Can't Trust Summer

(9) Tremendous Tension

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Anna woke up that morning with a saddened realization washing over her. She knew that the upcoming school year also meant that her mother's second anniversary of her passing was just around the corner - and that was a day she didn't want to think of.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she sluggishly climbed out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom. Hiding her emotions was going to be difficult for her - especially around this time. Keeping to herself was the best option. That way, she didn't explode on anyone.

The hot water ran along her skin in the shower. She sat at the bottom of the shower, letting the water trickle over her while steaming the mirrors. The sound of running water masked the sound of her crying. The tears ran down her face and stained her cheeks red as she felt at war with herself about getting out of the shower. She wished she could stay and hide in there all day, but she knew she must force herself out of it and try not to let the feelings consume her.

The light knock on the bathroom door forced her out of the haze she felt she was in just long enough to redress and escape back to her room. She had no appetite - no desire to talk to anyone or even see them. She couldn't even force herself to rake a brush through the tangles in her hair as she resorted to the one spot she knew no one would bother her. The beanbag chair was her safe haven sometimes.

But sometimes it was also the worst place to be. It gave her the time to sit and dwell on things she shouldn't - especially the accident. She blankly blinked away the tears as she tried to push away the thoughts, but they were pounding in her head with vicious memories and reminders. She swallowed hard, shutting her eyes tightly and trying to push through the reenactment playing through her memories.

It was an early morning. Anna and her mom were so excited to be going to visit Anna's grandmother in just a few states over. It had been a year or two since they had gotten to visit and they were determined to make the drive to and from before school started for Anna. They were laughing, dancing, and even singing along to the music in the car. Light patters of rain dropped against the windshield from the sunny sky.

The warm summer air hit their skin from the open windows and their hair blew through the wind. Anna looked at her mother, enjoying every moment of their long drive ahead of them. A drive that didn't last very long. The sky quickly darkened and the rain came down harder. The wind picked up and the girls knew to pull over until it was safe to drive. They put the hazards on - barely able to see through the heavy rain. There was no other car in sight. No headlights, no sound, no warning.

The vehicle came out of nowhere and slammed into the back of their vehicle hard. Both girls had no time to react to the sudden crash that sent their car spinning until it flipped over. Anna had no remembrance of any of it happening - just the everlasting and devastating tragedy of her mother passing.

Anna sighed heavily as she fought against remembering that night. She felt like the thoughts were weighing her down and she knew she needed to express them somehow and the only thing she wanted to do to try and help was by talking to her father. He was the one person who would understand, and she knew that. She ran her hands through her hair, over and over, roughly pulling the knots out between her fingers as she forced herself up. Then she twirled strands between her fingers, blinking more than usual to keep more tears from falling down her cheeks.

Before saying anything, she took her medicine before she almost forgot. Then she went to find Kurt, who was seated in the living room. Linda was somewhere in the house but Anna didn't care where she was at the moment.

She strolled back into the living room, "Dad?"

He looked up at her, "What's wrong?"

"Can I talk to you?" She cleared her throat.