3Lying in bed curled up in her hoodie and blankets, she didn't expect him to text back. He was already driving home for the long weekend. She had to stay at college because of work but at the moment she was bored and alone.
Outside the window, red, orange, and yellow leaves blew in the strong wind coming from the east. It wouldn't be long before it would start to rain. Dark clouds had rolled in hours ago, casting shadow over the whole valley. The weather wasn't something unusual for Chancy, New York, especially not in early fall.
*buzz buzz buzzzz*
She looked down at her phone, expecting someone else. Toni maybe or Jake. Her heart skipped a little beat when she saw it was him.
Hey you. What's up?
She quickly replied. Not much. You?
It took a few minutes but she knew he had been driving so maybe he was already home and getting settled in with the family.
Still driving. I can't wait to get home.
She bit her bottom lip. Secretly she wished he hadn't left at all. Though she'd never say it, she wanted him to be there with her. She didn't want to be alone but he was the only one she wanted to be with.
Instead of saying that though, she just said what she could to keep him from knowing. After all, he didn't belong to her. It was just a friendship that continued into bed. Wasn't that what college was all about? Her fingers slowly moved to type the next message.
Should you be texting and driving?
Ha-ha I do a lot of things I'm not supposed to.
Of course. Ever the invincible man if there was one. She smiled to herself and sighed, shaking her head. Silly boy; but isn't that what she loved about him?
Just be careful.
I know how to handle myself.
I know. I was just saying.
I know hun.
There was a pause before she could reply again. Her heart ached a little, again wishing that he was there with her instead of so far away, getting farther away by the second.
She looked out the dark window at the weather. It had started to rain and fiercely, making the dorm cold and even lonelier that before. She shivered and pulled her yellow blanket closer around her.
Chewing on her lip again, she looked at his last message and sighed. He deserved to know. She'd already put it off to long. But was now really the best time? If he was mad, she would be able to lick her wounds without him knowing. If he was scared, she wouldn't be there to make it worse. But she couldn't tell what he would do. Setting her mind, she told herself it was now or never.
~33 miles away~
The road was already slick here from hours of cold, harsh rain. He had set the phone aside so he could pay attention to the road. Only 12 miles left and he'd be home. But something kept bringing his mind back to her.
The girl drove him crazy. She was amazing in bed, made him laugh when no one else could, understood so much about him, yet saw every flaw and wasn't afraid to point it out. He knew what he was like and even though he wasn't ok with it, there was nothing he could do.
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head. What to do about her? He couldn't wait to get home so he could talk to his brother. Austin always knew what to do when it came to shit like this.
*buzz buzz buzzzz*
It was her. He smiled to himself. Of course it was. She always knew when he was thinking of her, as if he had said it without meaning to. Holding the wheel with one hand, he opened the phone with the other and read the message.
Sugar? I have something to tell you.
A frown fell over his face. He didn't like it when she talked like that and she only called him "Sugar" when something was wrong. A knot he hadn't realized was there tightened a little in his stomach.
What is it hun? You can tell me anything.
He waited nervously for her reply. What could it be? Had she found someone else? A million different ideas ran through his head in the time which felt like forever as he waited for her to text him back.
Drumming his fingers on the wheel as the rain came down heavier, he barely noticed the phone vibrating until it fell from the seat to somewhere under his feet. Glancing at the road in front of him, he didn't see any reason not to reach down and get it. Driving with one hand, he reached down; fumbling to find the lost phone with the message he so desperately wished to read.
Suddenly the blare of an air horn made him jump up to see a tractor trailer headed straight towards him. Not paying attention, he had drifted into the other lane. Swerving to get back to his side of the road, the car went into a spin which he couldn't control.
He froze. Watching as the world turned around and around, he knew he was in trouble. The hill was steep and the bottom was a wooded swamp only 3 miles from his house. His mind flashed to his brother, his parents, his room, and his life there.
His body lurched as the car finally crashed to a stop. He was upside down and there was an intense pain in his chest. He knew that his rib was broken and had gone into his lung. The suit case in the backseat had crushed him between the seat and the steering wheel, making it even harder to breath.
The phone was on the roof of the car. Reaching up hurt, but he did it slowly and grabbed the phone. Trying to breath hurt, but so did not breathing. In the distance he only heard silence. But it didn't matter. Only her face was set in his mind.
Opening the phone carefully, he fought the numbness in his hands so he didn't drop it. Darkness began to move in on the edges of his vision, making it hard to see. Focusing, he read her last message.
I know I probably don't mean much to you other than as a friend, but I thought you should know. I love you. I always have. And…well I don't know how else to say this. I'm pregnant.