A Short Story

Milford, Texas; 32 minutes away, with no stops. It was a long drive, and the car had no AC. There were fascinating views, good laughter, and pretty tasty fast food. Therefore, I had little to actually complain about. Just when I thought everything was going well, something unwell decided to happen. “Don’t tell me-” Trenton slammed on the breaks. “No! That stupid check engine light again.” He clicked a few buttons, and sighed. I assumed we couldn’t go anywhere until it was fixed, but Clarisa said otherwise. “Doesn’t that just mean that it needs to be checked? We should continue driving.” She had a ‘know it all’ tone, but Trenton, as stressed as he was, didn’t find it funny. He gave a frustrated side eye then rolled his eyes to look out the window. “Since you’re so smart Clarisa, let me continue driving the remaining 20 minutes.” He put the car into gear, and checked his surroundings. Trenton and Clarisa have been my best friends since about second grade. We argue, but laugh about it later. We were all seniors now; trying to get the best out of our remaining time in highschool. What better way to do so than attend our sports teams football game? When the road was clear, Trenton began driving. “Drive faster! I don’t want to miss kickoff.” Trenton sped up. “Hey no! I was joking!” I began to worry when he wouldn’t slow down. I guess he took my joke seriously. “Come on! I’m not even at 100mph.” He laughed and blew it off. I felt the car jerk as he changed lanes. Clarisa looked back at me. She smiled. She had worry in her face, as did I. “Trenton, she’s not joking, slow down.” Clarisa became mad, when he slammed on the breaks. “Hey! What are you doing? Drive!” There were red lights in front us as far as I could see. My seat belt locked as well as Clarisa’s and Trenton’s. He pulled to the side just in tine to dodge the car in front of us. He laughed and looked at Clarisa. “That was close.” He smiled and shook his head. “You’re laughing right now? Clarisa slapped him and took a breath. “We almost died.” “She’s right.” I added. “I told you to slow down for a reason.” “Whatever.” He was noticeably upset. We all knew he wouldn’t intentionally cause something bad to happen. He was just a dumb highschool boy. The cars began moving again but then, something hit us. A Chevy truck ran into us at 80mph. I had thought we were going to he fine, but this moment did not prove that. I couldn’t remember anything after that wreck. I couldn’t see or hear anything. I had always thought that highways were loud, but maybe they weren’t. Or, maybe I just couldn’t hear. All of a sudden, I felt more present again, when I heard the ambulance. I could hear the fire department, as well as the police. I made out a few words being said near me, but I couldn’t see. It was too dark. “There unconscious.” Said a voice. “His pulse is dropping.” Replied another. “Quick, get this door open. I’ll get nothing done through this window.” “What did you see?” A deep voice from somewhere else said. “Any detailed descriptions?” “I’m sorry sir. It was that Chevy, which hit this little Honda Civic. That’s all I saw.” “That is good, thank you. If you remember anything, call the police, and we’ll speak with you.” There was screeching, then I heard the door hit the ground. Someone was removed from the car, I assumed it was Trenton. Then Clarisa. I heard murmuring around me. Why didn’t they get me? Was I actually there? “Hey! Why is there still someone in that vehicle? No! Get her out!” There were many foot steps. Running, walking and small movements. Suddenly my seatbelt was released, and I was being pulled out of the car. I must have fell asleep, as I do not remember what happened after that. Now I was in room 209 lying in a hospital bed. A doctor still hadn’t come to tell me what had happened to me. That was the least of my concerns. I wanted to be sure that Clarisa and Trenton were safe. Maybe I’ll never know. Suddenly my monitor started to beep rapidly. A doctor arrived immediately. I was unable to hear what they were saying. I never heard anyone speak after that. No voice of anyone, and no presence of anyone. I seemed to have felt someone however...