Witness

1| There's No Place Like Home

I took a large inhale the second I entered the familiar building, the smell of coffee and reheated breakfast sandwiches hitting my nose. Starbucks. My happy place after a long day of classes. I didn't waste any time before placing my order and meeting my best friend and roommate, Melany, at our usual table. We came here almost every day; it wasn't exactly easy on the wallet, but it certainly made me happy. 

"So, Emery, what extravagant coffee did you order this time?" Melany asked as I took my seat. I was known for switching up my drinks because I often got bored of the same ol' stuff. There were just too many good options on the menu to stick with the same one. 

"Nothing too crazy today. I decided to go with a grande latte with 3 pumps of peppermint and 2 of vanilla. Oh, and an extra shot of espresso—it's gonna be one of those days," I explained while patting my backpack dramatically. I had a lot of homework to get done, and I was dreading it.

"Ugh," Mel sighed as she unzipped her own backpack. "That sounds good. I wish I would have waited to order until you got here. I got a lame iced coffee with sweet cream."

I pulled out my laptop and set it on our table as I chuckled at her, "Mel, you get that every time. I doubt you would have changed your mind even if I was here."

It was true. Where I liked to switch things up from time to time, Mel was the opposite. She was conservative and always knew what she wanted. As opposite as we were, however, I knew I was lucky to have her in my life. We both were attending the University of Iowa, and I actually met her at a college party. We started talking, and we clicked instantly.

She was a pretty girl. She was also very small, about 5'2," and had a slim figure. It was impossible not to admire her light brown hair, porcelain skin, unnaturally red lips, and incredible hazel eyes. I had initially gone to the party with my freshman year roommate, of whom I don't talk to anymore. We had a huge falling out around winter break, and after that, I moved in with Mel. It worked out perfectly because her roommate had just dropped out. We've been roommates and best friends ever since.

I tucked a piece of my dirty blonde hair behind my ear and stretched out my neck as I prepared to study.

"Are you going to come with me to Henry's party tonight?" Mel asked.

I sighed and ran a hand through my long hair, "You know that I can't. I really should be with my dad tonight."

She reached a hand across the table placing it on top of mine. "Oh God, Emery, I forgot. I'm so sorry. How are you holding up?"

I thought about it for a minute. This year had been better than most, but today was always a hard day. Today was my mom's birthday. 

About 9 years ago, when I was 12, my mother, sister, and I went out for a girl's day. My older sister, Adeline (or Addy as I called her), who was 14 at the time, and I had been begging our mom to take us to the mall. I remember that we had a great day. There was no drama, and honestly speaking, the members of my family were my best friends. We had each bought so many new clothes; I remembered my mom barely getting everything to fit into the car properly.

On our way back, it was already getting dark and it was storming. The rain was coming down hard around the car, and visibility was limited. The thunder was insanely loud, and to this day, because of that particular storm, every time I hear thunder I freak out. I was sitting shotgun this time, because Addy had it on the way there, and she was sitting behind my mom. I don't remember too much about what happened next—but I remember showing one of my new sweaters to my family, and then I felt the car jerk, and everything went black.