uncool, stanley barber

15

15 - and i am not okay with this

me and stanley decided to head home. it was already pretty late and we have a test in sex ed soon. he wants to do some extra studying, you know?

the storm clouds over our heads as we drive back in the rain. i can't concentrate cause this is the exact weather mum drove in before it happened. i heard her tonight, her voice clear as anything. but why tonight?

"homecoming's next week" stanley brings up as he doesn't really focus on the road. "and people are already asking dates, yanno."

i don't listen to him, i can't. i haven't heard my mother in 8 months. it's been 8 months. why now?

suddenly, out from the trees, comes a person. they dart across the road in distress. "stanley!" i shout, pointing at the person.

"fuck!" stanley shouts as he dodges them and swerves the car. this can't be happening, he promised.

we crash.

"mum? m-mum? mum!"

i feel like i can't breathe, it's all flooding back to me. i look over at stanley and see my mother's body. the blood, the same scratches stained in my mind. every single detail is there.

"ella! i'm so sorry. are you okay? i'm sorry, ella! els!" stanley shouts at me. he shakes my arm as i finally look at him, angry tears falling down my face.

i shrug him off of me as i open the car door and slam it shut. "ella, wait" stanley follows behind me. "please, els!"

"you promised me stanley!" i scream in his face. "you promised you'd go slow! AND YOU FUCKING DIDN'T"

the sound of thunder drowns out my sobs as the rain drenches us. our hair's flat and our clothes stick to our skin.

he tries to come near me but i walk away from him, only to stop at the sound of a scream. "FUCK!" the voice booms just as a force pushes me back and the trees crash down.

stanley rushes to my side, but he's also in awe. what the fuck just happened? i stop my crying to see it's syd. did she just do that?

"syd?" stanley calls over to her. she gasps when she sees us, slipping in the mud. we're stunned. there's no words.

she panics, it's written across her face. "th-they were like this when i got here. i-i swear" she lies, trying to cover up what the fuck just happened.

"no, no. no, no, we saw it, syd" stanley explains. he's close by my side and i allow it for now because we're so confused and i need him here to prove i'm not insane.

"well, you better keep this a secret, okay?" she says desperately. when we don't reply, she gets angry. "NOT A FUCKING WORD! GOT IT? PROMISE ME, PLEASE."

i gulp and nod. "okay, w-we promise, s-syd" i finally say. she eyes us, about to break down. whatever secret she's just spilled, she definitely didn't want anyone to know.

syd sulks away from us as i look at stanley, his brown puppy eyes sorrowful. i'm mad at him because he crashed and he knows the effect. but it wasn't his fault. i'm just so overwhelmed and confused that i'm not sure what to think anymore. does sydney novak have super powers?

all of these emotions whirl around inside me, but all i do is cry. my tears fall down my cheeks and i make a horrible noise. i don't realise i've collapsed onto the mud until i see stanley's blue suit get stained.

he pulls me close, his hand on my back and the other cupping my head. he tries to shush me, but the thunder booms louder and i feel my whole world is crashing down before my eyes.

and i am not okay with this.