From A Car Crash To A Crush

From A Car Crash To A Crush - Pain

"We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey." - Kenji Miyazawa

On my way home from school I decided to stop by the track that I used to run at that was near the school. I may not have been able to finish my laps earlier, but I was sure hell not going to give up so easily. I started out slowly but by the time that I was half way around the track, I'd finally managed to get a wobbly pace going. I still had a long way to go. If I could get back to my normal running routine, then maybe I could finally run away from all of these conflicting feelings going on inside of me. I miss my friends, but I've recently realized just how pissed off I am at the fact that they left me alone in this world.

I pull my iPod out of my pocket and start playing my old running list. Most people listen to happy or upbeat songs when they go running, but I am the complete opposite. I like slow songs that evoke so much emotion that it pours from my body through sweat.

A Thousand Years by Christina Perri began playing as I made my way around the track again. The sticky August heat was beginning to get to me by the time I finished my second lap around. I'd already fulfilled my promise of finishing up my two laps but I did not want to give up the pace I had finally made.

I ran and ran until I could hardly move any more, and then I kept on running some more. I must have been running for a good half hour when I finally collapsed onto the hard asphalt out of pure exhaustion.

I had laid there for a total of two seconds before I felt someone step on my arm and fall on top of me.

"What the hell did you do stop for?" I heard a male voice say accusingly.

I opened my eyes to be met by a half-naked guy roughly my age wearing only a pair of running shorts and a pair of Nikes. He stood up and brushed himself off before reaching his hand out to help me up. I tried not to make eye contact out of embarrassment. I was the one who randomly stopped running in the middle of the track; however, I hadn't known that there was anyone else here, let alone following so closely.

I sat there on the ground just staring at his hand afraid of moving. Even if I did let him help me up, I'm not sure I could stand up on my own. It became very evident that all of my running had been a mistake. I should've just quit after my two laps were finished. My leg was on fire.

"Is there a particular reason why you won't stand up?" he asked while still offering me his hand.

"Umm.. I don't think I can stand up."

"And why is that, might I ask?"

I finally willed myself to look up at him. My eyes traveled up to his shaggy honey colored hair, and finally landed on a pair of very familiar blue eyes.

My memory must have been playing tricks on me. Those bright blue eyes look exactly like the ones I have been seeing every night in my sleep. But, the guy who pulled me out of the wreckage had to have been at least five years older than the guy in front of me. From what I remember, his hair was darker as well.

But there was no mistaking those eyes. I did another glance over his face to make sure that I wasn't losing my mind. Could it really be him? It has to be him.

"My name is Thane by the way..." he mentioned finally putting his hand down.

I began to stare at his hand in wonderment. Those were the same hands that pulled me out of Hunter's car. The same hands that were there spent calming me while he waited on the ambulance to arrive to help me. The same hands that could've been helping Miranda, Hunter, Ian, and Ivy instead of me. He could've saved them.

The realization suddenly made me really angry. Why did he have to help me? Why couldn't he have helped Miranda? He had to have heard her screaming. What kind of person lets someone lie in the middle of the road bleeding and not help her? And Ivy and Ian had landed in a ditch not much further away. Why did he stop to help me? Deep down I knew there was no help for Hunter. The look in his eyes told me that he was dead on impact. He still could've tried to help him.

I had to get away from him. There was no way I could look into his eyes without linking them to that horrific crash. I relived it every night; I did not want to have to relive it in his eyes.

I reached up to grab his hand only because I knew it was the fastest way up. It would take far too long to try to stand up on my own.

I managed to get up with some pain and began walking to the bleachers to grab my school bag.

"Hey, you forgot something," he yelled while jogging over to me holding my iPod that must've fallen out while I was lying down. "Here ya go. Sorry about running over you earlier by the way.."

I didn't bother replying to him. I just walked away.

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Author's Note: 

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Also, The Eye Candy On The Right Is Freddie Stroma, And He Will Be Playing Thane Monroe..

Lots of love, Ashley.