Autumn Skies // A miraxus fanfiction

//Chapter 5//

Chapter 5- The Crash

I was lying in bed that night at half nine when my phone buzzed aggressively from across the room. I swear the point of vibrate is that it's subtle, yet it makes more noise than a ring tone does.
Anyway, I was a little surprised because after Lisanna died I kind of just ignored all my friends, and pretty quickly they gave up texting me their apologetic messages. Maybe it just annoyed me that instead of asking whether I was okay they'd all tell me how sad they were to hear about my sister, how lovely she was, how much she'd be missed. That makes me a pretty horrible person, but it hurt that it was still about my sister- that even dead she was the amazing one.
My phone didn't recognise the number, so I figured it was probably just junk. I clicked on it anyway just to see, and was surprised by what I read.
"Don't be weirded out, it's Laxus," I read, and no sooner had I finished scanning the text than he called me.
"Hey, Mira Jane."
His voice was unusually tight, like he was trying to sound his usual confident self but really wasn't feeling it.
"Hey," was my reply. I had no idea what he had to say, or why he'd called.
Everything was quiet for a few moments.
"Gray's in trouble. Could you come help?"
"Of course, what do you need?"
"I'll pick you up. What's your address."
I told him, and he hung up, leaving me alone in my silent room. Suddenly aware that I was wearing pjs, I hurried to my wardrobe to grab a pair of jeans and a cozy, worn out grey jumper, then changed as fast as I could. Adrenaline pumping through my veins I grabbed my purse, keys and phone, and stuffed them all into a worn out shoulder bag. The sound of an engine reached my ears, then cut out, and a glance out of the window confirmed Laxus had arrived.
Bounding down the stairs two at a time, I suddenly realised that I was going to have to explain why I was leaving the house at  twenty to ten on a school night. Dad was in the living room, answering work emails, so I took a quick detour to tell him as much as I knew.
"Dad one of my friends wants a hand with something, I don't know the details but I'll be back soon," there was a hint of pleading in my tone, and Dad took a moment to study me.
"Okay. I'm just glad to see you interacting with friends again."
"Thanks," I replied, and them I was off, out the room and through the corridor and then out the front door. My feet carried me as fast as they could to the small, worn out cars door, which Laxus leant over to open for me. As soon as I was seated, seatbelt on, door shut, his foot pressed down on the pedal and we were gone. It took me exactly four seconds to panic. I was in a car, being driven at night by a boy who I barely knew. Memories came rushing back, my eyes shut, and I saw it all over again.

Music blared, and swaying bodies pressed from every direction as I pushed my way through the living room turned hormonal mess.
"Come on, Lisa, we promised to be back by two," I tugged on my sisters arm, and she spun drunkenly towards me, stumbling a little.
I laughed.
"Is it that time already? Dad won't mind if we're a little late- nobody else has gone home yet."
I shook my head.
"I'll call him- you're too drunk to drive," I pulled out my phone, but a hand caught my wrist as I went to switch it on.
"No worries- I'll drive you home," some boy a little older than us offered, and I was about to reply that we were fine when Lisanna gave him a sickeningly sweet smile, looking up through her lashes and shuffling a little closer.
"That would be great, Bickslow," she responded, and before I knew it she was dragging me out the room.
I caught up with Bickslow, feeling a little light headed from the alcohol in my system, blinking stars from my eyes.
"How many have you had?" I hissed suspiciously, grabbing onto his arm to keep myself upright.
"Relax, I'm practically sober."
Lisa pressed into his other side, giving me a look that clearly said 'hands off'. I felt that maybe I ought to be worried, maybe I shouldn't let Lisa get in the car with this guy, maybe I shouldn't let myself.
I drunkenly went along anyway.
Bickslow had a nice car, his Dad's I think he said, though I was totally out of focus. Lisa sat in the front with him, whilst I went in the back, clutching at my purse like it would keep me anchored to reality.
"Where to, Lissy?" he asked, giving her a long, flirtatious smile, though his eyes seemed to be looking a little lower than her face.
She adjusted the short, tight, strapless black dress she was wearing, and leant back against the seat, giving him full view of her cleavage.
"Staffington, the bottom end, I'll direct you when we get there."
They totally forgot about me as I sat there, feeling a little ill, watching my little sister reach out a hand to rest on his thigh. My stomach churned with every bump in the road, and not only because I was hammered.
Lisa's hand crept higher and I looked away, praying we'd reach home soon.
All of a sudden, Lisanna started coughing, and my head whipped round to see what was wrong.
"Stop the car," she spluttered, pressing her hands to her mouth and swallowing hard in an attempt to keep from being sick.
"I can't stop we're at the bloody crossroads! Don't you dare throw up in my car," Bickslow indicated as we waited for a gap as cars zoomed in front of us. A small gap, too small, we were never going to make it across to the road on the other side of the one we were crossing, but alcohol and disgust made Bickslow confident, made him careless, and he sped out into the road.
We crossed the first lane, Lisanna retching.
"Wait!" I remember screaming, as I saw the car speeding towards us from the other side.
The driver didn't see us at first- a woman on her way back from a night shift in the hospital where she worked as a children's doctor. Maybe if she hadn't been tired and stressed after a difficult night she would've noticed us in time.
Then again, maybe not.
I can imagine her panic when she did see our car- a mere second before the impact, though it felt like much longer. How her reflexes would have slammed her foot on the brake before her head could register what was happening.
All I heard was the sickening screech of her tyres, and then nothing.

"Mira, you okay?" Laxus's voice pulled me back to reality, and I realised that I had stopped breathing.
"I- I have to get out," I gasped, my shaking hands reaching to undo my seatbelt.
Laxus's left hand caught mine, his eyes never leaving the road ahead of him. His hold was firm, strong.
Breathe, breathe, breathe.
"One minute and we're there. I promise I won't let any harm come to you. Breathe, Mira. Gray needs us."
Somehow, with his fingers entwined with mine, listening to the sound of his breaths, my heart rate slowed and the panic subsided.
Sure enough, fifty-two seconds later he stopped the car, but instead of scrambling out I stayed totally still and kept gripping onto him like a child to their Mother.
"Ready?" he asked, finally looking at me, and I nodded.
"Yeah, I'm okay."