CARTER POV
*ring*
*ring*
*ring*
"Ugh," loud chining rining stirs me.
I open my eyes and everything around me is completely dark. Freezing my ass off, I sit up and rub my hands over my face.
Gleaming stars pour down onto the road infornt of me, shit I must have been out for a while. Goosebumps cover my arms and my nose is stiff.
*Ding*
I look down to my phone where the noise came from and see I have a notification for a voicemail. I unlock my phone and play it.
"Hey Carter, this is Sarah's dad." Oh shit, "I wanted to call you and let you know that there is still no progress of her state. I know it isn't the news we want to hear, but it is better than her declining."
He pauses for a moment like he is listening to something, "Soran has been missing from his friend's house and with Becky's body being found, the police are looking for him to ask questions."
"I don't know why they are, but it would mean a lot to my and my wife if you could tell us anything you know." A sharp breeze passes me and I shiver in response, I grab my shirt from the other seat and slide it on over my head.
"Anyway, call me and we can talk or you can swing by the hospital." He pauses again, but I hear another voice in the background, it sounds like Sarah's mom.
"Ye-yeah, okay," He clears his throat, "we know you and Sarah have been seeing each other, even if it is against our wishes."
What is the point of this, hurry the fuck up.
"We want you to know that we don't blame you for anything and we are not mad at you, we also want to talk to you about your dad," he finally fucking finishes.
"Give us a call," I stop the recording, I am not gonna listen to the rest.
The smell of rotting flesh contains the air and I realize it's my arm after further investigation. My shirt must have unraveled and that's why it was on the seat and not on my arm.
Dark crusty red patches cover my forearm with red irritated skin around the edges. The wound is swollen.
By now I am used to this shit. Cuts, bruises, broken bones, and shit. My dad doesn't really like the fact I am up to speed on his shit.
The Allens have stepped up for me. I didn't expect them to nor did I want them to, but I did it for Sarah.
She showed me what love is and how I should never take anything for granted. Her life is so messed up.
I could never imagine her life being mine. Sure, I have been through some shit, but damn.
Mr.Allen contacted me privately. He actually came uo to me at my work and told me that Sarah told him what my dad did.
He was furious to say the least. The moment I heard him talk about my dad and what he did, I was mad at Sarah for saying anything, but Mr.Allen told me not to be, only she was looking out for my well being.
My dad and him had a discussion about trading branches. My dad left to manage that branch in the southern part of Maine and come home on the weekends.
That is when Mr.Allen said that I could spend the weekends at his house. I declined and said I would be fine on my own.
He appreciated the fact I would be okay, but he was still persistent. I never told him O was planning on staying weekends, but he knows.
One night, I was climbing up that stupid fucking tree high and I slipped. He saw me through the back window and I saw him, but neither of us said anything.
I think we both understand how much Sarah means to both of us and how much she affects everyone around her.
Because of Sarah, I am a better person. I was such an asshole before I met her.
"No, Courtney and I are just friends." James and I have been havning the same argument for the past hour.
"Then why did she tell me you two went to the movies last night?" This kid and his fucking sister.
Last night I went to the movies with Courtney because she wanted to see this new movie that came out and didn't have anyone to go with. Since I am her friend, I went with her.
Yeah, she is hot as fuck and I did make a move on her, but that is my business. She has no right to go around and tell people shit.
We kept a promise to each other that it is platonic with no hard feelings. I guess she lied, she told James everything.
"Dude, we are just friends, no need to nag me about it," I take my phone off speaker and bring my phone up to my ear.
"She likes you, Carter," his voice rang. "I didn't know that," of course I did.
"Look, I will back off for now, but she really is my friend." He pauses, "fine, I have to go."
He hangs up the phone and I toss it on the bed next to his sister who is half naked. I take my shirt off and climb up next to her.
"He sounds mad," she states.
"Mhm," I dive over her and kiss her.
That was a bitch move, I guess. I don't care though, Courtney has a nice body and it was a good time.
She is my rock, I can go to her about anything and she will be right there listening and letting me vent to her. She makes me feel like it is good in this world.
Besides the whole entity attacking my dad, James, Soran, and now Courtney, she is the constant good and I think I am ready for that change.
I want to be the good in her life. For her to take something and fix it was not on her to-do list, but she really did correct me. She at least is working on it.
If I want to be a good boyfriend and be the good in her life, I should call her parents. They seem concerned and I appreciate their effort to reach out to me.
Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I pick up my phone and click her dad's contact. My thumb hovers over the call button, I click on it.
*Ring*
*Ring*
"Hello? Carter?" Mr.Allen's voice appears.
I take a deep breath, "Hey, Mr.Allen, I got your voicemail."
"Oh, good," I wait for him to continue, "um- my wife and I would like you to come over if that is alright?"
The time on my dash reads, 8:33 pm, "sure, what time?"
"Now?" I turn the keys in the ignition.
"Yeah, we want you to come over now, are you available?" Like I'm never available...
I place the phone down to put my seatbelt on. Another thing Sarah started making me do when she drives with me, fucking safety.
"Yeah, I'll be over." He says, "see you soon" and hangs up.
I turn up the volume of the music playing in the truck and zone out. I am still pretty zooted, so I also roll down the other windows to sober me up a bit.
Only smoking trees in the back of the truck...
Fuck...
I drive up the street to the good ol' cal-de-sac and park in their driveway. My dad's car can't be seen, so I am guessing it is in the garage or he isn't home yet.
I park the car in their driveway and turn the car off. I can see the lights on in the house, they are waiting for me.
This better be good, I need to get away from here. This is all too depressing.
Getting out of the car, I shut the door to my truck and lock it. I simply grab a sig from my pocket and the lighter I had put in there earlier and light it up.
Taking a few drags, I watch as the smoke lingers in the air. The bitter smell of stale cigarettes hits my nose and I take one longer hit.
The hit buzzes me and I throw it out onto the street before walking up the rest of the driveway. As I shuffle to the front door, Mr.Allen opens it for me.
"Hey, come on in," I step through the door and I immediately feel heavier.
My chest drops and it twists once I am fully inside. The lights flicker a bit and causes me to step back.
Mrs.Allen arrives in the hallway near the stairs, "Hi Carter."
I wave hello and the three of us walk into the living room. The two of them sit on one couch, the one Sarah and I watched the movie.
I sit opposite them, on the couch near the window. Their house is pretty nice, not as big as mine, but nice.
I have never really seen the inside of their house. Sometimes at night I do, but that is only when Sarah insists on making me food.
Mrs.Allen covers a cough and I notice Mr.Allen muttering something to her, "you wanted to talk to me about Sarah?"
"Yeah, honestly we don't really know what has been going on with her," he says.
"To be more clear, we don't know what happened," Mrs.Allen finished for her husband.
I sigh, "I don't know either."
Honestly, I don't know. When she called me, she sound distraught and in a hurry.
"She told us she called you and that is how you found her where she was." I nod, "yeah she called me about seeing a spirit and she told me that it was Becky."
Sarah's mom took a sharp breath, "so you knew she died?"
"I wasn't sure, she sounded like she was out of breath and like she was running." Both of her parents nod at my answer.
"She told me to meet her here at the house," I gestured. "When I got here, I couldn't find her, so I went and looked in the back."
"Do you know if she has been seeing more spirits or what kind?" Mr.Allen asks me.
I really don't think Sarah would like me to talk about her like this to her parents. I mean she told me not to tell anyone and that stuff she sees or experiences, it makes her parents on edge.
I click my tongue on the roof of my mouth, the lingering taste of weed is brought to my taste buds. Shit, I wonder if they can smell it on me.
It has been a few hours now, so they shouldn't. They do know I smoke, I think...
"Sometimes, she doesn't really tell me about it." I answer more, "I see her space out or sometimes she is in a daze."
They look at each other like they are agreeing on the same thing, "what else has she told you about her abilities?" Mr.Allen asks me.
I shake my head, "nothing really."
I am not going to say more about this, especially since Sarah isn't here to elaborate. What happened a few days ago at the school was intense and I know Sarah does not want me to say anything about it.
The grad clock on one of the walls ticks beside me, her parents are nodding slowly as the time in between starts to slow down. My chest begins to lighten at the thought of Sarah again.
Before, my chest was tight and daunting, but now it is light as a feather. My head feels lightheaded, kind of like the buzz before I came into the house.
"In that case, we will have to wait until Sarah is better for us to talk with her," Mr.Allen states.
Awkwardly, I get up and start to head for the door, "wait a second."
Mrs.Allen jogged up behind me and grabbed my arm, "we want you to stay here while Sarah is at the hospital."
"Why?" The ticking sound increases matching my own heartbeat.
"This kind of thing is scary and we don't want you doing anything or getting into trouble," A firm line meets my face, "the same thing happened with James, you weren't around then."
I know I am being a little shit. Her parents think they know everything that is going on and they don't.
"Excuse me," I grab the door handle and open the door.
"Don't speak to my wife that way, young man." He gets up from the couch and walks over to where I stand with Mrs.Allen.
"We offer you a place to stay, give you the option to tell us about Sarah, and we have done so much for you regarding your father-" I step back from him.
Is he really going to use the 'your father abuses you and we helped you through it' card?
"Look, all I am going to say is that if you really care about Sarah and her abilities, you would get her out of that hospital and move her far away from here." My face becomes hot and I feel my hands shake.
They notice the tension and take a step back into the hallway.
The back of my arm tingles, by now the cut from earlier has reopened and I am probably getting blood on the floor. I place that thought in the back of my mind and leave.
I slam the door behind me and get into my truck. Pull the keys out of my pocket and take a cigarette out.
Lighting it up with my lighter, I pull out of the driveway. The truck roars down the street and I feel the buzz clouding my vision.
Everything you wanted to be...
Cause everything that you wanted to be is dead to me...
Cruisin thru at bout one Hunny...
Everything went black.