Due to daylight savings time’s end for the year, sunset had begun blessing the city an hour earlier than it had in the months prior. Perhaps that was why, when Tristan Collins returned home that day, dropped off by the captain of the basketball team Lawrence Young at approximately 8pm, his father approached him the second he heard the door opening.

  “Son! Hey, welcome back. You were out late today, huh kiddo?”

  Tristan’s eyes met his, and the boy caught a glimpse of the worry his father tried to conceal with his cool expression.

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s the occasion? I mean, you mentioned joining the photography club last week, but…”

  Tristan stood in the doorway facing the inquisitive man before him. A suspension and a violent mall beating would cause this in any caring parent, and even Tristan knew it. Daniel Collins was aware of the drastic change in his son and his school life, but placing the root cause of it had been difficult for him. The boy was angsty one day and gentle the next. Was it all because of that girlfriend of his? If so, then perhaps it would have been best if they hadn’t started seeing her in the first place? Just what kind of person was this ‘Zoey’ anyway, he wondered?

  “My friend Lawrence offered to cut my hair today, so we went over to his place.”

  Sure enough, Daniel had noticed the hairstyle as soon as his son had walked in. It appeared to be one of those trendier haircuts that kids tended to lean towards these days, but the appeal was lost on him.

  “Do you like it?”

  “Yeah, I think it’s cool.”

  “I think so too, it looks good on you, son.”

  Daniel stroked his son’s head gently.

  “Stop it, dad.” Tristan brushed his father’s hand away. There was the slightest hint of a smile on the boy’s face, but it crumbled almost as quickly as it formed. Daniel, immediately recognizing the change, didn’t let it go.

  “Son? What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

  Tristan bit his lip, pondering whether to say anything at all. Just how involved in a child’s life should a parent be at this age? Especially when there’s so much shame and guilt involved? But eventually, he wound up shaking his head. Of course things weren’t okay. All one needed were eyes or ears to recognize as much. The boy wasn’t his usual self.

  “Well… you know we can talk about it if you like, right?” Daniel said. “I know it’s probably hard to talk to your old man about things, but I might surprise you, you know? It might come to you as a shock, but I know about way more than just John Carpenter movies, son.”

  “Well…”

  It didn’t take much more convincing to get Tristan to make himself comfortable on the sofa with his father. Last week, they had watched ‘Dead Poet’s Society’, a film whose shocking climax and heartwarming conclusion had moved Tristan, renewing his appreciation for the artform that was film, and had subtly inspired some of the decisions he had made during his filming of ‘Last Words’, the student film he had made with his friends.

  Tristan had remained silent for the movie, and had wordlessly gone back up to his room once he was done. This worried his father as he had forgone their usual chat at the end of the film. Tristan was always excited about movie night, so that such a change would be upon them in the eleventh hour was unprecedented, and Daniel was eager to find out what seemed to be bothering his son.

  “Dad, I have a friend.. she’s going through a tough time right now.”

  “She? Do you mean Zoey?”

  The boy shook his head. “No dad, this is another friend. It’s, uh… Lawrence’s sister.”

  Daniel paused for a moment then quickly nodded when he caught himself. “Okay, go on.”

  “Something bad happened to her recently, and… I’m scared that she’s going to hurt herself.” Tristan thought back to the spirit’s warning the night before. It claimed that someone that he loved would pass away soon unless he did something about it. The boy hadn’t had anything resembling romantic feelings for Laura, but he had to admit that he did revere her to some degree. If such a thing were to come true, then what he needed to do was obvious. Except… “I’m sorry, we’re not exactly friends. We’re cool, but we only just recently started talking.”

  “Hmm. I see. That’s very serious son.” Daniel looked down, stroking his chin as he pondered what his son had said to him. “Why do you think she’s going to hurt herself? Has she tried before?”

  Tristan shook his head. “It’s just a feeling I have, that’s all.”

  “I see. Well son, here’s what. It sounds like you like this girl, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Then… I don’t know. To me it feels like all you can do is offer to be there for her.”

  “Be there…?”

  “Hmm. It’s sort of like this: A lot of people have a very normal tendency to want to isolate whenever something bad happens in their lives. But that can be very dangerous because staying alone with your thoughts might make that person feel worse rather than better. The feedback loop that comes from being alone can be dangerous. It’s sometimes important to let that person know that they don’t have to suffer through that sort of feedback loop. That they have people around them that care and that they should take a chance on trusting.”

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  “Just let her know that I want to be there for her?” Tristan asked. “Are you sure that’s all I need to do?”

  “That’s all? Son, do you know how precious it is to have someone who’s there for you whenever you need them? Think about it. Do you have someone in your life, besides myself and your mother of course, that’s always in your corner no matter what?”

  I do, he thought. Images of his friends from the photography club, Lance, Naomi and Jaz, all came to mind. In the past month or so, they had all been there for him in their own ways. In fact, if you pretended that Zoey wasn’t a part of the club, then theoretically that room was probably the most magical place he had ever been to.

  “What would your life be like without that person?” Daniel asked.

  Tristan imagined it. A Deer Valley high without those three. Without Jaz, who protected him from Ben the day before homecoming. Without Naomi, who was his only ally during Gwen’s birthday visit to the mall. Without Lance, who had made his every day at school an enjoyable experience with his antics. They comforted him when he was at his lowest over Gwen. They were there for him with his unrequited love, though they hadn’t known Zoey’s true self.

  Without any of them, Tristan’s life might have been in a darker place than it was already.

  “Now listen. If you really think this girl is going to hurt herself, then you should probably talk to someone about it, okay? This isn’t something you can fix on your own. But if she’s just feeling down, then what’s important is for you to be there for her.”

  “I get it dad,” I said. “I’m going to let her know that I’ll be there for her.”

  “But don’t lie to her, okay? You have a girlfriend, so she might be a little jealous if you’re spending a bunch of time with another girl. Only promise to be there for her if you know you can handle it.”

  “Dad, there’s nothing I’d rather do with my life right now than be there for her.”

  “Nothing you’d rather…” While Daniel had thought he was just being helpful, the sudden confession from his son had given him cause for concern. “Son, are you sure you’ve only just met this girl?”

  At the words, Tristan nodded. “I have, and I haven’t. It’s complicated, but… I understand what she’s going through right now. I know how that probably sounds to you, but…”

  “No,” Daniel said. “It’s okay son. If you’re saying it then it must be true.”

  The two of them sat in the silence of the living room as their words hung in the air like laundry. Tristan’s determination to help Laura Young had put his dad in a confusing headspace.

  “Do you… love this girl?” he asked.

  “No,” Tristan said. “No, I don’t love her. She’s… she’s very beautiful. Like, big screen beautiful. But it’s not like that. I just respect her a lot. She’s just everything I wish I was, I guess.”

  Daniel grinned. “Oh yeah? How so?”

  “Well, it’s just the way she sees the world. She gives so much of herself to everyone and everything around her. To me, that kind of sacrifice for others is the most beautiful thing a person can strive for.”

  His father fell silent at his description of the girl. There was something about the way his son spoke of her that touched him.

  “That does sound beautiful son,” he said. “But I do wonder if someone who gives so much of their lives to others can ever truly be happy.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “To me, your life is… well, it’s yours. Your own happiness, the feelings inside of yourself, those should be the most important things to you.”

  “I agree, but I don’t get what your point is.”

  Daniel stroked his chin. “Okay, let’s say that you’re an adult Tristan. Living on your own, not doing too well financially. Now let’s say that despite that, you spend a large amount of your salary on giving out free food to your neighbors out of the kindness of your heart, so much so that you’re forced to skip out on meals yourself. That doesn’t sound very fun, right? Now let’s say I decide that, since you’re missing meals thanks to your sacrifices, I’m going to help out and order you a pizza. You know, a small something to keep you going for a day. Only, when that pizza comes, you go out and give it away to another one of your neighbors out of that same kindness. Doesn’t it seem that this person is just beyond anyone’s help? When does a person like that get to be happy? Where does the sacrifice end?”

  “That does sound miserable,” Tristan said.

  “But instead of food or pizza, let’s take happiness. The person you’re describing… probably isn’t very happy herself, is she?” Tristan wanted to respond. He wanted to say that Laura Young was capable of happiness. But he also recalled that, to this day, he had never seen the girl offer anyone as much as a smirk. “Even before whatever it is you’re talking about had caused her such hurt, someone who sacrifices so much for others probably sees themselves as more of a… a funnel for happiness. Someone who takes all of the good things bestowed upon themselves and passes it around without enjoying any of it for themselves.”

  Tristan leaned back onto the sofa and pondered his father’s words. Indeed, it was possible. Though, she did seem to enjoy her time out with Zoey and myself and Saturday. In that sense, it’s possible that Jacob might have been the only thing that allowed her to keep any sort of happiness inside of herself. Who knows if she’ll ever find someone like that again with him gone. She might withdraw into herself and become even more self-sacrificial.

  “Does this change anything about what I should do?” Tristan asked.

  And at his words, his father ruffled his hair with his opened palm.

  “No son. If you like her and you want to help her, then be there for her. That’s how it works.”

  Tristan smiled solemnly, staring down at the floor beneath his feet. “Okay, thanks dad.”

  The two Collins spent the next few moments of shared time discussing the film they’d seen the week prior now that they had actual time together. Though Daniel had hoped that they could have spoken about what was going on with Tristan himself, he appreciated that the boy had taken the step to open up about something that was bothering him at all.

  He still remembered the day Tristan came into the world. A being so small, yet filled with so much energy that you’d thought he was running marathons in there. He remembered how proud he was of his son for making it into the world to join his two parents. Before the birth, Daniel had all sorts of expectations for Tristan. He excited himself with ideas of his son as a major politician, a wealthy man who could send his retired parents out on fancy vacations anytime they wanted, a Nobel laureate… The list went on and on for the prospective father.

  However, when the delivery was completed, and he heard those cries, when he held Tristan in his arms for the first time, wrapping those tiny fingers around his own, all of that just melted away. In that moment, all Daniel Collins really wanted was for this child to live a long, happy life. And to this day, despite the recent hiccups, he was still proud and excited for his son to be on this rollercoaster journey that is life.

  If only Tristan himself felt that he could truly enjoy it, however. The anxieties surrounding his own mortality continued to muddy his every waking moment. Only this time, thanks to the spirit’s declaration from the night before, it was now centered on the people around him rather than himself.