Oh my god! Oh my god! Mom! I got into Hesling University!" Alex gasped. The clean acceptance letter stood still in his hand. His dream college, his future, all right in the paper he held. All of the countless hours studying in high school payed off. Nothing could ruin the life-changing moment. He could achieve his dream of becoming a doctor to help people pursue their lives even if problems jump in their way. He would take his mom's last name, Kepler, and be referred to as Doctor Kepler in a formal manner. Alex ran into the peachy colored kitchen to where his mom sat in a kitchen chair. She walked over to Alex and grabbed the letter to read. His mom looked up with a crazy looking smile.

"I'm so proud of you, honey! You deserved this for working so hard in school!" His mom chirped with her bright blue eyes. She wrapped Alex in a tight overwhelming embrace. He flashed a pearly white smile as he put his arms around her as well. His pocket vibrated suddenly and he backed up to pull his phone out. A message from his friend Matt lit up the screen. The message was for the hangout his friends had scheduled that night.

"Is it okay if I go over my friend's house? They said we could celebrate if I got in." Alex asked his mom, looking up from his phone.

"Sure. You have to make a promise to me though! I know some of your friends are older and are allowed to drink, but you are not! You're only seventeen." She held her finger out and waved it back and forth.

Alex gulped before he spat out a lie. He never liked when he lied to his mom but she wouldn't let him go out if he told the truth about what he'd do with his friends that night. He felt uncomfortable looking into his mother's trustful eyes.

"Of course not, I know you'd kill me if I did any of that. Matt said he wouldn't get any beer tonight. We're just watching some sports and eating a bunch of pizza rolls." Alex said in a convincing enough voice.

"Alright. Don't be out too late! Your little brother David has off school tomorrow since its Saturday and he wanted to go get ice cream with you before I take him with me to the Potter's house for counseling." She smiled. Alex nodded and walked over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Bye!" He called as he grabbed his car keys on the counter. He walked down the hallway and opened the door. As soon as it opened, a cold breeze hit his pale skin. His body shivered, stepping outside. White stars sprinkled the sky, giving the night a sense of light.

"Bye! Have fun!" He heard his mom respond before he slammed the front door.

He brushed his ginger hair with his hand and sighed. The real plan for tonight was to drive down to a bar named Leo's Bar in town where his friend Matt, who was older, would go in by himself to get everyone beer they could drink outside. Alex jumped in his bright red Subaru and started to drive into town. Blurs of trees passed by his window and finally he was in the town of Langdale. The town sat in a dark silence. The only places open were the hospital, the pharmacy, and Alex's destination, Leo's Bar. He let out a sigh as he pulled up into the parking lot of the bar where he saw a group of older guys. A neon sign saying "Leo's" stood outside on the wall of the bar illuminating area. The walls were roughly bricked and showed age. The pounding music coming from inside the building could be heard from outside.

"Alex! Congrats on getting into Hesling!" His friend named James said, as he jogged up to him. James was a close friend of Alex that was in the same grade as him. He gave Alex a quick hug before looking over to where Matt was walking to them.

"Hey Kepler! You did it! I knew you'd get in. You're the biggest smart ass of the group. You getting all those straight A's of course." Matt heavily laughed, patting Alex on the shoulder. Matt had been a childhood friend of Alex and helped him through losing his father to divorce.

"Thanks! I can't wait to go there. Who are these other guys?" Alex asked curiously.

"The more the better! I invited all I could!" Matt shrugged. Alex smirked and nodded in response.

"Did you get the beer, Matt?" James asked. Matt grinned and walked the two boys over to the sidewalk where he had multiple bottles of beer.

"I saved some for you new guys!" Matt winked and threw his friends bottles. Alex caught it in a shaky hand and hesitated to open it.

"You okay there, Alex? You don't have to drink it if you want. You can be a chicken if you'd like." Matt said, with a low chuckle. Alex felt a tone of mock from his friend and gripped the beer.

"I'm fine." Alex said in a low voice, popping open his bottle. He stared at the murky yellow liquid inside and instantly felt guilty for lying to his mother. But he decided he'd go along with everyone else anyway.

"I'm glad you grew a pair. To Alex and a great summer!" Matt yelled, lifting his beer. Everyone lifted their glasses in unison and cheered.

"Thanks." Alex smiled and gagged as he took a sip of his drink. He repulsed at the bitterness. It left a dissatisfying taste on his tongue. The flavor was as strong as the pungent smell. Carbonated bubbles floated to the surface of the liquid. He looked at James and Matt, and decided to take another sip. The liquid slid down his throat and soon he got used to the taste. He reached for another bottle.

"Wow! Another one, Alex?" Matt loudly laughed. Alex took sips the beer and sat down on the sidewalk. The music from inside the bar pounded his ears, making him feel incredibly dizzy.

In a half hour, the alcohol began taking effect. Alex held the now empty bottle in his hand. The world began to swirl around him as he began to feel disoriented. His cheeks were a bright red and he continuously coughed. He struggled to get up from the sidewalk and almost fell, but James caught him. Alex pulled from James's grip and held the bottle in the air, before dropping it on the pavement. The glass hit the ground with a sharp crash and scattered amongst the ground. Alex looked at the mess in a daze.

"Oops!" He said before smiling at James. His friend looked at him in question.

"Um, are you okay?" James asked him in a worried tone.

"Yeah, yeah. What time is it?" Alex sighed.

"It's eleven thirty. It's really late actually. Do you want one of us to take you home? You don't look good." James responded.

"No, I feel great! I'll just drive home. Don't worry about me!" Alex blurted out quickly.

"Matt!" James called. Matt turned away from his friends and jogged over to the two boys.

"Alex? You look like crap. Are you alright to drive?" Matt asked.

"I'm fine! I'm just going to get in my car and drive on home. My mom is probably worried sick about me. I'll just take that shortcut on Shire Road." Alex said in a spaced out sentence. He stumbled over to his car and hopped in.

"Thanks for the party!" Alex waved and clenched his teeth into a smile. He hit the gas pedal, leaving worried friends in the parking lot.

On the other side of town, a well-known social worker named Gregory and his wife talked on their bed. Gregory was sick and struggled with coughing fits, afraid he couldn't meet his patients tomorrow if he was sick. He'd had helped multiple people out of depression and felt guilty canceling appointments. His dark black skin was covered with sweat and his voice was crooked. He gripped the pastel floral bedsheets of the bed as he moaned out in discomfort.

"Do we have any aspirin in the house, Catherine?" Gregory asked with a hoarse cough. His wife frowned and shook her head no.

"Do you want me to cancel with Elizabeth Kepler?" His wife asked and cupped Gregory's cheek.

"No. I know you love playing with her son, David, when she brings him with her. He's your favorite student." Gregory responded with a loud cough.

"You can cancel if you want though. I'm sure your patients won't mind." She reassuringly smiled.

"I'll just go to the pharmacy for some medicine. I don't think they will care if I have pajamas on." Gregory weakly laughed. Catherine grabbed his arm before he could walk out.

"I can go!" Catherine suggested. Gregory nodded his head no and lightly pushed her back into the bed.

"No. You get up very early for your job as an elementary school teacher. Besides, you need good rest for our baby. I'll go by myself. I'll be quick, I promise." Gregory said as Catherine sighed before lying back in bed. She rubbed her rounded stomach and closed her eyes. Gregory walked out of their tan colored bedroom and down the stairs. A creak rung out each step he went down on the wood. Gregory reached for his coat on the coat rack and found his way into his pocket for his car keys.

He left his house and entered his black minivan. The car roared as he drove up the driveway and out of his neighborhood. Gregory decided the quickest route in and out of town would be through the shortcut on Shire Road. He drove in the dark night looking out for runaway deer. He steadied the wheel in his fingertips.

In another car, on the same road, a drunken seventeen-year-old Alex was at an unsafe speed and was swerving all over the place. He couldn't tell where he was going, not even a bit, but his foot pressed on the pedal.

Suddenly a black minivan appeared in front of him, driving straight at him. He was in the wrong lane and didn't have enough time to fix his mistake. The car instantly crashed into the corner of Alex's car before it swerved trying to avoid a rough collision. The minivan crashed into bulky trees, causing glass and metal to fly everywhere. Clinks of shards made clatter noises on the road. Alex looked from his seat, not moving the car an inch. In a minute, a figure stumbled from the car. The figure was Gregory Potters, the man who had helped his family become stable again. He held his arm up in a plea before he rested his bloody head on the ground. He had glass stabbed into his skin with blood trickling down onto the ground below him. His white and blue striped pajamas were soaked with blood. Gregory coughed out chunks of blood, quietly crying out in immense pain. Alex felt an indescribable pressure on his chest and panicked. He hit the gas pedal as quickly as he could and sped home.

"What the hell.." Alex said as he stumbled out of his car.

He looked at the dent in his car. It wasn't as bad as it could've been in the incident. It could be passed off as hitting a deer by accident. He stared at the moon wide-eyed in thought and decided to go inside his house. The house was dark and silent. His mother and little brother were asleep, in Alex's favor. He crept upstairs and slowly wobbled to his room before collapsing on his unmade bed. He dropped his keys on the floor, next to his bed. Alex stared at his ceiling for several minutes before a tear slipped out of his eye. He then began to violently cry without a sound, gripping his gray colored blanket. He realized what had just happened, he realized who he left there bloody on the street, and he realized what he did. He soon thought about his future, about how it would be ruined. Alex grabbed and set down his phone many times before he put it back on his wooden dresser once and for all. He decided he would tell another lie, a worse lie, he would keep the secret that he killed an innocent man. He could live with a disgusting lie and live in guilt every day, or tell the brutally ugly truth, the truth that would disappoint all his family and friends.

He couldn't keep his reddened tear-filled eyes open anymore. They burned with the guilt of a crime. Alex rested his heavy eyelids and let himself sleep through the nightmare.

The next morning, Alex woke up late in the afternoon with a hangover. He felt like he was going to throw up from his pounding headache. His eyes spun around giving his room a blurry look. Alex suddenly felt a burning sensation in his throat and rain over to his steel trash can. He quickly puked thick bitter bile.

"Ugh..kill me." Alex mumbled to himself. He got up and stumbled out the door, past David's room. His hand turned the bathroom knob and he entered the small room. He hissed at the cold marble floor hitting his bare feet before he turned on the shower, and stepped in. The steamy water dripped down from his hair and down his back. Alex rubbed his head trying to make sense of what he did the night before. Within several minutes of thinking, it all crashed on him. He got in his car drunk and caused someone to crash into a tree. He left the person there to die. He never called the police or an ambulance. He did absolutely nothing to help the badly injured person. He stared at them and drove off in panic Tears streamed down from his eyes.

"Alex! Are you almost done in there? I thought we were going to go get ice cream." David whined from the other side of the door.

"I'll be out in a minute, okay? Just go hang out with mom downstairs." Alex stuttered. David huffed loudly outside.

"Fine!" David said before his footsteps could be heard as he walked downstairs.

Alex moved out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. Another shock of pain rung through his head. He reached his hand into the mirrored medicine cabinet. A white bottle of aspirin stood in the corner. He swallowed a tablet quickly with water before he opened the bathroom door to be met with the silence of the hallway. His feet wobbled as he got dressed in his room. He slipped on a dark blue sweatshirt and denim jeans. Alex had a blurry memory of leaving his keys on the floor and picked them up from beside his bed. He walked across his carpeted floor and down the hallway before descending the stairs. He instantly smelled a strong scent of burnt toast and heard loud weeping.

"David? Mom?" Alex called out. He ran into the kitchen to see his mother weeping against the marble kitchen counter with David's arms around her. Her hand was laced with David's wavy ginger hair, and her pale tear stricken cheeks rested against David's shoulder. David's blue eyes looked sad and even released a few tears that ran down his freckled cheeks. Alex looked over at the toaster with burnt toast that released heavy smoke.

"What the hell is happening?" He asked before he dropped his keys on the counter, and ran over to the toaster. The harsh smell watered his eyes. He quickly took out the burnt toast with kitchen utensils and disposed of it in the trash. He then jogged over to the glass kitchen window to open it and clear out the strong smoky smell.

"Hello? Can someone please tell me what's happening here?" Alex asked hastily. His mother coughed and looked up at him weakly.

"My counselor, Gregory Potters. His wife just called to tell me he's dead. He was found lying in his own blood on Shire Road. He's dead! He's dead!" His mother sobbed.

"I wouldn't be here without him. He helped me so much with divorcing your father. He helped me become me again. I wouldn't be a real mother if I hadn't met him. He was like a supportive friend to me." She added. David hugged her waist in worry. The three of them stayed silent in their thoughts. Alex's thoughts much differed from the other too. He was not only mourning the loss of an honest man but he was now realizing he was the reason of the loss. Gregory Potters was the person he left there to die, right there in front of him. The feeling of guilt flooded his insides.

"Alex...can you just take your brother out for some ice cream? I want some alone time." His mother said quietly.

"Are you sure? I don't think you should be alone right now." Alex responded.

"I'm fine. Take your brother out, now." She ordered. Alex looked at her in surprise of her tone and walked over to the counter near her and grabbed his keys.

"Come on, David. Let's go." Alex said. David walked over to Alex and wrapped his hand around his. Alex smiled at the small gesture and pulled him out of the kitchen, and out the front door. They walked down the path and reached Alex's car. David made a small gasp noise.

"What happened to your car, Al?" David asked, pointing to the damaged front corner. Alex panicked and quickly got in the car.

"I hit a..deer, okay? I'd tell mom but she has too much to worry about right now." Alex said as an excuse. He shivered knowing who "deer" actually meant. David slowly got into the car and slumped in his seat.

"Poor deer." He mumbled in a pout. Alex began driving out of his neighborhood.

"Yeah. Poor deer. I really didn't mean to hit him. I didn't want him to die. I shouldn't of just left him there. I'm so stupid." Alex started crying, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

"Alex! It's okay. It was late at night. They just jump out in front of you. I love you. Don't cry, please!" David said with a frown.

"I love you too, Davie." Alex responded. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve decided to take a long route to the town.

"Why didn't we just take the shortcut, you know, on Shire road?" David asked. Images of a man begging for help in his own blood, resumed in Alex's thoughts.

"Sorry, I just didn't want to drive past where the accident was." Alex apologized.

"It's fine. I don't want to see it either. Do you think Mom will be okay?" David asked.

"I hope so, Davie. I really hope so." Alex sighed.

He turned another right corner before they entered the town. They drove past the busy grocery store, the pharmacy, the police department, the quiet bank, and the pet shop with puppies scrapping the windows. Next to the pet shop sat Sweet Creams Ice Cream Parlor.

"Yay! Ice cream!" David cheered. He opened the car door and excitedly jumped out while Alex slowly got out and trailed behind him. The pink painted building stood in front of them, with glass windows showing the small seating area inside.

"Let's go in!" David said before he opened the door, making a ring sound. He rushed over to the ice cream counter with a big grin. Alex clutched his stomach, feeling light headed and sick. He couldn't stop thinking and thinking.

"What would you like today, David?" The girl employee said. The store had known the two boys very well from how much they came in.

"Vanilla ice cream with extra-extra sprinkles, pretty please!" David smiled. Alex pulled out his wallet and gave the payment.

"Are you going to get anything, Al?" David asked.

"No. I don't feel good." Alex responded. He rubbed his forehead weakly. The two boys then sat at a table. David ate his ice cream quietly. Alex's eyes welled up with tears, thinking about the lie he was hiding from his little brother.

"What did you do last night?" David asked after the silence.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, worried that David saw right through him.

"With your friends?" David asked.

"Oh. We just went to Matt's house and hung out. "Alex lied.

He wanted to tell David all about how his first time drinking and his mistake led to a man's death. He wanted to ask David what the right choice to make was but David was obviously too young. David had only turned twelve the month before.

"I'm going to miss you when you go off to college." David said, finishing his ice cream.

"You'll be fine without me, right? You'll be okay?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, dummy. Stop worrying about me. I have Mom still!" David said as he stood up to leave with Alex. Alex imagined himself behind bars, away from David. They walked out and got into the car. The drive home was silent and even as they pulled into the driveway. An unknown car sat in the driveway.

"Who's here?" David asked as he opened the front door. Murmurs and cries were heard in the kitchen and the two boys walked closer to it. Sitting at the table was their mom and Gregory Potter's wife. She rubbed her stomach as she avoided eye contact.

"I'm sorry for coming by. I just needed someone to talk to. You and I both knew my husband has the most caring man. I feel so broken and empty. I don't know how I can live without him. How can I care for a baby all by myself? Gregory was supposed to be here with me." Catherine cried. Alex's mother wrapped Catherine in a hug. The two women didn't notice the boys.

"You can come to me anytime. I'm so sorry something this tragic happened. Your husband helped me out of dark times and now I will help you. I'll be there for you and the baby." Alex's mother said with a suddenly confident glow. Instead of looking broken and defeated like before, she was now calm and understanding. The two women looked at the two boys at the corner.

"Oh we didn't see you there. I should be heading out, Elizabeth. Thanks for everything." Catherine weakly smiled.

"I'm sorry for your loss." David frowned, running up to hug her. Catherine leaned down to hug the small boy back. She then got up and left like a gloomy cloud.

"Such a sad thing to happen. The police are not even sure if it was an accident or someone hit him on the road. I hope they find out soon. Catherine deserves to know." Alex's mother sighed.

Alex's heart began to sink and he suddenly realized he had to make a choice. Would he keep his dark secret forever to eat him with guilt or turn himself in, most likely affecting his life forever? His mom and David began moving around the kitchen, doing their own things, but Alex stood there in the middle of the room thinking. He remembered the tears staining Catherine's face. He remembered her rubbing her stomach, worrying about who would father her baby.

"Are you okay, honey?" His mom asked. Alex was brought out of his trance and stared at his mom.

"No. I'm not. I don't deserve to be okay. I can't believe I did it. I killed him! Why did I just leave him there? I could've done something and I didn't. I'm a monster. I'm so sorry." Alex cried. His mother stared at him with wide eyes. Her mouth hung open, not saying any words. Alex quickly grabbed his car keys and left his mother who couldn't muster out a reaction.

He ran out the door, quickly got in his car, and sped off. Alex didn't bother putting on his seatbelt. His forehead coated with sweat and his eyes darted to the road. Soon, he reached Shire Road. Alex stopped the car for a minute and looked around. He let out a quiet sigh before he gripped the steering wheel and slammed the gas pedal. His speed kept increasing and increasing till he met his fate. His car slammed into a large tree and sprung him out of the car. Alex's body hit the road with a large thud and his head slammed into the sharp pebbles on the pavement. His head bled out and he coughed up blood. He thought about his mother's smile when she learned he would get into the college of his dreams. He remembered the day David was born and he realized he would be the big brother, who David learned from. He almost smiled but then went back to how his mother looked at him with a face of horror as he told her what he had done. He felt disgusting, knowing he had disappointed his family and murdered a loved man. As his eyes fluttered close the only thing he heard was his cracked phone vibrating by a call from his mother. His heartbeat slowed and his eyes rolled back. He didn't have to feel crushed with guilt, he didn't have to feel anything.