The Best Mistake

Nash.

I didn't know where I was. Like... I knew where I was in my mind, but I'd never seen this place before. Does that make sense? Who cares. Anyway, I was in a basement. I knew it was cold in the basement and it didn't have much in it. But the walls were metal and there was only one tiny window to my left, maybe an inch from the ceiling; and it was barred. There was also a metal table in the corner and there were a couple of things scattered on it, but I couldn't make out what the items were.

"Nash!" I froze for a moment once I heard the voice, but I quickly snapped out of it and turned. There was Eric, held to a pole by handcuffs. And merely a foot away, laid my lifeless mother's body. I couldn't breathe. "Nash! Why'd you let mommy die?!" I felt my throat tightened even more- and that hardly felt possible at this point. My mom. Was dead. Because of me. It was all my fault.

Suddenly I felt a knife through my chest and my father appeared out of thin air. He was grinning devilishly and his eyes showed pride and joy. "It's your fault your mother's dead- so now it's your turn," he said in a sickly sweet voice. I fell to the ground, not being able to speak. He leaned down right next to my ear before whispering, "I'll take real good care of Eric, kid."



I shot up, breathing heavily. I bent over, gripping my hair and squeezing my eyes shut, focusing only on breathing and getting the images of my dream out of my mind. But the image of my father and Eric were stuck on my mind, almost like somebody engraved them into my brain.

"Yo, Nash. Are you alright, man?" I heard Levi's voice.

"Fine," I mumbled. I wasn't entirely sure if he had heard it, but I didn't care. I could only focus on blanking my mind. Nothing was working. I quickly checked my jean pockets. "Lee, you got any cigarettes? I lost mine."

He tossed me a slightly crushed pack of Newports. "Yours fell out into my car last night," he informed me. I nodded, before throwing my blankets off of me and getting up from the floor, not caring that I was currently dizzy as hell. I needed a cigarette. I walked through the sliding glass door and fell onto one of the broken lawn chairs, lighting my cigarette and inhaling deeply.

Once I had calmed down a little, I finally felt the headache come on. "Fucking Christ," I muttered, leaning my head on my head. As I took another drag, I suddenly felt the urge to throw up. I grabbed the nearest bucket and threw up all the alcohol I'd had last night.

"You're taking care of that. Not me," Levi said, walking outside and lighting his own cigarette. I realized that I'd thrown up in the bucket where we put out cigarettes.

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled.

"Dude, isn't there like..." he paused, seeming hesitant to continue. "Isn't there a pill or something you can get to help with your nightmares?"

"Fuck off, Lee," I told him as nicely as I could, but that isn't really a phrase that could be said nicely. I didn't care. This wasn't something I was going to talk about.

"I'm just saying, my mom's freaking the hell out over how violent you are in your sleep," he explained.

"I didn't ask you to bring me here last night," I said. I stood up and dumped the bucket into the trashcan that was kept outside. I turned the hose on slightly so I could wash it out, and then I dropped it back on the cement, taking my seat again.

"And drop you off at your house while you were drunk off your ass and reeked of weed?" he asked. "Not a chance."

"Look, it's cute how you look out for me and all, but I'm a big boy, Lee Lee. I can take care of myself," I deadpanned.

"Fuck you, Nash," he said. "You can barely be in that house when you're sober and last night you were out of it."

"It couldn't be that bad."

"Oh? Are you talking about before or after you cuddled with Ashlyn?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow, putting out my cigarette and throwing it in the bucket. "Ashlyn?"

"Ashlyn," he confirmed. "I had to get Jas and Ashlyn after Dan called me to get you- which, by the way, picking drunken fights with guys resembling Mr. T? Terrible idea. Anyway, once I got them you made a huge scene about Ashlyn sitting in the back with you. And when you finally got her to get back there, you started cuddling with her before you passed out."

"I passed out on Ashlyn?" I asked, scrunching my nose.

"Yeah, after you tried undressing her."

"I didn't," I said, looking at him in disbelief.

"You're right, you didn't," he said. "But you'd probably feel better knowing that than knowing you had a nightmare while on her."

"Funny joke, asshole," I shot.

"No joke," he said. "Granted, it was one of your calmer nightmares. You didn't say anything or choke her. You just squeezed the hell out of her leg."

The fuck? I didn't remember having any nightmares besides the one I just had... "As fun as it is exploring the Drunken Adventures of Nash Carter, I gotta go," I said, standing up.

"Eric called while you were asleep," he said. I froze. "I tried getting you up, you wouldn't budge. I told him you were crashing from a sugar rush and that I'd have you call him when you woke up."

"Fuck," I mumbled. "I'll just call him from a payphone on my way. See you later." I walked inside and pulled on my shoes and put my hat on, before hurrying out the front door before I could run into Levi's mom or sister.

Ashlyn.

I was walking down the sidewalk of the strip mall, bored out of my mind. Somehow Jeremy had convinced my mom to give him a ride to work on her way, so I could borrow his car until mine was fixed. Jeremy had gotten it towed this morning and it would take a day or two before it'd be ready.

As I walked further, I noticed somebody standing in front of the payphone. I was kinda curious because nobody used that payphone anymore as far as I knew. I stepped closer and I quickly realized who it was. The tight, but baggy jeans. The white t-shirt that was slightly dirty. The black shoulder length hair. The black hat sitting on top of his head. Nash Carter.