Status: Working on rewriting this story. I may post it, I may not. I'll see how it goes.
Who Needs the World
Three
Houses blurred past as Zack raced to get to Jimmy and Leana’s house. Thoughts buzzed through his mind; one after another. Most were memories from the happy times, when things were simple and nobody had a care in the world; all that mattered was what was happening right then.
His little girl’s small, smiling face popped into his head, which brought a sad smile to his own. It was too soon, much too soon to move on and experience the real world when his world was at somebody’s house without him.
He pushed his foot harder against he gas pedal, driving illegally to get to where he wanted to be and wanted to stay: Ashlynn’s presence.
Everyone understood Zack, of course they did. They told him all the time that he wasn’t the only person to lose someone so dear. No. His friends didn’t lose a fiancé, the mother of their child, their soul-mate. Zack was done, sick and tired of hearing the same things over and over. With being told and reminded every single day that you can’t change the past, no matter how hard you try or wish, nothing can change it, even if you were the nicest person in the world. Things don’t work that way, but Zack sure wished that they did.
Slamming on the breaks in front of Jimmy and Leana’s house, the threw his car into park and got out, slamming the door behind him. He marched up the walk way and to the front door, where he knocked three times and opened the door. There was no point in him waiting for an answer. He was determined to get his baby and get out where he could be alone with her and forget about all the evils he was being drowned in.
Leana instantly perked up at the sound of the front door opening. She knew his knock better than anyone else’s, for she was Zack’s closest female friend; she was almost like a sister to Katie their entire lives, so she grew close to Zack. She was sat on the floor with her back against the front of the couch and Ashlynn’s laying on her plush pink blanket, getting her tummy rubbed in soft circles by her God-mother.
Zack’s exhausted expression which was laced thickly with sadness made her jump to her feet, careful of the child resting between her legs on the carpet. Zack marched over and moved to carefully scoop Ashlynn from the floor, Leana pushed him back his shoulders into the entrance hallway.
“Move, Lea,” he said lowly with a cracking voice.
Leana pursed her lips and shook her head, “what’s going on? What’s the matter?” She asked desperately.
Zack shook his head and move to his left to try and go around her, but Leana just stepped in his way, whichever direction he attempted to go and put her hands on his arms. “Just move, I want Ash so I can take her home.”
“No, not until you tell me what’s going on. What’s gotten into you? You were so excited to go out, what made you change?”
Zack shook his head and pushed his fingers against his temples and let out a shaky breath. “Nothing…just let me go.”
“Nothing, my ass. Calm down, come in here and tell me what’s gotten into you.” She carefully pulled his hands from his face and held his left securely in her on and led him to the recliner so he could sit, which he did.
Leana pulled up a foot-stool and sat down in front of him and put her hands in her lap. “What happened?”
Zack sat there and shook his head for a few moments, making no motion to say a word. His eyes focused on his bouncing knees in front of him, his hands pressed together at the palms and squished between his legs. Leana sucked in her bottom lip and gently put her hands on Zack’s knees, worried about her closest friend and not having Jimmy anywhere around to ask for help.
Zack let out a shaky breath and told her everything. From the dreadfully long trip down to Main Street, to getting run into by the rambunctious little boy with the sherbet covered face and meeting his beautiful mother. Leana listened to every word he said and nodded at every moment she could, then gripping his hands when something was too hard to say.
“It’s okay to miss her, Zack and it’s okay to mourn her, but you can’t let this run your life. Look at that little girl over there. She needs you to be strong for her, she needs you to have a life in order to help her start hers. Katie would have wanted you to go out and be a party animal instead of sitting in a room all by your lonesome, crying over her and wishing to take it back. Can’t you try for her? You and everyone else knows that Katie wanted that for you and Ash; to go out and have fun instead of just moping around.”
Zack shook his head at her and stopped bouncing his knees, “you don’t know that, nobody does. How can you say that about someone you grew up with, huh? She might as well have been your sister and you wanted me to just forget her?”
“That’s not what I said,” Leana said sternly. “I didn’t say forget her and no one will say it either. Katie was an important factor in everyone’s lives. Even if we wanted to, no one could forget her.”
“Can I leave now?” Zack asked with an annoyed sigh.
Leana stood from the stool and put it back in its place. “Only if you promise to drive safe this time and not just because you have Ash in the car.”
“I promise…”
Nodding silently to herself, she went over and kneeled down and carefully took Ashlynn into her arms as Zack went around the living room, collecting all of Ashlynn’s things.
Minutes later, everything was back and Ashlynn was tucked away in her carrier, then taken to Zack’s car, soon leaving at a safe pace. Leana watched from the front doorway, her arms crossed over her chest and her lip clamped between her teeth. She was worried, but knew that things would look up sooner or later.
His little girl’s small, smiling face popped into his head, which brought a sad smile to his own. It was too soon, much too soon to move on and experience the real world when his world was at somebody’s house without him.
He pushed his foot harder against he gas pedal, driving illegally to get to where he wanted to be and wanted to stay: Ashlynn’s presence.
Everyone understood Zack, of course they did. They told him all the time that he wasn’t the only person to lose someone so dear. No. His friends didn’t lose a fiancé, the mother of their child, their soul-mate. Zack was done, sick and tired of hearing the same things over and over. With being told and reminded every single day that you can’t change the past, no matter how hard you try or wish, nothing can change it, even if you were the nicest person in the world. Things don’t work that way, but Zack sure wished that they did.
Slamming on the breaks in front of Jimmy and Leana’s house, the threw his car into park and got out, slamming the door behind him. He marched up the walk way and to the front door, where he knocked three times and opened the door. There was no point in him waiting for an answer. He was determined to get his baby and get out where he could be alone with her and forget about all the evils he was being drowned in.
Leana instantly perked up at the sound of the front door opening. She knew his knock better than anyone else’s, for she was Zack’s closest female friend; she was almost like a sister to Katie their entire lives, so she grew close to Zack. She was sat on the floor with her back against the front of the couch and Ashlynn’s laying on her plush pink blanket, getting her tummy rubbed in soft circles by her God-mother.
Zack’s exhausted expression which was laced thickly with sadness made her jump to her feet, careful of the child resting between her legs on the carpet. Zack marched over and moved to carefully scoop Ashlynn from the floor, Leana pushed him back his shoulders into the entrance hallway.
“Move, Lea,” he said lowly with a cracking voice.
Leana pursed her lips and shook her head, “what’s going on? What’s the matter?” She asked desperately.
Zack shook his head and move to his left to try and go around her, but Leana just stepped in his way, whichever direction he attempted to go and put her hands on his arms. “Just move, I want Ash so I can take her home.”
“No, not until you tell me what’s going on. What’s gotten into you? You were so excited to go out, what made you change?”
Zack shook his head and pushed his fingers against his temples and let out a shaky breath. “Nothing…just let me go.”
“Nothing, my ass. Calm down, come in here and tell me what’s gotten into you.” She carefully pulled his hands from his face and held his left securely in her on and led him to the recliner so he could sit, which he did.
Leana pulled up a foot-stool and sat down in front of him and put her hands in her lap. “What happened?”
Zack sat there and shook his head for a few moments, making no motion to say a word. His eyes focused on his bouncing knees in front of him, his hands pressed together at the palms and squished between his legs. Leana sucked in her bottom lip and gently put her hands on Zack’s knees, worried about her closest friend and not having Jimmy anywhere around to ask for help.
Zack let out a shaky breath and told her everything. From the dreadfully long trip down to Main Street, to getting run into by the rambunctious little boy with the sherbet covered face and meeting his beautiful mother. Leana listened to every word he said and nodded at every moment she could, then gripping his hands when something was too hard to say.
“It’s okay to miss her, Zack and it’s okay to mourn her, but you can’t let this run your life. Look at that little girl over there. She needs you to be strong for her, she needs you to have a life in order to help her start hers. Katie would have wanted you to go out and be a party animal instead of sitting in a room all by your lonesome, crying over her and wishing to take it back. Can’t you try for her? You and everyone else knows that Katie wanted that for you and Ash; to go out and have fun instead of just moping around.”
Zack shook his head at her and stopped bouncing his knees, “you don’t know that, nobody does. How can you say that about someone you grew up with, huh? She might as well have been your sister and you wanted me to just forget her?”
“That’s not what I said,” Leana said sternly. “I didn’t say forget her and no one will say it either. Katie was an important factor in everyone’s lives. Even if we wanted to, no one could forget her.”
“Can I leave now?” Zack asked with an annoyed sigh.
Leana stood from the stool and put it back in its place. “Only if you promise to drive safe this time and not just because you have Ash in the car.”
“I promise…”
Nodding silently to herself, she went over and kneeled down and carefully took Ashlynn into her arms as Zack went around the living room, collecting all of Ashlynn’s things.
Minutes later, everything was back and Ashlynn was tucked away in her carrier, then taken to Zack’s car, soon leaving at a safe pace. Leana watched from the front doorway, her arms crossed over her chest and her lip clamped between her teeth. She was worried, but knew that things would look up sooner or later.