My Second Chance

Maryland Mayhem

All went well at the courthouse, and Lindsey and I are currently driving through Maryland. The whole time we've been driving, I've been contemplating whether or not this is all an amazing dream, one that I never want to wake up from.

"Hey," Lindsey's voice pulls me from my thoughts, "Wanna make a pit stop?"

"Where?" I ask, turning my head to look at her.

She nods her head to her left, motioning towards the beach along side us.

"Oh, um, sure. I think I threw a bathing suit in one of my bags." I respond, reaching for one of my bags in the back seat of the car.

As I dig through my bag, Lindsey parks the car in the parking lot of some massage parlor across the street from the beach. With a grin, I pull out my black one-piece.

"Found it." I mumble to myself, throwing my bag in the backseat.
Lindsey pops the trunk then gets out of the car. I get out as well and watch as she rummages through a purple luggage bag, pulling out a green bakinni. Closing the trunk and locking up the car, the two of us walk into the massage parlor.

"Is there a bathroom we could use?" Lindsey asks a woman behind a desk.

The woman's eyebrows raise, a small smile tugging at her lips, "Right over there." She points to a hallway to her right.

We stride down the brightly lit hallway to the bathroom, where we change in the stalls. I finished changing before Lindsey, so I start brushing my hair with my fingers, pulling it into a ponytail. The stall door Lindsey was in creaks open, and she walks out.

I examine her stomach tattoo, which is a bunch of vines aligned to make a really pretty design. I always wondered what the whole piece looked like, considering you can only see a little bit of the bottom in some pictures.

"I really like your tattoos." I speak, turning from the mirror to look her in the eyes.

"Thanks, Ray!" She beams.

As she turns to grab her purse from the floor, I notice a small tattoo on her ribcage.

Gerard

Next to Gerard's name is a black heart with an arrow piercing through it.

Awe!

The two of us leave the parlor and cross the street to the beach. Lindsey lays a towel onto the sand and takes a seat, pulling a pair of red sunglasses from her purse.

"Oh shit, I forgot to grab a towel." I sigh, "Can I have your keys?"

She hands me the car keys, and I jog across the street to the car, unlocking the back door and grabbing my bag.

"Hey, sweet thing." I hear a man's voice come from behind me.

I spin around, locking eyes with a man who seems to be in his mid thirties.

"What's a young girl like you doing out here all by yourself?" He prowls, taking a step closer to me.

I step back, hitting the car. My eyes trail over to Lindsey sitting in the sand, her back turned to the scene. One scream will be all it takes to get her attention.

"Um, I-I'm not alone." I reply quietly, feeling my knees begin to shake as the man licks his lips.
"I think you're lying to me. I don't like liers very much."

"I'm not l-lying to you."

He pushes his body against mine, "Then why do you seem so scared?"

All of my fear is built up inside me, fighting to get out, "Lindsey!" I scream as loud as I can.

The man slaps his hand over my mouth.

"Let her go!" I hear Lindsey's voice from across the street.

"Lindsey!" I shout from under the man's hand, but it sounds muffled and unclear.

Before I know it, Lindsey is behind the guy, sending a powerful blow to the guy's balls. The man releases me and drops to the ground. Lindsey steps on the man's back to get to me, wrapping me tightly in her arms, "I'm so fucking sorry! I should've been watching you!"

"I-I'm fine." I say, though my vigorous shaking says otherwise.

"No, you're not! Look at yourself! You're shaking!" She holds me closer, resting her chin on top of my head. I feel something strange inside me. What it is, I'm not sure, but I remember having a similar feeling the last time I saw my mother. She was sitting in a hospital bed along side of my dad's, eyes closed and mouth parted slightly, bruises and cuts littered across her body. My dad was in the same condition. I probably would've been screaming my head off if they hadn't looked so peaceful. Suddenly, I realize the feeling I have.

Peace.

Lindsey's warm embrace puts me at ease, just like my mother's did. Now she's gone. But Lindsey isn't. In the past two days, I've realized something that I'll never let go of. Lindsey cares about me. Someone cares about me, and for once, I'm not entirely alone. 

~~~

Hey, Killjoys! I know it took a while, but Gerard and Bandit will be introduced in the next chapter! Also, this story takes place in 2010 (Danger Days era) but since this is fan fiction, I'm making Bandit five years old, even though she'd be one at the time. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this fic so far! I'll see you in the next chapter!