Status: In the process of being rewritten, retitled, and revamped.
Could've Said It Back to You
Crashing
Zalistie
“Tamea, I’m sorry!” I pleaded, hoping she’d believe me. I hadn’t meant any harm! All I had tried to do was dance to the song, and then Austin had taken it the wrong direction! I wasn’t trying to get him to do that!
“Yeah, well, what you say doesn’t matter. It’s what you do that counts,” Tamea said, refusing to accept my apology. Why wouldn’t she? I hadn’t really done anything! And I was making my apology as heartfelt as it could get! Unfortunately, “as heartfelt as it could get” sounded like I was apologizing for lateness, not like I had just gotten the guy Tamea liked to kiss me.
I laid down on the couch, stomach down. I had followed Tamea out to the next room. Now I didn’t know what to do.
Tamea sat on the ground, and I could swear she was going to start crying. And she did, the tears starting slow, Tamea burying her face in her hands as the tears picked up speed. I felt horrible, but she was mad at me. How could I comfort her?
I felt a lurch, and suddenly the bus was skidding out of control. It was impossible to remain on the couch. I fell to the ground, and I found my body falling to the other side of the bus.
A crash, and the bus stopped moving, though it had ended up sideways. The windows had smashed, and I had been unfortunate enough to end up on the scattered shards. I could feel little pieces of glass sticking me everywhere, and I could see some of the places where I was bleeding. At least I hadn’t hit my broken arm or fallen on my face.
I pulled out my cell phone with my bleeding right arm and shakily dialed 911.
“Hello, 911, what is your emergency?” asked the voice on the other line.
“The bus we’re riding in just had a crash. The bus is on its side. The broken glass from the window is digging into my skin and my clothes. The doors are against the ground, so we can’t get out.” I rolled over a little, and I saw Tamea, her eyes closed and her breathing ragged. Then I saw that the couch had hit her. “My friend got hit by a couch when the bus rolled over, and she’s unconscious.”
“And what’s your name?” asked the 911 operator.
“Zalistie Morgan.”
“All right, Zalistie, I see you’re calling from a cell phone, and your bus rolled over on highway 71. Is that correct?”
“Yes, I’m calling from a cell phone, but I don’t exactly know which highway we’re on.”
“Are you and your friend the only two people inside the bus?”
“No, there’s…” I counted in my head, “…twelve other people. There’s me, my friend, a band with five members, a band with four members, and the driver. I don’t know the state of health of anyone but the two in this part of the bus.”
“And what was the last city you passed through?”
“Um…I think that I just saw Melrose, Minnesota not too long ago.”
“Zalistie, I’m sending over an ambulance right now. Do you think that you and the others on the bus could wait until they come to get you out?”
I nodded, then remembered that he couldn’t see me. “Yes.”
“Okay, Zalistie, I’m going to hang up now. Do you think that you’ll be all right?”
“Yeah, if the ambulance gets here soon.”
“They’re on their way,” said the dispatcher, and then all I could hear was the dial tone ring in my ear.
I turned to face upward as best as I could, and then my heart seemed to stop. I could see a silhouette on top of the bus, looking in through the open window.
The figure jumped down, cushioning the fall by landing on the couch. And then I realized who it was. I also could make a pretty good guess at why the bus had crashed.
“Hello, Zalistie,” said Chris with a smirk.
“Tamea, I’m sorry!” I pleaded, hoping she’d believe me. I hadn’t meant any harm! All I had tried to do was dance to the song, and then Austin had taken it the wrong direction! I wasn’t trying to get him to do that!
“Yeah, well, what you say doesn’t matter. It’s what you do that counts,” Tamea said, refusing to accept my apology. Why wouldn’t she? I hadn’t really done anything! And I was making my apology as heartfelt as it could get! Unfortunately, “as heartfelt as it could get” sounded like I was apologizing for lateness, not like I had just gotten the guy Tamea liked to kiss me.
I laid down on the couch, stomach down. I had followed Tamea out to the next room. Now I didn’t know what to do.
Tamea sat on the ground, and I could swear she was going to start crying. And she did, the tears starting slow, Tamea burying her face in her hands as the tears picked up speed. I felt horrible, but she was mad at me. How could I comfort her?
I felt a lurch, and suddenly the bus was skidding out of control. It was impossible to remain on the couch. I fell to the ground, and I found my body falling to the other side of the bus.
A crash, and the bus stopped moving, though it had ended up sideways. The windows had smashed, and I had been unfortunate enough to end up on the scattered shards. I could feel little pieces of glass sticking me everywhere, and I could see some of the places where I was bleeding. At least I hadn’t hit my broken arm or fallen on my face.
I pulled out my cell phone with my bleeding right arm and shakily dialed 911.
“Hello, 911, what is your emergency?” asked the voice on the other line.
“The bus we’re riding in just had a crash. The bus is on its side. The broken glass from the window is digging into my skin and my clothes. The doors are against the ground, so we can’t get out.” I rolled over a little, and I saw Tamea, her eyes closed and her breathing ragged. Then I saw that the couch had hit her. “My friend got hit by a couch when the bus rolled over, and she’s unconscious.”
“And what’s your name?” asked the 911 operator.
“Zalistie Morgan.”
“All right, Zalistie, I see you’re calling from a cell phone, and your bus rolled over on highway 71. Is that correct?”
“Yes, I’m calling from a cell phone, but I don’t exactly know which highway we’re on.”
“Are you and your friend the only two people inside the bus?”
“No, there’s…” I counted in my head, “…twelve other people. There’s me, my friend, a band with five members, a band with four members, and the driver. I don’t know the state of health of anyone but the two in this part of the bus.”
“And what was the last city you passed through?”
“Um…I think that I just saw Melrose, Minnesota not too long ago.”
“Zalistie, I’m sending over an ambulance right now. Do you think that you and the others on the bus could wait until they come to get you out?”
I nodded, then remembered that he couldn’t see me. “Yes.”
“Okay, Zalistie, I’m going to hang up now. Do you think that you’ll be all right?”
“Yeah, if the ambulance gets here soon.”
“They’re on their way,” said the dispatcher, and then all I could hear was the dial tone ring in my ear.
I turned to face upward as best as I could, and then my heart seemed to stop. I could see a silhouette on top of the bus, looking in through the open window.
The figure jumped down, cushioning the fall by landing on the couch. And then I realized who it was. I also could make a pretty good guess at why the bus had crashed.
“Hello, Zalistie,” said Chris with a smirk.
♠ ♠ ♠
It's horribly short, and I'm very sorry. I promise that the epidemic of short chapters will end soon. Anyway, comments are well appreciated, and I'd like something a little more detailed than "I love it" or "I like it" or "I hate it."