Wait Till Ryan Comes

     "The storm is coming," she says with a pained expression, grabbing my hand. She pulls my arm and drags me through the street with her. Running. 


               I unlock my phone. It is eleven o'clock and Ryan still isn't here yet. He said he’d be here at ten thirty, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt, since he is always late. He is probably late because he’s nervous for today. We had planned something special for tonight. I had even bought fancy garments from TJ Max for it. It was really frustrating. I feel he’s never gonna show. It wasn't him. Especially tonight. He at least would've texted me or gave me a heads up he was going to be late. After looking around one last time, I decide to wait five more minutes. I’d check out his house to know what was happening. My parents are going to return soon enough.

                I peer across the street and notice that Brianna has her bedroom light on. She is up late, though, so am I. Maybe Ryan got the wrong house. Probably not, because then I would have seen him. A black hatchback pulls into our street and for a second I panic my parents are back, but then I remember they left the car here for my sister. I wonder if she has the same plan as me and Ryan. 

              "Hey Tess," she says as she opens the door to the house. Tony, her boyfriend, gets out of the car and enters the house with her. 

               "Hi Lili, Hi Tony," I say annoyed, staring deep into my sister’s soul, hoping she would get out of my freaking life. Tony smiles at her and starts kissing her right in front of me. I can see him sticking his tongue into her throat, and it makes me want to throw up. He puts one hand up her shirt and the other up her skirt, and continues kissing her down neck. She moans and smiles at him. 

               I walked to the cabinet to get a glass. They move onto the couch, not even caring that I can still see them as Tony unbuttons her shirt. I turn on the faucet as they continue moaning and try not to look in their direction. I don't want to follow in my sister’s footsteps and stay up late watching those kinds of movies. I chug my full water glass and fill it up. I hadn’t even realized how thirsty I was until now. I make my way toward the door, trying not to look at my naked sister and her disgusting boyfriend on the couch. I open the door and take a big breath in. The cool air is relaxing, but Ryan is still nowhere in sight. I look over at Brianna's window and her light is still on.

                  I smash my glass against the ground, mad at Ryan for standing me up. The water that was still in the glass soaks my socks and I step down onto the street to get away from the water. I shake my feet, water coming off of them. I catch a glance at Brianna’s window and see she is standing in front of it, staring right at me. It seems like she’s pondering something as she is looking at me, but I don’t know what. She races away from her window and just as quickly, her light goes out. 

                  I look up and down the street again, wondering what there is to do. I could use my mom’s car, although I don’t have my driver’s license. That situation might not end well for me. I could walk to Ryan’s house, or just give up and call it a night. I don’t really want to give up on it still happening tonight, because we have already postponed it long enough. First time being eight months ago, in July, then the next, Halloween, and now it’s March. We finally found a date and of course it didn't work out. Again. 

                  Brianna comes bursting out of her house and is running toward me frantically. She looks like she is having a panic attack or just found out she was adopted. 

                 "The storm is coming," She says with a pained expression, grabbing my hand. She pulls my arm and drags me through the street with her. Running. I don’t know what to say, and I have so many questions. I want to ask, What storm? Why are you scared? Why were you up so late? What is the reason you are dragging me with you to wherever?

                “Bri, what’s going on?” I ask her instead, trying to get my hand free, but her grip is so firm, like a stone. “I need to wait till Ryan comes,” I say worriedly. If Ryan is on the road, then he’d be in danger if a storm were to come. She doesn’t turn around to face me, but talks as she is running. 

                “The storm! Haven’t you heard?” Bri asks and takes a left on Hill road. I shake my head, and even though she is not looking back at me, she still knows somehow that I shook my head. It’s like she could feel the energy or some weird crap. “Well, a severe storm is coming this way. I didn’t want you to be standing out in the middle of it, doing whatever you were doing. Waiting for Ryan apparently.” She says this with a kind of comforting voice, like she cares about me. Who hasn’t talked to her since freshman year for no reason at all? I was a big jerk to all my friends back then and because of that I only have one. However, Bri didn’t want me to be unsafe with a storm coming. Bri of all people. I smile, hoping she could feel that too. 

                “Thanks Bri,” I say, not being able to stop smiling at her. Getting me to safety is just so nice, when all I have been to her is mean. Bri turns into the woods at the top of Hill road and heads for the bat house. 

               The bat house is a make-out spot for high schoolers. You mostly see people there after school, during school, or during dances. I would know, since I have spent a couple of class periods there with Ryan. 

               I feel a hard gush of wind smack me across the face. I think Bri feels it too, because she stops dead in her tracks. She turns around and I follow her lead. It is raining, and there is lightning in the sky. It’s visible for a half a second, which means it is very close. Thunder rolls in and dark clouds form. I can see Bri jump every time thunder booms in the sky. I grab her hand again to comfort her and we both run into the bat house. 

             The bat house isn’t really shielding from the rain, but we’re already soaked. The house used to be a barn where an old hermit used to live in the woods just beyond Hill road. He died in a fire and his barn has gotten in really poor condition since then. Wood planks have fallen down, and there is charcoal and ashes everywhere. The fire had caved one side of the roof in. There are hearts drawn in charcoal all over the walls with people’s names in them. I can see me and Ryan’s heart we put up here about ten months ago, when we started dating. I can see Bri’s heart she did with Noah about two years ago, before they broke up because Bri was bi-sexual. All the people in our small town say it’s not safe to go to the bat house, and we all know it’s true. We just do it anyway.  

          “Tess, over here,” Bri calls to me from a corner of the bat house. She is moving some leaves and branches off of one spot and lifts a brown piece of wood up from the floor. There is a hole under it.

           “What’s that?” I ask, stunned. Has there always been a secret nook under this house? I wonder as I look at Bri.   

          “A secret room under the house. People think it was because of all the storms we get here during the spring. But I don’t know. Most people use it for hooking up, but sometimes it’s a safe place.” She explains. She climbs down the hole using a ladder which is already in the hole. Bri is now out of my sight. “Come on down Tess!” She calls from below. I take a few nervous steps forward but then climb down into the hole after her. 

         Bri is standing in one corner of the room looking at something on her phone. She looks up at me when I come down. I look around the room. There are a few blankets, but that's mostly all. I am surprised that Bri’s not cuddled up in one. She must be freezing like I am. But then I remember what she said earlier about this being a hook up spot and decided it was probably best not to use them. 

         “What do we do now?” I ask her. She shrugs and continues looking at stuff on her phone. 

         “Wait till the storm passes.” I nod and pull out my phone as well. It is eleven fifty-eight. Almost midnight, almost tomorrow. Bri doesn’t even look fazed from our run, and is just chilling in the corner. I wonder if maybe it was the storm that kept her up late, the anticipation maybe. Though I didn’t get any alert, that a storm was coming, which was weird. But maybe I didn’t put on that notification.  

          I look through my messages and see a text from Ryan. It says; I’m heading over, sorry I am running late. I look at the time he sent it and this was thirty minutes ago. He would have been at my house by then, so where is he? 

         I feel my eyes get wet and I don’t know what to do, I’m panicking. What does this mean? Is he still alive? Or did he get caught in traffic? I just need to know he is all right. When I call him, the lady says the number you are looking for is not available. I look at Bri and I’m just mad that I hadn’t gone to his house sooner or gotten this text.

        “We need to go.” I say without thinking and start climbing up the ladder, not really caring if Bri follows or if she doesn’t. She can save herself, but I need to save Ryan. 

       “What do you mean Tess? The storm still hasn’t passed.” I hand her my phone and continue climbing up the ladder. “What is this?” Bri asks from down in the hole. 

         “Look at the time stamp,” I say, hoping she would understand, because I kind of really wanted her to come along. I mean, I didn’t want to be alone. When I get to the top of the ladder, Bri is climbing up right behind me. 

        “We’re not that far away from his house, but we need to go now, and fast.” She grabs my hand while we run out of the bat house quickly and out of the forest. We run farther up Hill road until we get to Fletcher street. That's when we see the accident. Ryan’s dark black car got flipped over and there is glass and metal everywhere. A car door has fallen off and is across the street. And there’s Ryan. He’s sprawled out of the broken car door and he’s covered in blood. The shirt he was wearing is ripped open and his pants have holes. Bri and I run to him not even thinking about if it is safe or not. I just can’t fathom this situation, that thinking about that doesn’t seem logical right now. 

        I scream and bawl my eyes out, not even thinking about what to do next. I lean against him and his heart isn’t beating, its normal thump, thump, thump. I hug him, but I know he can’t feel it, I know that he’s gone. 

         Bri is calling 911, and she’s on the phone with an operator. She finishes the call and tells me they’re on their way. My eyes are blurry and I have a headache. Bri puts a hand on my shoulder to comfort me. I take her hand in mine.

         I can hear the ambulance sirens a little ways away, and the tears sting my eyes. My hands and my shirt are now covered in Ryan’s blood. All we can do now is wait for a miracle to happen. The trucks pull onto Fletcher street and it stops as a paramedic team runs out with a gurney and runs to the accident. 

       “Stand back ma’am, it’s not safe to-” I can hear one man say as he walks past me. Her next words are fuzzy and muted, my ears are ringing from the sirens and someone screaming. I realize it’s me, and my voice is hoarse. Bri is there the whole time holding my right hand, comforting me. 

         I should have known Ryan wasn’t late because of me, he was actually running somewhat on time. I shouldn’t have waited so long. Why was I such a wimp? Just staying in my house until he came, waiting, and waiting. 

       They take him into the ambulance, and I follow them. They try to save him, but they tell me he’s gone, that there’s no way. I think they ask me to call his parents or guardians but I can’t think or even move, or have enough voice left to respond.

 
       Sometime in the night Bri asks to walk me home, and I nod. We walk in silence to our street, and continue walking until we stop in front of my house. My legs are shaking and so are my hands. I don’t know why, sometimes it just happens at an unexplanatory time. 

       “I don’t want to be alone tonight,” I say, my voice shaking. I whisper it, that I am afraid Bri won’t even hear it. She squeezes my hand and pulls me across the street. I feel relieved. I wanted company tonight, I feel like I am in a fragile state right now not to be. 

        We enter her house and go into the kitchen. She pulls out a mug from a nice burgundy cabinet. The mug is speckled with white, with the background being a dark navy blue. She places the mug on the counter and opens the fridge. I don’t know what to do so I just sit on her dark green couch in her living room, waiting for her. She gets a half full cartoon of milk and pours it into a pot. Bri puts the pot on the stove, and grabs some cocoa powder, sugar and salt from another cabinet and pours them in with the milk. She stirs it with a wooden spoon she grabbed earlier. She snatches a blanket folded over on a chair and comes over to me.

         “Here,” Bri says and hands me the fuzzy blanket. She sits down next to me.  

          “You know you didn’t have to come with me,” I say honestly, glad that she came with me, but not at the same time. She had to see this grief part of me too. I don’t want that. 

          “I remember losing my parents’ last year, sometimes it keeps me up at night. Then my uncle came into the picture, and I was kind of all over the place. He makes me feel bad about everything, and is sometimes super mean, and neglecting.” She looks at me with sorrow in her eyes. I want to say sorry but it never helps with things we don’t cause. 

          “Sorry I was such a jerk to you back then,” I say hoping she would forgive me, because if I am honest, I have longed to talk to Bri again. 

          “No, it’s fine,” She comforts me. “We were all stupid back then, selfish, thought only the big things mattered, and forgot to think about each other.” I laugh and she does too. We continue talking about stuff that has happened since then, and catching up. I don’t know how long we talked, but I remember Bri having to interrupt our conversation to go get my hot cocoa. 

          I take a sip, and it is so chocolaty and delicious. My throat hurts and the coca makes it feel much better. Bri kisses me on the check and I get a headache. Though I don’t know if it’s because I had been crying for so long, or from her kiss.

          “I hope you like your cocoa,” She says sweetly and snuggles back up in the blanket with me. I smile. It feels good to smile after all that has happened. She leans her head against my shoulder and we just sit there. What is destiny? I wonder. Was it destiny for us to end up here? Was it destiny for the storm to pass our town? Was it destiny for Ryan to not come? And was I destined to wait?