Love in the dark

I used to think love was a game. I didn’t know the price would be three funerals. I didn’t know “always” had an expiration date.

The boys who loved me died ten minutes from home.

On the last night of May, while teenagers from our hometown were arguing about penalties and laughing too loudly in Marcus Hale’s living room, I was asleep — my phone face-down on my desk. A message and three missed calls lit up the screen I refused to look at. A week before that night, they wouldn’t stop trying.

A week before that night, they wouldn’t stop trying.

Marcus calling at midnight, asking me to meet him in front of my house.

Asher texting paragraphs I didn’t open.

We need to talk.

Please, Aria.

Just answer once.

I thought they were being dramatic and their usual pranks.I thought whatever it was could wait.

It was my last Children’s Day when I found out it couldn’t.

—

There were eight of us at the lake that the first morning of summer. Four girls. Four boys.

Tessa and Akira were lying on a towel scrolling through their phone discussing which video they have to add for their vlogs. Alessia was talking with Ryan about their situationship. Ethan and Nath were arguing about who have to wash dishes. Caleb had just pushed me into the water and he was laughing while I screamed his name.

It felt ordinary.

Bright.

Safe.

After breakfast we were talking about Mike and Abi , who were not with us because of football match. “They’re dead inside after that match,” Ryan joked earlier. “Mike hasn’t shut up about it all week.”

“Next class boys watched matched in Marcus’s house last night. They sent me strange text asking for a help. Maybe they got drunk since they didn’t reach” told Caleb.

Amelie had texted me during halftime.

“Did you hear there were a car accident. The police haven’t clarified the identity but there is a gossip that some of them died and some of them are at the hospital”

I asked Akira what was about it. “ Let’s not ruin our long planned trip because of this gossip. You guys know how people tell a gossip. It can’t be true.” Akira muttered.

My phone started vibrating around noon.

Once.

Twice.

Three times. I didn’t answer.

Ethan frowned at his screen. “That’s weird.”

Ethan answered his first. He walked a few steps away, listening.

Something in his posture changed.

“What?” Nath asked.

Caleb turned slowly.

I was wondering how the beautiful nature was but the moment phone rang I looked at Ethan. I knew immediately something was wrong. Once more I looked at girls. They were taking selfies which they were going to post this evening on the social media. Ethan was walking toward me. “Can we have a talk.” he whispered. We walked further from tent. The moment he broke the silence between us saying “There wasan accident…” .

The word didn’t belong in the sunlight.

“Nuel. Marcus. Asher.They were heading home after the match.”

The world didn’t explode.

It stayed painfully normal. I laughed and asked if it’s some kind of joke again and again. I refused to believe this because karens of our town, they were real master of gossip.Unfortunately, it was real.My brain rejected the sentence. It felt grammatically incorrect. Like he’d used the wrong tense. “They saidAsh and Nue didn’t make it,” Ryan said behind me “ But I’m not sure”

The words passed through me like wind through an open window.

I couldn’t breathe. I froze.

The water shimmered.

A bird flew overhead.

Akira laughed at something Tessa said.

Next to them Alessia was laughing out loud.

Nuel’s cousin.

She hadn’t gotten the call yet.

Ethan looked at me.

Then at Alessia.

“Don’t,” I said quietly. I swipe my tears and faked with my smile.

Ethan hesitated. “Aria—”

“She should hear it from her family,” I said. My voice was treambling. Measured. “Not from us.”

Inside, my heart was slamming against my ribs so violently I felt dizzy. The boys were trying hard to hold their tears. Alessia went to Caleb joking with him while I told Tessa and Akira about this news. Their smile faded. I asked them not to tell her.

Alessia and Nuel was super close. I know how much she loved her cousin.

We tried our the best to hide this news and our tears eventhough our heart was pounding.

Alessia’s phone rang.

She answered it with a careless, happy, “Hi, Mom, we reached to the lake and we—”

The smile disappeared slowly.

Her free hand dropped to her side. She was shaking. Tessa and Akira burst in tears while boys remain silent. I came close to her and hugged. She almost lose her mind.

“No,” she whispered. “No, you’re lying.”

The lake went silent.

Not literally.

But it felt like it.

—