The Time Capsule

Chapter 8

Green Street Pizza was a popular location with the university students. The prices were reasonable, and it was only a short walk from campus. The owner decorated the restaurant using university memorabilia, which created an enjoyable atmosphere.

Christmas Break had just ended, and students were getting back into their routines. The students all had new class schedules and had to modify their social lives accordingly. Therefore, this was the first time Britany Murray and her boyfriend, Devin Baker, had enjoyed some time together since before the break. When the couple arrived for dinner, the restaurant was busy, as always. They found mutual friends at a table and squeezed in two additional chairs to join them. The friends laughed and joked for a while, but then the others left, leaving the couple alone.

Their conversation had been awkward, with neither of them saying much. They’d caught up on what happened during break and how their families had enjoyed the holidays, but then they were both a bit quiet, distracted by their thoughts. The best part of the conversation had been the watered-down story about the house fire that Devin had shared.

The medium pepperoni and sausage pizza, the couple’s favorite, sat between them, half-eaten. Each wanted to bring up something they needed to discuss, but neither felt comfortable doing so in a public setting.

“Is everything okay?” Britany said. “You’re very quiet tonight.”

“Yeah, I’m just a bit tired. Still getting used to the new schedule.”

She nodded. “I am tired, too. I think I’ll head back to my apartment and go to bed early.”

“Okay. I’ll walk back to the dorm and text you later.”

Britany stood and Devin gave her a hug and kiss goodbye. He again noticed that she didn’t seem herself.

She headed out the door, irritated with herself. She walked to her car and pressed the button to unlock the door. Then climbed in and started the engine.

“Agh!” She yelled as she slapped the steering wheel, even though there was no one to hear her.

She’d intended to tell Devin about an additional detail from the Christmas break but had chickened out. She’d even memorized and practiced what she wanted to say. Now it would occupy her thoughts until she finally did.

All through high school, she had a boyfriend named Trevor. They were inseparable and had even planned to go to the same college. Unfortunately, Trevor was accepted to West Coast University, which they had both applied to, but Britany was rejected. When it was clear that they would be at schools on opposite sides of the country, the couple decided to break up.

During the holiday break, Trevor stopped by her parent’s house. He’d decided to transfer to a school that was an easy drive from Britany’s school. They were both eager to resume their relationship where they’d left off. But there was one detail Britany had to deal with—Devin. He was sweet and she enjoyed their time together, but what she and Devin had was nothing compared to what she and Trevor had shared. She knew the news would surprise Devin and hurt him. She didn’t want that, but she had Trevor again.

She backed out of the parking spot and headed out onto Market Street, her frustration still churning and causing her to be distracted.

Not even a quarter-mile from the pizza shop, she failed to stop for the red light at Diamond Street and crossed into the path of a delivery truck. The driver barely got his foot to the brake pedal before his truck impacted with Britany’s driver side door at fifty miles per hour. The force of the impact caused her head to strike her side window, shattering the glass violently. The large bumper of the truck crushed the side of the car, forcing the door to intrude into the driver’s space by over a foot. This destroyed metal collided with the left side of her thorax, hip, and upper leg with devastating results.