Crash

I stopped walking and looked to my right, and what I saw made me drop the dried noodles right on the ground. My mother was holding hands with another man, and was laughing wildly as he kissed her neck..

I stood, staring for a few seconds and was just about to approach her when my eyesight began to get blurry, and things were beginning to spin in circles. Everything was suddenly in slow motion.

Silence filled the dinner table that night. I looked down at my plate and played with a carrot back and forth with my fork. I was used to silence at the dinner table, but this kind was something that made even me uncomfortable. I didn’t speak to my mother at all after I got back from my therapist appointment. She didn’t seem affected at all by my silence, or the fact that she literally sent me to the same man I saw with her at the grocery store that one awful night. It was as if she didn’t care anymore that I knew she was sleeping around with my new therapist behind my father’s back. I guess I now know where I get my coldness from.

“So, good news,” My father said, with a tint of eagerness in his voice. He put food in his mouth as my mother, brother and I looked up at him. A smile formed on his lips as he chewed. He swallowed, grabbed a napkin and dabbed his mouth. “Townsend Pew retired this afternoon. A few weeks back he gave his two week notice, and everyone at the office was a buzz about who would get his job. Today, my boss pulled me aside and told me that it’d be me.”

“Oh my goodness, Fred!” My mother exclaimed. She stood up and wrapped her pale yet freckled arms around my father’s neck. He smiled, obviously extremely happy. Kingston and I smiled as well.

“That’s awesome dad, congratulations,” Kingston said. My mother beamed and kissed my dad on the cheek. He turned his head to kiss her on the mouth and I suddenly felt extremely ill.

“Peyton, your face is turning almost white,” Kingston stated.

“Yeah, whatever, I need… I need to go,” I replied while pulling my seat out. I quickly dropped my fork on my plate and got up to walk away, out of the kitchen and down the hallway. The back of my eyes began to feel as if they were stinging but I tried my best to push the tears back. I almost reached my room until I felt an arm at my wrist.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kingston asked. I looked up at my older brother, whose eyes that matched my own looked at me, actually concerned. I wish I could have taken a picture so I could store it because I knew that him actually being concerned about my well-being happened only once in a blue moon. I understood that recently he had been trying to get involved in my life, but I knew my life was far too complicated and messed up for him to even grasp onto. I wasn’t as simple as Kingston Oleander. I wasn’t perfect.

I shook my hand from his grip and stuffed it in my pocket; I cleared my throat awkwardly and tried to avoid his gaze.

“Hm, where would you like to even begin with that one, dear brother?” I replied sarcastically.

“Don’t mess with me, Peyton,” He said under his breath. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing, nothing is wrong with me,” I replied bitterly.

“I saw the way you looked when dad kissed mom. I’ve seen how you’ve been looking at mom lately. I understand you guys basically hate to be in each other’s presence, but lately it’s been even worse. What the hell is going on?”

I leaned my shoulder against the wall and ran my fingers through my straight dark hair. I wasn’t sure if I should tell him. I don’t even know how he’d react. It was sad how I didn’t even know my brother well enough to know how he’d react to a situation like this. But, even if I did tell him, he’d just confront my mother only to have her deny it and at the end of the day, I’d end up looking like the liar who made up stories to spite my own mother.

“Nothing is going on,” I stated. “Just the normal teenage daughter-mother angst.”

“I don’t believe you,” Kingston replied.

“Well, I’m sorry that you don’t,” I replied bitterly and then turned to open my bedroom door. I saw that Kingston was about to say something but I just closed the door before he could. A loud bang came from the other side of my door and I knew Kingston hit it angrily before walking away. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath. I wanted to tell him, I did, he had a right to know, but nothing good would come out of it. Just like he didn’t believe me now that something wasn’t wrong, he wouldn’t believe me later when I’d tell him that something actually was.

I quietly sat down at my desk, pulled open my drawer and grabbed a cigarette. I walked over to the window and was about to light it when my phone rang. I put the cigarette down and walked over to see it was Micah calling me. I put the phone to my ear.

“Can you pick me up?” I asked immediately into it. I heard Micah’s deep voice laugh on the other end.

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” He replied and then I hung up. I put the phone back down on my desk and looked back down at my cigarette. I put it back in its’ carton and tucked the carton back into my drawer. I then grabbed a pack of gum and threw a piece into my mouth. I don’t exactly know why I did that, or why I hadn’t been smoking lately as much as I used to, I usually smoke more under more stress, but I wasn’t now. I didn’t understand but I didn’t think any more of it as I quickly grabbed a few of my clothes and stuffed them into a small backpack I had hanging on the corner of my bed. I looked up at my room. A few posters hung around the wall but other than that, no one that came in here would ever guess that it was a girl’s room. It was ridiculously plain, and I never put any work into it.

I sat back down on my bed and then lay back slowly, staring up at the ceiling.

After fifteen minutes passed, I quietly opened my door. My parents were in the kitchen putting things away and the television blared loudly from the living room. My brother’s door was closed, and he was obviously inside doing whatever an eighteen year old boy does in his room, I don’t know. I turned around and closed my door quietly and walked slowly to the front door. I grabbed my shoes and then slipped out of the house unnoticed.

As I was walking outside, I looked up to see Micah’s huge truck, sitting there waiting for me. I walked to it slowly and then got in on the passenger’s side.

“Hi,” Micah said, but before he could say anything else, I quickly leaned over and placed my lips on his. His head leaned back in surprise and he couldn’t even react because I had already pulled away. “Okay then,” He added with a small laugh and then started his car to drive away.

“Where are we going?” I asked. Micah rolled down his window and stuck his hand out, motioning it as if it was riding the air we were driving through like it was a wave.

“The coolest place ever,” He replied. I just rolled my eyes and leaned back in my seat to stare out of the window. I felt Micah reach over and grab my hand and I looked back up at him, but he looked forward and continued driving. He turned my hand around and traced small circles with his fingers along my palm, and I sighed and looked back out of the window.

We were soon driving out of town and more into the mountains. The roads became more windy and I realized that I recognized them as where I had been running when Micah almost ran me over. The place where I had tried to seductively pin him against the tree and scare the shit out of him. I laughed at the memory but Micah didn’t notice and suddenly the truck swerved into an opening at the side of the road and came to a stop.

“This is the ‘coolest place ever’?” I asked and looked out of my window again. It was pitch black and all that could be seen was the moon in the sky and all the stars that surrounded it. I could barely even see the ground. Micah didn’t respond to my statement, but instead opened his door and walked around the truck to do the same to mine, but I opened my door before he had the opportunity to try and be chivalrous. I hopped out of the truck and then slammed the door behind me and turned to look up at Micah. Even though it was dark, I could still see his face. His dark eyes, his strong chin and somewhat crooked nose. His short-ish curly hair and his ugly colored plaid jacket.

“Follow me, m’lady,” Micah stated and then grabbed my hand. I didn’t say anything in return as he led me deeper into the forest.

“Are you only taking me in this forest to kill me and leave my body here so no one can find it?” I asked as I stepped over a stick and it cracked loudly. Micah laughed.

“Peyton, only you would ask that question,” He stated. I tripped over a thicker stick and almost fell but Micah pulled me up and I stood back up quickly.

“Holy crap this better be worth it,” I muttered. “I feel like I’m going to die, I can’t see anything.”

“We’re almost there, whiny,” Micah replied. He wasn’t kidding, because in a matter of seconds, Micah stopped and I finally turned my head up from looking down at my feet to the sight in front of me.

The moon was shining, no, moreso glaring along this gigantic opening of land. It looked like a small version of the Grand Canyon, except with grass and a few sparse trees. It looked as if the ground had been leveled, like someone was going to build some stupid mini mall or something but instead just decided to let it be. The moon reflected against the tall green grass, making it look as if it was shining.

“Oh wow…” I managed to say. Micah smiled, obviously pleased with himself. “Let’s go down.”

“No way,” Micah replied. “I was just planning on having us stay up here.”

“And look at it?” I asked back with a scoff. “That’s the worst idea ever.”

“But I heard there’s stinging nettle in that grass!” Micah retorted. Instead of standing there and listening to think up a million excuses as to why he was a pansy, I quickly darted down the dirt hill that led to the opening, almost falling over in the process. I heard Micah yell my name but I just ignored it as I made my way down the hill. I felt exhilarated and I didn’t know why. “Damnit, Peyton!” I heard Micah yell. I then heard thumbling of dirt behind me and I knew he was following me. Once I reached the bottom, I turned around and saw Micah looking pathetic, trying to run down the steep hill without falling over himself. Finally he reached the bottom and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“That was just sad,” I stated and Micah just glared at me while his chest rose and fell as he breathed heavily.

“I hate you,” He replied and leaned over to grab his knees.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a football player? Why are you winded right now?” I asked and then laughed some more. “And if I do recall, I’m pretty sure you said you that you loved me, Mr. Burroughs.”

I then took off and ran through the tall grass, barely even being able to see anything or anywhere I was running through or towards. I heard Micah yell my name again and I finally decided to stop.

“Peyton!” I heard him yell. I could have sworn it was to the left of me, but then it sounded like it was to the right as well. Crap.

“Micah?” I yelled back. “Micah!” I began to slowly walk forward, only seeing grass and more grass until I felt myself get tackled to the floor. I quickly turned myself around and kicked off the person until I realized it was just Micah, laughing.

“Jerk,” I muttered and then laid my head back down on the grass. We had flattened a little area now and we could look up and directly see the stars through the tall grass that bended itself around us like a cocoon.

“You liked it,” Micah replied. I just rolled my eyes as he scooted closer to me until our shoulders were touching. I continued to look up at the sky.

“Okay, I’m not going to lie to you, this is probably the coolest place ever,” I said. I turned to look at Micah who was now propping himself up on one of his elbows. He looked at me with an expression I couldn’t read on his face. His eyes were dark and serious, but his mouth held a little bit of a childish smile.

I quickly leaned up and met my lips with his, and pulled him down on the grass with me. Micah grabbed a handful of my hair along with my neck and pulled me closer to him and we lay like that, kissing for what seemed like forever but then only a second at the same time. He finally pulled away and looked at me right in the eyes, as if he could see right through me. We were both breathing heavily, and I sat up and took off my jacket. I didn't look behind me to see Micah's reaction, but instead just turned back around reached forward and began to unbutton his flannel shirt.

“Peyton,” Micah began to say, I didn’t let him finish, but instead leaned forward and kissed him again. Once I was finished unbuttoning, I reached up and traced my thumb along his eyebrows, his cheekbones, and finally, as I pulled away, his lips. His shirt was completely off now, and I couldn’t help but stare at him. He was definitely athletic but was lean, and tan. I looked back up at him wrapped an arm around his neck to pull him down towards me.

And eventually, as we moved together in the soft, flattened grass, I leaned forward to whisper in his ear:

“I love you.”