White Space Season 1

she knew that he’d seen her weaknesses, it might make her feel even worse.
    So he stayed on the couch, holding Katie.
    She pulled away, wiping her eyes, and asked for more tissues. Alex grabbed the box his mom had been using, handed it to Katie, and she blew her nose. She met his eyes and asked, “Does the number ‘eleven’ mean anything to you? Do you know why he wrote that?”
    Alex racked his brain, trying to think of any significance the number held for his dad, or maybe their family. Other than the fact that his dad’s birthday was in November, the eleventh month, Alex couldn’t think of anything that stood out, much less rose to the importance of being the last thing he communicated to the world before opening fire on his students.
    “I have no idea,” Alex said. “They didn’t mention that on the news. It’s weird.”
    “I know. Usually he’d write something on the board before class and then he’d talk about the subject. Sometimes, he’d even do it creatively, starting with a word or phrase that didn’t seem to have anything to do with the story he was going to tell, and then in the end, he’d come back to it, and you’d be sitting there thinking what a genius he was.”
    “Yeah, he was.”Hu
    Aubrey giggled at something apparently only she could see, momentarily distracting Alex and Katie. In that moment, conversation stalled and an awkward silence sank between them. Alex had no idea what to say.
    Finally, he cleared his throat and managed, “So does your mom hate me?”
    “No, not at all.” Katie shook her head. “She told me to give you her love. She feels horrible about what happened.”
    “What about you?”
    “I could never hate you,” she said, her eyes locking onto his. “I just … I just feel awful, like I want to somehow take all this away, make it not happen. It’s so tragic… for everyone.”
    “Yeah,” Alex said, watching his sister play, and wondering what his mother was doing upstairs. Was she crying? Was she just freshening up? He wanted to get up to find out, but didn’t want to move from Katie.
    “Milo hates me,” Alex said. “He had a huge crush on Jessica. We were planning a surprise party for her at Milo’s house for her birthday, and he was gonna tell her then.”
    “Oh God,” Katie said, fresh tears flooding her eyes. “He must be devastated. Have you talked to him … you know, since?”
    “I called. I even went to his house; that’s where I just was. But he’s avoiding me.”
    “You want me to talk to him?”
    Alex hadn’t even considered that, but the idea of sending his girlfriend to smooth things over didn’t seem too great an idea.
    “I dunno. You just might remind him of Jessica.”
    “Yeah, maybe.”
    “Did you go to any of the funeral services?” Alex asked.
    “I didn’t go to the big one. I went to the private ones for Jessica and Miss Hughes. I can’t believe that Miss Hughes got shot, too. She had the most adorable little girl. I feel so awful.”
    They’d both had Miss Hughes for English the year before, and she was one of Alex’s favorite teachers of all time. Not only was she beautiful, she was the nicest teacher he’d ever had. She truly cared about her students. Alex had only met her daughter once, on Take Your Child To Work Day, but he remembered how sweet she was, and how much she looked like her mom.
    “What’s gonna happen to her daughter?” Alex asked.
    “I dunno. I saw the girl with Miss Hughes’ twin sister at the funeral. Maybe she’s gonna take care of them. I also saw Jon Conway with them.”
    “Really? How does he know them?”
    “Everyone knows everyone on the island, I figure,” Katie said. “I think they’re the same age, so they probably grew up together. What’s going on with, um … your dad’s funeral?”
    “I dunno,” Alex said. “Mom’s not saying much. I think she’s still waiting for the medical examiner’s office to release his body.”
    “They still haven’t released it? How long do these things take?”
    “I dunno, but I know she’s upset about it. But I figure the longer it takes, the better. God only knows what kind of media circus there will be when we bury him. If we bury him. Hell, mom might not even want to; who knows? I think people might lose it if we bury dad in the island’s only cemetery, where his victims are buried.”
    “Oh yeah,” Katie said, sighing. “They’re gonna be all over it, along with the media, and harassing you all.”
    Alex’s mom