These characters are from This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp.257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42DFxONrb2
Dearest Tomás,
Dios mío, I miss you. It’s been half a year now, but that doesn't change anything. You were my twin, my literal other half, but now you’re six feet under. It’s like my right lung collapsed; every breath without you is labored and painful.
I keep thinking that maybe if I had gone with you and Fareed to break into the principal’s office, this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe you wouldn’t have died. Maybe it would’ve been me instead.
Tomás, Mamá hasn’t gotten any better. I don’t even think she realizes that you never came home from school that day. I don’t know what I am going to do when she has to be moved permanently. I wish you were here with me now. You would know exactly what to do.
I visited your grave a couple months ago. Claire’s brother, Matt, was buried on your left. But you know what angers me the most? On your right is Tyler. Tyler Browne, the boy who took your life. He doesn't deserve a place next to any of the people he killed, especially you. He is the reason why you have three holes in your chest. He is the reason why you’re gone. He is the reason why I’m split in two. He is the reason why half of me died with you.
Autumn recovered from her knee surgery, but she will never dance again because of her own brother. Classmates gawk at me when I tell them Autumn Browne is my girlfriend. They think, why would she date the sibling of the person who killed her twin? And honestly, I can’t blame them. Even I think about it sometimes. I haven’t left Autumn’s side since she lost Tyler. But I guess it’s because I am the only thing Autumn has now. Her mother and brother are both dead, and her dad isn’t too far from it. He withdrew from the world even further after Tyler…did what he did. Thirty-nine lives were lost because of him. Thirty-nine. I shouldn’t be able to look at Autumn the same after what he did, but somehow I can. I’ll admit that for the first few months you were gone, whenever I looked at Autumn, I saw your face. It wasn’t the face I saw when I climbed back through the window, your limp figure next to Tyler. No, it was the face of when you transformed the school cafeteria into a makeshift beach. When you came home, your face was red and your normally messy hair was wild and dusted with sand. Your mischievous smile and glint in your eyes brought tears to my own eyes every single time I pictured you. Why did you have to leave? I would do anything to see you again.
Promise me one thing, Tomás. Wait for me. Wherever you are, wait for me. Ah, Dios,I’m going to do everything in my power to make your passing mean something. But when we see each other again, I swear I will never leave your side. Every moment I wasn’t with you when we were living in the same house will be made up. Just hold on.
Madre de Dios, Tomás. I miss you.
257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6isX0lUUjz
Your other half,257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrybCfrExDa
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