Shooting Stars and Satellites

“So, seriously, Alaska, what did you think of the song?” Kennedy asked me as we sat at the kitchen table.

I tried my best to give him a genuine smile. “I loved it, Ken. It’s a little different from your normal stuff, but it’s good.”

John took a sip of the Kool-Aid in his glass, before looking at me. “Yeah, that’s because I wrote it.” He gave me a cocky smile, to which I rolled my eyes.

“Whatever,” I said, taking a bite of my baked chicken.

“What’s going on with the band these days, boys?” mine and Kenny’s father asked, looking between the five boys.

“Just writing some new material, for when we go to the studio, dad,” he told him.

He took a sip of his Bud Weiser, nodding his head. “Who would’ve thought, Amy, that we’d have a rock star for a son?”

Kennedy’s cheeks began blushing, and I laughed, throwing a piece of my roll at his face. “Awe, look at his cheeks, guys!”

Jared began laughing, throwing a piece of his roll at him as well. “Awe, Kennedy, you’re so cute when you blush!”

It wasn’t long before everyone had thrown a piece of, or their whole roll, at Kennedy. My mom cleared her throat and shook her head. “You boys are something else. And you, Alaska, be a lady,” she told me, jokingly.

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “I am a lady!”

“More like a man,” John mumbled, biting into his chicken.

“Watch it, O’Callaghan, unless you want a roll coming your way!”

“Yeah, and I’ll help her out with that one,” Pat backed me up.

He laughed. “I’m kidding, Dove.”

“Sure you were.” I took one last gulp of my Sprite, before looking at my parents. “Well, I’m full.”

“Are you sure, sweetie?”

I nodded my head. “Positive, mom. Plus, I’m feeling pretty tired from my medicine.”

My father gave me a look. “Maybe I should call your doctor and ask them if they can switch your medication.”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me.” I stood up and grabbed my dishes.

“I think I’m pretty full, too,” John said, standing up as well.

“Of course you are,” I mumbled, before walking into the kitchen. I set my dishes down in the sink, before feeling someone behind me. “I’ll yell rape, John.”

He laughed. “Please, Dove, I wouldn’t disrespect you like that,” he said, placing his dishes in the sink as well.

“Well, thank goodness for that.” I turned around and started to walk out of the kitchen, when John caught my wrist. “What now?”

He smirked. “So … Gavin’s picking you up at seven, huh?”

My eyes widened for a moment, before I pushed him away from me. “What? Are you gonna blackmail me?”

“I thought about it, but that’s not really my style.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Don’t go climbing anymore trees.”

I flipped him off with my good hand and kept walking. “Shut your mouth, boy.”

He laughed. “Have fun, Dove!”

I rolled my eyes as I made my way up to my room. I threw on a plain white tank top, before sliding a grey, off-the-shoulder Van Halen sweater over it. I slipped on a pair of black shorts, and laid in my bed, making sure the covers were over me. I knew my parents, or, most likely, my mother, would be checking on me before she went to sleep.

I had actually started to doze off, when I heard my bedroom door open. I opened my eyes, peeking to see who it was. I could see the outline of a shadow, and I knew it was my mother from the petite silhouette. She smiled, before walking out, and shutting the door behind her. A minute later, I saw the hall light go out, and I sighed in relief. My phone vibrated next to me, and I saw it was a text from Gavin.

’I’m outside, jail bird.’

I laughed softly, and kicked my blankets off. I slid my feet into a pair of grey and black Vans, before opening my window. I glanced down, biting down on my bottom in fear of the height. It had never scared me before, but after my fall, the height bothered me. I sucked in a large breath of air, before throwing one leg over the sill, then the other, so I was standing on the slant of the house. I could see Gavin in his car, watching me intently. I looked down at the ground, which was much closer now, and clamped my eyes shut. I had to do it.

I jumped and landed flat on my ass. I looked over my shoulder and saw Gavin laughing at me. I rolled my eyes, and ran over to the passenger side, slipping inside. “You’re such an ass.”

“What did you expect me to do, babe?”

“Oh, I don’t know; maybe get out and catch me!” I told him.

“Awe, come here, big baby,” he cooed, wrapping his arms around me. I pressed my lips against his, loving the feeling. “I missed that.”

“I did, too,” I admitted, before pulling on my seatbelt, buckling it.

“So, where are we going?” he asked, merging onto the street.

“Anywhere; I don’t care.”

“Well, that’s helpful.”

I laughed. “How about we just drive and let the road lead us?”

He chuckled. “You paying for my gas?” I slapped his shoulder, and he laughed harder. “I’m joking, I’m joking. Your wish is my command.”

I smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Good boy.” He rolled his eyes, and turned the volume of the radio louder; AC/DC’s Back In Black playing. I laughed. “Gavin, you’re such a nerd, babe.”

He looked at me. “Come on, ‘Laska; you know AC/DC is the shit. Just admit it!”

“Never,” I teased.

He took his right hand and began tickling my stomach. “What was that?”

“Gav! Stop!” I said in between laughs.

“Not until you admit AC/DC is the shit!”

Tears were beginning to form in my eyes as I laughed harder. My stomach began to hurt, and I eventually caved. “Okay, okay! You’re right! AC/DC is the shit!”

“Good!” He began drumming and slapping the wheel along to the rhythm. “Back in the back of a Cadillac, number one with a bullet, I’m a power pack. Yes, I’m in a bang, with a gang; they’ve got to catch me, if they want me to hang.”

I rolled the window down, feeling the breeze of the night air. “Gav?”

“Yeah, babe?” he asked, lowering the volume a bit.

“Give me a cig?”

He laughed and pulled one out of the pocket of his green jacket. “Here.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, woman,” he said, turning his attention back to the road.

I lit the stick and inhaled the menthol. “When are you going to let me wear that jacket?”

“Never.”

I pouted. “You always wear it!”

“Because it’s mine!”

I laughed. “Technically, not really.”

“My uncle gave it to me, so yes, it’s mine,” he said, giving me a smile.

“Fine; be stingy. See if I care.”

He laughed. “One of these days I’ll let you wear it.”

I smirked. “You better.” I took another hit of the cigarette, just as the song came to an end, and ’You Shook Me All Night Long’ started. “Oh, my goodness,” I said, placing my palm to my forehead. Gavin began bobbing his head and drumming frantically on the wheel, looking at the passengers in the cars we passed, scaring them. I couldn’t help but to laugh hysterically.

“She was a fast machine. She kept her motor clean. She was the best damn woman, that I ever seen,” he sang, pointing at me, causing me to slouch in my seat as I continued laughing. “She had the sightless eyes, telling me no lies. Knockin’ me out with those American thighs.” He placed his hand on my bare thigh, and I slapped his hand. He laughed. “Taking more than her share, had me fighting for air. She told me to come, but I was already there. ‘Cause the walls start shaking, the earth was quaking. My mind was aching, and we were making it and you,” he raised the volume of his voice, “Shook me all night long! Yeah, you shook me all night long!”

I began to sing along with him, not being able to resist the classic song. I finished my cigarette, throwing the butt out of the window, watching as the ashes danced across the street, before closing my window. Soon enough the song was over, and Gavin turned the volume down. “What’s up?” I asked, looking at him.

He glanced into the rearview mirror, and I could tell something was going on. “Get down,” he told me, his voice serene in an odd way.

I looked at him, furrowing my brows. “What?”

“Get down, Alaska!” he told me. I could tell he was serious, because he never called me Alaska. I crouched down in my seat, and felt my heart begin to race. “Do me a favor?”

“What?” I whispered, feeling like something could happen if I spoke loudly.

“Reach into the glove compartment,” he instructed me. I opened the panel and looked at him. “Hand me my gun.”

My eyes widened. “Gavin! What the fuck are you doing with a gun!?”

“It doesn’t matter right now. Just give me the gun,” he told me. I reluctantly reached into the compartment and handed him the heavy weapon. He held it by his thigh, and glanced into the rearview mirror. “Do you have your phone?” I nodded my head. “When I pull over, and get out of the car, call 911.”

Tears of fear were hoarding my eyes and I felt sweat beads break out across my forehead. “Gavin, what the fuck are you talking about!? You’re not pulling over anywhere! Keep driving!”

“Alaska, do what I fucking say!”

“No!” I sat up and turned in my seat, facing him. “Keep driving! Whoever is fucking following us will go away if we keep driving!”

“No, they won’t! They’ll keep following us, and if they can’t get me, they’ll go to my mom, Alaska!” he shouted.

“Well who the hell is it!?”

“Some dealers from another cartel,” he told me, turning onto a deserted street.

“Gavin, god dammit, don’t stop!” I yelled, hitting him with my good arm.

“Look, keep your phone out, and your eyes open, okay?” he told me.

“Gavin, please … I’m scared,” I whined.

He sighed, and laced his fingers with mines. “I love you, baby, and I won’t let them hurt you.”

“But, Gavin, they could hurt you,” I pointed out.

“That doesn’t matter. I don’t give a shit what they do to me, as long as they don’t touch you.”

“Don’t say that! Don’t you fucking say that!” I said, slapping him again.

He looked at me. “Look! All I have in this world is my mom and you, and you’ll both be taken care of if anything happens to me, okay!? You have your whole family and friends to live for!”

“I don’t care, Gavin! I love you and I don’t want anything to happen to you!” I cried, tears streaming down my face.

He sighed and pulled onto the shoulder of the road. “Stay down, and keep your phone out, okay?”

“Gavin, please! Please don’t go!” I begged him, my voice hoarse.

He cradled my face between his hands and looked into my eyes. “What have I always told you?” I didn’t say anything. “What have I always told you, beautiful?” he asked again.

I sniffled and sucked in a breath of air. “That you’d love me until the day you died, and every day after.”

“What else?” he asked, his gaze never faltering.

“You’d never let anyone hurt me, no matter the situation.”

He smiled. “I’m keeping that promise. Don’t cry, okay?” He wiped my tears away and placed a soft kiss on my lips. “I love you, beautiful.”

“I love you, too, Gavin,” I whispered.

“Take this,” he told me, slipping his jacket off.

“Gavin,” I breathed, knowing he never let anyone wear the jacket.

“Wear it for me,” he told me, before opening his car door.

I grabbed his wrist. “You’re coming back, Gavin,” I told him.

He smiled. “I’ll always come back to you.” He gave me one last kiss before getting out of the car.

I crawled into the backseat, peeking just above the top to see out of the windshield. There were four other guys in the car, and the looks on their faces let me know that they weren’t too happy with Gavin. My fingers curled around my phone, and I watched as the five of them talked. The talking soon turned into yelling, and before I knew it, one of them swung at Gav, hitting him square in the jaw. I gasped, and covered my mouth with my hand. I watched, horrified, as one by one, they all punched, kicked, and spit on him; my heart breaking the whole while. I thought about calling 911, but it would take them forever to locate where I was, coming from my cell phone, and I had no clue as to where we were.

I waited until I couldn’t take it anymore. I crawled into the front seat, and opened the door, falling onto the pavement. I jumped up and ran over to the strangers, feeling outraged. “Leave him the fuck alone!” I yelled, pushing a broad shouldered one away from Gavin.

He bellowed out an ugly laugh and looked at me. “This your boyfriend?”

I kneeled down by Gavin, taking his head in my hands. “Gavin, can you hear me, baby?” I cried.

He winced as I touched his eyes. “Alaska, I told you to stay in the fucking car!”

“I’m not just going to watch them beat you to death, Gavin!”

“Alaska-“

“You know, Gavin, you never mentioned how sexy your girlfriend was,” one with dark skin, and spiked hair, said, looking straight at me.

I glared at him. “Don’t you fucking touch me!”

“What are you going to do about it, sweetheart?” he asked.

I looked down at Gavin. “Come on, Gav,” I stood, and attempted to pick him up.

The same guy snickered. “I don’t think so, sweetheart.”

I looked at him and slapped him in the face. “Shut your fucking mouth, you asshole!”

“Oh, and she has a mouth on her,” he said, before gripping my wrists. “I like pretty girls with ugly mouths.” I attempted to push him away, but he held on tighter to my wrists.

“Let her go, Tommy,” Gavin spoke up, pushing himself from the ground.

“What if I don’t?” he said.

“I’ll fucking kill you if you touch her,” he seethed, his glare nothing short of evil.

‘Tommy’ laughed and tossed me into one of his friends. “You wanna fight for her, man?”

“There’s nothing to fight for. She’s mine,” Gavin told him.

He laughed and rubbed his chin. “I’d beg to differ.” He looked at me. “She looks like a good fuck, Gavin. I mean, long legs … nice ass. Tell me what her pus-“ Gavin struck him in the jaw, and the two went down to the ground, rolling around.

I began crying and as I tried to run over to them, the man who was holding me, clutched me to his chest. “Gavin! Leave him the fuck alone!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. “Let me go, motherfucker!” I yelled, causing the man to laugh, as he placed his hand over my mouth. I bit down as hard as I could, but it didn’t seem to faze him.

I watched helplessly as they fought; only being able to cry. Tommy had pinned Gavin to the ground, and was full on swinging at him. My screams were muffled by the man’s large hands, and I prayed that Gavin would manage to get back up. The other two boys walked over, and began kicking Gavin, and I felt my heart ache. I closed my eyes, not wanting to watch as they battered my boyfriend.

It wasn’t until I heard a gunshot go off, that I opened my eyes. The three of them stood laughing, and my eyes slowly trailed down to the ground … to Gavin’s body. Another gunshot sounded, and I screamed. I screamed like I never screamed before, and I used all of the strength I had to break free of the man’s grasp. I ran over to Gavin, and placed my hand on his chest, where the blood was.

“Gavin! Gavin, wake up, baby! Wake up!” I yelled, trying to lift his eyelids. He didn’t move; not even a flinch. I cradled his face in my hands. “Gavin Michael Krompe, open your fucking eyes!” I cried, slapping his face, causing his eyes to open just a tad. “Oh, thank God! Gavin, baby, I’m going to get you help!” I jumped up, going to run for the car, when I was pushed back.

Tommy gave me a kick in the stomach. I groaned, and hunched over. “You’re a stupid bitch, you know that?” his New York accent coming out. He kicked me again, and I fell to the ground in pain, gasping for air. “Ryan, Spencer, Donnie, you guys up for some fun?”

“Oh, yeah,” they all chimed.

I looked up, barely able to see them through the tears in my eyes. “Please … just leave us alone!”

Tommy laughed and kneeled in front of me. “I’m sorry, baby doll, but no can do.” He smacked me, before lifting me up and carrying me in his arms.

“Please, please, I’ll give you whatever you want! Just please, leave me here! I won’t tell anyone it was you!”

He chuckled. “You don’t know who I am, baby doll. That’s the least of my worries, right now.” He led us into the woods, and it became dark. I couldn’t see anything; this frightened me even more.

He came to a stop, and I was dropped onto the grass. I attempted to get up, but he grabbed my ankles, as someone else unzipped my shorts. My shirt was yanked off, and I began crying harder. A pair of hands ran up and down my sides, leaving ugly goosebumps on my skin. “Please, please, please, just leave me alone!”

“Shh,” one of them said, before clamping their hand over my mouth. My underwear came off, and my legs were forcefully spread open. I began screaming at the top of my lungs as one of them roughly entered me, sending a searing pain throughout my body. Tears ran down the creases of my eyes and I grabbed fistfuls of dirt, launching them at whoever was above me, causing them to laugh. “You have a tight little pussy, baby,” he said. His pumps became harder and harder, and I could feel a tear inside of me. I cried out in pain, but it was of no use.

After a moment, I realized that no matter how much I cried, screamed, kicked, or yelled, they weren’t going to stop. I laid there, numb with pain, everything fleeting from my mind. I closed my eyes, and tried to remember how only moments before, Gavin and I were happily singing along to AC/DC in his car, and everything was fine. Everything could still be fine, as long as Gavin held on.

He promised that’d he always come back to me. He couldn’t break his promise. Not now.

As the person on top of me finished, another took his place, entering me even rougher than the first time. Their hands wrapped around my neck, nearly cutting off my oxygen. I closed my eyes and prayed that if I woke up, this would all just be a nightmare.

_______________________________________________________

I could feel the stones pressed against my bare back, cutting into my flesh and undoubtedly, leaving large bruises. I couldn't see anything as I opened my eyes - it was pitch black outside, and as I tried to move my legs, I could hear the leaves rustling beneath me. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, I wanted this all to be some horrible nightmare. But, more than anything else, I wanted to know where he was.

I could feel tiny insects crawling over my legs and if it hadn't been for my deathly fear of bugs, I probably would have continued to lay right there, crying. I stood up quickly, brushing every inch of my exposed skin, trying to rid myself of the critters, as tears cascaded down my cheeks. Once I was sure I was rid of them, I covered my breasts with my hands and tried to walk through the opaque forest, my feet crunching over rocks and littered trash.

I saw the headlights from the car shining a light into the woods, and even though I had absolutely no energy left in my body, I ran towards the car as fast as I could. He had to be there; because if he wasn't, there was no way I could survive without him. I ignored the pain of broken glass and rocks cutting into my bare feet, as I ran. Once I finally reached the car, I held my hand over my eyes, squinting to see the inside of the car. No one was inside.

I could feel my heart hammering against my chest and I turned around, scanning the area for any sight of him. I felt my bottom lip tremble as the tears came faster. It wasn't until I saw a hand sticking out of the bushes, that I gasped. I ran over to the shrubs, pushing them aside. But the minute I had, I wish I had left them right where they were. My hands flew to my mouth and I let out a muffled scream, dropping to my knees.

He was dead.

He didn't hold on.

He wasn't coming back to me.