Ghost of My Past

“Derek, tonight was amazing. I don’t know how to thank you.” I said, cupping my face in my hands as I flashed back to the concert. Derek smiled and held my heart.

“I know how.” He said, with a spark in his eyes. I grinned mischievously. 

“How?”

“Tell me that you love me, and that you’ll never leave me. Tell me that you’ll always be mine, no matter what. Tell me that you want to spend forever with me, and even if, God forbid, something happens, you’ll always be my best friend.” He said sincerely. I felt my eyes well up with tears and leaned over to kiss him. He cupped my face in his hands and swiped his tongue against my bottom lip, asking for permission, which I immediately granted. 

I don’t know how long we sat there, kissing, but it was interrupted by a loud shriek.

I broke away from the kiss and looked ahead in shock. It all happened in slow motion.

A gleaming pair of white headlights rushed towards us. I can’t remember if I screamed or not, but all I remember was looking over at Derek. He had a knowing look in his tear-filled eyes. He gave me a ghostly smile, before unbuckling his belt and throwing his body over mine. 

There was a loud shattering sound as I shut my eyes in fear.

----

“She’s waking up…” I heard a voice echo in my ear. I slowly blinked open an eye, before shutting it again. My body felt like someone put it in a blender and left it on high. My head was spinning and I couldn’t feel my left leg. I tried to open my eyes again, but I was faced with a blinding light.

“Easy, don’t force yourself.” I heard the voice again. It belonged to a young women. I ignored her and forced my eyes open this time. Everything was kind of blurry, but I kept them open. My vision steadied and the pounding in my head softened.

I was in a room, surrounded by men and women in white lab coats. Most of them were wearing surgical masks, except for the woman standing over me. She was petite, with long brown hair and light brown eyes. She had a bittersweet smile as she looked down at me.

“Hey there.” She whispered, feeling my forehead. I moaned, feeling the pain in my head erupt again. A wave of sickness washed over me, but I shook it off, looking up at the woman.

“What happened to me…” I croaked, trailing off. She sighed and looked at a clipboard.

“You were in a crash.” She said solemnly. Suddenly, I remembered everything, the crash, the tire screeching, the bloodcurdling shrieks and Derek throwing himself over me.

Derek. My boyfriend, Derek.

“Where is he?!” I shouted, as my eyes started filling up with stinging tears. The woman came back and rested her hands on my shoulders. Her face was distorted with concern and fear.

“Calm down-”

“Don’t tell me to calm down! Where the hell is Derek?! Where is my boyfriend?!” I cried out, lashing at her grip. I bolted upright with all the strength in my body. I whipped my head around to see a crumpled body. I felt my heart sink and my breath catch.

There, lying on the bed, was the love of my life. My Derek.

I scrambled off the bed, lurching towards him. I stumbled twice, but picked myself up. I ignored the nurses and fell to my knees, next to my boyfriend. He had a huge gash running from his jaw to his waist, and his eyes were shut tight. His right arm was gruesomely bent backwards. I screamed, grabbing at him and shaking him. It took me a few moments before I realized something.