LOLA IS DEAD [COMPLETED]

Chapter One

How did I end up dead? The last thing I remember was driving my mini Suzuki car that was given to me by my father as a birthday present when I turned 16. It was the first day of my junior year and I was on my way to school that morning feeling excited. Rose, my red mini swift car as I called it, was moving at normal speed on the highway. I knew that the road was wet because of the rain this morning but there was no other car behind me and I was eager to get to school to see my friend Martin. I climbed to bed early last night, but my brother Ram was playing a video game in his room, and the explosive sound on the background was literally banging my wall preventing me from dozing off. I was awake until midnight but eventually my body gave up and surrendered to tiredness. You couldn’t blame me; I was running late. I didn’t notice that I was almost at the crossing or it must have slipped my mind. A Rihanna song was blaring inside my car and it was my favorite one. I’m not really a good singer but good enough to sing along with it and that was literally what I was doing when it happened. Before I reached the intersection, I saw the traffic light wasn’t working but it was early, and I didn’t anticipate a huge truck coming in from the left side with a driver thinking the same thing that I was. I know it was reckless driving; both the truck driver and I were guilty of that. The tragedy happened in a blink of an eye. The front of the truck was coming in so fast that I didn’t get the chance to scream. My voice cowered behind my throat and all I could do was stare at the humongous vehicle before it collided on my car and killed me.

But before I lost my consciousness, I was suddenly hit with flashbacks from the events in my life. It bolted like a moving train and I had no control over it. I saw myself when I was a girl in a swing at a playground and my mom was pushing me from the back while my dad was standing nearby watching us. Both of them were laughing and I was laughing too. I could almost hear the sound of their laughter. It was before my parents got separated. We were happy back then. Then the scene changed. I was sitting beside my mom on the bed while she was cradling my baby brother in her arms. We were in the master bedroom, the sun sipped through the window bathing the room with light. I could feel my mother’s joy as she played with my brother and then she looked at me and reached a hand to caress my face. She smiled and her face was radiant and beautiful. The feeling of happiness I felt was immediate, it surged through my spine and made me giggled. My mom was amused by this and her smiles widened as she moved closer to kiss my forehead. Then there was my brother Ram when he was a toddler, we were playing in the living room while our parents were on the couch watching over us. My brother was dancing awkwardly without music and all of us clapping our hands encouraging him to go on. Those were happy memories, all of it. I anticipated seeing more but then there was nothing. The movie was cut short, a total blackout. I was dead.

By then I realized how short life was, it could be taken anytime without a warning. I didn’t have a warning when my time came, and I didn’t have a say over it. Death will happen anytime no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or healthy, able or not. All of us will have our chance with death, the only question is when. Unfortunately for me I got my answer first. There was no sign for the candidates. For instance, I couldn’t say that my short life on earth was perfect, but it wasn’t that bad either. My father Andrew and my mother Mercy were amazing parents. They raised my brother Ram and me the best way they knew how, and I didn’t have any complaints over that. They got separated when I was ten, but they were best friends and dad visited us during weekends. My father worked hard to provide for the family even if he lived in a flat along downtown near to his office. He’s a lawyer. My mother stayed at home to take good care with our needs. She was perfect. But because of her complicated status with my dad, she decided to scan the local newspaper one day looking for a job. Gladly, she got one in the nursing home taking care of the elderly. She loved going to work every day and I could see that she was happy with it. She must have missed the act of waking up early in the morning, tearing through the morning rush to avoid getting late. Working kept her balance.

My brother and I quarreled most of the time. He was doing prank jokes at me the moment he pronounced the word P-R-A-N-K. I wanted to strangle him every time I saw him but that didn’t mean that we hated each other. I guessed that was normal for siblings. I loved my brother so much; sometimes he was just so irritating. So, it was a shock that death gave me a gate pass first to ghost town whereas the percentage of criminals roaming around town was over the top. Why didn’t death prioritize those types of people instead of me? Why me? Well, too late to whine about it now because whether I like it or not, having a pulse was no longer an option for me anymore. I was freakin’ dead.

A weekend before my accident, Martin Frey, my gay best friend was blowing the hoot out of his metallic blue mini cooper in front of our house. We decided to see each other and enjoyed what’s left of the summer before we plunged into junior high. I told my mom that I would come home before dinner as I walked past her in the living room. She was busy changing the drapery and I didn’t wait for her to turn around. I stormed out of the house sprinting to where Martin parked his luxury car. I hopped inside the car to see Martin greeting me with all smiles. He was rocking a perfectly tanned skin from his summer vacation in Brazil. It looked great on him, with his surfer blonde hair and icy blue eyes –he reminded me of a Ken doll. Of course, that’s a complement for Martin. He’s loaded alright, both of his parents were into business and they’re rich as hell. But I didn’t envy him because the downside of having rich parents was, they were never there for him. They would always pay someone to look after him because they were too busy travelling the world. I pitied Martin sometimes, imagined growing up alone with nothing but the household help. But probably that was the reason why we’re besties, because of how Martin hated his family, it was even ridiculous. Besides, he made me laugh so loud I couldn’t even care.

“Hey there Ms. Goods!” Martin greeted me with his breathy voice. “Frey! Welcome back.” I greeted him with a smile.

“You look so…”

“Tanned?” He interrupted. “Well, life is a beach in Rio, Brah-zil.” Said Martin in ultra-exaggeration while flailing a hand in the air.

“ bee-aa-cchh?” I asked, teasing.

“Yes, b***h!” He said and we laughed together like we always did.

Laughing was so easy every time the fabulous Frey was around. I couldn’t let the grin out of my face. I had to admit that I missed having him with me because the past two weeks being alone, it was already too much for me to bear - I was bored to death. My brother Ram was out with his friends most of the time and I was the loser who didn’t have a group of friends beside Martin. He was my only close friend. We drove off along River Gate Avenue and emerged on the Highway. Martin maneuvered the chic car and turned right; he then rolled the front windows down to enjoy the afternoon breeze. The air was warm on my face, my hair was flying over at my back and I let it because it felt great. The sun was starting to set and the sky burned flamingo from afar. I could still see some of the houses from the River Gate and those that were along the highway as well. Most establishments along the road were situated a few yards apart from each other and there were cars outside. We were on our way to Barry’s Diner to try their new burritos. The Diner was located downtown, and it was easy to find. Or you could just ask anyone around town, and they’ll point you where it was. Almost all the students from school hung out at Barry’s during weekends. The food was okay, but it was affordable and there were at least three billiard tables at the back, a flat screen that played mainly sport channels and the bar area played a good selection of upbeat music. It was a destination to go to with friends and meet people our age. Silent Hills was a small quaint town in the state of Mississippi. There’s nothing much happening here if you’re looking for something big. We had the Border Mall overlooking the beach where most of the coffee shops were located. Next to it was the amusement park with a boardwalk to the coastline if you’re the type who enjoys bon fire or a walk along seaside. The Gulf Coast was splendid during the afternoon and family cars piled up on the driveway to have ice cream or hotdogs and mallows. In downtown we had Jerry’s Grocery Store from which you could buy almost anything you needed in the food department. There were few small establishments selling different stuff and services like shoe repair and plumbing. A high-end restaurant in Greek revival façade was located two blocks from the city hall. The only church devoted to Saint Augustine was run by a new ordained priest, Father Jess Bradley. He used to teach at Silent Hills High before he became the director of the Church, that’s how I knew him.

We arrived at Barry’s and I was excited to see that the place was filled with people. Martin drove the car slowly as we navigated the parking lot to find our spot. It was full and we were lucky enough to find our space at the far end. It wasn’t the best spot, but we didn’t have options to complain either.

“We have a full house.” Martin said smiling.

“I guess everybody is here” I giggled.

“It’ll be fun!” He was excited too.

We parked the car and got out. Before we headed to the Diner, Martin turned to face me, his eyes beaming.

“How do I look?” He turned around to showcase his outfit.

“Like you just got out of Teen Vogue?” I said.

“Thank you! And you from Seventeen Mag.” We giggled and started to walk hand in hand to Barry’s.

Martin entered the diner like he owned the place and I was trailing behind him like an assistant. He looked so colorful with his pastel pink button down and apple green short ensemble. I was practically right; everybody was at Barry’s. It seemed like the party was in full swing and the music was literally blasting that made the whole diner pulsate. I realized that it was Saturday and probably the reason why everyone felt obligated to go out because it was the last day to enjoy the vacation. Classes would start on Monday. Most of the people were standing with a bottle of beer in hand; the ones sitting on tables were busy updating each other about what they did the entire summer. I heard Jessa King just got back from a summer vacation in Paris with her family, Martha’s fun outback experience in Australia etc. The girls were gossiping about it and it was all over twitter as well. Poor little Lola Goods, whose last name was not privileged enough to own a huge house in Zion Road where Martin and all other rich families lived. Sometimes it sucked to be me. Though River Gate wasn’t that bad, it was where the middle-class families from Silent Hills resided. I had to give that to my parents that we didn’t end up living along Parade Loop which was literally where the trailer park homes. But I didn’t have anything against people who lived there because most of them were hard working individuals who just wanted to make ends meet, some of them I knew from school. Meryl was one of them. She was a scholar, a tiny brown-haired girl who sat beside me during English class and worked a few hours selling ice cream at the boardwalk after last period. I respected her for that, I know it was hard for her, but she managed to balance work and studies at the same time.  She also managed to stay anonymous at school; I understood that she preferred to stay in the corner to avoid picking from other students. Especially those girls who loved to call themselves popular. Yeah, there were few of them at Silent Hills High and unluckily I wasn’t one of them. Not that I desired to be one – spending each day with Martin made me realize that being popular was stressful.  Having a life under a microscope? Definitely not my thing. I didn’t mind being anonymous like Meryl, it was a choice though. I could do the things that I like doing without anyone noticing and criticizing me. But I could dream about being nameless… not when the most popular guy in school asked you out on a date, because girls would instantly hate you and suddenly, you’ll be enemy number one.

Gossip literally travels at the speed of light – that’s tried and tested. My infamous ascension from being unknown to the highly abhorred person by the female species of Silent Hills High happened last semester, a few weeks before finals. Since our last class normally ended early during Friday, Martin held my wrist and literally dragged me to the Soccer Field to watch the school team practice. SHH chose Eagle as the school symbol and the soccer team automatically picked it up as the team’s name and called themselves as The Eagles. The team practiced three times a week and that was MWF, which was the number of times my good old friend Martin dragged me to the field to watch them practice. When I asked him about it, he shrugged and said he loved watching the game. I knew for a fact that he knew nothing about soccer and so was I. Knowing Martin, he’ll never have patience to learn the game but obviously we weren’t there for that, we were at the bleacher three times a week for other reasons. Martin was blushing when I teased him about Dave Moore, the guy was cute I have to say, and I applauded Martin for his taste. I didn’t know that he would take a buffed muscled guy for his type, but we were bffs and whoever he likes, was good enough for me. Every time Dave scores, Martin cheered for him. A normal jock with an ego would hate this but Dave was nice enough to shed Martin a smile and shyly ran his fingers through his short brown hair. This gesture earned him extra points for me.  

“He’s nice” I said.  I was sitting on the bleacher while drinking diet coke.

“I know! He’s the best!” Martin exclaimed as he turned around to face me. He’d been standing since the game started. Martin’s face was beaming with excitement; he looked like he was in trance with his happiness. The smile was plastered on his face.

“Did you see that? He smiled at me” Martin said, giggling.

“Yes, I saw it. You deserved it though” I told him.

Martin sat beside me; a smile was glued on his face. Then a shadow passed over him and suddenly his expression changed, seemingly musing. 

“Are you okay?” I asked.

Martin nodded as he turned to face me. “Do you think Dave… Never mind, are you ready to go?” He didn’t finish his first question. I saw anxiousness forming in his eyes, but he immediately brushed it off and stood up, he was facing the field this time. The team was still out there huddling with Coach Monroe.  I had no idea what Martin was thinking, I assumed that it was about Dave. I wished I could answer his question or grant his wishes if it’s a chance with Dave that he was asking for… I really wanted him to be happy. I felt sad for Martin and I didn’t push him with questions as I stood up and pulled up my belongings beside me. I wanted him to know that I’m here for him always. Dave was nice but I think he’s straight. I reached and patted Martin’s back and we walked together out from the bleacher to the parking lot. The sun already set, and it was nearly dusk. The parking lot was almost empty save for the few cars probably belonging to the athletes and faculties. We reached Martin’s car first and we bid each other goodbye. My car was in the back-side area and I had to walk a short distance to reach it. I put on an earphone and blasted my playlist in the background. I wasn’t comfortable being alone in a deserted parking lot, so I walked faster this time. Halfway to my car, a huge hand touched my shoulder that made me jump with fear. I tripped and my bag fell on the ground as I released an awful scream.

“Lola it’s me! I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”   When I recovered, my eyes were huge to see the person standing in front of me.  I knew this guy; he was the captain of the Eagles team. It was Seb, “the Sebastian Whyte”, the most famous guy in school.

“Sabastian?” I was astounded.

“I’m sorry Lola; I didn’t mean to scare you.”  His voice was genuinely apologetic. The guy just got out of practice and I could see he hadn’t changed his clothes yet. From the looks of it, I hinted that he ran all the way from the field to catch me here because he was still catching his breath and sweating all over. His wavy blonde hair was damped and his light blue eyes lighted up while breathing heavily. He looked so hot that I didn’t mind the fact that he hadn’t hit the shower yet. Gross I know. Looking like he just got out of a sport magazine photo shoot with his gears dangling on his side. I stared at him waiting for him to say something, forgetting that my stuff was still on the ground. When I realized that it was too late, he already dropped his gears and bent over to get mine. He handed it over to me and I managed to say thanks.

“You scared me there.” I said.

“I’m so sorry.” His forehead wrinkled with concern.

“It’s fine. I’m okay.” I stuttered. I looked at him and saw him looking at me. He was so handsome and tall that he was literally dwarfing me. I felt awkward staring at him, so I lowered my gaze and stared on the ground.  My toes were pointing each other; it was a signal how awkward the situation was. Finally, he cleared his throat and I looked at him again.

“Uhmmm… I just want to… by the way I’m…” I sensed his nervousness.

“I know who you are…” I said.

“Right… okay… wow…” He smiled then he exhaled heavily trying to distress the nerve he’d been feeling.  It was cute, watching Seb making his moves. It took all my strength to hold myself from giggling.

“I’m wondering if you, if you would like to go out with me sometimes?” His voice was soft and hoping and I found it adorable.

“Like a date?” I asked, smiling.

“Yeah?”