Who Said Luck Lasted Forever?

The bell rang as I opened the door to the convenient store. I beckoned for Crystal to enter.

"Thank you." She smiled kindly at me.

"No. Thank you!" I noticed her figure as she passed me. How was I so lucky?

Playfully I smacked her butt. She jumped a little and shot a glance at me.

"I love you!" That would help me out of this hole.

"I love you too." She responded then headed toward the aisle that contained toilet paper.

I stood there at the front of the small store with my hands in my pocket. A wheezing cough filled the air and I made my way towards the counter. I found Ralph sitting on a crate behind the cash register. Ralph was an elderly man. Crystal and I took a liking to him. He was always so nice but don't mistake that for weakness. He could hold his ground.

I took my hands out of my pockets and leaned on them over the counter. "How's it going Ralph?"

He stood up and stretched making his way to the counter.

"I wish I was better. I can't seem to get rid of this damn cold," he coughed.

"You should be at home resting. It might do you some good."

"Oh, that's nonsense! When I was a little boy I worked through every sickness you can think of." Ralph leaned in closer to me and looked at Crystal who was now making her way towards us. "So?"

"Tonight," I whispered.

Crystal placed the toilet paper on the counter along with some feminine products.

She greeted Ralph and asked about his grandchildren. Crystal wanted a family of her own and she kept hinting at it. We still had our lives ahead of us seeing as we both are only twenty-four.

The bell rang as a guy in a black jacket with scraggily hair strolled in anxiously. I handed Ralph the money and grabbed the bag of things. I placed my arm around Crystal's waist and kissed the top of her head. She looked up at me and placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

"Young love is still alive," Ralph exclaimed as we waved bye to him.

Ralph was now talking with the strange man.

I let go of Crystal and opened the door for her again. Once outside she grabbed both my hands and stopped me.

I looked into her eyes. Those mesmerizing eyes of hers.

"I love you." she smiled.

"I love you too." I quickly kissed her. I kept hold of one of her hands as I let the other go. I heard a loud bang and felt Crystal go stiff.

"Baby, it's only a car backfiring."

I looked back to see her eyes focused on her shirt. Her hand was on her chest. She slowly lifted her hand to reveal a crimson red colored area.

That's not what I think it is. This would never happen to her.

More of those same noises rang in my ear.

Crystal began swaying and her eyes fluttered slowly threatening to close. She finally got weak and fell on me.

This can't be real.

I placed her carefully on the ground and ignored the fact that we were on oil stained cement. I heard people scurrying and screaming in terror. A man was screaming for his daughter and wife to get back in their truck.

"Somebody call 911!" I painfully screamed.

"Am I going to be ok?" Crystal asked as her eyes started to leak with tears.

Just the thought of her not being with me made me choke on my words. The truth was that I didn't know if she was going to be fine. No! She had to be. She'll be just fine.

I sat down next to her and held her close to me.

"Yeah babe," I reassured her faking a smile.

I placed my hand hard on her wound hoping to ease the bleeding. I watched as she fought to stay conscious.

"The ambulance should be here soon!" The man shouted.

I kept my hand on her wound as I lowered my head towards hers.

"Remember when we first met. We hated each other." I laughed weakly as my tears fell from my face onto her tear stained ones.

"Yeah, y-you're lucky I-I never kicked your sorry ass," She barely said above a whisper. She lifted her hand to my face and caressed it. I placed my hand over hers.

"I was lucky, wasn't I?"

"Eh." Her eyes shut slowly.

"How about that time I sang to you from outside your window at two in the morning. I just had to tell you that I loved you." I laughed. "Well, I guess the whole town knew after that."

A soft laugh escaped from her lips.

"Just imagine. In a few years we will have a nice house with as many children as you'd like. Animals too, if you want."

"P-perfect," She coughed.

"I love you Crystal," I whispered.

"I love you Ashton." Her eyes opened back up sluggishly and she smiled.

Her eyes shut but I wouldn't let her go. I shook her slightly. "Crystal, come on. Just hold on for another minute. They're almost here." I rocked her back and forth in my arms.

I watched, as onlooker's expressions were filled with sorrow. The woman that was told to get in the truck was now standing in her husband's grasp. She was crying while her husband had a mournful look on his face.

Ralph exited his store but didn't step any closer to us. His trembling hands covered his terror stricken face. He must have killed that bastard. Ralph leaned against the gas pump unable to keep his balance.

The air was still and silent.

"Crystal!" I wept.

Sirens were coming closer and a small ounce of hope returned. Two cop cars arrived first. One cop approached me and the other two went inside to obtain the criminal.

He was asking me all sorts of questions. I answered them as best as I could then I started to get dizzy.

Before I realized it two ambulances had pulled up and Crystal and I were being put on two different stretchers.

"I'm fine. I need to go with her! Crystal!" I reached out towards her but she soon disappeared into the other ambulance.

As the ambulance doors shut behind me I realized this was all a nightmare. My mind was playing horrible tricks on me.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I cautiously opened my eyes. I was home in bed with Crystal. I rolled on my side but my arm was tugged back slightly. My vision narrowed to my arms as I looked on with horror. IVs were protruding from every possible vein.

I sat up quickly.

"Crystal!"

I moved so quickly that I felt a sharp pain tug at my skin.

I raced from my bed not caring if I ripped off any important IVs. I had to see Crystal. I swung my hospital room door open. I saw my family standing with Crystal's family. Neither family looked happy.

The doctor approached me. "You should be resting."

"Where's Crystal?" I yelled.

At the mention of her name Crystal's mother started hysterically crying.

My mom ran to me and threw her arms around me.

"Ashton. I'm sorry." She cried into my shoulder.

I removed myself from her embrace and ran rapidly through the hallway.

"Crystal! Crystal!" I neared the end of the hallway. "Crystal!"

She had to be in one of these rooms. She had to be!

People started emerging from their rooms to see what the commotion was.

My knees gave out and I began to get dizzy again. I fell to the floor still calling for Crystal.

"Why her? It should have been me." I pulled at my hair forcefully. Physical pain meant nothing right now. It was the emotional pain that was tearing me apart. "She stopped me just to say she loved me. Why did she get punished for it?" I sniffled as I slapped my hands on the cold tiled floor.

People began to stir. Some even began to tear.

I was hoisted into a wheelchair. "She didn't do anything wrong!" I shook my head vigorously. My mother clenched even harder to my father seeing all the pain I was going through. I heard the other patients and their families whispering about how sad it is to lose your soul mate so young.

My sister sat on the floor with her knees pushed into her chest. This was all too much for her. To see me break down and to know that Crystal was gone. Crystal was like a sister to her.

Crystal's family and mine were now in my room talking amongst themselves.

The doctor called a nurse in to help him reconnect all the IVs. A few minutes later I was feeling better and the doctor was telling me that I lost a lot of blood and that I had been shot twice. I didn't care about any of that. I just wanted Crystal. How was Crystal?

I knew her destiny but I just didn't want to accept it.

The doctor just kept talking and talking.

"Where are my pants? Can I have them?" I reached out my hand waiting to receive them.

My dad picked up the folded pants and handed them to me. The doctor just stood there confused but didn't want to interrupt what ever I was doing.

I dug around in my pocket. Both families gathered round as I finally pulled out a small black box.

I wasn't able to look into the familiar faces but I knew they were in awe.

I opened the small box to expose a small diamond ring.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Crystal's mom furiously bury her face into her husband's chest and let out a horrifying cry. My mom started to cry wildly again. My dad pulled her close so she wouldn’t collapse. Crystal's sister and brother stood by my sister as they all wept.

Tears flowed violently from my red swollen eyes. "Will you marry me?" I mumbled.