The Night

By T.L. Manning

When Jillian is volunteered to take her older brother, and his friends out for his twenty first birthday she has no idea how one night will change her life,

She meets Gabriel, quiet new kid at school with something in common with her. They both feel they have killed someone they love.

As Gabriel and Jillian become closer, her older brothers friend Brent realizes that his feelngs for her are too much to ignore. 

The boys begin to fight for her, causing one chain of events they can't even imagine.

In the end Jillian must decide if fantasy is better than reality. Sometimes a dream can be more than a dream.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: T.L. Manning
• Release date: Dec 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781497790957

Book preview

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my parents,

(All four of them)

Who raised a reader and a dreamer <3

I love you forever.

This Moment

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Make sure you wear that little black skirt; it makes you look older.  I opened my eyes from where I lay in my bed and nodded. My brother Zachary had big plans for his twenty-first birthday; I was the one lucky enough to be his driver for this occasion. A boy’s first night at a bar wouldn’t normally turn into a family event, but in my house it was.  My mother was getting an outfit ready for me, and I could hear my step-dad rambling from his bathroom on how Zach could get free drinks tonight.

Zach, I’m sleeping; leave me alone.  I rolled over and threw the covers over my head.

Wake up and get ready.  Lifting the covers, I could see the clock: seven-fifteen.

Are you kidding me? We aren’t leaving until eight tonight; I need to sleep. I yanked the covers back over my head and immediately felt the bed start moving and bouncing beneath me.

Get up! Get up!  Jumping on my bed, Zach was determined I was going to miss the rest of my beauty sleep.

Make me a coffee and I will get up.  Deal? He jumped off the bed and I could hear him skipping every second step down to the kitchen.

Mom, can I change my mind?  I was sarcastic of course; I knew how excited he was.

Jillian, I want to talk to you about tonight and your brother asking you to come. It’s not just to drive him home you know. I shuffled out of bed and gasped at the outfit my mother had laid out for me.

"I am not wearing that Mom."  She laughed and shook her head knowingly at me.

You really are a prude sometimes honey. It’s a special night; it will be ok, I promise.  Walking to my desk, I put my slippers on.

Love you too, Mom.  We both laughed. I just knew I would end up wearing the outfit she picked out for me; my plan was to just give her a hard time for a while.

Well, there are my two beautiful women.  My step-dad, always the charmer, peeked into my room. Mom held up the piece of leather she thought was a skirt to show him.  He smiled and gave us two thumbs up.

Maybe you can wear that for me next weekend honey.  He winked at Mom and I made a gagging noise. 



My mother re-married when I was seven; my step-dad had made my mom smile more times since the day they met then I had ever remembered seeing.  They were still like a couple of teenagers on their first date; it was sweet but I wasn’t about to let them know that.  When my mom got married, I got more than a dad in the deal; I got my best friend, my step-brother.  A few years older than me, Zach decided that his job was to be an anal, overprotective ass in his own sweet way. I still remember the first time he did it; I was in the third grade wanting to try out for the baseball team.  Only boys played baseball so they made fun of me at the try-outs.  Zach heard them picking on me and ran after them with a baseball.  Slow down boys; baseballs taste really good.  You’ll see.  It was in that moment that I knew I loved my brother.  I know that people love their sibling, that’s nothing new.  The beautiful thing was that we weren’t required to love each other; we chose to.  The two of us have been inseparable for a little over ten years.  We ask one another for advice before we do anything; we fight over everything, too.  We lay awake at night talking until daybreak; he is the only person in the world I couldn’t get tired of.

What’s with the slutty outfit you’re making me wear, anyway? He handed me a hot cup of coffee but didn’t respond. Oh, what’s the matter?  Don’t want people to know you’re hanging out with your little sis, I let out a giggle and poked him in the ribs

Not at all; I just agree with dad that it might be safer for you to dress the part.  Looking up over my coffee cup I just shook my head and spoke under my breath.

Tonight, the part of street walker will be played by Jill.  Apparently not quietly enough.

I will not let you walk out looking like a street walker Jelly, He said using his favorite nickname for me. Brent would like it, though.  Oh god, a drunken Brent tonight, too.  This just kept getting better by the second.

Can I opt out now?  Zach leaned closer to me as I spoke.

"Brent will behave, but you know you have my blessing if you want to, you know." He said with a wink; I rolled my eyes at him.

Best friend of yours or not, the fact that he has broken up with me a dozen times when I have asked him to wait, tells me one thing: There is no way am I sleeping with that man whore.  Zach laughed at my naivety.

Jelly, if you only knew how wrong you are about Brent.  Not the breaking up part; I punched him a few times for that.  Putting down my cup, I couldn’t help but wonder what he meant.

What else is there then?  Zach refused to answer me getting up from the table shaking his head.

No, no.  There is a bro code and this conversation is over.  Drink your coffee and we can get ready for the family party.

People didn’t understand how we could be brother and sister and be so close.  On more than one occasion he acted like my big brother, scaring off guys who wanted to take me out.  He always had good reasons for it though, even if I thought they were stupid.  I remember when he was a freshman in high school, he was about to be beaten up by a group of older boys when he broke into this funny routine about big red trucks.  He ran up and down the halls with his pants to his throat, waving his hands in the air like a crazy person.  He didn’t get beat up; the boys were so busy laughing at him they let him go.  That’s my brother.  I looked up and watched him fidgeting in front of me; I had never seen him so excited before.

Just make sure you are ready at seven; the family party should be over by then and we’re outta here.  He walked into the living room, jumping over the recliner and landed on mom.

You know, boy, just because you’re a man now doesn’t mean you can push your mother around and steal her pop tarts.  She gave him a kiss and went back to smoking her Camel.  My mother and Zach had been through more than a soap opera, and there past struggles made them love one another more now than if she were his mother. They had made the choice to love one another and I had great respect for that love. 

Anyone know what the date is?  My step-father, the smart-ass, called into the living room.  Zach went running with a mouthful of the stolen pop tart, yelling to his father.

July thirty-first Dad, and it’s a very special day at that.  Crumbs were falling to the floor with every word he spoke.

"And why is that a special day again? Old age is a bitch; I can’t seem to remember."  He entered the living room and sat in his recliner giving a flat stare at my now shocked brother.

It’s my birthday; remember, Dad?  D-day?  D-day was what Zach had been calling this birthday since he was seventeen: his very first legal Drunk day.  We all spent the day teasing him; my mother went as far as chasing him around with a paddle, yelling, Twenty-One licks, boy and you’ve had them coming, too.  We have always been a pretty happy family; at least, that’s what all my friends say.  They would always come over and never want to leave.  We may have come from broken homes, but the pieces have surely fit back together pretty well. But truthfully, the first eight or nine years were a bitch.  Zach and Mom hated one another and my step-father and I had our share of ups and downs.  Zach once told my mother in a fight that if he could get away with it, he’d blow her head off; you know normal kid stuff.  Over the years, we had all grown to love and have great respect for one another. My step-father had been a fisherman since before I met him, my mother was a housewife, and Zach had been a stern man and digging clams since he was fourteen. The family business had been passed down to him, not me, luckily. We’d learned the hard way that I was no good at digging clams.



Three o’clock seemed to take forever to arrive. Mom and I cleaned the house and Zach stared at the clock until noon, when Brent and Andy showed up.  The three stooges retired to the garage at that point and things seemed to go a bit smoother after that.  The first guest to arrive, two hours early, was my step-dad’s mom, Nana Jo.  Walking through the door with an agenda, she started right in on my mom about going along with Zach’s plans and how horrible it was for her, to have a son to have married someone like Mom.  I felt so bad for my mom.  Nana Jo was never nice to my mom; she was never nice to me for that matter. My freshman year, I got high honor’s and she told me that housewives don’t need books or words, so I should stop trying to one up everyone else.  She shuts up whenever my step-dad is near, putting on an act for him and my brother. 

I certainly hope you are not going along with this outing.  My step-dad didn’t even get a hello out before she jumped on him.

Mom, the boy is twenty-one years old; he’s responsible and has a designated driver, so yes, I am going along with it completely.  Nana Jo sat down on the couch and put her purse on her lap.

How do you know this driver won’t drink and kill our boy?  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  Then I saw him get fired up and knew he was about to say the wrong thing to that old bat.

I know because Jill is his driver, Mom. They will be fine. Oh no, wrong thing to say; she turned to look at me. She pointed her fat stubby finger at me and laughed.

"You must be kidding. You’re going to trust her?"  My mom stood up and the yelling started.  I couldn’t tell who was yelling loudest.  The voices all seemed to melt together and I was stuck in the middle, both literally and figuratively.  I heard a door slam and saw Zach come running.

Holy Hell! What is going on here?  The three adults quieted and turned towards him.

Really, Dad, today of all days you have to notice that Nan is horrible to them?  Nana Jo scowled at him but before she could squawk again, Zach kept talking "Today is my birthday; I am going out tonight whether you approve of it or not. He glared at Nana Jo. I am doing it safely. I could be like most of my friends and just head out myself and hope for the best.  I am not a baby and neither is Jelly, so let it go, Nan, or leave my party." He turned around and walked back toward the garage.  No one spoke again until the rest of the party guests arrived

Calm before...

––––––––

The whole family came to the party, Aunts and Uncles we only see at special holidays and birthdays.  Always telling us how big were getting, especially Aunt Rose who always makes a point to ask me if I stuff my bras.  Everyone gave Zach there presents, my Uncle Jimmy even gave him a membership to the local liquor store as a joke that Nan didn’t get.  My present to Zach was a short poem about supermen, and love. I gave it to him and he handed it back to me.

Read it to me Jelly belly.  I thought he was teasing me.  I handed it back to him but he shook his head.

Jelly, read it to me.  I looked around the room and began Reading it out loud, it was harder than I had thought.  My mother cried as I read, but Zach just sat there and looked at me, never blinking.

In the entire world I’ll never find, a superman as true as mine.  His cape, a hat all dirty and torn.  Faster than speeding bullets, but only when it’s hunting season.  Able to leap big red trucks in a single bound, a friend like no other my real life superman.  After I read it, I saw my mother walk out of the room sobbing as always but I also saw something in my brother I had never seen.  That day when he told me he loved me it meant more than any other time in my life. Zach pulled out the Rum Raisin ice cream and Nan rolled her eyes.  No surprise she left early without a goodbye to anyone, the rest of the day was spent laughing and talking with family and friends, as the party began to die down I started to feel tension and anxiety in the air.  I looked around and could see Zach tapping his foot, staring at the floor.

Don’t worry bro, soon I promise.  We couldn’t be rude and leave before the other guests left.  Brent and Andy were being good sports about it, the two were running through the house with a game of laser tag, they were like two extra’s that had become my family.  Most days it was hard to see where my brother ended and where they began.  Since pre-school they were brothers, doing everything including trouble together for over fifteen years.  People started filtering out the door and Zach couldn’t say thank you and goodbye fast enough.  As we said goodnight to the last guest Zach reached for his coat.

Are we ready yet; the bars are only open until 2:00 remember.  I knew he had forgotten one very little detail and wasn’t going to be very happy about it.

Don’t I need to change Zach?  He looked at me and slumped back into his chair.

Can you do it in five minutes? I looked at mom and the two of us ran up the stairs.  I started feeling a little nervous and exited as mom threw a garter belt at me.

I am NOT wearing that mom. She laughed and kept pulling makeup out of her bag.

How the hell do I even put this on?  Holding it up I tried to put it over my head.  Mom shook her head and walked over to help me.

I will not have many times in my life young lady when I can send you out knowing that you are perfectly safe so let me enjoy this too.  I rolled my eyes as she clipped my black thigh highs to the garter belt.  The leather skirt came above the top of the stockings and my shirt made my already large breasts scream let me out!  When we were done my mom looked very pleased.  I didn’t like makeup much, or anything too feminine so this was not a common sight. 



Walking down the stairs I thought I would trip over my own feet which now adorned a pair of black mid-calf leather boots.  The living room was silent when I walked in.  I tried to ignore the stares, and grabbed my coat.

Are we ready boys?  The guys followed my lead and went for their coats.  Zach wasn’t being very patient as mom expressed to me many times to call if I needed anything.  It was to be my first time driving in the city and with three drunken men to come home with for the hour and a half trip I knew my phone would be ringing constantly with the same number.  HOME.

Goodbye mom.  I yelled out the window as we drove off.  Not two minutes after leaving the driveway and my brother had his head out the window screaming through town.  Brent and Andy were standing out the moon roof acting like animals.  One good thing about living in a small town, this kind of thing happens quite often by the sober and bored and barely gets noticed by the police.  The three of them spent most of the trip talking about who could get more phone numbers.  Zach pulled a few notebooks out of his pocket and handed them out with little pencils.

This is how we are going to settle this.  All phone numbers go in these notebooks and don’t cheat I know your handwriting.  I started laughing, thinking about how fun it will be to get a couple guys to give them numbers when they are too drunk to notice.  Zach seemed to think I was laughing about something else.

Jillian, who do you think is the best looking guy in this car?  I laughed and shook my head as I drove.

No, really who do you bet will get the most numbers?  I ignored him and turned up the radio; he turned it back down and looked at me.

I’m staying out of it guys. I turned the radio back up and pulled off the exit into Portland at around eight thirty.  As we made our way out of the parking garage I thought we had just stepped onto a street fair.  The streets of the Old Port were light up like a Vegas strip.  So many things to look at, after dark was certainly not like I had ever seen it before. Street musicians on each corner playing all types of music with every different instrument, including one guy with plastic bins as drums. It was very exciting.  Brent grabbed my hand and I tried to let go of his grip.

You can think what you want Jillian, but I am not letting anything happen to you tonight and if that means you have to be seen with my goofy ass all night and I don’t get any phone numbers that’s fine with me.  I squeezed his hand and we kept walking.

Where are we going first boys? I asked almost skipping on the sidewalk.  Brent lead us to a bar called the half moon, it was smoky and loud standing outside.  I was starting to get nervous about what I was walking into, Brent squeezed my hand tighter and I relaxed.  As we got to the front of the line the bouncer started to give us a hard time because I was under age, but Zach told the guy that it was his birthday and I was the only one who would stay sober to drive home.  He laughed at us and stamped my hand with the most humiliating word.



BABY Zach and the others thought it was pretty funny.  As we walked inside something caught my eye, it was my hand glowing with the word BABY.  Brent took his hand and wrapped it around the top of mine to cover it up till we could sit down.  We approached the bar and Zach told the bartender that it was his birthday and she gave them all a free round of drinks.  We found a table and I started feeling better now that I could sit.  The guys started whispering and pointing beside me, I turned to look and there was an older man sitting on the other side of me staring at my breasts.  He didn’t even notice when I looked at him.

Can I help you with something?  He smiled and I noticed he was missing a few of his front teeth.

Is your name baby, or is it a nickname.  I leaned close to Brent who put his arm around me.

She’s our baby, you leave her alone.  Zach made me switch places with Andy after that, Brent wasn’t disappointed.

No one puts baby in the corner.  They all started laughing until I reminded them that this bus leaves when I say it does, and then we all laughed.

So can I get a kiss tonight baby?  I hit Brent and we grabbed my hand again. 

Come on Jillian, give me another chance please.  I leaned over and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

Why would I go out with you again, so you can try to sleep with me; I say no and you dump me.  Thanks anyway.  Zach and Andy pointed at Brent and started laughing.

BURN! between laughter they kept it going.

Really, you just got burned bad bro!  Zach ordered them another round of drinks and three shots of Jack Daniels.

Hello to new beginning and so long to endings.  They all toasted and I raised my Pepsi.  The rest of the bars we went to were much like the first, they were all loud and smoky, Zach and Andy running around getting girl’s phone numbers, and Brent sitting with me scaring off creepy guys who kept looking at my breasts.  One guy even went up to Andy and gave him two thumbs up.  I couldn’t wait to go home two O’clock couldn’t come fast enough for me.  As the hours went on a few things were quickly changing, that was my brother’s balance and ability to keep his mouth shut.  Walking into the last bar of the night, my poor feet screamed for sneakers and it was apparent that Zach wasn’t the only one in Portland who had way too many.  We got stools next to a pool table and I saw what looked like a sketchy ladies room, but my feet were not the only things screaming so I decided to take my chances.  The line wasn’t too long and I stood with my hand over my new glowing tattoo so not to draw any drunken attention to it. 



Get out of my way bitch! A hand gripped my shoulder from behind and threw me against the wall.  My head hit but not too hard and I caught my balance, two ladies ahead of me helped me and saw my tattoo.  One started yelling at the woman, who was visibly too drunk to stand on her own.

What’s your problem?  The drunken woman threw her hand up and gave her the finger.

Bitch you better stand up and apologize to this girl.  The woman didn’t move.  I could see that she was almost passed out.

It’s ok thank you ladies; she didn’t mean too I think she is just too drunk.  I leaned down to see if I could help.  She seemed to be in her late forties, and in desperate need of some bleach.  Platinum blonde looks better without three inches of black roots showing.

Do you need help?  The woman looked at me and I could see she had been beaten up, I felt so bad for her.  She just looked back down at the floor and shook her head.

Bitch get off the floor before I make you!  A large man came up behind us and started kicking the woman.  She got up; I didn’t know what to do to help her but got her on her feet.

Go sleep in the car you lightweight bitch! the woman looked in my eyes and she seemed so sad but staggered off to the door.  I couldn’t believe what I had seen; maybe I should have offered her a ride home at least so she wouldn’t have to sleep in her car.  Looking around the bar I noticed many more women in the same state, guess this is to be expected.  I decided it might be time to head out, and then I heard the bell for last call.

Every Breath

––––––––

Andy would you help me hold him up, I can’t do this on my own you know.  My patience with the three stooges had worn thin by the end of the night, and we still wouldn’t be home until almost four.  I had been hit on by every guy with a beer in his hand over the age of forty in the city of Portland, had three drinks spilled on my outfit courtesy of Zach and Andy trying to dance with me, and now I can’t get them to the parking garage because they keep stopping to yell about how they want chicks and edible underwear. Zach stops yelling long enough to thank me and then apologize for throwing up on my shoe as we left the last bar.

Jillian, have I told you today I love you?  Zach, the drunken equivalent to a woman on her period, seemed to go from one emotion to another every second, and all the while staggering around the street almost getting us run over.

Yeah Hun you have, a couple of times.  I had three grown men hanging off me and the worst part was that only two of them were drunk.  Brent had not let me out of his sight all night, and the drunk Zach became the louder he got at pointing it out to me, and everyone else in the bars.  One guy came up behind me and told me to give Brent a chance, that he was a nice guy.  None of us had ever seen him before and laughed as he stumbled off. 

The sidewalk was a one way drunken parade, and as it turned out we seemed to be going in the wrong direction as we attempted to find the Durango.  I almost yelled out when I saw the sign for the garage, corralling the three boys together in the mess of drunken people in the parking garage was no easy task, Brent took Andy and I had Zach as we started up the levels. The drunk ‘hooting’ and ‘whistling’ echo that surrounded us was enough to give you a migraine by itself but then my drunken buddies decided to start yelling as well.  They started chanting ‘phone numbers’ over and over again and yelling out there numbers in case pretty girls were listening.

You know that’s not going to be so funny when you sober up and some guy calls you for a date.  They started laughing and then Zach put his hand up to my mouth and told me that it was time to be serious, only when he said it there was a lot of spit and less clarity.  We started to pass a group of people as we headed up garage floors and they all seemed to be staggering and holding each other up.  Not one of them looked sober enough to drive and I started getting really nervous about the trip we had to get home.

Hope you all have designated drivers.  Zach was voicing his concern to every person we passed in there group, it was sweet in a really annoying sort of way. Getting him into the car wasn’t sweet at all, he kept trying to get in and then we would see him running behind it to go to the bathroom, he never did piss though since he’d forget he even had to go when he got back there so he’d ask us why he was leaning against the wall, all we could do was laugh. We must have spent thirty minutes outside the car between Brent and me taking turns holding heads so the boys could puke, and poor Brent even had to hold something else so Zach could finally pee before getting into the car. I promised him to take it to my grave of course, but as I started the car I had to sit and laugh while I took in the night, maybe the best night of my life so far.  I was glad that I came, but as we finally pulled out of the garage I made the rules clear to all three of them, we had Zach in the front with me and Andy with Brent so that we could each keep an eye on them.



Look guys, it’s late and there are a lot of drunks on the road, so no distracting the in-experienced driver.  Got it?  They all laughed and Zach turned up the radio.  Brent started singing.

Big ol’ jet got a light on, don’t carry me too Norway.  Zach and Andy started laughing at him; I was too busy driving to poke fun, but rolled my eyes at the fact that he had two beers and still couldn’t get the words right.

It’s Big old jet airliner, don’t carry me too far away, you idiot.  Andy laughed pretty hard that he knew the words and the placed his head between his knees, I thought for sure he would pass out, instead he sat up with my pom poms and the next thing I know Andy and Zach start doing cheers in the car.

Rah rah rhea, lucky for me.  Rah rah rhoo, that your drunk too. Brent and I couldn’t stop laughing as they waved my pom poms around.

Zach, hey Zach listen to me for a second I have a serious question for you.  Do you ever wish that your father hadn’t married my mom?  He wobbled in his seat, glancing at me as he blinked.

I used to, yeah but not anymore. Why are you being such a bummer?  I left it at that, I didn’t want him to lose this happy drunk smile.

Come on you two, no mushy girlie talk tonight, unless Jelly wants to confess her love for Brent of course.  Of course Andy had to add that little kick in my back as he put his head between his legs again. I laughed and shook my head, not responding I kept my eyes on the road.  It was very dark out and I could see the moon above us, it had turned out to be a great night and even the drunken singing wasn’t so bad once you joined in the chorus.



I was suddenly distracted; something had caught my eye from the rear view.  There were bright lights coming up very quickly behind me, no worry I thought.  They can go around me.  I turned my attention back to the road in front of me, and continued singing with the tone deaf boys. It had only been a few seconds before I heard a noise that jumped me.  It was the horn from the same car that startled me; the ass was right behind me and wouldn’t pass.  I looked to Zach who had his head leaning on the door. He didn’t seem to notice the horn at all; I nudged him in the side to get his attention.

Zach what should I do?  He of course wasn’t much help, as he picked his head up to look in the side mirror, his eyes quickly closed and his head was down again.  I spoke out to the only other sober person in the car.

Brent? Do you see that?  I clutched the wheel and looked quickly at the speed to make sure I wasn’t going to slow.

Just speed up a bit, and relax Jelly Belly this isn’t a big deal, ok? Scared of being pulled over I was hesitant.

What if it’s a cop though?  Brent looked back again and then told me to floor it and not to worry about it, I nodded and pushed my foot down, we were doing about 70 now and the car was still beeping at me, but wouldn’t pass.  Zach sat up in his seat and turned to look out the rear.

What is the problem? Brent started telling him about how the car wouldn’t pass and kept honking and Zach started yelling at the car through the closed windows, poor drunk bastard didn’t realize it wasn’t helping at all.  Brent leaned forward and started coaching me.

Jelly listen, just pull over to the breakdown lane a bit and they’ll pass you.  I did as he told me too and started to slow down.

This is ok honey, I know your scared but you’re a great driver, just put your blinker on and take your foot off the gas as you merge and everything will be fine.  Brent put his hand on my shoulder, and Andy had stopped clowning around behind us. I yanked on my seatbelt to make sure it was tight around me.  The only sounds were from the radio Since Zach had fallen back to sleep just as I pulled close to the shoulder.

Listen closely to what I say... and if you do, it will help you on a sunny day.

I pulled over a bit more.

Find a girl and you’ll find love, and don’t forget boy there is someone up above. 

The car wouldn’t pass. 

I pulled over a bit more.

Be a simple sort of man, oh won’t you do this boy, if you can.

The car began to pass us. 

I felt my heart slow down. 

I could relax now,

I looked in the rearview to thank Brent when it hit me that he took his seatbelt off to help me, I had enough time to see the headlights along the side of us and I knew they would be gone soon.  I opened my mouth to yell at him to put his belt back on when I saw his eyes grow and he wrapped both arms around me. 

Oh don’t you worry, you’ll find yourself.

The headlights began to swerve beside us.

It was all happening so slowly,

Time itself had seemed to halt.

Brent held onto me from the backseat.

Andy was silent and I looked at Zach,

Passed out with his head against the window,

And then I saw that his seatbelt was off as well.

Follow your heart, nothing else.

There was suddenly a loud noise from the back of the car,

I felt my body start to go forward and Brent’s arm stretched out across my chest just as the air bag went off.

I felt Zach’s body start hitting me as he was tossed around the car.  Brent held on for both of us. 

I could still hear the radio playing mixed with slow motion sounds of metal bending and crushing.

All that I want for my boy is to be happy.

We started to flip,

Over and over. 

The sound was deafening, I know I was screaming,

Brent was in my ear saying

It would be ok,

Over and over.  He never yelled but I could hear him which meant I was alive.  Zach wasn’t making any sounds as his body slammed from the dashboard, into my seat and back to the roof over and over.  The windows were exploding all around us, first the back window and one by one we were making our way to the front as I watched my brother’s face crack the front windshield, he never made a sound and as we were flipping we seemed to gain speed down the hill, the force was unlike anything I had ever felt, every time we went around again I prayed this was the last time, I heard Andy making some gurgling noises from the back and thanked god since that meant he was still breathing.  I started to think about my life, what I hadn’t done yet, what I had.  I saw my mother laughing in the sun, I saw Zach working on a dirt bike, I saw so many things in a matter of seconds, I saw myself in the stars above us and I just knew I was about to die.

Hearts Beat

––––––––

We finally stopped flipping, with the passenger side down.  It took me a moment to realize that I was alive since the objects pushing on my body prevented me from being able to move any part of myself. I blinked and felt tears running down my face, I couldn’t seem to feel any pain in the first few seconds, only that something hot was burning my leg and that I could taste blood.  I tried to lift my arm when I felt a hand near mine and I remembered that other people were in the car with me.  I panicked and tried to move my head to look around but it was held in place by something.

Zach, Brent, Andy! Oh my god someone speak to me please.  I was screaming and crying out in my seat.  Brent’s hand moved across my shoulder and I heard Andy throw up. I still couldn’t move my body and I felt numb all over now, I was trapped in my seatbelt and for the first time realized that I was in the air.  Looking out from what was left of the windshield I could see a Chrysler Lebaron upside down nearby; there were flames coming out of the engine and a body hanging out where the windshield used to be.  There was blonde hair and a small figure, I tried looking harder but what was left of my windshield was covered in blood and I still