"Bradley?" Brian asked.
Bradley rolled his eyes "What?" he asked annoyed.
"Hey, you alright?" Brian asked coming into the room.
"No and I wasn't alright the last ten times you came up here either" Bradley said to him.
"Yeah well I'm your dad its my job to see if you're okay or not" Brian said sitting on the window seat across from him “Rough day huh?” he asked.
“Neilson’s only been dead what? A couple days and they want his locker cleaned out already?” Bradley asked in disbelief.
“I know” Brian said.
“No dad, you really don’t know and don’t try and pretend that you do, you have no idea what this is like” Bradley said angrily.
"Bradley..." Brian said.
"Dad, please…just leave me alone” Bradley said throwing himself on his bed.
Brian sighed deeply "Fine, okay, I’ll leave you alone…for now” he said as he left the room.
He went down to the kitchen as Vicki came in through the back door.
"Hey" she said "What's going on?"
Brian sighed "Principal Wexler asked Bradley and Nat to clean out Neilson's locker at school today" Vicki sighed.
"Oh no" she said.
“And they’re also planning some kind of memorial for him at school or something, I don’t know but it shook him up pretty bad and he came home early” he said "I don't think he's ever going to get over this" he said.
"Okay, I have an idea but you have to promise not to get angry" she said.
"Promise, anything to get him out of that room."
"Okay, there's a doctor at the hospital who specializes in grief counselling.
"Therapy?" he asked.
"Yes" Vicki said.
"Well normally I'd say no way but I'll go with you on this one...but getting him to actually go is something else" he said.
"In the past seventeen years I have seen our son overcome anything" Vicki said.
"He's a tough kid" Brian said to her.
"What if there's no coming back from this for him?" she asked, he held her hand.
Bradley stared at the voicemail from Neilson lingering on his phone that went unheard, he clicked saved and it disappeared into a separate folder. He reached into his backpack, pulling the liquor bottle out and took a long gulp, grimacing at the foul taste, he polished off the bottle and tossed it in the trash.
A few days later, Sasha approached the door to Neilson's room, she reached out and put her hand on the knob.
"You don't have to do this now" Kathleen said coming up behind her and putting her hands on Sasha's shoulders.
Sasha looked at her “When is the right time?” she asked.
“Whenever you feel you’re ready” Kathleen said to her.
"I have to or I'll never do it" Sasha said sadly.
“How about your dad and I take care of it?” she asked.
“Yeah that’s no problem at all” Craig said.
“I appreciate it but…this is something I have to do” Sasha said.
“At least let us help?” Craig asked.
“Okay” she said nodding, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, she looked over to the computer desk and saw a specter of Neilson sitting there, he looked up at her and smiled before slowly fading away.
“Where do you want to start?” Craig asked.
“I’m not really sure” Sasha said.
“Okay well, how about I start taking down some of the posters and stuff off the walls?” he asked.
“Yeah and I can start cleaning out the closet” Kathleen said as Sasha sat down on the bed.
“This is all that’s left of him” she said sadly “Any last trace of Neilson I have is in this room” she said. "I'm sorry I think I need a minute" Sasha said tearfully as she dodged quickly from the room.
"Come in" a man answered upon hearing a knock at his office door.
"Dr. Jones" Vicki said entering the office.
"Oh Dr. McAdams, what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.
"You busy?" she asked.
"Not at all, what can I do for you?" he asked.
"I uh...I need to ask for a personal favor" she said.
"Okay" he said as she sat down.
"It's about my son" she said.
"Bradley, right?" he asked.
"That’s him” she said.
“He okay?” he asked.
“No” she said “His best friend just passed away after committing suicide".
"Oh man” he said “I think I read about that in the paper, how’s he doing?” he asked.
“He is just absolutely devastated” Vicki said to him.
“I can imagine” he said “I take it he’s giving you some cause for concern?” he asked.
“He’s isolating himself and seems to be shutting the world out” she said.
“People do go through a state of depression after the loss of a loved one" he said.
"No I know people need to grieve but this is just a whole different situation" she said.
He smiled and plucked a business card from his desk. "Well, lets see what I can do here" he said looking at his computer "I have an opening if you want him to come in."
"Please" she said.
"Okay...now you understand people are usually reluctant when it comes to this sort of thing so if he doesn't show up I'll completely understand" he said writing something down on a card.
"I'll try to make sure he does" she said.
"Here" he said handing it to her.
"Thanks" she said taking it from him.
“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Harry asked Kyle as they approached Neilson’s locker “I mean, Wexler didn’t really ask us” he said.
“It's just his locker” Kyle said to him.
"It can wait" Harry said.
“Harry it has to be done" Kyle said flipping the combination lock around and pulled the door open.
"Wait" Harry said "This isn't right we can't do this" he said.
"Hey, what are you guys doing?” Adam asked approaching them.
“Wexler wants Neilson’s locker cleaned out” Kyle said to him.
“Already? Man, he wastes no time huh?” Adam asked.
“He asked Bradley and Nat to do it” Harry said.
“Yeah but Bradley and Nat aren’t in the position to do it right now” Kyle said to him.
“That’s still pretty messed up though” Adam said.
“You guys, it’s a locker, it’s not like we’re cleaning out his bedroom” Kyle said.
"What are you doing?" Natalie asked.
They turned to see her standing there "Nat, hey we were just..." Kyle said.
"You're cleaning out Neilson's locker?" she asked.
"Nat..." he said as she ran away from them.
"See?" Harry said, Kyle nodded and shut the door “We're not the ones who should do this" Harry said to him “Until Bradley J. and Nat are ready, we'll let them handle it, they were the closest to Neilson, they should do it" he said.
“Yeah, alright, let’s go catch up with Nat” Kyle said to him.
Bradley sat on the window seat, a puff of smoke escaping from his lips and out of the open window he heard a knocking at his door “Just a sec” he said throwing the cigarette out of the window and shutting it “Yeah?” he asked.
“Hey” Vicki said coming into the room.
“Hey” he said sitting on his bed.
“What are you doing?" she asked sitting next to him.
He shrugged “chilling” he said "You know you and dad don't need to keep calling each other for backup every time I get upset" he said to her.
“Okay, fair enough, well I wanted to come and bring you this” she said handing him the picture, in a new frame.
"Oh, you fixed it" he said.
"Yeah, I did" she said.
“Thanks” he said tossed it onto the foot of his bed.
“Yeah no problem, I also came to talk to you about a counselor at the hospital I want you to see" she said.
"You want me to see a shrink?" he asked.
“I just think you need someone to talk to about this, someone who will be able to help you in a way your dad and I can't” Vicki said to him.
"I'm alright, okay?" he said.
“Bradley, I’m your mother…I know you’re not alright” she said to him.
“...Fine” he said reluctantly.
"Good" she said "I love you sweetie" she said.
"I love you too mom" he said as she left.
A cloud of cigarette smoke lingered around Bradley as he held one between his fingers, a puff of smoke escaped from his lips as he exhaled. He sat on a stool in Charlie’s bar.
“Bradley” Charlie said coming out from the back room.
“Hey Charlie” he said downing a shot.
“Hey uh I heard what happened to Neilson, I’m really sorry, he was a good kid” Charlie said.
Bradley nodded “I don’t really want to talk about that right now” Bradley said.
“What can I get you?” Charlie asked.
“Can I get a couple dozen more of these?” he asked.
“You got it” Charlie said.
The bells above the door jingled Natalie then came into the bar “Here you are” she said to him.
“Hey Nat” Charlie said.
“Hi Charlie” she said hopping up onto a stool next to Bradley “Since when do you smoke?” she asked.
“I’m pretty sure you’ve seen me smoking before” Bradley said to her.
“Well yeah but only once in awhile” she said.
“Yeah well I moved up from once in awhile to a pack a day” he said putting the cigarette back in his mouth.
“Wow” she said “I was going to ask how you’re doing but I guess that answers my question” she said.
“I’d really rather if no one asked me how I was doing for the rest of my life” he said tapping the ashes off the end of the cigarette "I've been asked that question so many times lately I don't know what to say anymore" he said.
"Yeah I know" she said.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I called the house to see if you were there, Kyle said you went out, I figured you’d come here” she said.
“Good guess” he said.
“Hey, have you talked to Harry at all lately?” she asked.
“I try not to talk to Harry…I need all the sanity I have left” he said blowing another cloud of smoke from his mouth.
“Oh” she said.
“Why? What’s with Harry?” he asked downing a shot.
“He told me that they’re planning on doing a special memorial issue of the school paper they’re doing in Neilson’s honor” she said.
“Really” he said taking another shot “God this stuff should be starting to taste good by now” he said grimacing.
“Well I told him that they shouldn’t do it until you’re ready” she said.
“What’d you do that for?” he asked “Harry can do whatever the hell he wants, I really don’t care” Bradley said.
“Come on, you know that’s not true” Natalie said to him.
“Why me? Why is everyone waiting for me to do anything?” Bradley asked “What does everyone think I’m so fragile that I’m going to fall apart every time someone mentions his name? everyone is walking on eggshells trying not to bring him up, trying to act like he never existed" he said.
"Look I know, it’s been a rough couple of weeks" Natalie said.
“There’s the understatement of the century” he said.
“Remember how Wexler asked us to clean out his locker?” she asked.
“Yeah don’t remind me” Bradley said to her.
“Well Kyle offered to do it for us” she said to him.
Bradley turned to look at her “What?” he asked.
“I saw him and Harry in the hall and I think they were cleaning it out” she said nervously.
Bradley chuckled “You’ve got to be kidding me” he said angrily.
“Bradley, you know they meant well” she said as he took another shot.
“Just leave me alone alright?” he asked.
“No, forget it, I’m not leaving you here like this” she said.
“Nat, please, I just want to be by myself” he said.
“Bradley, I think you should just let Nat take you home” Charlie said to him.
“Thank you Charlie, come on, give me your keys” she said to him.
He rolled his eyes and reluctantly handed his car keys over.
“Move” she said to him, he rolled his eyes and hopped off the bar stool.
Natalie carried a bouquet of white roses in her hands as she made her way through the cemetery, she came upon a large shady tree “Hey” she said approaching a headstone. “I’m back” she said picking up the dead bouquet and placing the fresh one on top. “I know, I don’t have to keep coming here every few days” she said smiling “When my dad died I think I went to his grave every hour” she said. “I hope you managed to find each other, I’ve had this fantasy forever about what it would be like if you had gotten to meet him, I just…didn’t want it to happen like this” she said sadly.
“Look I’m not actually here for me… I don’t know if you’ve been watching from wherever you are but…it’s about Bradley” she said softly “Neilson he is so lost and so broken without you… you wouldn’t even recognize him anymore” she said. “He’s spiraling out of control and…we don’t know how to help him” she said sadly “And the only person he needs right now…the only one who can get through to him is you” she said.
“Now I know obviously there’s nothing you’re going to be able to do for him but…if there’s some kind of divine intervention or something” she said laughing to herself “Just something to help him” she said sadly. Her phone then beeped “Guess I have to go” she said putting her hand on his name etched into the stone “I’ll be back soon okay?” she asked standing up.
