The longest day of my life was about to begin. I woke up an hour earlier than usual, to find enough extra time to take a relaxing bubble bath. Last night, when Chase dropped me home, I slipped in my bed and fell asleep without saying a word to Marie.
I knew, Marie was waiting for a period of 2-3 hours to prove her point to me, which wasn't possible at 2am at night. She wanted me to confess that dumping Chase was a bad decision.
I sat in the bath tub, and closed my eyes. Nothing could compare to the feeling of a good bubble bath. I was about to return to my teen drama life in an hour, my school, Aidan's high.
There was a sharp knock at my bathroom door.
I muttered, " Wait Marie. I'm taking a bath."
The door burst open, and Marie walked in, rubbing her eyes.
"Sorry, but it's urgent. Guess what, Nathan apologized and he asked me out for the prom too."
I turned my head towards her as much as I could.
"Don't you DARE forgive him. Don't forget you stayed at my place, lying to your parents about some test that we had to take during holidays, just because of that bruise."
Marie stroked her cheeks like she was touching an invisible wound.
"But he...." She tried to explain.
I cut her in the middle," No but, or if. He had hit you once; he'll do it again too. The only reason I broke up with Chase was because he was friends with Nathan. "
"I told you, you don't have to leave Chase for me."
"I can't tolerate being around friends of the guy who hit my best friend." I could hear my heart thumping against my chest loudly.
Nathan Martin, the captain of football team, was a man monster. He was tall, muscular with a square face and broad forehead. Marie and Nathan started dating 4 months ago. She had never mentioned that their relationship was nothing ordinary. He used to abuse her, and often hit her on her back so hard that she had finger marks there.
I would have never known this, till the last day of our school before a week of holidays. Marie didn't come to school, later when I reached home; she was standing outside the door. My mom and stepdad were not home. They took Aaron to the hospital for vaccination.
I came to know about her abusive relationship that day, from the fresh bruise on her cheek. I wanted her to tell her parents about all this, but she was scared of Nathan for some unknown reasons. She had to go to Portugal with her parents for holidays, but she cancelled that. She called them, that she won't be able to reach the airport as she had some other summer plans.
It was so hard for us to convince her parents and my parents because of her sudden stay at my place.
Marie nodded, "I understand but what if Nathan is really sorry this time."
I sank deeper in my bath tub, and closed my eyes.
"I don't care. But you have to choose between me and Nathan this time."
She frowned, "You don't have to be such a bitch, Lily."
She slammed the bathroom door behind her. Marie was angry, but I knew what was good for her. She was my childhood best friend and I won't let a worth less guy like Nathan ruin her life.
I got out of the bath tub and wrapped a towel around me. I heard the bedroom door closing, and I knew Marie went downstairs for breakfast.
I got dressed in a knee length printed white and purple skirt and a plain white shirt with quarter sleeves. I went downstairs and sat next to Mom at the breakfast table.
"Hello Lil." She smiled.
I reciprocated her smile and started eating my cereal. Aaron was sitting in his baby chair playing with his cereal, with his little plastic spoon. Marie was busy talking to my step-dad about our options related to the colleges.
Aaron threw the spoon on the floor and started crying. I bent down to pick up the spoon.
"Let me help you little fellow!" I said as I handed him his spoon back.
The only thing I loved about my broken family was this little creature. I loved Aaron, he was my baby brother and nothing could change that fact no matter how much I hated his dad.
Marie gave me a look, and I understood that we were already late from school.
I picked up the keys from the table, and signaled Marie to get up.
"We're leaving, Mom."
She smiled," Have a good day."
I waved at Aaron, and David gave me a friendly smile.
"See you at school, girls."
Marie nodded," See you Mr. David."
I hated being in the chemistry class, as whenever David was angry at anyone, I was the one people shot angry looks at. It was like; their eyes got little mouths who shouted at me, of being guilty of something worse than being a daughter of a woman who married him.
I sighed loudly, and walked out of my home.
I looked at my black beauty, my Toyota Prius, then at Marie. Her yellow dress was floating softly in the cool breeze.
"Ready for back to school drama?" I asked in a serious tone.
Marie grinned," More than I have ever been."
As soon as my car was on the main road, Marie started questioning me about the night I went on my little adventure. I had never told her about that death tune, as I called it. I told her more about Chase. I saw a strange expression in her eyes, whenever I mentioned Chase that made me uncomfortable.
"Is there anything you want to tell me?"
She stammered, "No...No. Why you thought like that?"
I took my eyes off the road, and turned my head to stare at Marie. There was a loud horn behind me, and the van missed hitting my car by an inch. I slammed on the brakes, and turned the wheel hard and in opposite direction off the road. When the van drove past me, I shouted at the driver but he didn't even look at me. It was not an ordinary van, but a prison van. The vehicle was highly protected, with bars over the windows. I saw a couple of fists of prisoners grabbing the bars tightly.
I took off my hands from the steering wheel, and touched my face. I touched my arms to make sure that they were still connected to my torso .I saw Marie doing the same too.
Marie took a deep breath," It was a narrow miss, Lily."
My eyes were fixed at the back of the van in the far distance, as I accelerated the car again.
"I need to know the number of that van. I won't spare the driver like this. We could have died."
I announced angrily.
I followed the van till it reached near the edge of the bridge. To my surprise, the van was not heading for the bridge but off it.
I slammed the brakes, and the vibration set the radio on. The rap music started playing which suddenly converted to the flute, and the death tune started playing.
"They are going to die." I shouted.
"What are you talking about?"
I didn't know what else to do. I sat there, with my hands on my mouth. The driver door flung open when the van reached the edge of the bridge. And the driver jumped out of the van. But the van fell into the river.
Driver was wearing white clothes with black stripes. He was covering his face with a handkerchief. He started running towards my car.
Marie screamed," Start the car, Lil."
I was so scared that my hands were trembling. The key fell on the floor, as I tried to start the car. The driver approached my side, and stopped. I closed my eyes shut.
He whispered," Sorry for the inconvenience."
I opened my eyes slowly, and he was looking at me with his flashing blue eyes. He winked at me, and ran into the forest.
I stood frozen at my place as few cars stopped and people came out. The police cars reached the spot of accident too in few minutes. They asked us few questions, and called my mom. Marie's parents were arriving back home tonight, so Marie was my mother's responsibility too till then.
Mom drove me home in my car while David took mom's car back home. I was too scared after today's accident. This was getting out of control. I was surrounded by deaths, more than any normal teenager could ever be.
Mom asked me to repeat whatever I saw. I told her everything, except the music part. But I had to mention someone about it, because it was getting out of my tolerance level now. My life was converting into a nightmare, where I could know who would die but I could do nothing to stop it from happening.