(Short chapter)
Jack stared out the windshield at the road, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. He hummed along to the station. I looked out my window at the passing streets, but I really watched his reflection. Nothing creepy. I'm worried he might say something to Mark about it, my break down.
"We-"
The sudden sound of his voice and interruption of my thoughts caused me to flinch. He glanced over with a raised brow. My cheeks feel warm from embarrassment.
"We're almost there..." His voice trailed off. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah... Just..." I forced a smile. "It's a lot to process... Processing what happened the night I disappeared."
"I'm here if you need anyone to listen." The kindness he speaks into those words and the feeling of safety and security around him reassures me everything is going to be okay. To be able to believe that is comforting.
"It's a long story..." Excuses... "I will tell you after everything simmers down a bit."
"Imma hold you to that girl." His tone had sass of a valley plaza girl. (*person who goes to the mall and is always saying 'oh my god' in a high pitched and annoying voice and has clothes too revealing and has a bag on the crevice of their arm with a midget dog.*)
"You said that without a comma."
He gave me a puzzled look. "Can you see my sentence?"
"No, but it's the way you said it. Commas allow pauses in a sentence. Like it's a beat."
"Hm. The more I know." Jack sang the tune as we eased to a stop at a stop light.
The car straight ahead...
"Jack, is that Mark's car?"
He leaned closer to the windshield, accidently honking his horn with his chest. "Whoops. Yeah, that's Mark."
"Call him?" There's a pang in my chest the moment I said that.
"Sure. Let's all go to the park. After we get some cookies, of course." He digs for his phone and dials Mark.
Jack had the phone to his ear as I watched Mark answer his.
The light turns green.
It felt like slow motion.
I watched. That's all I could do.
His car is upside down, windows broken and the car is smoking.
Three racing cars collided into his when it was his turn to go.
The phone call allowed me to hear everything that's happening in Mark's car, though it's not on speaker. I heard the glass break and metal bend.
I stared. Shocked.
Everything sounded muffled, a loud ring in my ear silenced it all, living a movie scene once more. This time, I'm a bystander. Jack's voice is the only one I heard before he sprinted out of our car, the phone still pressed against his cheek.
"There's been a four car accident, send an ambulance right away, the car's on fire!"
Did this really happen?
If you want to know why I'm alive right now, check out my book called Missing. It's about the same length of one of these chapters. I need someone to know my side of the story. Even if it's just a little...
I lived. Is that good enough?
I'm trying. I'm fighting. I'm pushing forward. Can't you see it...?