I stand on the doorstep for a second and pull out my phone, just now remembering I have to text Jess to cover for me about last night. When I get a confirmation, I slip inside and close the door quietly. My actions pose as useless when I realize there's no one home. My parents must be at work, like always.
My mother and father both met at work; my dad was my mother's boss. They worked in advertising for four years together before my father made his move and I was conceived. Obviously I wasn't planned, because they got married almost as soon as they heard they were pregnant. 16 years later, they're still happily married and working at the same place.
I smile at the memories of my childhood and clamber up to the bathroom to take a shower. I wash my hair and shave my legs and underarms.
I change into a loose shirt and sweatpants and go downstairs. Grabbing my laptop, I put Desperate Housewives on the TV and scroll through Twitter.
Two hours and a couple episodes later, I hear the door creak open. I hit pause and turn around.
"Hello there work horses," I tease. My mother looks at me, straight blonde hair identical to mine in a tangled mess.
"I'm sorry, honey. Your father won't just stop at the bare minimum for the the Christie client. He has to go over and above, and unfortunately that means late hours."
"Oh yeah, blame it on me." My father retorts and comes over to kiss my head. His tanned body is clothed in the dark blue suit we got him for his birthday. Although slightly wrinkled from last night, it still looks great on his toned muscles. Sometimes I wonder if I'm adopted - I'm the only ugly, chubby one in this family.
"So, how was the party?" Mom asks, sitting down next to me. I hesitate to tell her so instead I give her a general narrative, leaving out the whole kissing scenario.
"Sounds like the old times," Mom laughs. "Eh, Brett?"
There's no answer as my mom calls over her shoulder at my dad, who's working at the kitchen table. She laughs.
"Exactly." She mumbles. "The times in the past."
I smile. I'm just about to continue watching TV when I hear a knock at the door. I volunteer to get it, and when I open it, Jess is standing there. Her clear skin shows trails of tears and her wavy brown hair is tousled. She probably walked from her house, since it's only four doors down.
"Jess?" I ask, confused. "What's going on?"
"You need to come with me." She says, and grabs my hand.
"Jess, what-"
I only have time to shut the door behind me as we run to her car parked in front of her house.
"Get in," she instructs. I obey and as I slide into seat, I keep hushed. Jess scares me right now, her deep hazel eyes wild.
After a couple minutes of silence, I give in.
"Can you please tell me what's going on?" I ask her. She tightens her grip on the steering wheel and stares ahead.
"Jess!" I bellow.
"Stop." She says, and screeches to a halt. I'm just about to yell at her again when she nods forward. I turn my head and what I see shocks me to the bone.
Dan's car lies before me, smashed into a light post on the drivers side and wrecked from the passenger side.
***
It's a funny thing, shock. It can leave you in a total state of numbness and can leave all your senses quiet. I cannot hear the scream that erupts from me. The sounds of the ambulance and the police cars are muffled in the distance. My legs work through the air like it's water as I run forward.
YOU ARE READING
Foolproof • Dan Howell
Fanfiction[ ON HOLD ] I never knew I could love someone as much as I loved the brown-haired boy in business class. He was smart, cute, sweet, and funny. I never meant to fall in love with him. That was my biggest downfall, my fate, the inevitable. They say if...
