered right now was that he was dead. Dead. Dead!

The ambulance drove away calmly, almost as if nothing had happened. No sirens. No speeding. He was dead. My mind refused to process the scene. His parents…huddled together on the street outside the house, wrapped together in sorrow and screams of agony. Their faces were distorted and unrecognizable from the puffy redness of never ending tears. Dead.

“Jade!”

I turned to see Essie running towards me, waving her arms like a madwoman. Her face was red from exhaustion and caked in sweat. She had been watching the news when she first heard about Draco’s death. The police had stated he was found face down on his bed, clutching a goodbye note in one hand and a 9 millimeter in the other. Suicide. But…why?

“Oh my god, Jade! This is awful! I can’t believe he killed himself!” Essie panted. By the way she acted, she hadn’t ever really cared for Draco. After the other night, I couldn’t say I cared for him either. But still…this was too much. “Why would he do such a thing?”

I just shrugged without saying a word. Essie wrapped me in a massive hug, squeezing me tight. On instinct, I hugged back. She was one of the only people I’d ever felt comfortable hugging. This was so unreal…it wasn’t happening…

“I loved him…” I whispered aloud. It was meant for me, but Essie still managed to hear.

“I know, sugar. I know. I’m so sorry…We need to go talk to his parents,” she soothed. I nodded, trying to keep the tears from bubbling over. I followed her over towards the screaming mess of parenthood. Mrs. Bradshaw, Draco’s mother, was hunched over on the sidewalk, her face buried in her hands. Mr. Bradshaw patted her back with one hand and wiped away his tears with the other. Such a tortured sight…to loose your only child…something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

“We are so sorry for your loss, Mr. and Mrs. Bradshaw. Is there anything we can do for you?” Essie asked politely after she realized I couldn’t talk. Not to them. I wouldn’t know what to say.

Mr. Bradshaw looked up at her with a faint smile. “Thank you, Sweetheart. That was very kind…but I can’t really imagine what anyone could do for us now.”

“Well if we ever can help…please…let us know,” I choked out, trying hard to fight against the burn in my throat. Mr. Bradshaw cut his eyes to me and gave me the same response as Essie: A single, small, heartbroken smile.

“Thank you. May I ask who you are?”

“We both had lunch with your son. My name is Esmerelda, and this is Jade. Again, we’re very sorry,” Essie responded. I nodded in concurrence. Mr. Bradshaw’s face grew hard as a stone.

“What did you say your name was?” he asked, staring intensely at me.

“I…um…Jade, sir,” I stuttered.

I noticed his grip tighten on his wife’s shoulders, tensing his entire body. The sobbing Mrs. Bradshaw grew still and quiet, her sobs shutting off instantly. Lifting her head slowly, she glared at me through red, swollen eyes. It was a stare I would never forget.

Those eyes…they hated me. They wanted to kill me…slit my throat and burn my living body. They wanted to wrap around me tighter and tighter until I couldn’t breath…I could see it. That unmistakable rage that burned within her dark brown irises. She wanted me dead…and she meant it.

“You!” She screamed, jumping to her feet. “You stupid b***h! This is all your fault!”

Completely taken aback by her outburst, I was entirely unprepared when her fist collided with my face. I stumbled backwards, barely managing to maintain my feet before she lunged again.

“Please! Stop it! Get off her!” Essie screeched in the background. But she wasn’t going to give up. The rage of a berserk mother defending her child burned through me…but I wasn’t quit sure what she was trying to defend him against.

The weight of the enraged woman disappeared, leaving my gasping for air and cradling my scratched face. She had clawed and bit me with her long, manicured nails. I could feel the blood running down my face in thick droplets. It stung like hell, but I wasn’t concerned with the marks. Why was she so pissed at me? What had I done?

I looked around with the one eye that was still working. My right eye had taken a bad hit. It didn’t feel permanent, but I knew it would be awhile before my visibility returned completely. Mr. Bradshaw was cradling the angry woman, trying to keep her calm.

“What the hell was that for?” I cried.

Mr. Bradshaw looked at me with a sour expression. "When we found Lennie…he had a note in his hands explaining what he did and why he was going to…end it…It was all for some girl named Jade. He explained how he felt and that killing himself was the only way to make things better with her. And…it's you…"

"It's your fault my son is dead, stupid w***e!" Mrs. Bradshaw spat. "He's dead because of you!"

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