Good Luck Charm (Completed)

Panics and Attacks

     Ms. Jennifer Marshall sat down on the bleachers wincing at the cold of the metal against her already wet skirt. She wiped at her face, pulling a compact out from her bag, and frowning at the face she saw back. In the mirror, rather than a young twenty year old woman with her life ahead of her, she saw a woman wrinkled with age, hair a frazzled wet mess, and eyes horribly bloodshot. Appearances were very important to her, but no about of powder she puffed on could hide the look within her eyes, just the swelling around them. She lamented the fact she might be seen, should someone recognize her, the wife of a politician, looking like such a mess, they might assume there were familial issues. 

     Which in truth there were. 

     She smoothed her dyed blonde hair, attempting to force her many flyaways back into place unsuccessfully. With a sigh of defeat, she packed the compact away and turned her attention to the field. The boys weren't out yet, so she stared off into space reflecting on the day. Snow began to lazily drift down, slowly picking up speed as time wore on. It burnt her skin as it hit.

    Perhaps some people might think what she did was wrong.

     She disagreed. She had Lucas' best intentions at heart and eve if he couldn't respect what she'd done yet she knew that one day he would. It was what was best, she was convinced of that in her heart. 

    Ms. Marshall looked around her and realized how out of place she was. Sitting on the wet bleachers with a bunch of rowdy parents was not where she felt she belonged. She'd never really gone to one of her sons games before. For as long as he'd played soccer, she'd shared no interest in the subject, and had no time set aside for the game. She had no time set aside for him.

     When Jennifer was growing up there was a standard for women; it was expected that they would all want to and have children. All her friends grew up and had children of their own, competitive in her own right, she couldn't let them have anything over her. So she'd had a child, a son, and being that she herself never really had any inclination for motherhood that was where she stopped. Perhaps that made her appear absent or austere to Lucas. Perhaps she was really too busy at her job to let that affect her.

    Not everyone is born for motherhood, but Ms. Marshall was a married woman, and that was what was expected of a woman who go married. Ms. Marshall was not one to scorn traditional expectations. Looking back at her life, she wondered if she might have had a child still, if she was given the chance to do it all again. 

    Lucas and his team ran out on the field and despite her discomfort, she smiled with pride at the cheers her son earned, to her one of the greatest virtues a person could wield. In politics that was one of the things her husband excelled at. Like Lucas, he was easygoing and likable, Jennifer was neither. 

     Lucas scanned the stands through the cheers, catching eye contact with her. He waved slowly, and she sent a subtle kiss back. His brow furrowed and he held his fingers up in the shape of a 'V.'

    Vincent. Jennifer's blood ran cold, as she looked to left and right and grasped at something to do. She looked back and shook her head. Lucas' confusion turned to panic as he looked from side to side. His face paled as if he'd seen a ghost and he stumbled slightly as he moved to walk away. 

....

     "Go!" Marty called as he and Vincent pulled up to the athletic complex. Without waiting for further instruction Vincent ran out of the car, still not even sure where he was going. The snow was falling heavily by that point.

    "Vincent!" Hailey called as she saw him get out. She ran over to him followed by Dustin. "He's in the locker room. He's refusing to leave before he sees you."