(i love you guys and i don't want to offend anyone in anyway or trigger them, so i'm just putting a trigger warning out there now)

The following day, I began asking around school if anyone would be willing to help with my semester film. Lacey and Bayley agreed of course. So did Donnie, if he was needed; he had added.
Hopefully, I would get done with the rough draft of the script by the upcoming weekend and then make any necessary changes. Thank god I had the whole lunch table to help with that.
Neither I nor Donnie said what we had done the previous evening besides eat dinner together. I didn't feel like it would be right for me to blab about his personal life.
"Ditchin' me, huh?" Bayley joked as we walked to our 6th period. I shook my head and laughed.
"I was invited over to hang out and eat dinner, that's all. I won't be there too often," I assured her. "I'd never ditch my best friend."
"Good, because I'd have to kill you." I didn't take it as a threat because she always joked around that way and she said with a smile and a nudge.
That day after school, a lot of people joined on our endeavor. Lacey, Lacey's older brother Darryl, Bayley, Dylan and his friend Brendan, Mark; who sometimes hung out at lunch with us, Celia from my History class, Donnie, and his two friends; Ronald and Sean who had finally warmed up to me.
"Who's not fond of acting?" I asked as we all were gathered around the dining room table. Mark raised his hand and so did Bayley. "I'll operate camera one but one of you will need to operate camera two. Two cameras, that's what we'll work with. Mark, would you be in charge of the boom mic?" He nodded.
"Bayley, I'll need you to work my second camera since you know the vision that needs to happen here. The rough draft of the script is almost done, does anyone want to do a quick read through?" There were some nods and shrugs.
"I'll read for young Greg," Dylan chimed. Parts were then assigned, not as a permanent solution quite yet.
Donnie offered to read for the older Greg and Lacey's brother for nearly middle-aged Greg. I thanked him in a whisper.
We all took a break after the second scene. Everyone grabbed a water bottle and an apple, moving to the patio. It felt cooler outside than in my house so we all decided to stay out there. All the scenes written from there weren't as long as the first one, but still took us a while. After all, it was actual movie length.
"Is everyone alright with these being their permanent parts? We still need people to fill in for the other adults, but besides that, I believe we have our crew," I concluded as they finished reading.
"It depends when you need to film," Celia answered. "I'll give you my number so just call me when you need me. If you could let me know at least a day before you'd need me, then I might be able to come."
"Yea, me too," Ronald agreed. "My parents will make me mow the lawn or something and won't let me go anywhere until I do."
Upon that, I decided to get numbers from the others. We brought out a calendar to see what weekends would be available.
"We'll need to film at different times in the day, so sometimes I might need you guys after school or even into the night. My teacher said that we can get our equipment as soon as we're ready."
The hands of the clock said 5 and the group walked home. I thanked them and tucked the papers that contained their numbers into the safety of my pocket. Donnie left with Ronald and Sean. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and went on his way.
Bayley stayed for dinner and helped me finish the script. "I feel like it should end on a bittersweet note. You get me?"
I nodded slowly but stopped myself and shrugged. "Sort of, but not entirely."
"When he dies, I don't think it should be with the town. He should get really old and ill when 3 people die in a fire."
"Hmm, so that way there's people to remember him still?" I asked. She nodded.
I sat and thought for a moment exactly how to end it. I wondered who should I put in the last scene and how I should put the words together precisely so it ended on the perfect note.
"What if," I burst excitedly. "It shows his mom, younger looking, but perhaps in her late 60's. She could be looking out the window as she finds out her son dies. She gets the call because he's like... in intensive care at a hospital or something. She breaks down crying. The sound from the video fades out and maybe some light piano trails in. She says to whoever had handed her the phone that her son was special. 'I only wish I could've been like him. Dying with a cause, I mean. He helped everyone in this town. He didn't have a long life like he should've... but he made a difference, you know? He lived 17 years and now he's gone. I outlived him, but what have I ever done for this town? I wish he could've lived on. He always put a smile on people's faces. I think that's the greatest gift anyone could've ever given.'"
I took a breath and thought for another second. "Then the camera could pan a little past her face and out the window. It'll zoom in on the road and show a young Greg walking in the shadows like a memory, then it'll fade to black."
"Wow. I'm so glad you're letting me be the other camera person. Let's find some old people!" She laughed.
"Alright!" I declared. Until dinner was ready, we made a list of some older neighbors that might lend us some help. "We could ask around after dinner or maybe tomorrow."

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My mom allowed Bayley and I to ride bikes after dinner to find some more help. "Be safe," she warned.
We went to a brick house on the corner. I gently knocked on the door. Then, we waited for a few minutes before we heard some rustling on the other side. An elderly man opened the door.
"How may I help you?" he asked groggily. Bayley nudged me to talk. I stepped forward slightly and cleared my throat.
"We're directing a movie for a semester project and were wondering if you would like to be in it. Not as a main character, but as... kind of an ensemble."
The man nodded slowly in understanding. "Sure why not." He broke into a gummy grin. "Just knock when you need me."
"Ok that's great! I'll give you your part of the script. I'll run it over as soon as I can write it down." He smiled and nodded.
We left the house and went down the block. To my knowledge, there was a middle-aged woman who lived there. No one came to the door even though we knocked a few times.
"Oh well, at least we have one person who agreed to it," I said, my inner optimist brightening the situation.
Another elder's house came up on our right so we decided to go with that. Once we circled back to my house around nightfall, we had 5 elderly people, 3 middle-aged people, and 10 younger people. One of the elders was to be the older version of Greg's mom, the oldest version of Greg, and the others were just people to be helped.
"How'd the recruiting go?" my mom asked upon our arrival. We both gave her a thumbs up. Bayley's ride came, pulling up in our driveway.
"Bye, see you tomorrow." We waved to each other until she got in the car.
"Will you need me?" My mom faked desperation and pulled the puppy dog face on me.
"Of course," I assured her. "I'll always need my mom." I hugged her. "You doing ok?"
Her curt nod didn't reassure me so I narrowed my eyes. "I promise. The medicine has been working quite well. I'm thinking of trying some meditation while I'm taking it and then ween myself off of the medicine."
"Make sure you talk to your doctor or... uh therapist. I don't want a repeat of last time."
"Neither do I," my mom agreed. Her eyes glistened a little. "I'm sorry. I really am."
"Don't apologize." I squeezed her hand. "It's ok, mom. I just want you to feel better."

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Donnie came with me to Mr. Dean's class after school the next day. "You need the equipment already?" he had asked in surprise. Before I could nod, he hand half of it over; the rest to Donnie.
"You're a promising student," he continued. "I know you're quiet, but I know you're very dedicated to this class and film itself."
I thanked him as Donnie and I headed out into the hall. Donnie gave me a smirk as we struggled down the stairs. "Thank you for the great idea," I said to him. "I'm so glad you're here."
Donnie shot a puzzled look. "Here? At school or here for you?"
"Both," I stated with finality. Silence clung to the air for a long time. Donnie's mom waited in the parking lot for us and allowed us to put the stuff in the back.
We sat in the backseat, hand in hand. "Hi April, how are you?" Mrs. Darko greeted me.
"I'm good, how are you?" I asked. She smiled brightly at me.
"Very good." The drive was somewhat silent besides the slight drone of the radio.
Once we reached their house, I phoned my mom to let her know I had arrived safely. She thanked me and reminded me to be on my best behavior. What seemed like a long time after I finished on the phone, I took a seat at the table next to Donnie. It was around 5.
"I'll drop you off at home since all that heavy equipment is in my car. I wouldn't want you to have to carry all that," Mrs. Darko offered. She set a plate in front of me, a slice of pizza managed to stay on, and was steaming still.
"I love when we have pizza," Samantha said to no one in particular. Elizabeth nodded with a full mouth.
"So about your film..." she began, after she had swallowed the bite of pizza. Donnie shushed her abruptly.
I shot him a questioning look. "If Sam hears, she'll want to be in it. She's like that," Donnie whispered. I shrugged.
"Go ahead," I ushered Elizabeth.
"I heard that you were filming and I was wondering if you had considered submitting for a film festival when you're done."
Sam's eyes widened and her head shot up. "You're making a movie? Can I be in it?" I giggled at how right Donnie had been.
"Sure. I don't have an exact role in mind that I need filled, but I will let you know when I do and who it is."
Donnie sighed and rolled his eyes. "Next thing you know, she'll want to be dancing in it, watch out," he warned.
"Oh hush," I joked, nudging his elbow off the table.

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Donnie sat at his desk, drawing while I sat on his bed. "You never talked to me very much about the things you've been seeing," I stated in a hushed tone.
"I didn't? Wasn't what you heard at Dr. Thurman's enough?" I shrugged.
"You just tell me you're not doing good or you're seeing stuff. How am I supposed to help? Isn't talking about things supposed to help?"
Donnie laughed bitterly. "Well I don't want you leaving me because you don't want a troubled boyfriend."
"What the hell? You're still on that?" I asked. "Why does that even matter anymore?"
"Honestly, April, it kind of hurt," he answered, disgruntled.
"But you should put that past you. You've got me now and I wouldn't do that to you."
"It's not always about us," Donnie countered.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean? I'm not liking the sound of it," I flared.
"I mean that even though I'm with you, I can still be affected by past relationships. I can still feel pain from memories."
"Sorry, I thought it was an implication that you still had feelings for her." I bit my tongue from adding in curse words. "Do you ever think that maybe it wasn't such a stupid thing for her to do, though?"
"So you're defending her out of nowhere... am I right?" he asked.
"I just think that maybe she was tired of being afraid. I've never cared much for her and how she makes excuses for everything, but I would be terrified too if I were in her shoes."
"Terrified of what?" His brows furrowed, forming a scowl.
"Of the things around her. She has her stepdad to always worry about. She has to wonder if her mom is going to be there the next time she comes home. On top of that, she had your problems. I get it that you need some help, but that was probably a bit too much for her."
"How do you know how she feels anyway?"
"I have to worry every damn day if I'm going to see my mom alive. Did you know that shortly after my dad left she tried hanging herself? Yea, not a settling image. That's when we made her go to therapy and then she was put on medication. I know what it's like to be afraid of any chance of not seeing your mom again." I sighed, brushing the bitter tears from my eyes. "I don't know how I'll help all the time, but I wouldn't leave like Gretchen. I just understand the stress."
Donnie remained silent, his features softened since the angry look had crossed his face. I wheezed out a muffled sob into my clammy hands.
"It's hard to get people, especially if you haven't lived pretty much what they've lived. But you can't always be against them if you don't understand," I raved in a shaky voice. "Maybe I should go home," I added with a huff.
I stood up and headed for the door. Donnie sighed, getting up from his chair. "April, wait. Please."
My heart rate sped up, dreading the forthcoming events. "Don't go yet," he pleaded. "I'm sure we're both still steaming but let's not walk away like that." His hand held a gentle grip on my arm. "This is our first argument. Couples work past these things, so let's try. I mean, sure I was... perturbed I guess, but things like that happen."
I pulled away, holding up my hands. "It just seems like you still like her if what she said continues to bother you."
"But I don't," he insisted, drawing nearer to my face. "Trust me. I'll protect you everyday like I did that Sunday."
I melted in his arms, burying my face in his chest. "Gosh, I'm so sorry." The thick fabric of his shirt muffled my words.
"Hey, hey. It's ok, it was a silly little argument. We'll be ok." I couldn't entirely tell if he meant the last part wholly.

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I went to sleep with a truckload of guilt. I had suspicions but also related situations that I just shouldn't have voiced. The next morning Bayley called me. "Hey, when are you doing filming?" she asked.
"Probably Friday night, all of Saturday and Sunday," I answered drowsily.
"You alright? You sound a little down."
"Donnie and I kinda... uh.. had a little disagreement. It was silly, really. Nothing to worry about," I explained.
"I'm sorry. Don't worry, next weekend will be fun."
"Well hey, I got the cameras!" My affirmation rang through the phone.
"Great! I'll call you later if you want, but my mom wants to go out to eat soon. Bye Mrs. Director."
We both hung up at the same time. By that point in the day, it was late morning and I had my cleaning done. I decided to ride my bike over to Donnie's.
I felt bad about the other night even though we said we were good. I hated fighting with people. As I turned a sharp corner on my bike, I saw Donnie on the trampoline with his sister. I stopped and waved to him. Catching his attention, he smiled and waved back.
Sam waved to me, also, then waved me to come closer. "Jump with us," she offered when I was within earshot.
"I actually came to ask your brother something," I said, trying to be polite about her offer. She nodded and went back to the trampoline.
"Ask me what?" Donnie whispered. I hugged him from over the fence.
"Nothing, I wanted to tell you something instead. I just wanted to say sorry again," I explained. "I feel really bad."
"It was a two person argument, April. Besides, we weren't screaming at each other. Maybe we were getting a bit snippy, but no screaming."
"Thank god." I leaned in to kiss his cheek.
"How about we go out tonight?" he suggested. "Perhaps to the movies or something."
"I'd love that," I told him, nodding.
"I'll pick you up around 6:30 if you'd like." Again, I nodded.
"See you then," I said, hugging him. "Bye Sam." She turned around and waved enthusiastically.

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"Hook me up with one of his friends," Bayley urged. "Then we can go on double dates."
"Yea that'd be fun. How was the restaurant with your mom?"
"A lot better than I expected. Nothing went wrong," she admitted.
"Listen, I gotta go now. I have to get ready. If I don't talk to you tomorrow, I'll see you at school."
"Alright, have fun. Gosh, you lovebirds," she joked. "Bye."
I hung up the phone, then practically slid across the tile to my room. I had less than half an hour to get ready. What the heck should I even wear? What if he takes me to a nice restaurant?
"Mom!" I called. "I need help." No answer. "Mom?" I left my room and went to the kitchen; no sign of her there. She must be in the bathroom or something. There was the door shut. I knocked gently. "When you're done can you help me pick out an outfit? I have a date tonight with Donnie." Still no answer but the light was on.
"Dylan are you in there?" I asked. "Can I have an answer?" Still nothing. I began to panic a little. "Dylan where are you?" He wasn't by the couch or in his room. I ran to the front door to check if he was out there. Sure enough he was playing basketball with a neighbor. I yelled for him to get in the house.
"What's wrong?" he asked. I told him mom wouldn't answer. His face fell and his eyes widened. "Oh no," he whispered. We both dashed to the bathroom.
"Mom?" we called simultaneously. Nothing again. I tried to open the door but it appeared locked. "Break down the door," I ordered. Dylan looked confused. "Break it down now."
We both stepped back and ran at the door with all our might. The impact hurt my shoulder, sending pain down my arm. The door flew open. My heart fell at the sight. Our mom lay there against the wall; barely conscious. Her wrists were dripping with blood and her pill bottle was by the toilet, almost empty.
"Dylan," I choked, "I'm calling 911. Make sure she's alright." He fell beside her, tears soaking his cheeks. I ran to the kitchen, so close to breaking down.
"911 what's your emergency?" the dispatcher asked.

My brother and I sat in the waiting room of the hospital for half an hour, in a quite distressed state. Donnie walked in, approaching me quickly. I had called him as soon as we got to the hospital so he would know why I would miss our date. "I'm so sorry." He stood in front of me, arms outstretched before him. I stood to get closer to his level and fell into his arms.
I sobbed into his chest. It felt like a dam broke and now all the tears came flooding. He maneuvered to the chair and pulled me on his lap. I didn't care if anyone was watching, I continued to cry as Donnie rocked me back and forth on his lap.
"Thank you for coming," I managed between choking cries. Dylan patted my shoulder.
"April and Dylan Hepler?" I heard a voice call. I looked up to see a doctor standing there with a clipboard. Dylan stood up with Donnie and I, heading over to the superficial looking man.
"Your mother is conscious," he told us. "Follow me." We did exactly what he said, clinging close together. Donnie had a grip on my hand and I on his hand. The doctor led us down a long, eerie corridor.
"She's in intensive care, but you can see her now. She keeps asking for you."
We got to her bed and there she lay, pale and dainty. Her arm was wrapped up in a bandage and there were a couple IVs in her arms. Her eyes glistened with tears.
I began to cry more at the sight of her. "You scared the hell out of us," I bawled into the shoulder of her hospital gown. Dylan stood there, not approaching the bed. His fists were tightened and his brows were knitted in deep thought.
I motioned for him to join me but he ignored the gesture. "How could you do that to us?" He appeared to be crying harder than I was. "You're our mother and we need you. You can't just leave like