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I WAS LAYING on the couch being absolutely miserable. Worst day of my life starts now.
Dally trudged down the stairs and collapsed on the couch beside me. I was staring into the nothingness of the empty living room. "How you holding up?" Dally asked, looking at me with a sad look in his eyes.
"I don't know. It was only two months ago that this happened. Two months. Just like it's harder for you on Mom's anniversary. Dad's is harder for me than you, even though it hasn't been a year yet." I spoke quietly.
He sighed. "You wanna go over to Soda's?"
"No. I just want to stay here today." I replied in a monotone voice.
"Alright. I'm going out for a few." He said while walking towards the door. He looked back at me and then slowly shut the door while sighing.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I'm not a crier. I don't cry. I'm not going to cry.
I slowly opened my eyes and glanced at the picture frame that was hanging above the television. It was a picture of my dad and me at the hospital looking at an x-ray of a human brain.
In the photograph, we were in an immense conversation over the tumor that was in the guy's brain. I smiled. Good times.
Then, I was immediately brought into reality. I haven't really spoke to anyone about the incident except for the police but only because I was forced to. With shaky hands, I slowly stood up and grazed my hand across the picture of my dad and me. It should've been me that day, not him.
//
"This was probably the best daddy-daughter day I've had, Pumpkin." My dad spoke, smiling at me.
I grinned. "Yeah. I mean, we saved a guy's life! He was so close to dying."
"Partners in crime. You and me." He replied while taking a left. We were almost home.
"Dally's going to be soooooo jealous." I laughed.
"Dally's probably not even going to be home." Dad sighed.
"Dad, it's not your fault." I put my hand on his shoulder.
"He always liked your mom better than me." He frowned.
"He still loves you. You're his father." I looked up and my eyes went huge.
There was this huge party. Not at our house, but it was a huge party. Dad and I were too focused on the party to even notice the truck in front of us.
I looked over and screamed. "DAD, WATCH OUT!!"
Police and ambulance sirens surrounded me. I couldn't move. People from the party rushed over to the car and all I could get out was. "Where is my dad? Is he okay?"
Nobody answered me.
It was the worst day of my life. I was taken to the hospital and everyone that was a friend of my dad's was in MY hospital room.
"Where's dad?" I choked out. They all gave me a sad look and tears dropped down from half of their faces.
"Skylar honey, your dad didn't make it."
//
THOSE WORDS RANG in my ear for weeks after. Just as I was about to sit down, there was a knock at the door. I opened the door and raised my eyebrows. Soda.
"What are you doing here?" I questioned while letting him in.
"Dally asked me if I could check in on you ever so often." He smiled and patted for me to sit beside him on the couch.
I rolled my eyes and sat next to him. "I'm fine. You can go now."
"You really think I believe that?" He asked. "It's been two months since the car crash, Blue. You're not okay. You're still traumatized by it. Anyone would be." He put his hand through my hair.
I moved his hand away. "You can't put your hands through my hair and look at me like that. You have a girlfriend."
"Look at you how?" He questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Like that! You look at me so intently and it's killing me!" I yelled while running my fingers through my hair.
Soda looked at the ground. "I can't help NOT looking at you."
He lifted his head and looked at me straight in the eyes. "Every time I look at you, all I see are your beautiful blue eyes, your long, wavy, beautiful blonde hair that brings out your eyes. All I see is someone who I used to know but I don't know now all because of me."
I stood up and walked back over to the picture of my dad and me. "You see this, Soda?"
He nodded.
"This man right here was my whole world. He was gone in an instant. Like a snap of a finger. I was almost gone too. For two months now, I've wished that it was me in that grave and not him because he saved lives. What did I do? I went to school everyday and as soon as I got home, I usually sat on the couch and watched a new episode of Andy Griffith. That was my life. I didn't save lives, he did. So why did I deserve to live? It suddenly hit me while we were talking. God kept me alive because there IS people who need me. Dally. You. Pony. Johnny. All of the gang. But, I also realized that I need y'all too." I paused and looked Soda straight in the face.
"I need you, Soda."
He grinned and walked over to me and embraced me in a huge hug like Darry would give me. I laughed and sat back on the couch. Soda looked at me again.
"Stop looking at me that way!" I yelled again.
"I can't help it, okay? You're beautiful."
I paused.
Wait, what?
"You have a girlfriend. You shouldn't be saying stuff like this to me." I spoke in a content voice.
