Chapter 22
Louise’s P.O.V
I tried not to let the images from the night before bother me, but they were imprinted into my mind. My mind, and my very being craved Harry’s presence, for reasons I couldn’t explain. He had a type of.. familiarity to him, and I couldn’t get away from it. I could tell that he felt the same thing, but I was too afraid to explore it. For so long I had been on my own, and living in a place like New York, I was almost always alone. I’d lived in New York for only a little over a year now, but I was already accustomed to life on my own. After.. the accident, things changed for my family. I grew up with both of my parents and my brother, in Oregon. We were pretty much a close second to the Brady Bunch, and we were happy. My dad was a lawyer, and my mom the CEO of her company called “Younited”, a reigning company of public interaction, from music to web design. My twin brother, Ashton was still caught up in high school with me, but was pushing for his band “Product Of A Murderer” to get noticed and signed. He was constantly asking our mom to sponsor him, and she would always retaliate with the typical “because of our relationship to each other I can’t, you know that Ash”. It was always something about how people would think they would have advantages, something along the lines. We were a middle class family, and going about our daily routines. Back then, everything was good, life was good, but something always had to go wrong.
Flashback
The wind blasted through the windows nearly as loudly as the music through the speakers did. We sped down the road, shrieking to the music booming through the small Chevy. “It’s the worst damn day, of my liiifffeee! Made a mess today, but I’m alright!” I shouted, frantically strumming the imaginary guitar in my hands. Holding the fictional microphone up to Ashton’s face, I closed my eyes and leaned into him dramatically, laughing. “IT DOESN’T HURT THAT MUCH!” Ashton shouted into my hand, laughing with me. We both slammed our hands repeatedly on any surface in front of us, Ashton’s hands beating on the wheel, tapping inaccurately to the drum solo. “That was the best concert ever!” I shouted through the noise, not bothering to turn down the music. “I know, who knew they were so good live!” he yelled back at me, a prominent smile on his face. “Too bad it was over in the blink of an eye!” I winked at Ashton, making a joke toward the name of the band. As we sped by the lights of the city, I glanced quickly at the speed dial, taking note that we were already going 60. When Ashton finally processed my joke, he let out a thundering set of high pitched giggles, and I laughed back at him. His laugh was something you could recognize miles away, and it was one that you couldn’t help but laugh back it, it was the epiphany of pure happiness. My eyes squinted closed, and I held my stomach as we both let out belts of laughter. Ashton’s eyes screwed shut, and the lights of the city blurred in my eyes as mine did the same. We were high off of the euphoria of the concert, off of eachother, and off life. The music filled my ears and resonated through my body like it had at the concert, and my ears rung with the sound of Ashton’s whaling shrieks. Finally catching my breath, I put my hand on the dashboard, and opened my eyes. I kept my eyes on the floor at first, my vision dark from the lack of oxygen to my brain. Ashton was still laughing, and I giggled as I looked at him still cracking up from our stupidity only seconds earlier. Blinking my eyes multiple times, his face began to light up. Not his expression, it was already bursting with emotion, but his face became engulfed in a bright light. I blinked again, and my eyes focused past his face, and on the large truck barreling towards us just outside of Ashton’s side of the car. When my mind finally processed what was happening, I grabbed the wheel and screamed, fear shooting through my whole body. “Ashton!” I screamed, and he finally looked at me, his boisterous smile still plastering face. In one swift moment, the music cut off, and every noise blended into a high pitched ringing in my ears. My eyes filled with the headlights of the other car, and the glistening glare of the glass flying around me, but I stayed focused on Ashton, his expression now reflecting mine, and his eyes looking warily at me. Then, all at once, and all too soon, it went black. The noise, the light, everything was gone in a second, and so was Ashton.
