Prologue
"This is probably how weβll say goodbye to this decade. With a tragedy unfortunately ... I find myself on the outskirts of Studio 54, many will know this famous club. Where celebrities and people who were lucky enough to enter could enjoy a good time and get together to dance. In the early morning, around 1:30 am, a shooting was reported inside this place. We can actually say that it was a massacre. The students of the Design and Photography career of the Institute of Fashion and Technology of New York gathered here to celebrate their graduation, they had apparently requested permission to rent the place; some of the teachers were still here when a person inside started shooting, killing 16 people, including students and teachers, as well as wounding a few. Very few escaped unscathed. The attacker managed to flee, until now the person responsible has not been found"
The reporter spoke in a broken way, she didnβt even want to imagine the fear that people felt when their lives were fading away. She turned to see the club and couldnβt prevent tears from escaping her eyes when she saw all the disaster. "Sorry, I can't ... we go back to the studio."
"Thank you Sophia... What a tragedy. These guys just graduated and this is how it ends. They had a promising future... Let's go to commercials" said the news anchor.
A different journalist went to interview one of the survivors at his home two years after the tragedy. It was incredible that two years had passed and people were still talking about this. The whole country was shocked.
Michael saw the first coverage with teary eyes. Remembering those moments of anguish, helplessness and sadness always made him feel terrible.
"What's the first thing that comes to mind when you see this again?" Asked journalist Jessica Morton.
"That I could have probably done something else to save her ..." Michael replied.
"Some people call you a hero for trying to save her, donating blood to Hannah was an act of love and bravery for many."
"I've heard a lot of people call me that ... but I don't really feel like one. She is gone, she wonβt be able to work in what she was most passionate about, she wonβt be able to marry the love of her life, and she wonβt be able to have children, it was all over for her on graduation night.
"You were very close to her. How much has losing Hannah affected you?"
Michael couldn't speak. He got a lump in his throat.
"... I can't continue I'm sorry, could you give me a moment? I'm sorry if I ruined the report but I really can't even speakβ he told the journalist
"Take the time you want to recover," she said empathically
"Thanks" Michael left the room for a moment, from the living room rather to take a break
He went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
"Jeez, it really makes me want to cry just listening to his voice break when he remembers her" the reporter approached the cameraman, who had been her friend for a long time.
βAnd who doesnβt? Something like that doesn't happen every day and it's better not ... Don't worry, just focus on interviewing him, it's very important. It's almost two years since the shooting and this will probably be one of the most incredible interviews ever to airedβ
For the journalist who was there, it was important to make known all the feelings that some of the injured and survivors still had. She didn't want her reportage to have a tabloid title to attract attention, she wanted to reveal the true feelings without exaggerating too much.
"I'm really sorry, I had to take a breath."
"It's okay Michael, don't worry," the reporter told him.
"Recording at 3,2,1 ..." the cameraman gave the signal to continue.
"This event has really touched the hearts of the entire country, and other countries as well ... Is it still difficult for you to overcome this?"
"Yes, every day I ask myself the same question. Why didn't I do something else to save her?" I was in shock, everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to tell her so many things.
"Tell me about your closeness to Hannah."
A wistful smile crossed Michael's face. Although it had all ended in tragedy, he couldn't deny how happy it was to remember her.
"We were the best friends in the world" he smiled once more "She always had a smile on her face that made you feel that everything would be fine if you had a hard day ... Our friendship grew stronger and stronger ... That night at graduation I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend, I was very nervous because I really didn't know if she felt the same way about me, I was very in love with Hannah ... I know it sounds very clichΓ© but that's how it all happened ... And probably never know her feelings. That night, she was about to say something to me when ... he came on the scene. Se left too soon, that's the hardest part to get over.
"Is there a pleasant and memorable moment you want to share?"
"That I could have probably done something else to save her ..." Michael replied.
"Some people call you a hero for trying to save her, donating blood to Hannah was an act of love and bravery for many."
"I've heard a lot of people call me that ... but I don't really feel like one. She is gone, she wonβt be able to work in what she was most passionate about, she wonβt be able to marry the love of her life, and she wonβt be able to have children, it was all over for her on graduation night.
"You were very close to her. How much has losing Hannah affected you?"
Michael couldn't speak. He got a lump in his throat.
"... I can't continue I'm sorry, could you give me a moment? I'm sorry if I ruined the report but I really can't even speakβ he told the journalist
"Take the time you want to recover," she said empathically
"Thanks" Michael left the room for a moment, from the living room rather to take a break
He went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
"Jeez, it really makes me want to cry just listening to his voice break when he remembers her" the reporter approached the cameraman, who had been her friend for a long time.
βAnd who doesnβt? Something like that doesn't happen every day and it's better not ... Don't worry, just focus on interviewing him, it's very important. It's almost two years since the shooting and this will probably be one of the most incredible interviews ever to airedβ
For the journalist who was there, it was important to make known all the feelings that some of the injured and survivors still had. She didn't want her reportage to have a tabloid title to attract attention, she wanted to reveal the true feelings without exaggerating too much.
"I'm really sorry, I had to take a breath."
"It's okay Michael, don't worry," the reporter told him.
"Recording at 3,2,1 ..." the cameraman gave the signal to continue.
"This event has really touched the hearts of the entire country, and other countries as well ... Is it still difficult for you to overcome this?"
"Yes, every day I ask myself the same question. Why didn't I do something else to save her?" I was in shock, everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to tell her so many things.
"Tell me about your closeness to Hannah."
A wistful smile crossed Michael's face. Although it had all ended in tragedy, he couldn't deny how happy it was to remember her.
"We were the best friends in the world" he smiled once more "She always had a smile on her face that made you feel that everything would be fine if you had a hard day ... Our friendship grew stronger and stronger ... That night at graduation I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend, I was very nervous because I really didn't know if she felt the same way about me, I was very in love with Hannah ... I know it sounds very clichΓ© but that's how it all happened ... And probably never know her feelings. That night, she was about to say something to me when ... he came on the scene. Se left too soon, that's the hardest part to get over.
"Is there a pleasant and memorable moment you want to share?"
"β¦ One day I was playing basketball with some students at the university, then the ball flew out of the court until it reached a part that was under construction and trying to reach it I ran and tripped over a large rock and my ankle broke, the bone got through my skin, it was bleeding a lot and hurt a lot, so much that an ambulance had to come for me and take me to the hospital. I was under observation for a few days because the wound got infected, and Hannah came to visit me ... no one else went, only her ... she wanted to make me feel better, and she told me that she would always be by my side, no matter what, and without no matter what foolishness I committed ... The tone of her voice was different, I could never decipher what she really tried to tell me, but that was when my feelings for her began to change, becoming much stronger ... But now knowing that she is no longer with us and the bastard who killed her has not yet been found, as well as some other colleagues ... That's when you get angry with life and ask yourself, why Hannah and not me?
Michael stared to the glass of water, wondering the same thing over and over again.
