The sun was glaring through the windows mockingly, almost blinding me.
"How is it your fault?" I asked Jules. Dog padded into the room, looking at us curiously.
Jules patted at his pockets. "We need to get to the hospital, now. Can we take your car? I'll drive."
"Um..." I retrieved my car keys from my pocket, "sure. Please, just explain what's going on."
Jules grabbed the keys from me and raced out the door. I followed him outside as he started talking. "I was supposed to get the brakes on the van checked because they've been a bit faulty. That was my responsibility, and I forgot." He lifted the keys to unlock my car and slid into the driver's seat as I went around to the other side.
Buckling my seatbelt, I suddenly remembered what Sapphire had asked of me at the wedding, just yesterday and I had forgotten, 'Saya, when you see him can you remind him to get the breaks on the van checked? He keeps forgetting.'
I ran a hand though my hair as he backed out of the driveway. "Sapphire told me to remind you," I explained. "I should've brought it up."
Jules glanced at me through the corner of his eye. "No. It has nothing to do with you. I shouldn't have needed to be reminded. And my best friend is the one paying for it."
Anxiety bubbled around in my stomach. "Do you know if he'll be okay?"
Jules tightened his hands on the wheel, knuckles whitening. "Dan said they don't have any information yet. Just that Cash was going to pick up his sister, Berenice, from her dance class. I leant him the van, because he left from my house. Then something went wrong with the brakes, and now he's in the hospital."
We travelled in silence for a few minutes. Jules took the back roads, hoping to get there quicker. "You've got to be kidding me," he mumbled all of a sudden. "These things take forever."
I looked up, and saw a train crossing the tracks ahead. Cars were slowing to a stop in front of us.
Jules sighed and leaned back against the seat. After a moment, he reached out his hand to lay it palm up between us. I tried to meet his eye, but he was staring straight out the window, a frown carved into his face. I lifted my hand to hold his, and squeezed tightly. His fingers wrapped around the back of my hand, and he seemed to relax, the tension falling out of his shoulders.
It took me a while to find my voice. "Jules, I'm so sorry I was mad at you earlier." He turned to face me, and I had to force myself to keep going. "Of course, I've never not known where I was going in life, so I can't relate to how you feel. But that doesn't mean I had the right to get mad at you for being confused. You deserve the time to discover what you want out of life."
The corner of Jules' lip moved up just the slightest, and I felt a weight leave my chest. "I understand why you were worried about me. You're right, Saya, I should take the time to think about my future. And I'm sorry I got so defensive. You were just looking out for me. I shouldn't have yelled."
I took a breath. "So I'm forgiven?"
"As long as I am."
"Then we're both good," I said.
Jules nodded. "We're both good. And I may not know what'll happen in the future, but I do know that I want you there with me."
I felt myself smile, and I tightened my grip on his hand. "There's no place I'd rather be."
Returning my gaze to the windshield, I realized I could see the back end of the train. "Hey, its going," I told Jules.
He looked up. "Right. Let's go see Cash."
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Just as we were pulling into the hospital parking lot, we saw two familiar figures walking out of the hospital doors.
Jules and I got out of my car and jogged ahead to meet Dan and Isir. Dan tossed a wrapper in a garbage can and took a sip from the juice box he had in hand. Isir was tightly gripping a cup of coffee. He appeared a little down, still. Rose leaving must've been hard for him.
"Hey, what're you guys doing?" Jules asked, coming to a stop at the cement walk.
"We just got bagels from the cafeteria," Dan said cheerily. "You wouldn't believe how good they are."
Jules frowned. "I meant, why aren't you with Cash?"
"He was sent home already," Isir explained. "He broke his leg and has a small concussion, but he'll be fine."
Upon hearing this, I finally let myself calm down. My friend was fine, and that was enough for me.
"And your van is wrecked, by the way," Dan added.
Jules seemed to relax. "But Cash is okay?"
I regarded my boyfriend, and couldn't help but smile a little. He couldn't care less about a material possession, because at least his best friend was safe.
"He's fine," Isir assured. "We were actually about to go to his house."
"We took the bus here, if you'd wanna give us a ride," Dan put in.
Jules shook his head and chuckled. "C'mon, let's go."
And so we went. As we piled into the car, Jules said, "I think I'm going to stop and get him a bacon cheeseburger. They're his favourite."
"Aren't you a considerate husband," Dan teased.
Jules looked back at him. "Are you feeling left out?"
"Me? No. I have self-esteem thank you very much."
"That self-esteem can be measured by the gram," Isir said dryly, earning a hard punch in the arm from Dan.
"I'll pay," I offered, digging around in my purse. I held up a debit card. "You guys want anything?"
"Saya," Dan chimed, "you are my favourite human alive."
"Wow, thanks," Isir murmured as I laughed.
By the time we got to Cash's house, we had already called both Ruby and Sapphire to fill them in on what happened. Ruby said she'd try to leave work as soon as possible, but Sapphire was already at the airport with Jack, so she insisted on calling him.
I had only ever seen the outside of Cash's house before. It was old and looked a breath away from falling apart. The dusty sedan I had noticed last time was vacant from the driveway. Jules pulled to a stop outside the house, grabbing the food we'd picked up and getting out of the car. Dan, Isir, and I trailed him to the front door. He didn't bother knocking, he just walked inside.
We followed him into a small living room with light filtering in from the window, casting the room in a yellow glow. There were two couches around a coffee table and a T.V. at the far end of the room. Cash was sitting on the couch nearest us, left leg wrapped in a cast and resting on the table. There was a young, brunette girl who couldn't have been older than nine, curled up asleep next to him.
Cash looked up when we walked in, and his face split into a grin. "Hey guys," he whispered.
Jules sighed and flopped down next to him. "Are you okay?"
Cash looked down at his lap as Dan, Isir, and I made space for ourselves on the other couch.
Eventually Cash just shrugged. "Been better. My leg is pretty numb at this point and my head is pounding, but I'm alive." He nodded, like this was still the best he'd been in a while.
"It was my fault," Jules said quickly. Cash raised an eyebrow at him. "I was supposed to get the brakes checked, but I didn't. And then I leant you the van, and you got hurt, and-"
"And," Cash plucked the bag out of Jules' hand and reached inside, "you got me a bacon cheeseburger. I wasn't even mad, so next time you need forgiving, this has already covered it."
Isir laughed lightly. "I don't think you should encourage him to need forgiving again."
"That won't matter," Dan put in, "Jules is prone to messing up."
Jules stuck out his tongue out at Dan, and looked back to his best friend, who had started eating the burger. The little girl was still sleeping soundly next to him. "I still feel terrible," Jules confessed. "It's my fault."
Cash swallowed the bite he'd taken, and adorned a stony mask. "I'm gonna be in this cast for six weeks, dipshit," he deadpanned. "But if you still feel guilty after that, then I have no problem kicking your ass."
Finally, Jules laughed. The sound of which woke the young girl. She sat up and stretched her small limbs, and blinked around at us. She paused when she saw me, clearly not recognizing who I was. I noticed her eyes were dark brown, and not blue like Cash's, of course, her hair wasn't blonde either. "I don't know you," she said blatantly.
I smiled. "My name is Saya. Your brother is one of my best friends."
She looked up at Cash, who nodded, then back at me. "I'm Echo," she greeted.
"That's a very pretty name," I told her.
"People say it's weird."
"My name is Saya," I repeated, "kids made fun of me all the time. But my name means peace, and I really like that."
Echo grinned at me, and I noticed a few of her teeth were missing. "My name means sound. My brother even got a tattoo of it! Also with what Ray and B's names mean too." She looked up at Cash. "Show her!"
Cash sighed over dramatically, which made Echo giggle, and lifted up his right shirt sleeve.
I had only ever seen glimpses of Cash's tattoo before, and never paid it much mind. On the side of his shoulder, three words were printed in large, royal script: Gold, Victory, Sound.
"That's so sweet," I insisted.
Cash dropped his sleeve, hiding the tattoo from view. "Yeah, yeah."
Dan leaned close to me. "He's a big teddy bear, he just hates admitting it."
"That's something I've figured out for myself," I replied, to which Cash rolled his eyes.
Jules shoved him lightly. "You know it's true."
"You're a textbook softie," Isir added.
"I broke my leg today," Cash complained. "I have a concussion. I don't need this abuse."
Echo threw herself onto her brother, hugging him tight. "But we love you!" she sang.
Cash kissed the top of her head. "I love you too."
Just then, the front door opened, and we all looked up. A woman was coming in through the doorframe. She had long, wavy brown hair pulled into a ponytail, and big dark eyes. Her skin was ghostly white, with soft purple bags under her eyes. Behind her followed two younger girls, each with the same features. The older seemed about sixteen, her dark hair hanging choppily around her shoulders, and her eyes chalked with thick black eyeliner. The other girl was maybe thirteen, with her hair in a long french braid and an energetic bounce to her step.
I stared at them, and couldn't help but think that Cash must've looked just like his dad. It made me wonder how his mom felt about that. Seeing a man that was no longer in her life day after day.
"Hey sweetheart," Cash's mom said, coming in. She looked around at all of us. "And my other sweethearts," she added. Her brown eyes landed on me. "You're new," she observed, her voice not unkind.
"This is Saya!" Echo piped, running around to her mother. "She's my new friend!"
Cash's mom dropped the bag she had been holding and caught Echo as she ran towards her, lifting her up. The older girl, who must've been Aurelia, set down another plastic bag on the entry table, mussed Cash's hair, and made for the stairs.
"Is that so?" Cash's mom asked Echo, as the middle daughter came to sit on the arm of the couch. Jules offered her a fist bump, which she returned with a grin. She had to have been Berenice.
Echo nodded eagerly. "Yep!" She looked at me. "Aren't we friends, Saya?"
I smiled, suddenly wishing I had a sister as sweet as her. "Of course we are, Echo."
Cash's mom tilted her head at me, and her lips curled into a smile of her own. She set Echo down, who grabbed Berenice's hand. The two of them disappeared up the stairs after Aurelia.
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Saya," Cash's mom told me, leaning on the back of the couch. She, too, mussed Cash's hair. Her son smiled up at her crookedly.
"You too!" I assured. "I've heard a lot about you."
"All good things, I hope," she murmured smoothly, looking past me, directly at Dan.
Dan brought his hands to his heart. "My own mother, accusing me of speaking ill of her. I am disgusted that you would even think such a thing!"
Cash's mom shook her head. "I love you, but I'm not your mother, Dan."
Dan gasped and fell backwards onto Isir, who rolled his eyes and pushed him back upright. "Are you saying I'm adopted?" Dan asked her.
"I figured you'd realize it sooner than later." Cash's mom shrugged. "We're not even the same race."
Dan looked down at his light brown hands. "I'm having a full on identity crisis," he muttered.
Cash's mom laughed, her whole face lighting up. "I bought you guys some chips, pop, and rented a few movies, and I was just going to go make cookies."
"You're the best, Mom," Cash told her, tilting his head up.
She kissed his forehead and murmured, "I know." With a wave to the rest of us, she walked off to the kitchen.
"How'd she know we'd be here?" I asked no one in particular.
Jules looked at me curiously. "Why wouldn't we be?"
I acknowledged that he had a point, and Isir got up to choose between movies.
Yet again, the door opened, and this time Ruby walked in. "Hope I didn't miss anything good," she said to the room. She leaned over the back of the couch to hug Cash.
"Nothing," he told her. "My mom's making cookies."
"Awesome," she replied enthusiastically. "There is nothing like your mom's cooking."
Isir held up a DVD case. "How do you guys feel about The Philosopher's Stone?"
I smiled at the sight of the Harry Potter movie. "We have to watch it," I insisted.
Ruby grinned at me. "I'm so happy I got you into Harry Potter," she told me.
I nodded. "Me too."
Isir put in the movie, and Ruby brought over the junk food. Jules stood from where he was sitting and started over to me.
"Hey," Cash complained. "I'm your best friend. I'm crippled. You can't leave me."
Jules shrugged. "Saya is cuddlier than you."
Cash crossed his arms in protest. "Who am I supposed to cuddle, then?"
Dan raised his hand, and Cash laughed. "Alright," he sighed, "get over here, Sanchez."
So Dan plopped down next to Cash, and Ruby squeezed in on his other side. Jules came to sit with me, and Isir stretched out on the other end of our couch.
As the movie started, I found myself distracted, looking around at my friends and boyfriend. Cash could've gotten seriously hurt today, he could've been killed. Isir was heartbroken since Rose left, and he was about to move to another country for school. Dan and Ruby would both be over an hour away from where we all were now, and Jules and I would be even further. Things were changing, and they were changing fast.
I glanced up at Jules, who was staring at the screen, laughing and smiling at all of the right moments. He seemed so at peace then, regardless of all of the new things ahead of us. Everyone seemed happy. Happy with where they were in that moment, all with each other.
The future would always be important, no doubt. But sometimes, you just have to appreciate even the very second you are living in. If you don't, it could so easily pass you by.
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Guys, guys, guys. One more chapter. One more.
I really hoped you liked this chapter, and meeting Cash's family! Let me know what you thought of them.
I'll be back soon with the final chapter of The Reality of Now, and I can't wait to tell you the end of this story.
Until then, please vote, comment, and share this story with someone who has a broken limb!
~Paige