Chapter Nine

3074 Words
The Sun has finally risen on Monday morning the day of the funeral of Sean Cook and Piper Cannon. I sit on the edge of my bed sliding on my low form shoes wondering about the last two days and how they have been completely insane. Let me take you back to the Morning of Saturday, the day what was meant to be a joyous day to celebrate my seventh birthday but ultimately turned deadly and tragic. ************ Saturday (Past) "What do you mean they're dead!" I say balling up the both of fists in anger as both mom and Brent run over to me in bed while Clair stands in the doorway looking like she's seen a ghost. "It was early in the morning and I guess the both of them were drinking heavily and when Sean was driving they hit head-on with a truck," Mom says as she looks around the room at all of us. "This is fuckin insane," I say as I recall last night waking the both of them up and basically kicking them out of my house for no complete reason expect they were drunk and asleep on my floor. "I should of never let them drive home after drinking," I say as my body turns numb and I begin to cry "This isn't anyone's fault," Brent says trying to comfort me the best he can but it isn't working. It is my fault I think to myself. If it wasn't for these stupid dreams I've been having I would have never woken up to make green tea and I would have never seen them passed out on the floor. I should of just let them be, they weren't affecting or hurting me any way they were just two drunk teenagers. I think back to waking Sean up and asking him to wake up Piper to leave. My head spins as mom and Brent try to the best of their abilities to calm me down but all I can think about is how this is my fault. "I can't take this anymore," I say and run out of my bedroom in my pyjamas Downstairs Hudson and Max are on the couches talking and acting like nothing ever happened "How can you just sit there and continue with your life like nothing happened," I say to them without thinking twice They both look at me with shocked faces and before either of them can say a word I'm outside with my car keys in my hand and open the garage to fetch my BMW. "Wait, Bridget, please let's just talk," My mom says as I'm about to back my car out of the driveway and onto the road. "It's too late mom, the damage has already been done. But besides there is nothing to talk about, I just need to be alone" I say driving off before she has the time to stop me I barely can focus nor see the road as tears stream down my face. I pull over to the side of the road and switch my car off as I sit silently in the car while A stream of tears wash done my mascara from last night. I probably look crazy I think to myself but I don't give to shits I say over and over in my head as I stare at my reflection in the rearview mirror and don't know the girl staring back at her. I should never have thrown the party, I should have never invited that many people nor let Brent and Clair do so. I should of never even allowed alcohol in my house anyway. I think to myself as two mothers and their babies cross the road right in front of my eyes. It's insane how they can just continue there lives probably unaware that two young and innocent teenagers who had their whole life ahead of them have it all taken away from them just like that. It's honestly so f****d up to me that literally hundreds of people die each minute. And we sit here and waste our sad lives on social media and shopping online for pointless things we will never use or need. These mothers don't realize how at any moment while crossing this busy street that at anytime there lives could be turned completely upside down. A shooting, a bomb, a car crash or even something as simple as walking across the street someone could easily have a heart attack or even drop dead. I realize we shouldn't live in fear but I have never experienced someone close to me dying ever in my life. I have never lost a family member or friend before. I don't even know my family besides from my mom that's it. I've never spoken to cousins or my grandparents if they're still alive or even uncles or aunties. I don't know if my mom had siblings. The secretive bullshit that my mom is keeping from me is slowly killing me. I take a good look in the mirror and realize everything in that simple few seconds. Why does it matter, why does life matter, why does anything matter. Why is it so important for me to get into a good college or have a boyfriend or even be rich. Why can't I run far far away into the woods and never come back? I think I'm going crazy that's the best way I can some up how I'm feeling. It's like one minute I feel like giving up then the next I feel like balling my eyes out. I know how things go down in Crestwood. People forgot about everything so quickly it's almost like they don't want to hear the sad things or the tough things people experience. They want to push it away like nothing ever happened. But I don't think I could ever forgive myself after what I was about to do. I turn the key ready to start the ignition of the car, but I am startled by a loud tapping coming from my window. I look up from the wheel and quickly shield my eyes from the harsh morning sun not caring that whoever this is will see my red puffy eyes and dried up mascara on my face. But I do care who this person is. Because it's Jackson Riley "I know this isn't a very good time right now Bridget but I noticed the back wheel of your car tire looks flat," He says cringing "Are you sure?" I say whipping my tears, "I just got new tires not long ago," I say staring at Jackson's crazily messy bed hair. I know this might not be the time for these very inappropriate thoughts I'm having about him but I'm glad my mind has drifted away from those sad thoughts just for a little while. "I mean I can change it if you want, I have a spare tire in the back of my truck," He says pointing to his red peeling rusty pickup truck that looks like it's going to break down at any moment in time. "Perfect," I say forcing a smile as I follow him to his truck. They say never judge a book by its cover and I guess that saying remains true at this point as I get a closer look at his truck I realize that the peeling of the paint and the rusty edging is far from that. It looks to be a very cool custom design you can get done to your car. I was contemplating on getting my whole car wrapped in a leopard pink print design but mom said that it would decrease the value of my car if I wanted to sell it in the future. "I like your truck" I barely say as I clear my throat from all the heartache "Thanks, dad and I did it ourselves last summer," He says with glee as he searches the back of the truck "So What brings you out here so early in the morning?" He says to me as if nothing has ever happened and it puts me off a bit but I just brush it off. "I was just heading to Starbucks for a morning coffee for mom and I forget my wallet and out of nowhere started crying," I say making it up on the spot but he clearly knows I'm lying but he push it. "Probably hormones I guess," I say trying to make it sound more believable but just digging myself more into a hole "f**k hormones," He says throwing an old can of Diet Coke out of his trunk and I can't help but smile "Teenagehood is a complete roller coaster ride" I try to say without seeming too emotional with him, not wanting someone I barely know to see me in such a very vulnerable state. But I guess he's already seen it. It's insane to me that I met Jackson not even barely three days ago and he decided to not only show up at my house party, though I did invite him. That everyone at my school throws almost every week but he was the only person out of maybe ninety people to give me a gift. Which he obviously didn't have to but still it melts away at me every time I look down and see it just hanging there. "I'm glad you like your necklace," He says smirking I blush and turn away for a second to smile widely "Ah, here it is," Jackson says pulling out the huge tire from the back of the truck. He balances it on the road and wheels it all the way to my car. "So I'm kinda new to the whole changing a tire situation... But like how are we meant to remove that wheel without the whole car crushing you" I say not sarcastically at all. I'm that kind of girl who never fills up her car with gas let alone know how to change a tire. Usually, mom or Cassandra fills the car up for me because I'm scared I will do something wrong and the whole car will blow up. "Oh I almost forget I have a toolbox in the back seat of my truck can you go grab it for me?" he says with his sweet accent I nod and walk over to his truck and surprisingly he keeps the interior of his truck fairly clean as I open the left back door to fetch him the toolbox. "Is this it?" I yell holding a metal toolbox in my hand He rushes over to me and examines it just to be sure. "Nah that's not it, maybe I left it back at home," He says gently grabbing it from me and placing it in the trunk. I squint at him confusedly and walk over to my car "Hey do you have your phone on you or something so I can call my mom" I shyly say to him not really wanting to call her after running out. "I can just drive you home," He says as if he just reads my mind "Are you sure I don't want to trouble you" "It's all good I was heading your way anyway," He says looking the way I came What is he implying I think to myself as I grab the car keys out of the ingestion and lock the door. His car seats are so uncomfortable I almost cry every time he drives over a bump as we make our way down a dirt road. "Ew where is this," I say looking around at my surroundings "I just have to pick up something for my buddy," He says unbuckling "It better not be drugs or I will jump out of the car and run home," I say seriously "Nah it's not I don't do that s**t anymore," He says while winking and hopping out of the car "Be right back, gorgeous" He says but I made up the gorgeous part in my head. I turn the radio on and the two radio presenters start talking in a serious tone about Sean and Piper. I am highly tempted to just turn the whole thing off and block my ears but I need to know the full story of this and what everyone is talking about, because the honest truth is I'm scared the police could question me not for the death of them but leading up to it and since I ran out the house without my phone or without listening to my mom I don't know if the police have tried to contact us or about it since the last place they were both alive was at my place. "Two 17-year old teenagers from Crestwood were killed this morning when the driver of a semi-trailer hit head-on with the teen's car. It is believed that both teenagers were under the influence at the time of the accident." The female presenter reads and continues with "Julian Servet The driver of the white 2013 Toyota semi-trailer who police say,was in his early 30's with two twin daughters died at 5:34 am from a heart attack upon impact of the crash" The female presenter reads as if she is almost numb to all of this, I think to myself as I turn the radio down a little bit as I can see Jackson outside talking to two men. "The two teens who were reported driving back from a party earlier in the morning have been identified as Sean Cook and Piper Cannon. Family members of the teens say that the both of them were madly in love and were planning on attending college together next fall. Piper Cannon escaped the crash but upon police arrive died at the scene from serious injuries. "The parents have both announced a jointed funeral for the two victims on Monday the 24th August at 10 am. The community of Crestwood is encouraged to pay there respec..." The driver's side door swings open and Jackson slumps down on the seat and quickly turns the car on like a maniac. "What's wrong," I say screaming quickly turning the channel after getting startled "Nothing it's just starting to thunderstorm," he says looking up into the dark grey gloomy sky It's odd how when you're focused on the small things you lose sight of other things. Like my crush in the 6th grade Peter Indie Who was in my Social studies class had an assigned seat right at the front and I was three rows behind him, I could never focus on my school work because I was so infatuated with his presence that I didn't even notice or register that the school fire alarm was going off. Turns out some 8th graders in cooking class burned some pancakes and it triggered the fire alarm. But still, I could have died. And from that day forward I vowed only to stare at the gorgeous specimen in the cafeteria. The rain pours down hard as I lay my head on the side window and watch the raindrops slowly descend down the window, Each of them connecting together and forming a bigger raindrop and begin sliding down the window. "It's f****d up about those two kids from our school", Jackson says snapping me out of my daze and back to the real world I thought Jackson had no one idea about those kids since he hadn't mentioned it the whole car ride but I guess word spreads fast in Crestwood. "I can't help but feel responsible somehow," I say feeling relieved to finally talk to someone about it. "I get you think just because you threw the house party and that they were 'invited' and drank a lot doesn't mean you were responsible for there actions," Jackson says sternly "But the thing is Jackson I am responsible," I say a little too aggressively "I'm the one who kicked them out of my house and made them drive home when I knew full and well that they were drunk but yet I just kicked them out like it was nothing," I say turning to the windowing and watching the trees zoom by. Jackson's lets out a very low and sallow sigh as if he has something to say but we both just stay quiet. After what feels like an eternity Jackson's Begins to speak "My granddad died in a motorbike accident when I was thirteen," He says trying to sound tough but I can hear it in his voice that this is a difficult thing to talk about. "He wasn't a very old man may be in his early 50's but he loved his motorbikes." Jackson's takes a long deep breath "You don't have to tell me," I say but without acknowledging me he continues "I asked him one day to take me for a ride on his new motorbike which he only just purchased and he agreed " He turns his head slightly away from my view so I can only see the side of his neck which is actually Pimple and hair free. "The crazy thing is my granddad was never afraid of death. I remember him always talking and mostly joking about death like it was Butter on bread" Jackson's says chucking a little bit recalling his fond memory of his granddad. "Although that day granddad only had one helmet he gave it to me instead of himself and I guess you can imagine what happened next," He says voice cracking but not a tear insight "I'm so sorry Jackson that is so awful, I could never imagine how you felt," I say recalling the last conversation I had with Sean and Piper. "I mean it took me years and years to get over it and countless therapy trips but granddad is not the same" I lift my head and stare at him confusedly "I hope this doesn't come out the wrong way but I thought he di..." I stop myself and he turns to me "He crashed into a tree and I flew into the air but luckily only just broke my arm but granddad hit his head hard on the tree and it caused serve brain damage," He says finally and fully then and there he starts to slightly cry I unbuckle my seatbelt and hug Jackson tightly. .........
Free reading for new users
Scan code to download app
Facebookexpand_more
  • author-avatar
    Writer
  • chap_listContents
  • likeADD