Summer's Never Looked The Same

-----Ava's POV-----

When Bam starts speaking into the phone, my heart leaps. I don't run away this time, no matter how much it's killing me.

"Yeah, I found her... We're at the house... Okay, bye." He hangs up and takes a seat next to me on the step.

"I don't want to do this." He admits. I whip my head around to him.

"Well, we're doing it. I don't need to lose my other best friend."

"Same."

A car screeches from down the street, and in unison, Bam and I say, "There he is." We can't help but laugh at this, but we immediately go back to being serious when we hear footsteps running up the porch steps. Rushing behind my dad is the Jackass crew. Even though I hadn't been there, I feel like this was in resemblance to Steve-O's intervention, at least from what O told me.

My dad runs over to me and I stand up from the stairs. He gives me a crushing bear hug, as if he hasn't seen me for thirty years. He sets me down and keeps me at arms length.

"Are you okay?" He questions, staring at me with a concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I answer.

Bam waves the guys into the living room. I take a seat next to him on the couch as the guys take their own seats on the chairs and floor of the room. Bam looks at me, as if asking if I want to explain first.

I want to get straight to the point. "We need help." Everyone looks thrown off, even Bam. It probably just hit him that we're going into treatment.

"I'm cutting myself." I confess, looking at Bam so he can confess his own addictions.

"And I'm doing drugs." He says after inhaling deeply.

"I'm sorry I ran away. It was stupid of me to do." I apologize, looking my dad straight in the eyes.

He nods and whispers, "It's okay, honey."

"Any thoughts you'd like to share?" I question as if this was nothing. Dad's expression doesn't change. I can read him easily. The shock, hurt, and worry makes my heart sink.

"I'm really disappointed about what has happened since Ryan died. Between you, me, and everyone else." He replies truthfully, as if no one is in the room with us. "And what you've been doing."

"I wish none of this had ever happened." I tell him.

"When do we go?" Bam asks after a little moment of silence.

"Tomorrow."

I look at Bam to see if he's okay with going that soon. He nods his head, then I look at my dad.

"Tomorrow then."

By 11:30pm, I can't fall asleep. I toss, turn, switch ends of the bed. I even tried to sleep on the floor. But I still couldn't get some shut eye. I swing my legs over the mattress and leave my room, gliding down the hallway until I reach the end of it where my dad's room is. I knock and walk in when I hear him say, "Yeah?"

When I walk in, he is removing the covers of his side of the bed, ready to climb under them. He sees me and instead takes a seat on the edge.

"I need to ask you something." I explain, cutting to the chase. "What did you ask Ryan? After he died?"

He shoots me a confused look, surprise hitting him instantly. "What?"

"Um... You looked really deep in thought. At the funeral. Like you always do whenever you form a question in your head." I lie. I'm really not sure if that's true. "What did you ask him?"

He stares down at his feet, but quietly responds, "Do you remember what he said before he died? What one of his quotes was?"

I think about it for a minute, quickly remembering what Ryan had said before he died.

"Seriously, if you find out that I died tomorrow, I’m fine. Do not be sad for me, ’cause I’m not sad. I died with a smile on my face." When I go through the quote in my head, I feel the wind being knocked out of me by an invisible sledgehammer. I quote the sentence to Dad and he nods.

"I asked him if that was true."

I smile a little bit, remembering the answer Ryan told me to tell him.

"Why?" He asks, finally looking over at me.

I inhale and choke out, "Because... he said yes." As my dad looks at me like I've finally lost it, I turn and walk out to return to my room.