Someone Else's Angel

Earlier that night

Jeremy Rivers snorted a laugh at a crude joke his friend Gavin had just told, and coughed as the beer he was drinking went down his throat the wrong way. He spluttered and wiped the foamy remains of off his mouth, shrugging away Henry’s hand, who clapped him on the back with a worried expression.

“Chill mate, I’m fine,” he muttered to his best and oldest friend.

Henry just frowned, his dark green eyes calm and all-knowing. Jeremy looked away from the staring gaze, hating the way Henry had started looking at him. As if there was something wrong with him, as if he were sick or something…who cared if he liked to have a drink now and again? Or take some pills…everybody did it and Jeremy knew his limits, he was fine. He would always be just fine.

His thoughts were distracted away as a plump, barely covered bottom sat on his lap. He smiled widely at Gavin who winked and waggled his eyebrows. Phillipa, the bottom in question just giggled her high-pitched laugh and wiggled her way around so she was looking at Jeremy. Her breasts were pushed up high, her nipples almost peeking through the tight corset she had squeezed herself into. Jeremy tried not to look but failed abut by the reaction of his body to the womanly flesh, he was glad he had.

Phillipa smiled seductively, or tried to at least as she felt his reaction underneath her. Jeremy couldn’t help but notice the unflattering stickiness of the lip-gloss she had piled on. He cleared his throat and pushed her brown hair back from her neck so he could kiss her. He let out a yell as her hair came off in his hand.

“What the fuck? Phillipa, your hair is falling out, are you okay?”

A deep crimson blush spread across Phillipa’s cheeks and she hastily snatched the strands of hair back from him, muttering something about ‘cheap extensions.’ Jeremy didn’t pay attention, a little bit more than slightly grossed out.

A flash of blonde suddenly caught his eye and he spun his head around to look at the waitress cleaning tables on the other side of the bar. He watched her, taking in her long tanned legs and pert bottom, and then she turned around and he looked away, a queer sense of disappointment filling him. It wasn’t her. It wasn’t Beth.

He shook his head, ridding the images of a smiling Beth from his mind and pushed Phillipa away from him. Her sweet perfume made him feel a little sick.

He looked at Gavin and the other boys, “anyone up for a round of shots lads, my treat!”

The men all cheered except from Henry who took a gulp of his iced water. Jeremy couldn’t face looking at him, afraid of what he would see in his friend’s eyes.

~

A few hours later, Jeremy stumbled down the street, his arm wrapped around Gavin’s waist. They sung a few football chants loudly and cheered at some women smoking outside a nightclub.

Jeremy laughed and stepped away from Gavin. Henry was near the background, his dark hair almost blending into the night sky.

A sudden fury built up in Jeremy. Who was Henry to judge him? Who the fuck cared what he thought? He was no-one and Jeremy…well, Jeremy was everyone!

He proceeded to tell Henry that, to yell at him. The other men grew silent, suddenly aware of the tension. Henry stood still, looking at his out of control friend and said nothing.

“You can all go fuck yourselves!” Jeremy roared with his vision doubling. “I don’t need you, I don’t need anyone!”

“Like you didn't need Beth?” Henry asked quietly, “is that why you chucked her?”

“Don’t say her name!” Jeremy yelled and before he knew it, his fist had swung towards Henry. He heard the thump as he connected with Henry’s face and he stared, suddenly ashamed as his best friend stumbled to the ground, holding his mouth.

Henry spat blood onto the ground, “let’s go home Jeremy.”

Jeremy shook his head and started to mumble to himself, “no, no…not with you. Not with you! You don’t care about me…you just like to see me fail, don’t you? Well you’re nothing you bastard. You’re nothing to me. I’m the King….me! No-one gives a shit about you!”

Gavin stepped forward, his face serious trying to calm Jeremy down. Jeremy cursed and stepped away, onto the road.

He hadn't noticed the car until he was right in front of it. Everything suddenly seemed to catapult into slow motion as he stared down the bright headlights of the car and it seemed that Henry’s yelling of ‘Jeremy!” with a fear he had never used before was from very far away. And then the car hit him.

Pain. Sudden, blinding pain as he felt the car crash into his suddenly fragile human body. More pain as he was flung up and into the windscreen. He heard the crash as the glass broke underneath him and then everything went silent except for the muffled thump of his body hitting the ground again.

He stared at the sky, looking at the bright stars. He watched them shine and he remembered how he used to tell Beth that her eyes twinkled like stars when she was happy.

“Beth, Beth, Beth, Beth…” he whispered to himself. He couldn't really move his mouth, he couldn't do anything. His legs and fingers were useless. He was vaguely aware of a hand holding his and his eyes flickered towards Henry, who was still yelling his name.

Jeremy wished he could find the strength to smile, to tell Henry how much he loved him. That he really hadn't meant all those awful things he had said. He looked back at the stars and then suddenly he saw Beth’s face. She was smiling at him, she was so beautiful.

Her white smile dazzled him until all he could see was a bright light. He couldn’t see Henry anymore. He couldn’t hear anything. He was only slightly aware that he must have closed his eyes at some point. He could no longer feel the damp road underneath him, not the sticky blood that had started to coat areas of his body.

And then he was back, he felt like he had dropped back to the ground and with a curse, that was more Jeremy-like, he pushed himself upright and brushed the dirt off his jeans. They were brand new!

He looked up, “Hey, guys, I’m fine!”

No-body looked at him; they were still gathered around something on the ground. He heard an ambulance coming in their direction. He walked closer to where he could see Henry bent over a body. Aw shit, someone else had been hurt.

And then he stopped walking because that body. That body was him.

His arms and legs were splayed out in different directions that definitely wasn't natural and a deep crimson stain was spread across his chest as if a broken rib had pierced through skin. But it was him. His white face stared upwards, eyes closed and blood dripping down the side of his face.

Jeremy looked down to where he was standing. He felt real but this must be some kind of outer body experience you only read about in real life magazines.

He reached to touch Henry, and gasped with fear as his hand slipped right through Henry’s body. As if he was a ghost.

He looked back to the Jeremy on the ground. His lips were blue, that death kind of blue.

His breath was coming fast and heavy, he couldn't breathe. Jeremy slumped down beside his body and began to rock back and forth.

“I think I’m dead.”