Part one.

I don't remember my age exactly, but I came home from school and headed directly for the couch to turn on My So-called Life. I believe it was after it was cancelled and MTV was airing the reruns. I had an obsession with that show, although I could never fully relate to Angela, or Rayanne. I fell somewhere between, but I was positive I could be their BFF if ever given the opportunity in pretend TV land.
I heard sirens. I specifically remember that. But I was so lost in Jordan Catalano's eyes that I ignored them. Who ignores sirens right down the street from them? A careless teenager, I guess. I also assumed it was the neighbors down the road. The man living there was old and had been sick recently.
The phone rang. No one was answering it, which was odd since it was the same line as my dad's garage, where he ran his business. He should have been home.
So I answered it.
It was Mark, Dave's brother. Dave was my aunt's fiance and he lived with her, 2 houses down from mine. I didn't know Mark well, and it took a second for me to piece together his words.
"I'm listening to the police scanner and I just happened to hear First Responders getting called to your aunt's house. No one is answering there. do you know what's going on? Is Mary OK?"
I think we both assumed it was my aunt. She had quite a few health problems growing up, and had lately had severe problems with her leg, which she almost lost as a child due to a ruptured appendix.
I ran up the stairs to my parent's bedroom, which looked out over the property, and into my aunts backyard.
I answered him. "I'll go over there find out what's going on, but I'm looking outside right now and I see Dave walking across the yard. He's walking away from the house and doesn't look like he's upset. I'll have someone call you..." And I hung up.
I ran down to my aunt's, walked in the front door, froze. Solemn faces everywhere. My dad looked at me, and I knew something was very wrong. I walked past him and into the living room.
Dave was lying on the floor.
No one was trying to help him, because he was already dead.