LIKE WATER | A Collection Of Oneshots

The Day I Died

TRIGGERS: Car crash, self-harm, very very slight mention of abuse (a single line at the very end)

STORY:

If only I had known. If I could turn back time, I would tell my younger self a lot of things. I would tell elementary and middle school me to enjoy the memories. I would tell my high school self not to get in that car, to call my mom, not to babysit that night, to do a lot of things. Anything that could have prevented it. I would tell my younger self to enjoy the party, to apologize to my ex-friend, to make as many friends as I could, to live life as much as I could. But it's too late now. I can't turn back time. I can't go back. I can't change the past. And now I'm here. Sitting in this room, with two girls about my age staring at me in judgement, bombarding me with questions - who am I, how old am I, things like that - with no regard for how I'm feeling.

Wait, I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? How could I forget that? Literally the most important part of this and I managed to forget. My name is Rain, I'm 17, and I'm dead. Yep, you heard that right, I'm dead. I died yesterday. I think that I'll tell you what happened. Yeah, I think I'm going to do that. Sit back, get comfortable, and let me tell you of The Day I Died.

Like any other 17-year-old at the time, I had my share of secrets. I snuck out a lot. I always made sure to get home by 4 am so I could get a couple hours of sleep every day. I usually get around 3-4 hours of sleep on a school night, but if I was lucky, I'd get 6. This particular day, started just like any other. But the turn it took was one I wish I could reverse.

I woke up early, to my alarm blaring at 6:30 in the morning to ensure I got up. Snoozing it did nothing, because 5 minutes later it was blaring again. Again, and again this process repeated. The sound of Taylor Swift filling my room every 5 minutes until I reluctantly got out of bed. I got showered and dressed and checked the time. 7:50. I still have about 20, 30 minutes till I have to leave. So, I went downstairs and had breakfast. Checking my Instagram, I saw a DM from my friend, telling me about this party tonight. I already knew I was going to go, I just had to convince my mom I was staying at Kelly's for the night, so I didn't have to get a ride.

As I was getting my shoes on, I heard a familiar car horn honking outside my house. I slung my blue backpack over my shoulder, grabbed my mask, and ran out to meet her. She, also known as Mali, was my best friend. We'd been close since we met in 5th grade, almost 7 years ago. And since then, we haven't gone anywhere without each other. I chucked my bag in the backseat and quickly took a seat next to her, a grin on my face. She switches playlists to one we always enjoy - hits from the 2000s and 2010s - and off we go. Singing along and laughing as she drives along the highway, as if we weren't living the last day that we'd have together. She pulled into the school parking lot soon enough and we put our masks on, grabbing our backpacks as we exited the car. I walked in and I couldn't help but admit. It looked like a ghost town there. There was hardly anyone. Most of our school was all virtual due to quarantining and so there was maybe 1/8 of the student body actually here.

The day passed pretty quickly, and to be honest it all blurred together. I could barely bring myself to focus on my lessons, and I couldn't be more grateful the moment that the last bell rang. I grabbed my bag and headed out to Mali's car to see her leaning against it, her brown hair whipping around in the wind. She nodded at me, and we got in, sighing as we finally got to take our masks off.

"You going to the party tonight?" She asked me. I remember this conversation distinctly, because it was one of the last ones I'd have with her. Most people don't remember their last days well, but I remember mine in scary detail. I wish I could forget it if I'm being honest.

"Yeah, I just have to convince my mom that I'm staying overnight at Kelly's." She nods and off we go. Down the highway, a quick stop at Starbucks for our Frappuccinos - a Grande Java Chip with Whipped cream for her and a Grande Mocha Cookie Crumble with Whipped cream for me - then we were back on our way. She dropped me off at home and I was quick to head up to my room and make myself look all happy and innocent.