By: Jenna S.
Please Tell Me What You Think
It was a calm Saturday night. The wind whistled lightly through the trees. It hadn’t been that quiet in my house in a long time. My parents had just went to sleep in their separate bedrooms. I could hear my little brother whimpering in his room. He always did that after mom and dad had a fight which was close to every night. It hadn’t always been that way though until my older sister died in a car accident. She was 17 and a senior in high school. Top of her class, and extremely athletic. It had been three months and nine days since she was pronounced dead. After that, nothing was ever the same. Everyone had been in shock and the feeling of her absence had just settled in. To me she was my role model. The girl I could always talk to and never fight or have that girl drama, because we were sisters and always would be. We once made a promise to always be there for each other. Now that was gone and so were all the secrets and wisdom she could of shared with me. Like how to get through my first break up, to my first zit, and even my math homework. Now everything is gone. Her sing-song voice when she’d scream Simple Plan in the shower. Even the time when she tried flipping her pancake and it landed on her face. That was almost a year before she died. Everything then was so happy and up-beat. My parents still had romance and my brother, well he just had to be himself but even with him the light in our family had run out. Only to be filled with grief, sorrow, and mainly hatred. Her name was Lauren, my sister. I’m Elizabeth and my brother is Adam. My Parents are Steve and Rachel. Just in case you were wondering. As I closed my eyes and lay my head on the pillow. I turn to my nightstand and take one last look at the photograph taken three days before the accident.
“Elizabeth” Lauren called.
“Yea” Elizabeth said.
“Did I leave my cap and gown in the bathroom?” She asked.
“Yes mam” She said
Elizabeth handed her the rose colored gown, the gold sash, and her cap.
As she walked downstairs her mother and father were dancing in the kitchen. Lauren came next carrying a bowl of popcorn from last nights horror fest. She saw what mom and dad were doing and took a piece of the popcorn and flicked it at them saying;
“Oh no PDA”
My nine year old brother had a puzzled look on his face and asked;
“What’s PDA?”
Everybody laughed but then got back to work once they realized the time.
“Elizabeth it’s 8:15.”
“I’m coming!”
I grabbed the camcorder ready to capture my sisters last volleyball game before graduation. In 3 days she’d be graduating from high school and on her way to Oxford University.
When we arrived at the game lauren jumped out of the car and headed to were the other players were standing. We parked and took our places on the benches. As the game started they were volleying back and forth, but then something different… the scene switched. It was Lauren, her boyfriend and her best friend Leslie. An odd man was driving the car. His eyes glassy and musty with alcohol. He was doing 75 in a 25 mph zone. As he sped up a faint light ahead of him grew larger and larger. You could see the outline of the other car and then nothing, everything faded to black.
My eyes shot open, my hands clammy with beads of sweat cascading across my forehead. I let out a little whimper and got up to go to the bathroom. I passed Lauren’s room on the way there with everything exactly how she had left it. Tears dotted my eyes but I knew I had to be strong. Not even for me but for my family. I splashed water on my face, then cracked the door to my brothers room. I saw him crouched under his blankets in a little ball. I un-tucked him from the covers, moving a piece of his lanky blonde hair out of the way. I kissed his forehead and I could have sworn I saw him smile in his sleep. It was the first smile I’d seen since the accident. Everyone now had a piece of their heart missing. I closed the door and headed back to my room. That was the 3rd time I had that dream. It’s like it was trying to tell me something. As I lay back on my bed I opened the drawer of my nightstand and took out a little orange bottle. I popped two circular pills into my mouth. I’ve had to take them ever since the week after her death. They got rid of the nightmares and numbed the pain.
The morning sun shone through the window. I heard my dad shuffling around in his bedroom and mom in the kitchen downstairs. I turned to look at the clock. 6:15, I groaned and rolled out of bed. I wiggled into my Hello Kitty slippers and flopped down the stairs. My mother was in her usual bad mood and I could see the worry lines indented into her forehead. I silently took my bowl of cereal and sat at the table. The only sound was the crunching and crackling of the cereal. My dad then came downstairs, not in his usual khaki pants and black blazer. Instead he sported blue jean sports and a blue button down shirt. He told us that they were having a memorial service for her at my high school and that we didn’t have class today. To tell you the truth I was sick of all the services and flowers and especially the random people coming up and giving us cards with “ Our Deepest Condolences” Written on them. You know what, I bet not one of those people knows what it feels like to lose a big sister or a daughter in my moms case. All the reminders of her absence in my own house is enough let alone the fake “ I’m sorry for your losses” and the hugs. As we got to the gymnasium; inside the school there where flowers and flowers piled high on a table next to the doors. I had teachers and kids I had never even seen before bombarding me. I just wanted to get away. I ran to the bathroom and locked the door so no one could follow. I took my coin purse and I did the only thing I could for the pain, Pharmaceuticals. I took the little orange bottle and popped four in. Within 10 minutes everything was numb. I felt a little drowsy, but it was better than all the pain. As I walked back into the gym the ceremony had already started. The choir was singing some song from the 80’s and I took my seat next to my mother. I blatantly sat through the whole ceremony, not really hearing a thing. Once we got home it happened again. The screaming, the yelling all about who left the clothes in the washer overnight. Then I would get dragged into it saying “Ever since the death my grades dropped and how I needed to talk to someone” All in all, they needed to talk to someone. About how they can’t handle themselves now that Lauren is gone. I could only take life one day at a time. It felt like since she was gone our stability and our rock of the house was gone. Now are life was like a wet noodle slipping through are hands. Nobody not even my parents could stop the pain. My parents couldn’t even hold themselves together half the time. They would sit down at the couch and silently and expressionless watch tv or read. My mom would get up to go to the bathroom and never come back. I’d go to check on her and see the door closed and hear her muffled sobs. It was the worst feeling to see one of your parents cry.
It was a blank Friday night. My parents had already gone to sleep and I could hear the bleeps of my brothers Nintendo. My phone buzzed on the table
1 new text.
It was from my friend Giselle, inviting me to her house for a party. She said Ian would be there. I hadn’t seen Ian since the funeral. He was the only one I felt actually cared and that he meant what he said. I took the huge tie-rope I had made, threw it out the window and tied one the end of my bed-post. I climbed down as I had done a thousand times before.
I'll try my best to be clear and not so all over the place, as I have a few things I wanted to make a point to pointing out to you. Okay, here I go.
I almost mistook Elizabeth for a helper lady. My apologies on this though. I probably sound silly saying this. x) On with the rest of my nitpicks.
