Pinky Promise ?

Six years ago     "What the hell ?!" I shouted at him. "This blood... where are you coming from?! Jaz, I'm talking to you!"   He was not responding. I was freaking out but I couldn't just let him out like that. He was standing at my door. I pulled him inside and quietly closed the door behind him. My parents were sleeping completely exhausted, drinking bottles after bottles to celebrate daddy's promotion. They are party people unlike me. Sometimes, I wonder if we are from the same family.   I made Jaz sit on the couch. He kept staring into space. He was moving back and forth and nibbling his fingers.   "What happened?" I asked stroking his cheek.   He was breathing harder and harder, then he started to panic.   "Talk to me, baby. Where are you coming from? Why do you have blood on your face?"   He didn't respond again.   "Hell Jazon! You are freaking me out! What happened?! Jaz! Look at me! What the hell happened?"   He raised his beautiful green eyes full of tears, staring at me.   "I-I killed my dad, Swann," he whispered as he starts crying for good. "I killed him."   "Mr Weber? W-What are you saying?"   "He admitted he was responsible of my mom being in coma. He was cheating on her, he hitted her before bumping her with his car. He stole me everything even my mom. She's dead. She left me this morning" he confessed between hiccups.   I sat on the floor, shocked, stunned. I was shaking like a leaf.   "You... killed someone... Jaz, you killed your dad! Do you realize what you did?!"   "He deserved to go to hell!"   "It's not up to you to decide who has to die or who should be punished," I told him.   "You are supporting him instead of me?" he growled.   "No! Absolutely not! Are you serious? I'm f*****g scared. You killed a man. YOUR dad!! You can be arrested! I love you, I will not be able to live without you."   "I'm sorry. I didn't think about it" he apologized.   I can't lose him. I love him so much. I love him since kindergarten. We grew up together as best friends for years. We were finally together, we said to each other 'I love you' last year. I wanted to finish the senior year with him, go to prom, be graduated together. Going to the same college, moving with him. I could give my world to him. And I will not let him waste our lives because of his error of judgment.   I want my future with Jazon Weber and I'm ready to do anything to assure it.   "Where is the corpse?" I asked determined.   "Chattahoochee-Oconee near River Headwaters."   "How did you end up– forget it. Go to the garage and grab shovels. I'll take raincoats.   We are in the middle of May. Today, it's raining after a long time. And where we are going, this not as clean as in a house.   "Wear this and take your car as well. I will take mine."   I grab my keys and rush out. I was following Jaz's car through this night. The streets were sleeping, a complete silence. Nobody could've known or even thought that in this peaceful night, a murder had taken place. Could they even thought that a 17-year-old girl would go there to hide the body of her boyfriend's father in the woods to save their lives and futures? Could they? No.   I am determined but it's hurt. I loved Mr. Weber. I don't believe he could cheat on his wife. Whenever we would see them, he would look happy, in love, he was literally a fan of Mrs. Weber. We would be blind if we couldn't see that.   I'm driving but I can't stop thinking about it. Jaz killed someone. No one deserves to die this way. He should have let justice take care of it. Now he is at risk. Mr. Weber runs a garage with at least 10 employees. They will notice his absence and the first person they will think of is Jaz.   I just keep the hope that Mr. Weber isn't really dead. I don't know how he died. Only hope.   Jaz starts to slow down. I park the pickup on the side of the road and the woods. I join Jaz who is looking at the forest scared. He is as pale as death. I can't stand seeing him like this. I just want this story to end as soon as possible. I hold Jaz's arm and hug him to reassure him.   "Let's go."   We cross the woods. I'm following my love blindly. We've been walking for ten minutes, suddenly he stops.   "What?"   He starts shaking like a sick. He points to a hollow tree further in front of us. We approach slowly. And then I see it. Dan Weber's body, bloodied. A hole near the lungs.   "Did you shoot him?"   "Yeah. I didn't think. He always carried a gun with him in his car. He always carried a gun with him in his car since a killer broke into our house killing my grandma years ago." he said staring at the body painfully.   I remember that day. The news was everywhere. A criminal escaped from a prison near Blairsville in Georgia, our town. With my parents and Nikki my little sister, we closed every window, door, blocking them with furniture. We were hiding in the cellar. I was 11 and Nikki 5. I was holding a pan, my mom a knife, my daddy a rifle, and Nikki a baseball bat. The night was long, very long. We could only hear police sirens. I was starting dozing and I woke like a devil when I heard THE gunshot. It was fast and sharp like death.   My dad was hugging me tightly. We heard sirens, policemen talking then gunshots. I knew I understood. It was Jazon's house in front of ours. I wanted to rush, to go next to him but I couldn't. I was frozen.   When the danger was out, I couldn't stop myself. In a second, I was at the door of the Webers. I saw him, covert of blood. He was fine. It was his grandmother. She was on a stretcher, dead. Not only her, the killer too.   It was Jazon. He shot the killer. At 12, he had already killed someone. A killer.   ...   "We should start digging before the sun rises," I told him.   We started digging. After one hour, the hole was enough big to contain Mr. Weber's dead body.   "Help me."   He came near the corpse but he stopped. He vomited. I stroked his back. He holds himself to a tree, he seems very weak.   "If you can't do it, I'll do it myself, go home."   "No, I can't let you here like that. It's my fault. You shouldn't even here. Why you came? Why I came to you?"   "Because I love you and you love me. You trust me more than your life. No matter what, I will be always by your side. Always. You did a mistake? Well, we did it together. Understood?"   He nodded.   "Give me the gun."   He gave it to me.   "I love you, Swann."   "I love you too, Jaz"   I waited till he disappeared from my sight. I continued to dig the hole. For a moment, I felt like someone was watching me but there was no one. I grab Mr. Weber's foot and dragged him near the hole. I heard a breath, a weak one but enough so that I could hear him. Was he alive? I let go of his legs in fear. He opened his eyes. He looked at me. I saw a lot of pain in them.   "Swann... help... help... me..."   Oh my God! What was I supposed to do? If he's really alive, Jaz can go to jail! I can't let that happen. No.   In a moment of madness, I pushed him into the hole. I ran as fast as I could toward the River Headwaters. I washed the gun and put it in my pocket. I reached without looking in my back. I sat in my car. I started crying, hitting the wheel.   What have I done? He was alive!   Did I made a mistake?   No. Of course not. For Jaz, I could do anything. Nothing could be wrong. Nothing.   • • •   Today   "Swann! Get up! Swann! You're gonna be late!"   "f**k off, Mina! I'm never late! It's Sunday! And for God's sake, let. me. SLEEP!!!" I blabbered putting a pillow on my face.   "For your kind of information, silly, we are MONDAY. And it's 8:40 in the morning!"   "WHAAAAAT?!!!" I shouted. I fall from my bed, I run to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth so harshly that my gums were starting to bleed. When I saw my reflection in the mirror, I was scared of myself. I had big bags under my tired brown eyes. When I get out, the smell of black coffee was watering my mouth.   I grab all my books, notebooks. I wear a grey pantsuit. The kind of 'I didn't have time to be ready but at least I'm here.' I made a big poop with brown hair.   In the kitchen, Mina made me a bottle of coffee and a salmon sandwich.   "Thank you, love! You saved my life and my day!"   "Like always" she laughed.   I get out of our little apartment and run across campus. I slalom between other students, pushing people. I am never late. Why today? Last night, I studied till late in the night. It was Mina who made me go to bed. I quickly take out my review sheets to revise. I feel like I'm starting to forget all my lessons.   I enter the establishment and start running again in the corridors to my classroom. I was still looking at my revision when I bumped into someone. All my review sheets were flying in the air.   "No, no, no, no. NO!!! Why I ever did to you, God?"   "Maybe having your head in the clouds," a voice said while he picks up my things.   "Of course it's my fault! Not yours! You don't see when you are walk–"   What the... I stood up. A couple of grey eyes were looking at me. I've never seen that guy. He is beautiful, not handsome. Beautiful! But I don't care. I cleared my throat.   "You don't see when you are walking? Are you blind?" I said snatching my sheets of paper from his hands.   "Thank you, maybe?"   "In your dream, blinddo. I'm late."   He's blocking my way.   "Blinddo? Is that word even exist?"   "Yes, in my dictionary. Move!"   "Next time, be careful. No one wants to help someone so thankless, kiddo."   Kiddo? Me? Is he making fun of me?   "Babe! You are talking to who? said a girl behind me.   I hate that voice. Kim Reynold. Columbia's biggest b***h. The typical blond b***h in college.   "Oh," She did. "The weirdo sitting behind me. Do you know in which classroom we are? I was giving a visit to my Lil bunny and we got lost."   She was purring, even rubbing herself on his arm.   Ewww, disgusting.   "No. I don't. I was already struggling to wake up this morning, don't make me struggling more. I don't like burdens. You've been here for 2 years. I trust you, you'll find your way by your beautiful well-manicured hands like a good girl. I'm sure your boyfriend is maybe blind but he must have a great sense of direction. So excuse me, I have an exam to pass."   I bypass them and continue to search my classroom. I felt some eyes on my neck. I just ignored them.   Ignoring. Just ignoring.   I finally find the classroom. Biology class.   "Sorry, I'm late" I apologized.   "It's okay miss Owens. Go to your seat," said Ms. Cooper.   While I was sitting, she gave me the subject.   I started writing for only 5 minutes, then someone knocked at the door. It's Kim followed by... Blinddo. He has black hair, a little mouth with full lips. He's wearing a black jacket with a white shirt we can guess chocolate bars underneath. He is tall, very tall. Like he was going to hit his head on the door frame. His grey looking at me intensely.   "Sorry to disturb you, my unloved classmates, this my boyfriend, Liram Lord, he will study with us from now. No one looks, talks, or even thinks about him, understood? Yeah, thank you. "   They walk toward me.   "Let's sit, babe. Weirdo, move."   "No. Sit or move. Don't disturb me. I'm working."   "You..." she pointed at me.   "Let it be. It's okay. I'll sit there. I'm not gonna vanish."   Kim grinds her teeth out of anger. She pulled her chair loudly. I continued my exam. Blinddo sat at the desk next to me, on my right. I could feel his gaze making my back's hair stand on end.   Ignore him, Swann.   "Good luck, Kiddo," he whispered.   Shit.