If Today Was Your Last Day

"Where do you think we go when we die?" The question hung in the air for a moment as I glanced over at him, a confused expression crossing my face.
"Where did that come from?" He shrugged as he stared expectantly at me, waiting for an answer. My breath blew out in a long sigh as I pondered his question.
"Well," I answered slowly, "I suppose we either go to heaven or hell." He seemed dissatisfied with my vague answer.
"But Lily, how do we know which place we will go?" I leaned back, gazing at the blue sky as I considered that.
"I guess when we finally leave this world, our actions and choices that happened in our life will decide where we go." He was silent as he processed my answer. I took this time to study his face, taking note of the dark, bruise-like circles under his eyes.
"Zack, are you getting enough sleep?" He blinked, turning to face me with a blank expression.
"Why do you ask?" His tone was guarded and I felt my expression soften as I spoke in a gentle voice.
"You have dark circles under your eyes. The nightmares are back again, aren't they?" He hesitated for a moment before he finally nodded. I scooted closer, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him close. We sat there in the light of the setting sun, not speaking as I held him. I didn't know how many minutes had passed but he eventually stirred, pulling away and glancing up at me in the fading light.
"I should go." He murmured. I nodded and stood up with him. I turned to go but his voice stopped me.
"Hey Lily, lets just say I died tomorrow, would I go to heaven?" I looked at him, silhouetted against the sunset, face expressionless but beautiful all the same and couldn't help but nod.
"Of course you would."The last sight I had of him before I turned a corner was him standing there with a haunted look in his eyes that hadn't been there before, like he didnt believe me. I shrugged it off and went home.

-The next day-

I didnt see Zack the next morning at school and by the end of the day, I was worried that something was wrong with him. As soon as the bell rang, I was out the doors and racing for my car and driving to his house. As i pulled into the driveway, I noticed his parents car wasnt there. I hopped out and walked up to the front door, knocking. I waited for a moment and when no one answered the door, I tried the knob. It twisted under my hand and the door swung open. I stepped inside, calling Zack's name. When I didnt receive an answer, I trudged up the stairs, calling his name again. I walked down the hallway, heading for the last room on the right. I reached the door and opened it, entering. I glanced around but didnt see him. The bathroom light was on and I approached the door, pushing it open. The sight I was met with caused me to stumble back, a scream lodged in my throat. I felt sick and I doubled over, retching. I finally straightened and wiped my mouth. Tears rushed to my eyes and spilled over as I stared down at the prone figure laying on the floor and a sob escaped me. I edged into the room, eyes trying to look somewhere else but no matter how much I tried, I couldnt stop looking at him. He was lying in a puddle, the red of it contrasting violently against the white of the bathroom. I noticed something laying on the counter and I picked it up, my eyes staring down at the black lettering. I scanned the letter and slowly lowered it as the words sank into my brain. The reality of the situation finally hit me and I collasped to the ground beside my friend whose eyes would never open again as I started sobbing in earnest. The letter fluttered down beside me, the sorrowful words being revealed for all to see:

'I'm sick of it. Sick of hiding mt pain behind false smiles and hollow words. Sick of constantly saying "I'm fine" when all I want is for someone to hug me and say: "I know you're not." Sick of being bullied everyday just because I like to dress in black. I'm sick of my parents looking at me like a failure becuase I didnt gorw up the way they wanted. Lily, I'm so very sorry about this. It has nothing to do with you. You were the best friend I could ever have had. But I just cant take it anymore. You said that I would go to heaven. I'm not so sure but I guess I will find out, huh? But now I have one ore question for you: What would you do if today was your last day?
-Zack'