"Michelle didn't come home," Mr. Chang replied, "When she found out her mom died, she committed suicide."
"Wh-what?" I stuttered.
"She- well, I'd rather not say how she died, but she's gone, Veronica. The funeral's tomorrow," he said. It didn't really settle in my mind.
"I... I'm in Denver right now... I won't be able to make it," I replied blankly.
"Oh. Okay, well... I have to go
finish the arrangements," he said. With that, he hung up on me before I could even say goodbye. I just sat there, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, still holding he phone to my ear, listening to the dial tone. Gerard waved his hand in front of my face and I lowered the phone slowly. My facial expression didn't change, but I felt a single tear run down my cheek.
"What's wrong?" Gee asked.
The only response I could choke out was, "Michelle... Suicide..." Then I started bawling. The rest of the guys took that as their cue to leave. Gerard understood what I was trying to say, even though I had only managed two words. He put one arm around my shoulders and the other around my waist and pulled me onto his lap. I rested my head on his shoulder and cried until I had no tears left. We must've stayed like that for more than an hour, but Gerard's efforts to comfort me never ceased. He watched me vigilantly and whenever a tear fell from my eye, he would wipe it away. When the tears stopped, he began playing with my hair, twirling it through his fingers. It distracted me effectively, but only a little.
After a while, he finally said, "You okay?" My throat felt tight, so I just shook my head. He started singing to me softly. I recognized the song as On Melancholy Hill. I smiled a little.
"There's the Veronica I know," Gee said. My smile grew and I squirmed out of his grip so I could put my arms around him. His arms snaked around my waist as he pulled me closer. How could I possibly be sad around him?