Dear Sunshine; (Chapt. 1)

Chapter 1: I’m alive? I’m alive;
     When I came back from diversity camp the week before Robert died, I felt invincible. Like I could take on the world, like I was ready for anything. Well nothing, not even diversity camp, could prepare me for the news that our homeroom received that Friday at school.
 “Students,” Mrs. Cawdwell called out Friday morning. “I have just received some terrible, terrible news.” she pauses for a moment and then continues, “Robert Premiro is no longer going to be joining us at Angel Grove High. He is actually, no longer among us.”
 Whispers fill the air.
 “Ladies and gentlemen, Robert is dead.”
The whispers began to get louder. None of us could believe it. It had to have been a joke. It just had to. Yes, a practical joke. A cruel, cruel joke. Unfortunately, Robert, our Robert was dead. And the sad thing was, that none of us could do anything to stop it.
 “Mrs. Cawdwell, if this is some sort of joke, none of us are laughing.” I cried out in class that morning. “This seriously isn’t funny.”
 “Kayla, I insist you. This is not a joke. The school does not pull those type of ’pranks’ you hooligans do.” she replied back in a harsh tone. She talked back at me as if I was talking to her like a maniac. At that point, I wanted to believe she was. I wanted to believe that she was making it all up, that she was faking it, or, or that it was some sort of test that Robert was in on. I was expecting him to pop out from underneath her desk or throw himself out of her closet. I waited for that moment to come any minute during that conversation with Mrs. Cawdwell, but unfortunately, like many other things, that moment never came. I didn’t see Robert’s smiling face pop out from under her desk and I didn’t see his body go flying from the closet. No. The class just argued with Mrs. Cawdwell that it was all a fake or a test of some sort. But our teacher kept assuring us that it wasn’t. And that the story would be on the news that night if we didn’t believe her. Channel 13, she said. Channel 13...and the number lingered in my mind the whole day. Did I have enough courage to turn the television to that channel when I got home? I didn’t know. The only way to find out, was to get through the day, head held high.
 *
I ran home that day from school. I leaped off the bus and sprinted home from the bus stop. I was eager to see the news, even though I went through the whole day trying to prove Mrs. Cawdwell’s news wrong. I texted Robert’s phone 15 times and I even tried calling him a few times. No answer. I didn’t expect an answer but if I heard his sweet voice on the other end I would be the happiest girl in the entire universe. I don’t care how childish it sounds, it was true. I would do anything to hear his voice linger in my ear one last time. I remember that day, when I came home from school, after I practically beat down my door, I through my backpack against the wall. I jumped for the TV remote and tried to change the television to channel 13. I was shaking so hard, every time I would try and press a button, I would end up pressing a different one. I finally got my fingers to calm down, and finally punched the one and the three on the TV remote. Just in time too. The story was just beginning.
 “This morning 16 year old Robert Premiro was found dead in the field next to the Angel Grove Library. No cause of death has been released but we do know that Robert had been missing since Thursday evening.” the news anchor reported.
 I fell to my knees and started crying. My teacher was right. I held my stomach like I was going to throw up. I had a stabbing pain in my gut I couldn’t describe, that I didn’t want to describe. 
 “oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god no.” I whispered to myself through tears and clenched teeth. I jumped when I heard the garage door opening. I started to wipe away my tears. I didn’t want anybody to see me like that. I didn’t make much of an effort to pick myself up off the floor though. My sister came barging in through the kitchen door.
 “Hey Kayla-Skye!” she exclaimed with that perfect smile of hers on her pretty little face. My sister was gorgeous. Blonde, long legged, blue eyed. She had such a perfect smile and everyone liked her. She had that type of bubbly personality that could brighten up even the darkest of rooms and was possibly the sweetest person ever. Stephanie was a senior, head  cheerleader at our school, straight A student, dating the captain of the lacrosse team; I could never match up. My grades, yes, but everything else, no. My sister, Stephanie, was just about perfect. The good thing about Steph was though, was the fact that she never wanted to fight with me. She would always try to prevent the stupid the little fights. So yeah, my sister, my perfect sister, was one of my best friends. But that Friday, I didn’t need a best friend. I needed my sister.
 I looked up at her, teary eyed, still holding my stomach. I gave her a small glance and went back to staring at my knees. 
 “Oh my gosh!” she dropped everything and ran over to me. “Kayla, are you ok?!”
 “No. No. No.” I tried to choke out. I finally managed after three pointless attempts. “No.” I whispered. “I’m not ok.”
 “Well, what’s a matter, what happened.” my sister said frantically speaking. I looked up at her and shook my head. I didn’t even want to think about what happened today, let alone talk about it. I let out a shutter, like a ‘pre-crying’ breath as if I was going to start up again.
 “Kayla. Tell me. Maybe I can fix it.” my sister always would try her best to fix everything. She hated to see anybody upset. Haha, she’s half the reason my parents are still together.
 “I don’t think you can fix this one Steph.” I said.
 “Why? Kayla, come on. It cant be that bad.” she said holding my head up.
 I let out a little chuckle. “Can you bring someone back from the dead?” I said through my tears again.  
 “What? What happened?”
 “Its Robert, Stephanie. Robert’s dead.” Stephanie’s eyes widened. She knew Robert’s brother, Mark.  He was a senior too, and just so happened to be one of her best friends.  
 “Oh my gosh. Kayla, when did this happen?” she spoke softly and slowly now. 
 “This morning. They found his body this morning in the field next to the library.  The news reporter said that Robert had been missing since last night.”
 “Oh my gosh. Kayla, I’m so sorry.” she said. I finally got off my knees and sat on my butt. I laid my head against the sofa and starred at my sister. My gaze was broke by the music of Sick Puppies. The song ‘All The Same’ began to play and I felt my mouth slowly drop. It was mine and Robert’s song, but not only that, it was Robert’s ring tone.
 I pulled my phone out of my jacket pocket and read the front screen.
                                              3 NEW TXT MESSAGES:
                                                      ROBERT<3
                                                       4:17pm
 I was afraid to open my phone and find out what it said. I took in a long breath and let out another shudder. Stephanie looked at the phone, and then at back at me. Her mouth opened slowly but not as wide as mine. I didn do anything for a moment. I just sat there and starred at my phone.

Stephanie finally broke the silence.

"Well open it!" she said
i didnt want to. it was probably a text from last night saying "HELP ME KAYLA!" or "CALL 911 HURRY!" Just thinking about it made me sick to my stomache. My phone was sometimes slow at receiving text messages and i had a feeling that this was one of those times. i gripped it hard and my hand began to shake more. I opened it.

the text read,

                              "Hey Kayla, i have to tell you something. Its really important so go open your

The second one read,

And finally, the last one read,

   I threw my phone on the sofa and ran outside. i quickly opened the mail box to reach inside. i felt around for a second and pulled out a black enevolope...

It had my name on it written in silver ink and It was sent out today, recieved today.