We've Got One Last Chance to Reverse This Curse

The days I hated most were the ones I spent at home. My mother had left years ago and my father hated me. He was rarely violent, of course when he was it was serious, I usually ended up in hospitals; but he wasn’t much else. He yelled at me, he bossed me around constantly like I was his servant. He rarely even let me spend time with my friends, which was why I didn’t come home when I could help it.

He didn’t care enough to call me or come find me, he’d just yell a lot when I eventually returned home. I felt bad spending so much time with my friends, since I knew that for the most part they had worse lives than I did. Max was both dealing with his parents horribly dramatic divorce, and Ronnie was stuck watching his father struggle to make ends meet and his brother killing himself slowly. Plus they were also dealing with drug problems, well so was I.

Thankfully today was one of the days where I had managed to sneak off after school, okay after lunch, and hang out with Ronnie and Max.

We were walking to an old park that was now abandoned, except for us when we needed to get away from our families, or from school. A few other teenagers like us would join us. Our friend Bryan was usually in the park, unless he was at school, and he never usually skipped.

We’d been coming here since we were little, and first able to go places on our own. Max and I had known each other for, pretty much, forever and we used to love coming here just to get away from the yelling at his house. We would have gone to my house but my dad never let me have people over.

In a strange way the park almost seemed like home. It was the place we felt safest, had the fondest memories and it’s where we got to see the people we cared about most.

We had even made a shelter in a bunch of trees that were so close together even rain barely got in. We had sleeping bags, tarps and a few old lanterns.

We thought it was almost funny how we had perfectly nice houses but the abandoned park was our home.

“Kelseigh, how mad do you think he’ll be today?” Max asked curiously.

It was almost like a game that we played, to see who would be right about his reaction.

“Well, I think you’ll have to visit me in the hospital tomorrow.” I sighed grimly.

“Why?” Ronnie asked from my other side.

“Well it’s the third time this week that I didn’t come home because I was with you guys, and I skipped school every time. It’s also his birthday.” I sighed.

“Then you’re not going home tonight.” Ronnie said protectively.

“I have too, there’s nothing else I can do. I have to be home tonight, the school’s going to call for sure this time; If I don’t go tonight I’ll probably be near death.” I said almost nervously.

“Ronnie and I will make sure that noting like that happens.” Max said putting his hand gently on my shoulder.

“You can’t stop it Max, as much as I wish you could both help me, you can’t. It’s my dad and my problem.” I said looking to the yellowish, dead, grass.

“And as much shit as we go through with our parents, if we get hit it’s a fair fight. He’s like six-foot-five and your just five-foot-six.” Ronnie said, I could tell he was getting mad at my father.

“Ronnie calm down, love. It’s not that big a deal, I’m strong enough to take it. It’s not like I’ve died yet.” I said trying to be reassuring.

“Key word being yet. I don’t think it’s going to stop until one of you is six feet under ground, and at the rate it’s going to be either his liver will kill him, or he’ll kill you. Which is terrible.” Max argued.

Its weird arguing with Ronnie and Max, it’s like arguing one argument with two people at the same time. If one doesn’t say something the other does, and if they don’t, our friend Robert, or Bryan usually did.

“I know it’s terrible, but why are you guys so worried about me? I mean you’ve got you own family problems to deal with.” I said knowing what would happen.

“Yes, but we can take care of ourselves, we’re strong enough to ensure we don’t get hurt.” Ronnie said.

“God, why do you guys always talk like I’m some defenseless little girl? I’m not! I can take care of myself. I may not have the strength to fight my dad physically but I have the intelligence to stay alive.” I argued.

“Yeah you’re smart, we know, but if he hits you and you’re knocked out, you can’t think while you’re unconscious.” Max said.

“And what do you propose you do about that Maxwell?” I said getting annoyed.

“You’ll stay with one of us, or we’ll all stay here tonight.” Ronnie replied.

“God, why can’t I just argue with one of you?” I asked in annoyance.

“Because then, you might win.” Ronnie replied gently rubbing the small of my back.

“At least you’ll admit it.” I said with a smile.

“It’s to obvious not too.” Max replied.

“But I can’t stay with Ronnie, his dad’s already pissed at him, and I’d prefer not to have either of us spend too much time with his brother. No offense, but when he’s high he really scares me. And staying with Max would get him kicked out.” I explained to the both of them.

“My drug addled brother scares you, but your dad the alcoholic with rage blackouts, that’s fine.” Ronnie said half teasingly.

“I don’t know you’re brother as well as I know my dad.” I stated bluntly.

“Well it looks like we’re having another fucking park party.” Max replied.

“Fun, I really don’t want to sneak back home though.” I sighed.

“Why would you have to?” Ronnie asked confused.

“Wait, let me guess; you left you’re sweater at home.” Max interjected.

“Bingo.” I said with a light smile.

“We’ll keep you warm.” Ronnie and Max said in unison, with a light smile.

“Of course you say that.” I replied smiling gently, I loved those boys.

It was a few hours later and we were all huddled into our tree fort area, Bryan had since joined us an Robert had come with food.

“Come on lost boys, time to eat.” Robert said with a sigh.

To him we were all like the lost boys from Peter Pan, running away from home to avoid growing up. He wasn’t really like our Peter Pan or anything, but he had the ability to give the guys a practice space, and get us food, since he was the only one with out the whole ‘Broken home’ lifestyle.

“You know you rock, right, Slashman?” I asked with a smile.

I’d started calling him that jokingly once he started looking more like Slash. All the guys thought it was funny, they laughed slightly every time I said it.

“I know, you guys wanna crash at my place tonight? It’s supposed to get fucking cold.” He said a little while later.

I looked around from Bryan and Max to Ronnie; they all had the same look that I had known to mean one thing. As nice as it would be, we couldn’t ask him to do more for us than he already did.

“Honestly, we couldn’t, you do so much for us it wouldn’t be fair.” I replied looking to the ground.

“Well, my parents aren’t going to be home, I don’t want to be all by myself and I’m not letting you freeze. So let’s go.” He said definitely.

“Fine.” We all sighed with smiles.

We packed up the stuff we usually left there and hide it in the hollowed out tree-trunk and took our own things with us and started walking to Robert’s.

Once we got there and had everything settled in garage, where the boys were doing band practice. Ronnie and I were brainstorming lyrics and I was helping the other boys with guitar and bass.

And then the phone rang. Robert came back a few minutes later with a worried expression on his face.

“Kelse, that was, you’re dad.” He said unsure how to react.

“What? That’s not possible!” I said almost clinging to Ronnie.

“Well it just happened; did you leave the number written down somewhere?” Robert asked walking over to me.

“No, I don’t write down numbers, to make sure he doesn’t find them. I memorize the ones I need.” I replied tears filling my eyes.

“What did he say?” Max asked rushing to my side.

“He said to have me tell you either you come home and deal with the consequences now, or wait for him to come find you.” Robert said grimly.

“Shit! I need to go home.” I said jumping shakily to my feet.

“No, we need to get you out of here.” Ronnie said pulling me back towards him.

“You know he’ll kill me if I don’t.” I replied in a worried panic.

“You know that he’ll kill you even if you do.” Max said looking me in the eyes.

“That may be, but I might not be so bad if I go home now.” I said staring at the ground

“No, you know it will end as bad as it possibly can.” Ronnie said arguing with me.

“Come on guys!” Robert yelled from the garage doorway.

“What?” I asked looking around confused.

I noticed all the stuff had been packed up from the garage.

“Just hurry.” Bryan said sticking his head in the door as he sped by.

Ronnie and Max grabbed both of my arms and hurried me out the door. We ran outside as Robert locked the door behind us. I didn’t realize that we were in the van they used to move gear and do state tours, until we were already going. Since Omar wasn’t there, Robert and Bryan were in the front seats driving and Ronnie and Max were on either side of me, trying to keep me distracted.

We were finally on a highway driving away from Vegas when we were blinded by headlights. The next thing I knew Max and Ronnie were both gripping my hand just as tightly as I had theirs. And then I was spinning through the air before smashing my head against the center console.

-*-*-*Ronnie’s POV

I stumbled out of the wreckage, as I searched the area. I quickly found Robert, Bryan and Max within moments, they had all made it out with bruises and scratches, nothing appeared too serious.

I wandered around looking for Kelseigh. I couldn’t find her. I climbed through the van’s remains, I saw her limp body inside, blood pouring from her head. I moved my hands to my face and fell to my knees. All I could smell was my hands that reeked of gasoline.

Within minutes police were rushing to the scene. Two dead, four wounded; that was the final diagnosis on the scene. Kelseigh father had died too, hallelujah.

It’s been weeks now since her death and it haunted me, even in my dreams. I knew he had the plan to kill her all along, but I couldn’t believe how it happened.

In a car with four other people she was the only one to wear her seatbelt, and she was the only one that died.

After the funeral, I decided I wanted them to keep my casket closed. Seeing her face, even with all the makeup covering her scars, it was too much. Seeing her lying there dead and lifeless, after that accident, I couldn’t help but feel like a scene from the tell-tale heart, beating under the floor tormenting and haunting all of us.

As we all placed black and red roses on her casket, in a line with her other friends and family, and all the people that came to mourn. As I laid the delicate black flower on the wooden box that held her, I whispered a few words, as if she could actually hear them.

“Just believe me, I’ll never let you down, goodbye Kelseigh, I love you.” My voice cracked lightly as a few more tears rolled down my cheeks.