I Made It

The Accident

"Hurry up lazy! I wanna get to the party before it's over!" Charlie heard Mary call.

Her statement was followed by a rapid series of  loud knocks on his dorm room door. His roommate looked up from the tiny desk at the edge of his bed.

"Your sister is obnoxious." He stated flatly.

Did I mention I hated him? No? Well then, I. Hate. Him.

"Shut up Mike." I said as I swung open my door.

Mary stood there with her hair falling freely over her shoulders. Her dress was a dark shade of blue that hugged her body in a way that I hated.

"No. Go change. You can't go in public like that!"

"What?!? Do I have makeup smeared on my cheek?"

"No. You look too pretty to walk the streets. I don't like it."

She shove my shoulder playfully and I laughed. She grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hall.

"You took forever! All the girls from the team are waiting!"

We exited the large building that had served as my place of residence for almost a year now. The girls from the basketball team waved at us and they all slipped into their own cars. I got in the passenger seat of Mary's blue Toyota. She started driving to whatever apartment was being trashed by college jocks tonight. We took the back ways that were dark and practically deserted tonight.

"Are you excited for the championship next weekend? It's so unfair you get to go but I can't leave!" I said, pouting next to my sister who was touching up her makeup as we were stopped at a red light.

"Can you believe freshman year is almost over?" She asked and I laughed. "I mean, it feels like just yesterday that we showed up here and had our first classes."

"Crazy, isn't it?"

"You know I love you right?"

"I do but what brought on those words of affection? You prefer to show it by pretending to hate me."

"Most days I'm not pretending." She muttered. I slapped her playfully and she smiled.

"I just don't think I could have gotten through this year without you." She said as the, now changed, green light illuminated her face.

"I love you too Mary."

The car lurched forward and before I could say anything else, a scream ripped from Mary's throat. I turned to look at her only to see a giant truck battling through the red light. I heard the bang as he hit the car. Glass shattered around me and I felt it cut me. I couldn't hear Mary screaming and I tried to grab for her hand but before I could, I passed out.

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The sound of rhythmic 'beeps' echoed in my ear. I hat a splitting headache and I groaned. I tried to reach for my head to feel for a fever but I couldn't move my arm.

"You broke your arm with the impact of the car flipping. That's why it can't move." A voice said. I looked around to find a clean white room with lots of machines.

"God?" I asked softly. A deep laugh emanated from the voice in the sky.

"No kid. You're alive. You made it."

"I made it? This isn't heaven?"

"Nope. You are alive and, with hard work, as good as new. You were in a pretty serious crash there kid."

The events of the night came back to me and I tried to sit up. The semi-truck hit the car. Mary screamed, glass shattered, and I passed out.

"Mary...." I slurred groggily.

A soft hand pushed me down into the bed again. I could clearly make out the figure who had spoken before. It was a doctor in a white coat.

"You sustained some serious injuries kid. You need to take it easy."

"Mary." I repeated and he cocked his head in confusion.

"My twin sister. Mary. She was in the car." He nodded his head in understanding. A solemn look crossed his face.

"Let's get you checked out kid and then-" I cut him off, only wanting one thing.

"Can I see my sister? Is she all right?"

"Listen kid, your sister was hurt really badly. She took a lot of the impact and it really messed her up. She coded on the table in surgery and we couldn't get her back."

"What does that mean?" I asked, panic seeping into my voice. I knew what he was saying but I needed to hear it clear.

"Your sister didn't make it kid. I'm so sorry."

An embarrassing sob escaped my throat. It filled the quiet of the empty room. My sister was dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

I survived.

I cried fat ugly tears. Maybe if I had gotten ready faster, maybe if I hadn't had talked to her. Maybe if we just went down the regular streets.

Maybe she would be sitting here mocking me about saying that I loved her. She would be freaking out because we wouldn't make it back in time for finals. She would be getting the amazing spark in her eye as she gushed about competing in the championship for basketball.

Why did she have to be the one to go? She had the brightest future waiting. She was going to be a star player. She had friends and a dream. I was the quiet, nerdy S.T.E.M. major who's only dream was to finish college at some point.

I didn't deserve to be the twin who survived. I only knew that I had to make her proud otherwise she would be very disappointed in me. She would have died for nothing.

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