obsessed over you

The sun painted the world in warm hues of orange as I slid into the passenger seat of Dad's car. We didn’t have a particular destination in mind; we were just enjoying the open road and each other’s company. "I’m so proud of you, kiddo," Dad said, his voice brimming with pride. "You’re going to be an incredible student at any university you choose." I couldn’t help but smile. Dad always had this way of making me feel like I could conquer anything. "Thanks, Dad. I know you’re doing everything you can to make it happen, and I’m so grateful." His face grew serious, the lightness of the moment dimming slightly. "I just want the best for you, Kyra. You deserve it. Your mom...she made her choices, but I’ve always been here for you." Our eyes met, and I saw all the love and determination he carried for me. "I know, Dad. You’ve been my rock. I couldn’t have asked for a better father." The drive was filled with laughter and stories, the kind that made me forget about everything else. For a while, it felt like the world was perfect. But as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting shadows on the road, everything changed in an instant. Out of nowhere, a sleek black car barreled down the highway, moving impossibly fast. Dad slammed on the brakes, but the impact was unavoidable. Metal screamed as the two cars collided, and the world around me blurred into chaos. "Dad!" I screamed, terror gripping me as the car spun. My hands trembled, searching for my phone, as I turned to see him slumped over the wheel. "Oh God, Dad, stay with me!" Before I could even process the wreckage, I saw the couple from the other car step out. Their eyes scanned the scene for only a moment before they fled, leaving us behind. My chest tightened as I watched their silhouettes disappear into the dark. "Hang on, Dad! Please!" My voice cracked as I finally managed to dial for help. Tears streamed down my face as I gave the dispatcher our location, begging them to hurry. Minutes felt like hours. Alone, scared, and helpless, I clung to the hope that help would come in time. --- The ambulance's sirens pierced the night as it screeched to a halt. My heart pounded as paramedics rushed to Dad’s side. I trailed after them, refusing to let him out of my sight. “Please, you have to save him!” I begged, grabbing one of the paramedics by the arm. My voice was trembling, thick with desperation. “He’s all I have!” They nodded solemnly, working quickly to transfer him onto a stretcher. My eyes never left his pale face as they wheeled him into the emergency room. The hospital’s waiting area felt suffocating. I paced back and forth, my mind bombarded with fears of the worst. I couldn’t lose him. I couldn’t lose the one person who had been my anchor through everything. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a doctor emerged. I rushed to him, my stomach in knots. “How is he?” My voice quivered, barely audible. The doctor’s expression was heavy with sorrow. He shook his head, and the ground beneath me seemed to collapse. “We did everything we could,” he said softly. “But I’m afraid we couldn’t save him.” I stumbled back, my chest heaving as reality crashed over me. “No... No, that’s not true!” I pushed past him, bolting into the emergency room. There he was, lying still on the bed, his face concealed by a white sheet. My legs buckled as I stumbled to his side. I ripped the sheet away, revealing his face—still and lifeless. “Daddy, please don’t leave me!” I wailed, clutching his hand as if holding it tighter could bring him back. “I need you! Please wake up!” I rocked back and forth, the weight of grief pressing down on me, suffocating me. “I’ll do anything. I’ll wait another year to go to school. I’ll stay home and take care of you. Just... please wake up.” But he didn’t. The medical staff tried to comfort me, their voices soft, their hands gentle, but none of it mattered. Nothing mattered anymore. Eventually, a kind-faced doctor knelt beside me, her voice tender. “Sweetheart, we need to take care of you now. Your father... he’s gone.” I shook my head, refusing to let go of his hand. My entire world had been ripped away, and I wasn’t ready to face what came next. They had to carry me out. My body felt limp, my mind numb as my gaze stayed fixed on my father’s still form. Even as they placed me on a hospital bed, I whispered his name, clinging to the impossible hope that he’d answer. --- I sat in my apartment, surrounded by his things. The funeral had come and gone, but it all felt like a blur. I replayed every moment, from the crash to the final goodbye, over and over. My apartment was eerily quiet, each silence amplifying the void he left behind. --- One Week Later I spent most days sifting through his belongings. Each item I touched brought fresh tears, a new ache in my chest. “I miss you so much, Daddy,” I whispered to the empty room. My voice cracked as I held one of his old shirts close, inhaling the faint scent of him that still lingered. The pain felt unbearable, a physical weight pressing on my heart. How was I supposed to live without him? --- Meanwhile The couple responsible for the accident had their own reckoning. “You ran away? Are you insane?” the man shouted at his wife, his voice thick with anger. Tears streamed down her face. “I was scared. I didn’t know what else to do!” His face twisted in rage. “Did anyone see you?” Her hesitation was enough of an answer. “Karma will find you,” he hissed before walking away, leaving her to drown in her guilt. --- Back in my apartment, I clung to my memories of Dad. The pain felt raw, but so did the anger—anger at the people who had abandoned us that night. Justice hadn’t been served, but I vowed it would be. For Dad. For me. For the life they destroyed. Rebecca paced her dimly lit living room, her phone clutched tightly in her trembling hand. Her chest rose and fell with shallow, panicked breaths as her mind raced with the implications of the news she’d just received. The call she dreaded was inevitable. She dialed the number, her fingers fumbling over the screen. On the fourth ring, Adrian’s smooth, composed voice answered, “Rebecca? What’s wrong?” Her voice came out in a frantic rush, her words barely coherent. “Adrian, it’s bad. It’s really bad. I just got news... the man... the man we hit is dead.” There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Dead?” Adrian repeated, his tone calm but laced with something dark. “Yes! And it gets worse,” she said, her voice cracking. “His daughter... she might have seen me. What if she recognizes me? What if they come after us?” Rebecca’s voice rose with every word, the weight of her guilt and fear overwhelming her. “They’ll know! They’ll figure it out. I don’t know what to do!” Adrian’s voice remained steady, almost cold. “Rebecca, listen to me.” “I can’t! I can’t think straight!” she cried, pacing faster. “This is going to ruin everything. My husband... my life... and you, Adrian, what if they find out about you? About us?” “Calm down,” Adrian said sharply, cutting through her hysteria. “You’re not helping yourself by panicking.” “But what do we do?” she asked, her voice a whisper now, her legs threatening to give out beneath her. Adrian sighed, the sound deliberate and controlled. “We do nothing, Rebecca. I’ll handle it.” “Handle it? How?” she pressed, her voice trembling. “By ensuring it can’t be traced back to us,” Adrian said, his tone as smooth as glass. “I have connections—people who can make things disappear. No one will link us to the accident.” Rebecca clutched the phone tighter, her breath hitching. “But the girl... she saw me. I know she did.” “Then we’ll make sure she forgets,” Adrian said, his voice dropping lower. “Rebecca, you need to trust me. I’ll take care of it. But you need to keep your head down. Stop talking to people about this. Don’t act suspicious.” Rebecca closed her eyes, trying to steady herself. “You’re sure? You’re sure they won’t find us?” “I’m sure,” Adrian replied firmly. “Let me handle it. I always do.” Rebecca nodded, though he couldn’t see her. His calmness had a way of both unsettling and comforting her. “Okay,” she murmured. “Good,” Adrian said. “Now, stop worrying. Go about your day like nothing happened. And Rebecca?” “Yes?” “Don’t call me again about this,” he said, his voice hard. “We can’t risk anyone connecting us.” Rebecca swallowed hard. “Okay.” Kyra sat curled up on the worn couch in her tiny apartment, a cup of untouched tea cooling on the table beside her. The room was dark, the curtains drawn to shut out the world. It had been weeks since her father’s funeral, but the ache in her chest hadn’t dulled. If anything, it had only grown heavier. Photos of her father surrounded her, scattered across the coffee table and floor. She held one in her hands, her thumb tracing his smiling face. Tears slid silently down her cheeks as she whispered, “I miss you so much, Daddy.” A knock at the door broke the stillness. Kyra didn’t move, hoping whoever it was would go away. But the knocking persisted, followed by a familiar voice. “Kyra, it’s me. Open up,” Rachel called, her tone both firm and gentle. Reluctantly, Kyra rose from the couch, her steps sluggish as she made her way to the door. She opened it to reveal Rachel, her former classmate and one of the few people who had stuck by her side through the chaos. Rachel stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, her gaze sweeping over the disarray. Her expression softened as she turned to Kyra. “You haven’t been answering my calls. I was worried about you.” Kyra shrugged, her eyes avoiding Rachel’s. “I’m fine.” “You’re not fine,” Rachel said, crossing her arms. “Look at you, Kyra. You’ve been holed up in here for weeks. This isn’t what your dad would’ve wanted for you.” At the mention of her father, Kyra’s shoulders tensed. “Don’t,” she said quietly. “Don’t tell me what my dad would’ve wanted.” Rachel sighed, her tone softening. “Kyra, I know you’re hurting. Losing your dad... it’s unbearable. But you can’t keep drowning in this grief. He wouldn’t want you to stop living your life.” Kyra turned away, her arms wrapping around herself. “I don’t know how to move on, Rachel. Every time I think about doing something, it feels wrong. Like I’m betraying him.” “You’re not betraying him,” Rachel said gently. She stepped closer, placing a comforting hand on Kyra’s shoulder. “Honoring him means living your life, Kyra. Doing the things he worked so hard to give you the chance to do.” Kyra shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “I don’t even know where to start. Everything feels so pointless.” Rachel took a deep breath, her voice steady but insistent. “Start small. Start with getting out of this apartment. You need a routine, something to keep you grounded. Maybe... maybe you could look for a job. Just something to get you out of the house and keep you busy.” Kyra glanced at her friend, uncertainty etched on her face. “A job?” “Yes,” Rachel said, her tone encouraging. “It doesn’t have to be permanent or perfect. Just something to get you back on your feet. You’re smart, Kyra. You can do this.” Kyra hesitated, the idea of stepping back into the world both daunting and foreign. “I don’t even know where to begin.” Rachel smiled, squeezing Kyra’s shoulder. “You don’t have to do it alone. I’ll help you. We can sit down, update your resume, and start applying. One step at a time.” For the first time in weeks, a glimmer of hope flickered in Kyra’s eyes. It wasn’t much, but it was something. “Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll try.” Rachel nodded, her smile widening. “That’s all I ask. Just try.” The two friends sat down at the small kitchen table, Rachel pulling out her laptop while Kyra hesitantly began sorting through her thoughts.