At his friend's mansion one evening Dick is walking through the corridor in search of his friend. When passing the study he finds him standing at the window. He had blond semi-wavy hair that was pushed back like his, when he's Robin. He wears a red sweater vest and gray long sleeve with kakis. He has a glass in his hand it was scotch whiskey.
"Evan." Richard calls out.
The boy turns and sees his best friend standing there.
"We need to talk." He says.
Evan sighs lowers his head turns and begins to walk away.
"Sit down Evan, it's just a talk." He says.
Evan lifts his head and smiles at his childhood friend. Richard smiles back but he can see right through him. Evan begins walking towards him; Richard briefly notices a window to his right. As his friend walks towards him he walks to the left of him and walks on by.
"I'll be fine Richard." He says.
Rich lowers his head and sighs.
"Why do I try reaching out to him, I know he's a lost cause." He thought.
Evan walks into the hallway and turns right heading up the corridor with the stiff drink still in his hand.
Rich turns and watches his friend walk away from him. He groans in disappointment.
"Evan…what happened to the good old days, when we was friends?" he said quietly.
He thinks back to when they were younger children playing on the seesaw another instant there standing under a tree playing with bugs. And yet another memory of them playing tag. Richard closed his eyes and groans sadly. His eyes dimmed with pain. They had known each other since they were 7. As Evan stood on the other side of the corridor looking out a large window He too reflects on the time when they were friends. He softly spun the ember colored drink in glass, the ice clinking as the drink turned.
"Hmm?" he looked out the corner of his eye and could hear Rich's footsteps.
"I was hoping we could try this again." Richard says.
"You never did give up on a friend." Evan said.
"You've been sober for over 2 years, why start now?" Richard asked.
Evan bows his head.
"Can't a guy just appreciate the taste of alcohol?" he asked his friend.
"Not after what you've been through. 2 years in therapy and you decide to start drinking now?" Rich asks.
"Guess, Dr. Tole wasn't much of a therapist." Evan answers.
"Evan that's bullshit and you know it. He worked hard to get you to stop drinking. With you, that wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do." He spoke strong yet calmly.
Evan stood inches away from him.
"Well then I guess that was just one big waste of time!" he growled.
Richard stood there just as Evan was about to take another sip his friend pleads.
"Let me help you." He said.
Evan hesitated from taking the sip.
"I helped you before with this, let me do it again." He pleaded.
Evan looked at Richard. He lowered the glass down to his side.
"Why have you been doing this?" Richard asks.
"Its like I said, I miss the taste of alcohol." He lied.
"I don't believe you." Richard says.
His buddy sighs.
"You remember when all those relatives of mine died a couple years ago?" he asked.
"How could I forgot, that was a rough time for you." Rich answered.
"Six relatives died in 5 years. My grandparents, an aunt and my father. It's enough to make anyone want to drink." He said.
Richard sighs.
"After Dad died, that's when it hurt the most. I and my old man were close then when mom started dating…. I needed something to dull the pain." Evan admitted.
"I remember those days. You were so badly intoxicated that it almost killed you." He said solemnly.
Evan nods his head.
"I wish we could go back in time…before any of this happened." Evan says.
Richard had a pained expression on his face.
"Believe me, I wish the same." He admits.
Evan sighed; he raised the glass back towards his face and looked into it. He studied the contents of the glass.
"Now all I want to do, is drink all the pain away." he said mournfully and shot his head straight back as he swallowed the scotch.
A stunned Richard Grayson stood there. As Evan brought his head forward he deliberately dropped the glass and allowed it to smash on the burgundy and golden rug.
A couple hours later we find Richard in his home, he sits on a chair backwards thinking. The digital clock on the nightstand reads 4:30 am. He sighs and bows his bows his head.
"I tried to reach him…. but he didn't want my help." he said.
Richard thinks back to what his friend said, about losing his father and how he wants to drink the pain away. Richard looks over at the nightstand and picks up his cell he begins dialing the number and holds it up to his ear. It rings. At the mansion Evan's cell phone lies on the table buzzing. We journey down the hallway as the phone continued buzzing. Through the dark empty hallways a lone suit of armor with a battle-ax guards the dark passageway. As Rich sits there waiting for his friend to pick up We find him; he's lying facedown at an angle by his bed. His left arm held firmly onto the covers that hung off the side of the bed. On the nightstand we see a three glasses with varying amounts of
Alcohol and an assortment of bottles ranging from the red wine to hard whiskey as a glass of spilled scotch lies little whiles away from the back of his head. Richard sits there the phone still ringing.
"Come on Evan pick up." But little does he know that Evan has passed.
We take you to a few days later when its Evan's funeral.
"I couldn't save him. Now how much I tried I still couldn't save him. I'm sorry I failed you." He thought.
He looks down at the casket that's by his side.
"Had I know what to say to you, had I know what I could have done to save you? You would be here."
"Richard." A voice from behind broke his train of thought.
"Its time." his friend said.
Richard sighed deeply.
"All right."
The six young men lifted the coffin from the back of Hurst. Hoisted it on their shoulders and made their way to the tomb where the mourners await.
How to save a Life
Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I know how to save a life
Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend?
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life?
As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lost the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend?
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I know how to save a life
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend?
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I know how to save a life
Where, where did I go wrong, I lost a friend?
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life?
How to save a life.