Chapter Text
"Hey! I couldn't reach you on dms so I'm calling to tell you I'm off to bed and wish you a good night!" Garfield smiled.
Tara scratched her silky blonde locks,"Oh sorry, my mobile data ran out this afternoon and that's why nothing's going through. Public Wifi sucks I swear" she sighed.
"You're out right now? It's eleven on a Saturday night. At a time like this, normal people are at home getting ready for bed or at a club or something- bluuuuurh."
"Did you just burp?"
"Sorry, I ate wayy too much vegetarian pizza." He sighed and burped again. "You gotta come to one of the Saturday pizza night thingies we do at our place. The others wouldn't mind at all, they love your company- don't change the subject, why are you out so late??" He scolded her, despite mostly being the one to have changed the subject.
She giggled, somewhat embarrassed due to wearing her Cookie Monster onesie in public. At least it was pitch black out so no one could see or judge. "I forgot to take out the trash today. Mom's arriving early tomorrow from her night shift so if she realises I slacked off she'll flip! Thank goodness dad's on a work trip or I'd get double the scolding. Responsibility.. adult.. blah blah blah. I'm glad they're letting me live with them for now"
"You're crazy, Tara." He yawned sleepily, teasing his girlfriend.
"Come onn Gar I'm exercising at the same time. This is a good thing!! That reminds me, let's hit the gym tomorrow and grab a burger right after. I know a vegan place you'd like." She persuaded her boyfriend.
"So we'll lose calories and get them right back?" The green haired male snuggled under the covers.
"I mean, if you put it like that-"
The only thing Garfield heard coming from his phone was the sound of a skidding car, a scream, then a crash. Then, complete silence. Silence so eerie that he could practically hear a pin drop from the phone speaker.
"Tara? You there?? Hellooo? Tara? TARA?!"
XXX
"Last night, May 20th at around 23:29pm, a black Porsche crashed into a lamp post, where 18 year Tara Markov happened to be walking back to her apartment, killing her on the spot. The Porsche was driven by a 49 year old male from Steel City, who was found to be under the influence of alcoholic substance-"
The television was powered off. Garfield turned his head to see Kori holding the remote. "I was watching that."
She sat next to him on the couch. "It's unhealthy to keep watching the news report over and over again for a whole week. Don't you think?"
"Does it look like I care?"
The green haired boy turned away, laying on the couch in a sideways foetus position whilst wrapping his hands against a cushion.
They heard the unlocking of the door to the apartment they shared together, Richard had arrived and was holding five boxes of pizza. "Delivery's here!" He grinned, kicking his shoes off and placing the boxes on the kitchen island.
Kori patted Garfield's shoulder. "I'll go tell Rachel and Victor to come for dinner, sit with Richard okay?" she stood up and walked off to the corridor. Reluctantly, Garfield got off the couch, groaning and slumping miserably to the kitchen island.
XXX
The five friends sat around the kitchen island, talking about all things school related and digging into their pizzas. The group had always been content to spend most of their Saturday nights ordering pizza from the local takeout place and have a laugh. It had become a tradition.
Richard was content with his Neapolitan, Kori went against all popular opinions and ordered a Hawaiian (with extra pineapples), Victor devoured his Meat Lovers' and Rachel was slowly but surely enjoying her quattro stagioni.
Garfield couldn't be bothered to try the vegetarian pizza Richard got for him. Everyone had noticed this.
"It's vegetarian pizza, your favourite!! Come on man at least take a bite!" Victor urged his best friend before taking a bite of his own pizza.
"I'm not hungry." Garfield turned to Richard. "Thanks man, but I told you I'm not up for a meal. I'll pay you back."
"Oh no you won't. Gar, you can't be skipping meals this often." The black haired male insisted. "Please, just eat up-"
"I said I'm not hungry!!" He stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him.
Tension cut deeper than the knives the remaining four friends were using to cut their pizza slices. Until Richard spoke up. "I understand he's upset about Tara. But this is going too far. He's a completely new person."
Kori sighed. "I know, but she was his girlfriend of two years. Obviously he will be more devastated than anyone else."
"But it has to stop, he looks skinnier and he's never looked so exhausted. We need to do something." Richard insisted.
Rachel stood up. "I'll go try to talk to him."
"You sure?"
"I'll be fine Richard. I suppose it's worth a shot. Thanks for the pizza." She threw her empty box in the bin before making her way to Garfield's room.
XXX
The purple haired girl knocked on the door twice yet received no response.
"Garfield, it's me."
...
"Come in."
The green eyed boy was buried under the covers of his bed and it appeared that he wasn't doing anything. Since he had not cleaned it since his late girlfriend passed, Garfield's room looked like a jungle - a total mess. An ocean of clothes scattered on the floor with the occasional appearance of a school book. It was clear Garfield was trying to study a bit for his senior year yet was too demotivated to do so. Next to the bed lay a scrapbook the boy had, consisting of photos he took with Tara that captured the memories they made together in their two years of dating.
Rachel sat on the side of his bed.
"Maybe if you let out your frustrations for a while it would do you good."
Garfield shifted underneath the covers.
"You'd let me?"
"We all would. We're your friends."
"I'll only take up your time." He didn't look at her.
"You won't. Why do you think I came to check on you?"
He moved a bit so she could see the back his head. Although it was May, the night was chilly. Garfield still wore a loose, short sleeved shirt and shorts. Usually, the boy wore thicker clothing so this change concerned Rachel.
"She was my first real relationship. I loved her. But now she's gone. Someone killed her and she isn't coming back. I don't know what to do without her Ray. Is this even normal??"
"Of course it is. Change is hard to deal with."
"There didn't have to be any change!" He shot up, gripping onto her shoulders. "Everything between was perfect. She was happy, I was happy. We were going to graduate and go to college together, maybe even buy an apartment together in the near future. Some drunk geezer had to ruin it all. Why me?? Why her?? What'd I do to deserve it and why'd she have to be the one to die??" He felt his eyes starting to swell up. "This is embarrassing, I'm sorry."
To see Garfield, a high spirited boy who kept the group together with his pranks and terrible jokes so upset was new. In a terrible way. It was like all the colour had been drained from him.
"You don't have to apologise for anything. Crying's better than not saying anything."
"..Can I?.."
"Of course you can."
He cried into Rachel's shoulders, who stroked his back without saying anything.
After all, actions speak much louder than words can.
XXX
The clock struck midnight, his eyes were red and tired. His stomach felt empty. She had gone back to her room after he insisted he had cried enough. Garfield couldn't be bothered to change into his pjs.
He looked to the right, an empty week old bag of chips poked under his bedsheets. Kori had given it to him to snack on since he refused to leave his room for the first three days after Tara's passing. The only time he did get out was for the earlier 'Pizza Night', as Victor had pressured him to, and also for the funeral.
Windy May 23rd. Everyone was dressed in all black and the altar was covered in flowers. Gifts showing the love and respect everyone had towards Tara. Garfield sat at the front row with Tara's parents, Mr and Mrs Markov. Kind folks who had approved of the eighteen year old boy dating their daughter.
Despite Tara not being with them anymore, Mr and Mrs Markov told him they would still view him as their son, and if he ever needed anything they would always be there for him.
Garfield apologised repeatedly to them, feeling like it was his fault that he couldn't prevent Tara from being hit. The older couple also reassured the green haired male that the situation was not in his control, and that he was not to blame, and instead thanked him for making the blonde's life so blissful these past two years. They said they'd never seen her so content ever since she was a child.
Garfield was able to deliver a short speech regarding Tara. It was good to talk about her and tell everyone at the funeral what a great person his girlfriend was. But it took everything in his system to prevent him from crying.
The real challenge was the burial. His body trembled, trying not to break down right then and there and make a fool out of himself. Boys shouldn't cry. Victor was on his left, noticing his friend's agony and gripping his shoulder supportively. Although he too was devastated.
Kori cried too. Tara was her only female friend apart from Rachel. She was comforted by Richard. At least they had each other. They didn't know what Garfield felt. They wouldn't understand his current state.
Rachel, though sad, had an expression of remembrance. Had she gone through something similar? He didn't know, and he didn't care.
All he cared about was his loss of Tara.
That day, Garfield was the last to leave the girl's grave.
Other than than, the boy had been rotting in his dump of a room for the whole week. He stared at the ceiling fan as it rotated and cooled the room even more. He'd catch a cold at this point. Did he care? Not at all.
His life was ruined. Garfield hadn't shown up to school as he was excused so his education was plummeting. Physically, he was unhealthy. Mentally and emotionally, he was doomed. He hadn't shared a laugh with his friends in a while so his social life wasn't the best either. The only sliver of hope he has left was that vent session with Rachel. But he made a fool of himself by using her as a shoulder to cry on.
"I'm so messed up."