Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was late. Or rather I was late. Speeding down the darkened roads of the empty streets in my red Ford Probe. My father said I had to be home by twelve. I glance over at the dash where the time admitted a barely visible glow . It was 12:08. I sigh and run my hand through my fine brown hair.
"Dads gonna kill me" I thought. My father is no one to mess with. He is one mean man who cannot get ahold of his anger. I sigh deeply. Feeling the familiar pressure of a nicotine headache coming on, I pull out a cigarette from the pocket of my blue jeans and search around for a lighter. After searching for a bit and not finding a thing, I gave up and threw the cigarette aside.
"I must have left it at her house..."
I sit back slowly, feeling the vibrations of the car and the quiet hum of the engine as I speed faster into the darkened streets. Slowly I fade back into the fresh memories of the earlier night.
...

I pull up to the front of her grandparents house. Slowly shutting off my car to prolong my entrance into the house. Working against my nervousness, I open the drivers side door and was instantly hit with the chill of the cool air. I shivered a bit and zipped up my leather jacket. I look at my feet and think to myself
"I picked a great day to wear my converse"
I get out into the darkened parking lot and lock my doors. As I face the house, I can see that they are home. The lights are on, but the only light I am concerned about is the light admitting from the front window upstairs. She was home. I smile a little. I walk up to the front door and gently slide open the slider, as if not to be noticed. As I step inside to the familiar surroundings of the kitchen, I hear someone stirring from the living room. A few seconds later, I was greeted by an elderly slim woman. She wore her black sweat pants with her red t - shirt that says "# 1 grandma" her white hair was messy, as if I had awakened her from a nap with my intrusion. Her glasses were slightly askew on her face. But she smiled at me.
"Hey Terry, come on in." she said.
"Thanks grandma, I will in a second"
She smiles again and walks into the living room. I sigh quietly and unzip my leather jacket placing it on the back of a vacant chair in the kitchen. The table was quite messy as usual, with glasses of half drank cool aide and mail sprawled everywhere. There were three ash trays stacked in the middle of the table. clean as usual. the kitchen was more decorative than any I've seen. Everywhere you looked, there was Italian stuff everywhere. I take a look at the time on the stove. It was 10:23.
"Plenty of time." I said to myself
I walk around the corner into the messy living room. Immediately to the left as you enter, there is a rocking chair where grandma was sitting, waiting for me. I walk to the couch beside the chair. As usual there were blankets scattered about it. I gently pick one up and place it beside me as I sat down. The entertainment stand was in front of me and as usual, grandma was watching a movie. My eyes dart to the vacant stairs leading to the upstairs.
"She has no idea I'm here." I thought
"Terry?"
I shake my head and look over at grandma.
"What?..."
"I said, so how are you?"
"Oh, I'm alright, just tired. How are things here?" I said
Her smile lessened a bit.
"It's been difficult... Ever since Tracy passed... We are still trying to deal with it..."
I sigh.
"I know how you feel... I loved mom even if she wasn't my real mother. She accepted me into the family and I finally felt like I belonged somewhere... I can at the least thank her for that... " I said
"She loved you so very much Terry. She knew she didn't have much time left when she realized she had lung cancer. No one knew she was hiding more then she let on. If she would have told us..."
Grandma swallowed back her tears
"...If she would have told us... She might still be here..." She said
"I know grandma... I know... She meant so much to me. I wish she didn't have to go so soon. I wish she was still here..." I said
She nods quietly. Not able to say a word in fear of tears. She sits back and watches her movie. I watch also. The movie was Alien vs. Predator. I watch as the predator took out another Alien with his claw. Slowly my eyelids start to droop. I close my eyes and sit back quietly. Before I know it, I hear the quiet snore of grandma in the chair. I open my eyes and look over at her. Her glasses were more askew then usual. She was crying in her sleep. I get up and walk over to where she was sleeping and remove her glasses, setting them on the table beside her. I then turn my attention to the flight of stairs. Blushing slightly at the thought of seeing her. I quietly walk across the room. As I look upstairs I can see the bathroom is ajar. I quietly make my way up the first few steps with little effort. Pausing on the fifth step because I knew it creaked. I step over to the sixth step and pull myself up using the railing and the wall. I continue my way up until I reach the platform of the upstairs. As I turn, to the right of me I can hear grandpa's loud snoring from their bedroom. I quietly walk straight ahead and stop at the other bedroom door. Her room. Hesitantly as not to wake up her grandpa, I quietly knock on the door.
"Come in" said the familiar angelic voice I've grown to know.
I take in a breath and open the door. As I walk into her messy room I look over at her bed against the wall by her window. She was there. I could see she was in the middle of an episode of the Vampire Diaries. She looks up at me and smiles her angelic smile that I have grown to love.
"Well hi stranger." She said
"Howdy." I say in my usual tone
She was in her pajamas. Or what she called pajamas. She wore a pair of black yoga pants that were snug against her along with a white spaghetti strap tank top. Her bra straps just visible from her shoulders. Her blonde hair was damp. She must have taken a shower not to long ago.
"So how are you?" She asked
"I'm alright, just tired is all. How are things with you Danni?" I asked
"Not so good." She said
She sits up and pats the spot beside her. I give a half smile and walk over to where she sat and sat down where she signaled.
"Oh yeah? What's the matter?" I asked concerned.
I already had an idea of what could be wrong but I wanted to know for sure.
"My boyfriend is angry with me because I talk to you." She said sadly
My heart gave a painful lurch, but I kept my composure.
"I see." I said
She nodded and looks at me. I can see the pain in her beautiful blue eyes. Something I have never wanted to see ever again.
"I don't know what to do Terry. I love him." She says quietly
With this my heart gives another painful lurch. All I want to do is hold her head against my chest and tell her everything will be alright. But I could only say:
"Danni, if you love him, do what he wants and stop talking to me. He sees me as a threat. I'll understand. "
I am not the one to tear someone away from another person. But all my heart was telling me to do was wrap my hand into her blonde hair and kiss her. Kiss her with all the feeling and passion that has been bottled up for so long and pray she can read the way I feel with our lips connecting that words could never compare to.
"Terry, I would never do that to you. You're my best friend. We have been through a lot together. I can do just about anything, but I'd rather die then to not be able to talk to you..." She said
I felt a small jolt of happiness. Just more feelings to add into the mix of my already confused thought process clouded by my feelings.
"He needs to realize we are only friends." I said
"That's what I told him, but he still doesn't want me to talk to you. He'd be pissed if he realized you were here this late at night." She said
"It can't be helped. We have been through a lot together. If he can't bear me being in your life, then I dunno what to tell him." I said.
She flashes her beautiful smile at me for a moment. I can't help but smile back.
"How has work been treating you?" I asked
Her smile faded.
"It's all that can keep my mind off of my mother... When I sit and think about it, I can't help but cry..."
I could clearly see Danni's eyes tearing up at the thought of her mother. I placed my hand gently on hers.
"I know it's hard... She isn't suffering anymore..."
A murmur came from the other room. Grandpa stirring in his sleep. Danni turned to me and looked me in the eyes.
"I miss her Terry..."
Her eyes tear up again. And she started to cry. I wrap my arms around her and held her while she wept.
"We all miss mom Danni... But please be strong for her sake... She would never want you to cry over her."
Her crying slowly lessened as I intensified my hug.
"I know... But it hurts... I've lost my mother so young... And I don't know what I'm going to do now that she's gone... " she said in a choked up voice.
I hold her head gently to my chest.
"I will always be here for you Danni. I made that promise to your mother. To look after the family."
Tracy would only entrust this duty to me. She felt I was best suited for the job because I cared deeply about each and every one of her kids.
"I know your always here for me... Thank you for everything you've done..." She said
"Don't mention it." I said
I released my hug, and with it, another piece of my heart.
"What time is it?" I asked
She rubs her eyes and checks her phone.
"It's 11:56" she said.
"S**t!" I say quietly, "I gotta go, text me." I get up and give Danni one last hug and I exit her room quickly. As I did, my zippo lighter fell onto her bed.
....

Coming back to reality I slow down at the stop sign to turn onto my road. Looking both ways I can see no traffic. I take the turn like any other and speed down the road.
"Almost home" I thought to myself.
I look down to check my speed. I was going 55 in a 25. As I look up, a deer jumps into the path of my car. Panicking, I swerve around the deer missing it by inches. My car was instantly on two wheels. Trying to get ahold of my vehicle, I whip the wheel left, then to the right,then left again with no success. Then I saw it. The headlights of an oncoming car. I was going too fast and had no control of the car. As I shut my eyes and finally hear the crunch of metal on metal, I could only hear one sentence screaming in my ears. The last words I had ever said to Tracey.
"I'll see you soon."

Reviews

[Leon Williams]

Thank you :) this was my first chapter and to be honest, I was a little nervous putting it out her like this. At least someone likes it. :)

[Judith Reznor]

Honestly, that made me cry.
The detailing was great, and the raw emotion throughout it.
I like how you described the feeling of everything, and I hope you keep writing more of this :).
you have an amazing talent that needs to be put out there.