With and Without You

Prologe Part 2

::::I grew up here in Hawkins. My parents, Jack and Grace McCullin. They were the best. They worked hard, making sure  I could never want or need anything. They always made sure I knew how loved I was and how much they loved each other. They were truly happy. Always in each other's arms. I had never seen any other parents as in love as mine.

We live in one of the nicer neighborhoods. Our neighbors and my parent's best friends were the Harringtons. Steve and I were the same age and grew up together. We were best friends. No.......more like brother and sister. We laughed, played, and fought. We did everything together, including getting in trouble at school. Wasn't our fault they kept putting us in the same class. They should've figured out after kindergarten that it wasn't a good idea. The class always got behind because of us. Everything was great, until it wasn't.

-Flashback-

I was ten when it happened. It was the last day of my fifth grade year. Just like all the years before, my parents took me out for dinner to celebrate the end of school. We laughed and talked about where we wanted to go for our summer vacation that year. It was dark out by the time we finished dinner, and the road glistened from the rain that had passed through earlier. We were heading home when a truck hit the driver side of our car where I was sitting. My dad was unable to control it due to the wet pavement, and we slammed head on into a tree. I got knocked out, but only for a moment. I awoke to the sounds of sirens and smell of something burning. I looked up to see the front of the car on fire. I felt blood on my face and dripping down my left leg where there was now a puddle in my shoe. I called out for my parents but their was no reply. The sirens got closer. I tried to move, but the seat belt had me pinned. The fire was getting bigger, and I started to feel the heat on my face. I was terrified and confused, fighting to get unbuckled. The sheriff arrived, using his pocket knife to cut the belt and pull me out through the passenger side. He picked me up and ran with me away from the car. I screamed at him to get my parents looking back as the car was engulfed with flames. He held me close so I would be able to look back. Ahead of us was the truck that hit us, flipped over in a ditch. Then, an explosion. I peaked under his arm to see it was our car. Right then, I knew my parents were gone. I screamed out in agony, still calling for my parents, not noticing that I was losing so much blood. My eyes started to feel heavy. I had trouble keeping them open while. I started getting cold. It was just the sheriff and myself. He took off his belt and sinched it around my leg. It had to have been tight, but I was unable to feel much anymore anyways so I didn't know. He mumbles something on his radio. All I remember being able to make out was "backup" and "dying" before I blacked out.

I woke up 3 days later in the hospital. I woke up alone.  The sheriff showed up later that afternoon, the one that saved me. He told me his name was Hopper. He explained to me what happened. That the driver of the truck was drunk and hit us and that him and my parents all died on impact. I was lucky to be alive without major injury. I did have a deep cut on my leg from where the door sliced into me on impact and some small cuts from the glass on my face. Also, I had to have a blood transfusion, having lost so much, but I had full function of that leg. It's just a nasty scar. That is why I only wear pants. In one flash, I lost everything.

I had to stay in the hospital for two weeks while they made sure my body didn't reject the transfusion, and I was healing properly. During that time, Steve was brought by his parents to see me after school almost every day. His parents were like a second family but was still a harsh reminder that mine was gone. They were going to take me in when my Aunt Rose showed up. No one in the family talked about her other than she was no good. A thief and drug addict. She fought with the Harringtons, saying she was my real family, and I was moving in with her.
The day I was released from the hospital, she took me to my home and told me to pack one bag. She took things she wanted and packed them up. I had one bag to pack all my clothes and treasures into. I finished up and walked toward her car. Steve stood there at the edge of his yard, looking sad. I couldn't help but think I was never going to see him again. I ran over to him, dropping my bag, hugging him tight as I cried. He hugged back and did what he could to fight back his tears. We didn't want to let go. "Let's go!" Yelled my aunt and honked the horn. We pulled away from each other. "Goodbye Stevie." I said sadly, walking to her car. I sat in the back, looking out the window at him. As we drove off, we drove past his house, and he tried to run after us. Eventually, he faded from view. I sat quietly, sobbing in the back seat for the long trip.