“Okay.”
“Did you miss me?”
“Cass, we were both at the party. I didn’t really have time to miss anyone. There are a lot of students here.”
Cassie’s snorted, her head lolling. “Well then, maybe I didn’t miss you either. Are we almost to your car, Jess?”
“Yes. Hold on. I’m just a few cars back.” Jessica tried to point, but knew none of them could really see any of the movements she was making.
Cassie softly murmured some song as Jessica finally spotted the familiar paint of her sister’s Camry. She ran to the passenger side and opened the door to help push Cassie inside.
“Oh my God,” Cassie gasped as her body fell forward. She braced herself, putting her hands on her thighs as her body began to convulse into a dry heave. “What is that horrendous smell? I think I’m going to throw up. Jess, you need a new car! It’s awful!”
Jessica turned her face away from the foul odor. Obviously, she had missed some of Beth’s vomit.
“There’s no way I’m riding in this thing, Jessica.” Cassie said. “No freaking way!”
“Sorry,” Jessica responded, unsure what she should do. Her car really did smell, but they didn’t have any other options. “Beth puked as she was getting out.”
“See, I knew it was a bad idea for you to drive that drunk girl home.” Cassie huffed, and attempted to stand back up.
“Cassie, please stop.” Jessica grabbed Cassie’s elbow. “It’s been a busy night. And you’re not one to talk about me driving a drunk girl home.”
Cassie’s lower jaw dropped. Then she abruptly turned to look at Andrew. Her voice took on a dramatic tone. “Andrew, sweetie, can you take us home?”
“Fine. Let me go and get Warren.” Andrew began to walk back toward the party, his hands thrust into his jean pockets.
Jessica grabbed Cassie’s arm, and they made their way toward Andrew’s vehicle. The night air felt warm and sticky as Jessica tried to support her friend while they waited for the boys. Of course, Cassie was no help.
After several minutes, Andrew and Warren appeared.
“Where’s your brother?” Jessica asked, just wanting to get home. Her parents were going to kill her for leaving her car in a strange place, but she would hopefully convince her dad that she had made the right decision.
“Miles apparently already left.”
“Hey, Warren,” Jessica said nonchalantly. Even in the dim light, she could tell Warren was drunk. She was sure he had probably matched Cassie drink for drink that night, if not more.
“Hey, hot stuff,” Warren slurred back, and then turned to Andrew. “Seriously, dude, isn’t Jessica hot? She’s much better looking than Cassie.”
“Whoa!” Andrew tried to shut his friend down, just as Cassie glared at Warren with glassy eyes.
“Warren, you’re an ass.” Cassie was now standing fully upright, readying herself for a verbal spar.
“Oh, sorry, Cassie. I didn’t realize you were over there. The last time I saw you, you were kissing Tommy what’s-his-name.”
“Warren!” Cassie yelled, hitting him on the shoulder. “Shut up, you moron!”
“Both of you just get in the backseat.” Andrew nudged his friend into the car.
Jessica knew Andrew was probably seething. She closed the back door for Cassie, only to find him standing right next to her.
“By the way, I’m not mad about Cassie kissing someone else. I’m actually really happy. I plan to talk with her tomorrow, once she sobers up, to let her know that our relationship is over.” He squeezed Jessica’s hand, and then walked swiftly back around to the driver’s side.
Jessica could feel herself blush at his admission. She opened the door and slid into the front passenger seat. Just as she was pulling her seat belt across, the interior light clicked on. She turned to see Cassie looking at Andrew’s sketches.
“What’s this black book? You’ve got all these drawings in here.”
“That’s because it’s my sketchbook.” Andrew looked into his rearview mirror, a serious expression on his face.
“Well, do you have one of me?” Cassie asked as she flipped aimlessly through the pages.
“Nope.”
“Then who is this?” Cassie held up the sketch he’d drawn of Jessica.
“Cassie, put that away,” Andrew pleaded with her. “It’s my personal book. We can talk more tomorrow.”
Jessica could hear Cassie silently pouting in the backseat as Andrew pulled out onto the roadway. There were dozens of cars parked along the street as they slowly made their way toward the highway.
They sat in silence for several seconds. Finally, Cassie let out a sigh.
“Andrew, do you still want to be my boyfriend?”
“Cassie, you’re drunk. Why are you asking that?” Andrew said, looking at her in his rearview mirror.
“Because she likes to make out with other boys,” Warren slurred matter-of-factly, leaning his head against the back seat. “Cassie likes to make out with everyone. Dude, I’ve even made out with her. Sorry. Crap. I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, but don’t worry, it was only once or twice. Really, it was no big deal.”
Jessica saw that Warren’s admission brought another smile of relief to Andrew’s face.
“Warren, does she really like to make out with you?” Andrew asked, now seeming to be having fun with the conversation.
“No!” Cassie bellowed. “Shut up, Warren!”
“Whatever, Cass. You know the truth.” Warren slumped further in his seat. “Sorry, man. I’m really sorry, but Cassie thinks I’m hot. She likes my body.”
“Warren, you really are an idiot.” A terrified look crossed Cassie’s face, and she leaned forward. “Andrew, you didn’t answer my question.”
“Fine. No, I don’t want to be with you. Can we break up?”
“No! Why don’t you want me to be your girlfriend? Are you seeing someone else?” Cassie yelled, her cheeks soaked with tears.
Andrew sighed. “Yes.” He looked back into his rearview mirror and caught Cassie’s gaze.
“Who is it?” Cassie said, breaking eye contact and glancing down at his sketchbook. She held up Jessica’s picture. “Is this her?”
“Yes,” Andrew replied smugly.
Cassie never noticed his eyes move to the front passenger seat.
“You’ve been cheating on me! You’ll definitely pay for that, Andrew Montgomery. I’m not going away easily, and you just wait until I get my hands on this girl.”
Cassie sat back as Andrew drove down the narrow two-lane road that led to the highway. Large trees loomed, creating shadows on the asphalt.
“I hate this street,” Jessica mumbled, looking out the front window.
Andrew reached over and patted her hand just as Cassie threw his sketchbook. It struck his head, and then landed on his lap. Andrew instinctively hit the brakes, and the car swerved. He looked up in time to see the bright lights of an oncoming car.
Chapter Five
His heavy eyelids slowly fluttered open. There were odd beeping sounds off in the distance. Andrew tried to focus, but it was hard to see anything in the dimly lit room. Everything was blurry. He blinked several times.
Andrew tried to lift his head, but nothing happened. Just as panic began to set in, a door on the opposite side of the room opened, and a young woman with red hair entered. She paused momentarily to view the computer monitors, and then turned her attention to him.
“Well, hello, sleepyhead. How ya feelin’?” she asked in a thick southern accent.
Andrew tried to respond, but no words came out of his mouth.
The nurse moved closer to his bed and leaned down. “Andrew, you were in a car accident and have been asleep for a few days. Don’t try to talk. We have a breathing tube in right now. Let me go and get the doctor. Your mom is also here. I believe she just went down to the cafeteria. I’ll call her.”
Andrew blinked several times as her words registered. A car accident. He didn’t re
member anything about an accident. The last thing he remembered was driving home from the party. Cassie, Warren, and Jessica were with him.
The door opened again, and his mother ran into the room. “Andrew! I’m so happy you’ve finally woken up.” She leaned over him with tear-streaked cheeks. “The nurse went to get the doctor. Just hold on, baby. We’re here. We’re here.”
His mom kept staring at him and rubbing his hand. He looked around at his surroundings. Then his eyes began to close. He just wanted to go back to sleep, but before he could drift off, his mother yanked on his arm.
“Andrew! Andrew! Wake up! Don’t you dare try and fall asleep on me again.”
Andrew’s eyelids popped back open. He blinked a few more times, trying to adjust to the light. His mom was standing near the bed, hovering over him. A new set of tears had begun to slide down her face, leaving behind faint black streaks from her mascara. Andrew knew his mother would be mortified if she looked in the mirror right now.
Just as Andrew thought about shutting his eyes again, an older man wearing a white coat walked into the room.
“Ah, good to see you’re awake, Mr. Montgomery. You gave us quite the scare.”
Andrew slowly turned his head toward his mom. Their eyes locked, and he tried to figure out what in the world was going on.
The doctor sauntered over to the machines as two nurses in blue scrubs entered behind him and began to check various monitors.
“Andrew, you have a breathing tube. I’d like to go ahead and take it out.” The doctor approached and peeled back a strip of tape from his face. “You should be able to talk soon.”
There was a burning pain in the back of his throat, and he looked around the room, watching several people in scrubs continuing with some sort of work.
“Where am I?” Andrew finally mumbled hoarsely. His throat felt like sandpaper.
“You’re at Houston West General Hospital. What do you remember?” The doctor looked down at a folder in his hands, and then back at Andrew. A pair of glasses with a thick black frame had sunk down the bridge of his nose.
“I was at a party. We were driving home.”
“That’s right, baby. You were driving a car with your friends in it when you had an accident,” his mom interjected, wiping away another tear.
Andrew’s gaze caught his mother’s. “An accident? I don’t remember anything happening.” His throat now felt like it was on fire, and his thoughts were racing. He remembered getting into the car, and then talking with everyone. He didn’t recall any sort of accident. His mom had to be wrong.
The doctor, having finished his evaluation, looked back at Andrew. “A car came around a curve and hit you head-on, causing your car to roll. The two kids in the backseat are fine, but you and your front-seat passenger were injured pretty badly.”
“Who was in the front seat with me?” Andrew asked as he mentally tried to place everyone in the car.
This time it was his mom who answered. “Cassie’s friend Jessica. I think her name was Jessica Rodriguez.”
Andrew tried to sit up at the sound of Jessica’s name. “Is she okay?”
His mother looked down. He could tell she was inspecting every inch of the floor tiles in an effort to avoid answering the question.
“Mom, is Jessica okay?” Andrew asked again. This time he felt a slice of anguish wash through him.
“No. No, she’s not okay. She died, Andrew.” His mother slumped into the chair near his bed and silently rocked back and forth.
Andrew felt like the world was closing in on him. He could read his mother’s lips, and he had certainly heard the word “died.” That wasn’t possible. He had just spent the evening with Jessica and could still smell the perfume she was wearing.
Cassie and Warren had been sitting in the backseat. He remembered now that Cassie had been upset with him, but he couldn’t recall why. It really didn’t matter, though, because Cassie always got upset with him.
Andrew’s mom stood up to place a soft kiss on his forehead just as the door opened again and his father and brother walked in. Both had uncomfortable expressions on their faces, almost as if they didn’t know what to say or do.
He met his father’s worried gaze. He had never seen him look so distraught. It seemed as if Wayne Montgomery had suddenly aged another twenty years. The circles under his eyes had turned an even darker shade of purple.
“It’s good to see you, son.” Andrew thought his father was trying to hold back from crying, which seemed so out of character for him. “You’re going to be back to normal in no time, Andrew. The family will get through this loss.”
Andrew wasn’t sure how to respond. The entire situation was confusing and overwhelming. He had been in a car accident. How had he been in a car accident?
Andrew looked over at his mom. He was hesitant to ask any more questions, for fear of what the answer might be, but finally he managed to gather the strength to ask, “You said Warren and Cassie are okay. Right?”
“Yes, honey.” His mom smiled and patted his hand. “They both walked away with only a couple of bumps and bruises.”
From the other side of the room, the doctor cleared his throat. “They were both quite intoxicated when we brought them in, but your records show no sign of alcohol in your system.”
Andrew nodded. He hadn’t been drinking that night. Instead, he had been with Jessica.
Chapter Six
The next few weeks went by in a slow blur. The bumps and bruises on his body began to fade, but Andrew could still feel the deep emotional scars that haunted him constantly. He hated closing his eyes at night. All he could see were the headlights coming closer, and even though he couldn’t remember the accident, he still knew the horrific outcome from that night.
Warren and Cassie had stopped by his house a few times to visit, but he didn’t have much to say to them. It was all too fresh. He apologized for the accident, and then went back to his room. His flannel pajama pants and a white undershirt had become his primary wardrobe choice.
His mom asked him at least five times a day if he was ready to get back to life, but he just shrugged. His hair had gotten long, and hung loose around his stubbly face. He wasn’t sure why it mattered if he got back to life. He didn’t care anymore. The entire school could get swallowed by a massive black hole, and he wouldn’t care.
Andrew had talked briefly to a cop in the hospital, but since his blood results came back clean, there were no charges. Everyone seemed to have moved on, except for him. He couldn’t understand how he was supposed to forget that he had been the driver. His friends and Jessica had trusted him to get them home safe that night, and he had failed.
Jessica’s family had held a small funeral. He hadn’t been able to make it because he was still in the hospital, but he had heard it was nice. Most of the school had turned out to say goodbye to her.
His parents and brother had gone to pay their respects. They had brought him back a copy of the program, which had Jessica’s picture on the front. It seemed surreal he would never be able to see her again.
It was a little after noon, and Andrew heard the familiar sound of his mother mounting the stairs to his room. Not again. She was probably going to nag at him to get out of his pajamas. Maybe he would do that tomorrow, but not today.
She knocked softly, and then poked her head around the door. “Andrew, you at least need to do your school work. We have to turn in some of it by tomorrow or your teachers are going to stop being so understanding.”
It had been two months since the accident. His parents had worked out a deal with the school for Andrew to finish out the year at home.
He wasn’t ready to go back to school, to walk down the hallways and act like the accident had never happened.
“Go away, Mom.” Andrew rolled under the covers and shut his eyes.
“Andrew, you are being very ugly.” He could hear the desperation in her voice, the longing for her eldest child to be normal again. He wasn’t even sure what that
meant.
“I really couldn’t give a rat’s ass,” he responded from under his blanket.
“If that’s how you feel, then just stay right there. I’ll have your father come and talk to you when he gets home.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.” She left the room, leaving the door open.
“Mom, close the door!”
He waited to see if she would return, but the hallway was quiet. She had gone downstairs. He stayed in bed, refusing to move. The door could just stay open. That might help the foul stench that had started to linger in his room.
Three hours later, his father stood in the open doorway. “Hey, son, you planning on getting your lazy ass out of bed and being somewhat productive today?”
Andrew thought about his options. He could respond, or he could give his dad the silent treatment. Silence won. He lay still on his bed for what seemed like an eternity, when all of a sudden, the covers were ripped off. His hand instinctively flew to his eyes, to protect them from the burst of light.
“Get your ass up now.” Wayne Montgomery loomed over him. Andrew could tell his dad was unhappy. There was one reason the Montgomery family had been so successful: his father. He was a man people respected, but who many also feared. Andrew had heard stories about him being ruthless.
He had no choice. Reluctantly, he looked into his father’s angry eyes. The man who had stood by on the sidelines for so many soccer and football games, cheering on Andrew. The man who had a big heart, but who had also made Andrew spend many hours doing hard labor whenever he’d disobeyed. Andrew had probably pushed his luck a little this time, but honestly, couldn’t they all give him a break?
“What do you want, Dad?” He huffed as he sat up in bed, and offered his dad a defiant look.
“I want you to stop feeling sorry for yourself,” his dad responded. “You aren’t the only one who lost someone in the accident. Other people are hurting too, but you need to be stronger. You’re a Montgomery, and we don’t act like wounded puppies. Now, suck it up.”
“Thanks for asking about my feelings,” Andrew said with a sarcastic smirk. “Besides, it’s not our family that lost out because of the accident, it’s Jessica’s, and I’m to blame.”
Stay Forever Page 3