Contacting Space

Chapter 23

"Hey, you alright?" Dan asked to Jasper after half an hour of driving down I-49.
"Yeah, never better." He said in a sarcastic tone.
Dan rested his arm around Jasper and moved in closer. "Babe, I know you're not. You just..."
He thought if he should say the next words before being interrupted by Jasper, "Killed my father. I know. I'm trying to not think about it, but it keeps getting brought up." He sighed.
"Is there anything I can do?" Dan asked.
"Just don't mention it please. I wanna forget about it. I feel so damn happy to have gotten rid of him after what he said to you, but I've known him for 17 years and I loved him." The two of them fell silent as they stared at the trees they passed. They listened to the soft hum of the engine slowly dozing off.

In another section of the bus Michelle, Eli, and Finn sat together. "I feel so bad for Jasper." Eli whispered.
"Me too. Like he killed his dad. I wish he would tell us why, but I don't expect him to." Michelle said.
"He hasn't really talked since we left." They looked over to Jasper and Dan. "He's only talked to Dan, but only a few words at once." Finn looked back towards the group. They went quiet for a few seconds letting the bus hum consume the silence.
"How're you holding up after what happened with your mom?" Michelle asked.
"Ehh. I wish we could have brought her. I hated having to look her in the face and tell her no, but there's nothing I could do. It's a group decision, and I knew not everyone would be on board with it. Especially because it's unfair to bring my parent along when she doesn't benefit us, unlike Dan's dad. I'm glad we have a nurse."
"We just have to suck it up sometimes sadly." Eli said. "But at least we have each other. I mean, we could call ourselves a family! We have three parents and six siblings. We have to grow close even if we don't want to, and we can act like one if we wanted to. Just we wouldn't consider it legal because you know... incest."
"That would actually be fun!" Michelle said. "We should tell everyone at night." She pointed over to Jasper and Dan who were fast asleep, along with Dan's Dad who was in the fetal position on a chair. They continued talking with each other until they ran out of topics eventually letting the bus' hum consume them.

"Wait so what happened again?" Jessica asked Wendy.
"Jasper killed his dad. He did it to protect Dan. I think this is the one thing that I will never enjoy talking about." Wendy began choking up. "It was fucking horrific to watch. I felt his pain radiating through me, and watching him raise the bat to kill his father." She shivered. "I don't know why, but it affected me so badly. I feel like I've been scarred by it, but I've seen so much fucked shit that it doesn't even bother me anymore. But this does."
"I think it's probably because we all know that our families don't have a chance, and I think we know that we are gonna have to continue life without them." Jessica said.
"Yeah, but that still doesn't explain why it hit me so hard. I felt a rush of emotions within me, and they weren't good ones. Ones I haven't experienced since I was younger." She stared blankly at the ground.
"What are you talking about?"
"I still remember the day." She said without moving. "I remember every second. A hundred miles per hour, on the freeway, no fucks given. I was in the car with my mom and grandpa. My mom was buzzed at the time swerving this way and that moving the car in sync. Everything was fine, until the cops started following her. She tried taking the nearest exit to run, but she over shot it, launching the car and us into a metal sign. One of the pieces broke off, falling and smashing through the windshield." She paused with a tear leaving her eye. "And obliterating my grandpas head. I remember the pain from the marks left of my chest from the seatbelt that held me down. She got sentenced to jail for a couple of years but that will not replace the fucking damage she did to me after seeing his brains splattered over me and the car." Tears began flooding out of her eyes. "I'm so glad I'm rid of that fucking piece of shit! I wish she would go to hell!" Wendy raised her voice.
"Woah, woah, woah. Calm down." Jessica said slowly.
Wendy took a few breaths. "I think seeing Jasper smash his dads skull in reminded me of that, almost being the exact same."
"Why don't we be quiet for a little."
"That sounds nice." Wendy said as the silence consumed them.