Yesterday | Seth Clearwater

Chapter 5

When my time comes around

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth

No grave can hold my body down

I'll crawl home to her

~ Hozier "Work Song"

A week and a half had passed since her fight with Paul, and she hadn't seen him since. Her mother told her that Paul thought it would be better for everyone if he stayed at Sam's house for a while. Brooklyn felt a bit guilty... and angry. Mostly angry. Why should she be the one to feel guilty? Paul had picked a fight with her— over nothing, she might add— and he had been the one who left. So why did she feel like she was the one tearing her family apart? Maybe she should try harder to be okay with Paul hanging around Sam Uley all the time.

Speaking of Sam Uley, Brooklyn hadn't seen Quil Ateara at school since a couple for days after they had spoken. He was probably just out sick, but her mind couldn't help but flash back to their last conversation. He had been so worried about Sam's staring problem. Brooklyn hoped that Quil was okay. Actually, now that she thought of it, Quil's friend Jacob Black hadn't been at school either yesterday.

Brooklyn tried to shrug off the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had a bad feeling about today. Too many weird things were happening too closely together to be coincidental.

Recently there had been some animal attacks, and some people had mentioned bear sightings in the La Push area. Seth had told her that his father and Billy Black were going out later that week to help the Forks police chief search the woods in hopes of finding the animal responsible.

The uneasy feeling worsened, and her stomach began to twist. She barely made it to the bathroom before she began heaving into the toilet bowl. Weird, her anxiety had never caused her to vomit before, but she had definitely heard of it happening to other people. She brushed her teeth, and decided that she felt well-enough to go to school. She couldn't risk missing a day and getting behind. Her coursework along with soccer practice were beginning to take a toll on her— she had been exhausted for days. No amount of sleep ever felt like enough.

The morning seemed to drag on, and Brooklyn just wanted to go home. She was on the verge of falling asleep for the entire morning. Not to mention her stomach had started churning again. She was so glad that she had skipped breakfast this morning, she couldn't imagine the outcome if she had eaten.

It felt like days had passed before the bell for lunch rang. She walked to the cafeteria and sat down in her usual seat next to Seth. Instead of joining in with the conversation that her friends were having, she rested her head on her arms, and took a timid bite of her sandwich.

"Dude, you look rough," Seth said to her as their friends got distracted with something on one of their phones. He wasn't wrong, she had heavy purple bags under her eyes, and she looked a bit peaky.

"Gee, thanks," Brooklyn said sarcastically. She was a little embarrassed that other people could see how unwell she felt.

"Are you sure you should be at school?" he questioned.

"I'm fine— just stressed. You know how busy I get with school and soccer and stuff," she reassured him.

"Okay," Seth seemed hesitant to leave the subject alone. "Just let me know if you need anything. Seriously, just text me and I'll be right by your side. Like, even if it's just for a snack, or like, you don't feel like getting up to turn off your lights."

She laughed. "Alright, if I need someone to turn off my lights, I'll let you know."

The rest of the day seemed to pass a lot more quickly than the morning had. Her stomach began to settle down after— she figured it was because of Seth. He always knew exactly what to say to make her feel better, and she always felt more relaxed in his presence, and any anxious feeling she had always melted away when he was nearby. It was like he was the life vest holding her head above the water. She was sure she would drown without him.

Somehow, she had managed to complete the school day, and soccer practice without falling asleep on her feet. It had rained that day, so they ran drills in the gymnasium instead of playing out on the field. By the time she got home, all Brooklyn wanted to do was sleep. So that's what she did.

That is until she woke up to her mom shaking her awake.

"Brooke... Wake up!" her mom said frantically.

"What? What's happening?" she said. She was a bit disoriented from her sudden awakening.

"It's Harry Clearwater. He had a heart attack," her mother said solemnly.

"Oh my god... Is he okay?" Brooklyn asked.

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry. He died. Harry is dead."