Trying to Forget You

Chapter 13: Drunk Driving

"He's gone."

I nod. "Yeah, they are."

She bites her lip to stop her cries but fails, her body convulses with sobs.

Hearing her cries, mixed with my own hurting heart, stirs something depressing within. And before I know it, we are both crying.

With tears running down my face I pull her into my chest and hold her tight, not only for her comfort but for my own.

At first, all I wanted was to be alone and let the smoke clear my problems away. But now, I just want someone to comfort me.

I want someone to tell me it's okay, because I now know it won't be. My life will never, ever, be the same again.

We hold each other for a long time, I sob into her hair as she sheds tears onto my navy blue t-shirt.

Eventually, we run out of tears. We look up at each other and stare into each other's eyes.

And that's when I feel it again. A spark.

I set her on the couch next to me and fold my hands. I feel ashamed. Why is that still there?

Ella is quiet beside me for a minute before I hear her say, "I am sorry."

I shake my head, wiping my eyes. I can't believe I let her see me cry let alone feel a spark. I am just hoping she didn't feel the same.

"Don't be sorry Ella."

She curls her body into a ball and wraps her arms around herself.

"How did you know where I was?" she mumbles.

I look over at her, "Do you even know where you are?"

She shakes her head.

"You're in my house." I state, looking back toward the kitchen. "Which you have destroyed."

I chuckle a little internally but I don't feel like laughing externally yet.

I have always tried to find the humor in something, to make the situation lighter. But even I don't feel like laughing right now.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I went here." she stutters with a tear-clogged throat. "I-I thought this was my house. I mean, my mom even keeps her wine in the same cabinet."

I nod then mumble, "Yeah, well you did used to come over here a lot."

"Please, Noah. Don't even start th-"

"I'm not starting anything Ella." I interrupt, standing up and walking into the kitchen.

"Water?"

She nods and sits up, watching me get out the two glasses and then filling them with water from the sink.

I walk over and hand her the cup of water. She takes it and sips some water. Standing up, I now realize her appearance. Her blonde hair is wild and messy, her eyes red, she is wearing a light gray shirt with mud on it and dark gray sweatpants.

I don't know why I should judge, I highly doubt I look any better. The moment Mrs. Andrews called me, I picked up. It was midnight at the time, still pitch black outside. I was wearing a blue t shirt and white sweatpants. As I look down, I see my clothes are in the same condition my heart is.

Tattered, ripped and destroyed.

I look up at Ella and sigh. "I am going to take a shower. You probably need one too, you're going to get a huge headache shortly."

Ella looks up at me, her eyes dead and her face went from sad to pissed off. "Shut up you idiot. I will when I want. For now, I am going home."

Man, drunk Ella is mean. I ignore her insult and walk towards the stairs.

Suddenly, she starts sobbing again. I swivel my head around and walk over to her. I pick her up and carry her to the garage.

"What are you doing?" she slurs in my face. Her breath is terrible.

I walk into the garage and open my car door, placing her gently inside.

"I am taking you home."

I get in the driver's side and start the car. Beside me, Ella is quiet, only an occasional sniffle coming from her nose. I pull out and drive to her house, not saying a word. We watch the streets pass, the birds chirp happily in the sky, the couples walk hand in hand on the sidewalks.

And honestly, I feel a little jealous. I want that to be me and Noelle. My beautiful girl with that gorgeous brown hair. She was so bubbly and stubborn. She loved her books too, a lot.

"Noah," Ella mumbles beside me, pulling me out of my trance. "You're crying again."

I wipe my eyes and continue driving to her house, picking up the speed. I glance over at Ella beside me and see her make a small grin.

"What? Don't tell me you're secretly a NASCAR driver?" I ask with a small grin. Her face right now is priceless.

Her face goes serious. "Noah. Pull over the car."

Worried, I pull over and park, taking the key out quickly. I look over at her worriedly, "Are you okay? Are you feeling sick or something?"

She shakes her head and looks straight out the dash window.

"Noah. Get out of the car. Don't ask any questions, just do it." She says firmly.

I blink of few times. "Okay..." I mumble, unbuckling my seat belt and walking around to the passenger side to let her out.

But as I open her door, she slips over into the drivers seat.

"What are you doing?" I frown, leaning my head over to look at her.

"Get in, I'm driving."

I frown even more. "Like hell you are! You are not driving this car, and I repeat not! This car is my baby!"

She leans over and in matter of seconds, pulls me inside, closing the door behind me. She turns the key and roars the engine, and before I can scream at her to stop, she shifts the gear and takes off down the road like a wild woman.

She speeds down the street and ends up driving down an old dirt road.

A little worried, I hold onto the handle above my seat and buckle myself with the seat belt to my right.

She suddenly makes a sharp turn and starts driving into an old crop field.

I scream at her various curses, not just because she is scaring the living daylights out of me but mostly because she is getting my new Jeep Wrangler coated with dirt and mud.

"Ella!" I yell louder. "Stop!"

I look over at her and see her grinning. I am a little shocked that she is actually grinning, and I think it's actually genuine.

"Would you slow down and please tell me what you are doing?" I scream over to roar of the engine as it works hard enough to keep up with the pressure she puts on the accelerator.

She keeps her grinning face and makes another sharp turn, splattering mud onto my right window.

"Don't worry, it will be fun." she says with a smirk.

I may not know much about women, but what I do know is that it's never good when they say those six words.