A Drop in the Ocean

Chapter 5

"I had a great time, Peter," Jordan said to the boy she was with.  He ran his fingers through his curly dirty blonde hair with a smile.

"It was really fun," he chuckled.  They'd gone out to visit some friends for a bonfire on the lake.  The two of them were in a band together, but it was obvious that they were best friends.

"Aaron's new girlfriend is such a sweetheart," she said, adding a skip to her step as they headed towards Peter's car.

"Yeah, she was really nice, wasn't she?" he smiled.  "But she'll never be as good as you."  She glanced at him and busted out laughing.  She fell against the front of the car as she buckled over with laughter, and he wasn't too far behind.

"You're a cheesy asshole, you know that?" she said, gasping for breath.  

"I've worked really hard.  It's one of the many services I offer," he replied, standing back up as the laughter died down.  They stood, staring at each other before he walked over to her side of the car.

"Your chariot awaits, my dear," he said in a British accent.  She dipped down into a low curtsey.

"Why thank you, young lad," she replied, standing back up and crawling into the passenger's seat.  He shut the door and jogged around to the other side of the car, crawling in quickly.  He saw Aaron walking with his girlfriend Brooklinn and immediately rolled down his window, whistling at them.

"Go A-aron!" Jordan shouted from the passenger's seat, earning a laugh from Peter as well as red faces from the new couple.  They waved goodbye at them before he rolled up the window again.

"Alright, let's go," he said before putting the car into reverse and pulling out of the meadow, getting ready to be on their way home.

Now they were on the road.  They were chatting about anything and everything.  Finally, a silence fell over them.

"Jordan," Peter finally said.

"Yeah?" she replied, looking over at him.

"What's the difference between a piano and a tuna?" he asked, his voice full of concern.  She raised her eyebrow.

"Are you fucking serious?" she asked.  He looked over at her, his face not showing any sign of a joke.  He nodded, and she rolled her eyes.  "I don't know.  One's a fish and the other's a musical instrument?" she replied.  He shook his head.

"Nope!  You can tune a piano but you cannot piano a tuna!" he exclaimed, laughter filling the vehicle.  She rolled her eyes.

"God, you are such an idiot!" she replied, turning and punching his shoulder.  As her hand came in contact with his skin, she noticed headlights shining brightly into her eyes.  Within the next split second, the world seemed to fall to pieces.  The two were thrown into the air with pieces of rubble from the vehicle.  After the wreckage finally settled, all was silent.

"Jordan," she heard  a voice croak as she gathered her surroundings.  She could smell it.  Burning flesh.  Her leg was broken.  She could tell.  In pain, she crawled over to where she saw her best friend.  He was pinned under the car.  

"Peter.  Oh God," she said frantically.  She crawled as quickly as she could over to him.  "Peter.  Peter.  Are you alright?" she kept rambling.

"Jordan.  I don't know if I'll make it," he barely whispered.  He kept gasping for breath, and she knew he was right if someone didn't come soon.

"Let me go find my phone.  I'll call 911," she replied frantically, but he grabbed her arm in desperation.

"No, please.  Don't leave me," he said.  Tears began to run down his face.  She could no longer keep hers from where they were.  She settled back down and set his head on her lap.

"I won't," she whispered as tears began to rush down her face.  They sat in silence.  

"Can you sing for me?" he asked.  She couldn't help but feel her stomach drop.  She nodded.  He grabbed her arm again.  "I love you, Jordan.  You are my best friend, and you always will be."  She smiled.

"I love you too, Peter.  I really do," she croaked.  She felt a lump in her throat stopping the words from coming.  He grabbed her hand tightly.  She ran her hand through his hair.  "What do you want me to sing?" she quietly asked.  

"Something soft," he replied.  She didn't really know anything soft enough, but she picked the first song that came to mind.

"All those arrows you threw, you threw them away.
You kept falling in love and then one day,
When you fell, you fell towards me.
When you crashed in the clouds, you found me."

She could barely contain her tears.  The singing was awful, but she knew that he didn't care.

"Oh, please don't go."

She started sobbing.  But she continued on.

"I want you so.
I can't let go,
For I lose control."

He closed his eyes, and she knew he was going.  She knew that there was nothing she could do about it.  She could just keep him happy in his dying minutes.

"Get these left-handed lovers out of your way.
They look hopeful but you, you should not stay.
If you want me to break down and give you the keys.
I can do that but I can't let you leave."

The rise and fall of his chest stopped.  She could almost feel the life drain from him.  It was like emptying out a cup of water.  You feel the water slowly drain until it's totally empty.  She put her forehead to his and continued the song.

"Oh, please don't go.
I want you so.
I can't let go, 
For I lose control."

She finally finished as the sirens blared.  She was racked with sobs as the EMTs carried her off.  Everything else was a blur.  Then, darkness.  Darkness she couldn't escape.  Darkness that swallowed you whole and stuck with you forever.

******

"Jordan!"  I heard called.  Nora was shaking me awake while James stood nervously above us.  I felt the wetness of my cheeks.  I'd obviously been crying.  I was sweating profusely, but I was so cold.  I looked at the alarm clock next to my bed.  2:34 AM.  

"You were having another nightmare," James said while sitting on my bed.  It was always the same.  The same traumatic event, over and over.  And the same darkness.  The same swallowing darkness.  Unfortunately, it was never a dream. 

It was always a memory.