It is the afternoon of what would be my little brother’s birthday. Flashes are coming back, about how he died. I was right there; Liam was coughing and could not breathe. He started to drown but did not even react. Ever since that day, I became the meanest girl in school and lost all my friends, but one.
“Jude, let’s go and visit your brother.” my mom said.
My mom calls me Jude, but my real name is Judy, after my great grandmother. I brought Liam red flowers, his favorite. I told him about how sorry I was that he was not here and able to celebrate his 14th birthday. I miss him every single day.
Today is the morning after Liam's’ would be birthday. My mom told me that I must go to school still. My only friend came up to my locker and we walked to class together.
“Jude, I brought Liam flowers after you left yesterday, he will always be remembered, no matter what.” Isabella told me.
“Thanks,” I said, “thanks for everything.”
That afternoon, I went over the Isabella’s house to study. We had one last test coming up before school ended. I was about to call my mom that I was going to stay at Isabella’s house until she said, “Jude, I have something I want you to try, it’s called a vape. It has many flavors and it’s so good.”
There is something I never told anyone about Liam, but one day I walked into his room to steal his video game controller when I saw a vape out. I know that is why he has been having shortness of breath; I know that is why he has been coughing more; I know that is why he died.
“No!” I exclaimed, “That’s not good for you at all, you can die from that.”
“Who told you that, a commercial, I always tell you not to believe everything you see on tv, like that one time you said that walking on water was real.”
“I know that by heart, you can get lung cancer and die.”
That was the last time we ever talked to each other and made eye contact. I know that was the right thing to do because Isabella is coughing and having shortness of breath like Liam did. Two years later, I got a phone call from Isabella, in that phone call she said, “You’re right, I shouldn’t have started to vape, it’s way too addicting and my doctor told me to stop because I’m at high risk of lung cancer now. I decided to quit and I’m sorry.”
That is all I wanted from her, to stop vaping. I did not want another loved one to die from that horrible thing.