Secrets Are Hard To Keep

I found Leon sat on my bed staring at my wall. I looked in the direction he was to see he was gazing at all of my pictures and posters. I sighed, “Are you okay?” I asked him, he jumped as he realised I was there. He didn’t answer, he just went back to staring at the wall. “Leon.” I called him and he didn’t answer. Why was he being so ignorant?

I stormed over and sat down next to him, “Yes?” He snapped, I scowled at him.

“Why are you ignoring me?” I growled and punched his arm.

“Why are you here?” He stared at me, “I mean Nick is down there.”

“I’m here because you’re my friend--”

Leon stood up and threw his arms up, “Friend! What is all this about Julia? What makes Nick so much better than me? Is it because he’s a better singer, he can act? I’m coming up short here!”

It dawned on me soon after that and guilt literally shook my body, “Leon, I didn’t… I didn’t know.”

“Yeah well now you do. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me?” His teeth were clenched as he spoke. I flinched at his words.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered, “I didn’t mean to--” I felt a few tears I didn’t even know were coming slide down my cheek.

“Forget it, I’m going out.” I watched him walk out of my room. I wanted to shout for him to stay but my vocal chords weren’t working. I just crawled up to the top of my bed and clenched a pillow to my chest.

I’d hurt him, I hated hurting anyone. How could I have been so oblivious? Maybe I was stupid. I was definitely a horrible person, I must have made Leon feel so bad about himself by flaunting Nick around. I couldn’t get my head around the fact he liked me, such a strange thing to absorb.

I heard footsteps walking toward my bedroom, I sat up and wiped my cheeks. “Hey, I’ve been looking for y-- what’s wrong?” Nick asked, frantically rushing to my side. He put his arms around me, but I didn’t cry like I thought I would, I just wound my arms around his waist and held him just as tight as he held me.

“Nothing, just miss my Mum.” I lied, he was silent as he debated my answer. He kissed me forehead, a sure sign he was going to let it go for now.

“Okay, well I have to go now but you can come over later.” I ran a hand through my hair, no way was I going to tell him I didn’t want him to leave. “Please?”

“Of course.” I smiled, he smiled back and walked into my closet closing the door behind him. I sighed and pulled on a t-shirt that was laying on the floor.

Nick walked out of the closet dressed in his previous outfit, he hung the trunks over my chair then gracefully sauntered over to me. He held out his hand which I took in my own and he pulled me up and out of my room.

I stopped at the front door and Nick gave me a swift kiss, “How are you getting home?” I questioned throwing my arms around his neck.

He pointed to the door, “Wait for it…” A few seconds passed and a horn beeped. “Brothers.” He smiled and I couldn’t help but smile back no matter how bad I felt on the inside. The horn sounded again, “Later?” I nodded and he kissed me again before disappearing out.

I felt empty now both of them were gone so I walked into the living room and sat down opposite my Dad who was asleep again. I spread out across the leather sofa and closed my eyes letting the blackness clear my mind and let me drift wherever I wanted to go.

I didn’t sleep for long. Nothing but myself woke me up, I decided it was later and called for a taxi to take me to Nick’s as it was dark and I didn’t want to drive. My Dad was still asleep so I crept out of the living room and upstairs to my bedroom. I changed into a pair of skinny jeans and a white shirt with a purple square with leopard prints on it. I grabbed a plain grey jacket and put that on and a pair of flat black dolly shoes.

I grabbed my phone and twenty dollars then rushed downstairs, I wrote my Dad a quick note then went outside and sat on the kerb outside my house and waited for my taxi to come. A yellow cab rolled up and I swiftly got in the backseat.

“2013 Sancola Avenue, Toluca Lake please.” I murmured and he took off really fast. I plugged in my seatbelt and pulled out my iPhone. I messed around aimlessly on it going through past messages and emails.

Once I was bored I noticed we were on a freeway, I had never came this way but I guessed the driver knew where he was going. “So are you David Beckham’s daughter?”

“No.” I lied harshly and kept my head down.

“I’m sure you are.” He pressed and turned his head around to look at me.

“Eyes on the road.” I mumbled and he twisted back around and was silent for a minute.

“Why’d you lie?” His tone seemed angry, I wasn’t expecting it.

“I get that a lot.” I snapped and he turned his head again to look at me. I glared at him the looked through his windshield. All I saw were a fury of red lights getting closer to us and fast. “LOOK OUT!” I screamed. All colour drained from his face as the car hit a wall and spun around.

I was dizzy and disorientated. My nails dug into the seat and I screamed as if it would help our situation. The spinning got faster until I felt the car tilt and then I was upside down, the blood rushed to my head and glass shattered as I was thrown from left to right. Glass scraped my skin and my left knee ached. I had the breath knocked out of me as the car tipped one final time back on all four tyres.

I opened my eyes and all I could see in front of me was red, everything was red. I tried to focus my vision on the driver and wished I hadn’t, he wasn’t there. There was no windshield but blood across the dashboard. I had no breath to scream like my instincts were telling me to.

I could hear screams from around me and screeching of car tyres. I was barely conscious when I heard the voice of a man asking me if I was okay, I battled my eye lids to open but everything went black as a deafening blow struck the car and everything was in motion again. I could feel the body of the car against my side and the last thing I felt was blood dripping onto my chest.

Nick’s point of view

Joe, Kevin and I sat watching Family Guy in the living room together, something we did often. I checked my phone again and Joe scowled at me. “What?”

“She’ll get here when she gets here.” Joe told me and I sighed. The house phone rang and I jumped out of my seat and ran to it.

“Hello?” I answered hoping that it was Julia.

“Nicholas it’s Dad.” Dad, no such luck. “We’re going to be a bit late, we’re stuck in traffic there’s been a 3 car pile up on the 101.”

“Whoa, what happened?” I asked and Joe and Kevin appeared at my side.

“A taxi driver got distracted and drove into a crash barrier, spun across the road and crashed then another car crashed into the taxi again. It’s on the news if you want to check, we’ll be about an hour or so.”

“Okay Dad, bye.” I hung up the phone and my brothers followed me into the living room asking me the same questions I’d just asked. I simply put on the news and it showed a live feed from a helicopter. I inhaled sharply, “That looks bad.”

“Yeah I knew, they’re having to cut someone out.”

“As you can see this crash has caused over a mile of trail backs. We’ve had one fatality confirmed which was the taxi driver who just went straight through the windshield as he had no belt on. The two passengers in the first collision are fine and the driver of the car which rammed straight into the side of the taxi is fine but the young female in the back, we don't know if she is alive or dead at this moment, of this taxi is trapped because of the way the bodywork has bent…” Everything was quiet in my mind. The first thing I thought was that it couldn’t be her, her Dad would have been bringing her here but then it dawned on me.

“Nick, dude are you okay?” David was asleep… “Nick you’ve gone pale what’s happened?” She wouldn’t have woken him up or driven at night…

In a panic I pulled out my mobile and called hers, it rang until it cut to her voicemail. I tried again and this time got a mans deep voice, in the background sirens. The phone fell from my hand. Kevin knelt down in front of me but I just stared at the wall, I could hear Joe talking on my phone but none of it mattered.

Nothing mattered.