Paper Planes

The Girl in Blue

The clouds looked menacing that day. They were dark and thick, engulfing the world below into a gloomy haze.

I should have waited out the storm. It would have been the smarter option but I am anything but rational when it comes to these types of things. Always making rash decisions and never quite thinking things through. It is a tragic flaw of mine, one might say. My mom refers to it as an "inability to predict consequences." That is a nice way to put it.

When I left college earlier that day, the air was humid and heavy. All I could think about was going home. The year had been rough, with a countless number of tests and assignments. It was like a never-ending stream of work from the eccentric professors. A break seemed like a great idea. I had driven the curvy road back home many times and didn't think much of it then. It was usually traffic-free and surrounded by trees, exactly the calm I was looking for.

After saying goodbye to my roommate, I threw my bag into the back of my beat-up car and drove off. An old song played on my stereo, one that I quite enjoyed and listened to often when driving home from school. It was a good feeling, to finally be free from school for the summer and I had rolled down my window to enjoy the air.

An hour had barely passed before the sky tore open and with a strike of thunder, a strong stream of rain fell to the ground. My arm had been resting beside the window and I quickly pulled it in. It wasn't long before the pitter-patter turned into a steady drum beating against my car. My wipers moved frantically across my windshield but that did very little to clear the window.

I considered stopping but decided against it because I wanted to be home before dark. It wasn't until I hit a wave of fog that I pulled over to the side, muttering to myself. There were no cars on the road, either ahead of me or behind me, I was sure of it. Even if there were any, I wouldn't have been able to see them in the dense blanket of clouds. The fog was so thick that I could have cut through it with the jackknife that was tucked in the bottom of my duffel bag.

We weren't allowed to keep weapons of any type in the dorm rooms but I had done a good job of keeping it hidden from prying eyes. My grandpa had given it to me before he died and I guarded it with my life.

Pressing my head back against my seat, I hit a random song on my phone. It felt good not to worry about anything, to be away from Hannah for a while. She was planning to stay at the school for the summer, talking about a job she had secured with her History professor. 

Like a good boyfriend, I had went to say goodbye last night but found her missing from her room. My heart and eyes ached at the memory of seeing Hannah with her professor. Pressing my palms against my sore eyes, I groaned loudly. Perhaps it was for the best, I thought.

I had been so caught up with my thoughts about Hannah that I almost didn't hear the desperate knock at my window. At first, I thought I had imagined it, that my mind was playing tricks on me. But when I saw a dark figure looming by my car, I jumped.

It was a girl, shivering in the rain and completely drenched. For a split second, I thought it was Hannah who had driven after me to apologize but then I saw the dark hair. Hannah had auburn hair. Quickly I rolled down my window and asked, "Are you alright?"

The girl shook her head furiously. Tired eyes wide with worry stared down at me. "No. My car broke down a while back from here." She rubbed her bare shoulders and looked behind her. "Please. I need to get home."

Now, I knew that I didn't know this girl, that she was a complete stranger but I let her come into my car anyways. She kept telling me that she was grateful and how she would make hot chocolate for me when we got to her place. I said to her, "You don't need to worry about that. Where is your car? Maybe I could check it out for you."