Falling to Flying

Chapter Nineteen- Lost Adventures and Daring Decisions

I felt my blood run cold as I sat there in the driver’s seat of the parked car. My hands were rhythmically clenching and unclenching as I tried to breathe deeply.

Inhale.

Exhale.

“Ana?”

Inhale.

“Ana, come on.”

“How could you?” I hissed out between my clenched teeth.

“You need this. You need this,” she went to grab my fisted hand but I flinched away from her violently.

“It wasn’t your call to make,” I growled out. I felt hot tears prick at the back of my eyes as I didn’t know how to control my anger. I felt betrayed. She purposely went behind my back and tricked me into something I felt like I wasn’t ready for.

“Well you weren’t doing anything. So I did something,” she mumbled quietly. I could hear her hesitancy, like she wasn’t quite sure that this was a good idea.

It wasn’t.

“Fuck you, Mel,” I all but whispered as I angrily wiped at my hot tears.

“Ana-”

“Stop talking,” I snapped. “Leave me alone.”

“I was losing you, Ana!” she whispered angrily. “I was losing you. You were falling back into that hole and it was scaring me, so I made a decision. Hate me all you want, but I’m not going to lose my bestfriend. Not again, so fine. Yeah, fuck me. Fuck the person who has stood by you this whole time and has never once left. Yeah, fuck them.”

I didn’t respond before getting out of the car and angrily slamming the door. Tightening my sloppy ponytail, I hiked towards the made up tent and campfire. I might as well face the problem head on, right? Just get it over with.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inha-

“You made it.”

My head whipped up towards the deep voice and my eyes connected with familiar brown ones. I felt my breath get knocked out of my lungs as I saw him.

“Justin,” I let out with a sigh that I hadn’t realized was still inside me.

“Hey, sis,” he smiled at me.

***

“Hot dog or brat?”

“Hot dog,” I called out.

“Of course,” Justin muttered under his breath as I watched him grab a slightly charred hot dog from his cooking stick and got my ‘supper’ ready.

It included hot dogs, brats, and ketchup.

“Thanks,” I muttered before snatching the food from his hands and shoveling it in my mouth.

I may have been really hungry.

“Well shit, don’t hold back,” teased my brother. I opened my mouth so he could see my half-chewed food as my response. “Ew, Ana,” he scrunched up his face in disgust.

After our awkward first meeting, Justin broke the tension by scooping me up like he used to when we were little, and forced me in a really tight embrace. With a mumbled “I’m sorry” and a few tears, I slowly let my asshole of a brother back into my guarded heart. He told me how after New Year’s he tried to  have Dad call me, but he still refused. So after a few months of useless attempts, Justin got fed up of ‘choosing sides’ and left.