Shattered Pieces

Chapter One Olivia

             
           The sound of shattered glass, screeching tires, and my lungs burning. Struggling to unbuckle the seatbelt, I shifted my focus on breaking the windows. But my strength was fading. I reached for mom. She was unconscious, the wound on her head and the blood sending me into more panic. I shook her, desperately wanting to scream but my pleas wouldn't be heard underwater. The tightness in my lungs intensified as loud drumming in my ears took over. I felt my grip on moms shoulders loosen. Then the cold darkness won.

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           With a cold sweat, I threw myself up gasping for air.  Catching my breath I reached for my phone that was tucked into the side of the bed. 2:50, tomorrow was our first day of classes and I had barely gotten three hours of sleep. Sighing I dragged my feet over the bed slipping on my sandals. There wasn't a chance I was getting back to sleep after one of those dreams.
              I tiptoed around the boxes of unpacked things on Chrissy's side of the room maneuvering to the door. The blonde was sleeping soundly cuddled up with her pink fluffy body pillow in her red silk PJs and eye mask. An earthquake probably couldn't even wake Chrissy up.
         After closing the door to our room I made my way to the kitchen. The Greyson's cabin held 4 rooms upstairs, three bedrooms, and a study.  Downstairs was a magnificent stone fireplace, floor-to-wall windows that could be overlooked by the stairs showing the view of the lake and the kitchen off of the foyer. This was going to be home for the next few years. Chrissy's parents bought the Cabin with the intent of her and her older brother Luke being able to use it when they went to college, it was a fifteen-minute drive to the campus and they refused to let Chrissy Luke or I stay at the dorms. Luke was three years older than Chrissy and I so he had been living here for a few years already while she and I officially moved in yesterday.
      Flicking on the dim cam lights under the cabinets I found the coffee maker and popped in a K - cup. If I was going to suffer a sleepless night might as well get some energy to make it through the morning. I chalked the recent increase of night terrors as a sign the move and starting college were triggering a butt load of stress. I hadn't had one that vivid since the first-night dad left to work overseas.
     "Can't sleep?" A low voice with a hint of drowsiness came from the darkness. I jumped and juggled the coffee mug that was thankfully empty still. "Jesus!" I sent a glare in the direction the voice came from. "What the hell, Luke!" He made his way around the large granite island, stopping at the fridge. When it opened it highlighted his silky black hair and five o'clock shadow. He wore grey sweatpants tied at the waist leaving his bare chest and six-pack illuminated by the low glowing cam lights. "Take a picture it will last longer, shrimp." He grumbled. Shrimp was his nickname I was bestowed by him at the age of five. I had got my mother's height topping off at a mere five foot one. "I wasn't staring to take in the views Greyson. You scared the shit out of me!" I huffed. He placed his glass in the sink making his way over. He towered over me at six foot two with a shit-eating grin on his face. Leaning in as he placed one arm on the counter behind me trapping me between it and him.
        Now aware of the heat radiating off of him as he got closer, I refused to back down and matched his glare. He inched closer till he pressed his head against mine. Shivers ran up my spine as I felt his breath. Neither one of us dared to be the first to break eye contact for what felt like forever, till he glanced at my lips and chuckled. "Got some drool there Olive." He pulled back still snickering. Praying he couldn't hear the slamming of my heart as it rattled in my chest. "In your dreams, Luke, The little girl who followed you around like a puppy isn't around anymore. She realized how big a dick you are." I grabbed my coffee and my laptop off the charger heading back to my room. I made it halfway to the stairs before I heard him say just loud enough for me to hear  "Goodnight shrimp." 

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                   "Ok, Last one I Swear!" Christina Greyson came out of the bathroom doing a little twirl. Her blonde hair fell just below her tan shoulders with beach wave curls and her face had been transformed after an hour of doing her makeup. "The pink or the lavender?" She bounced excitedly holding up the same sundress in two different colors. Growing up fashion show was her favorite game, and it still was. We would spend hours at her house as she showed me the new clothes her dad bought her and forced me to wear them too. I would have been just as happy watching her try them on. That was the thing about Chrissy. She always made sure she included me. Our families were close and being an only child it was like finally getting the sister I always wanted, despite us being opposites. Chrissy loved the spotlight, always caught up on the latest trends, knew anyone who was anyone, and was always invited to parties, In our little town she was it, the prom queen. Me? I was the girl who always had a book, I would be perfectly fine curled up by a fire in a little nook coffee in hand promising myself one last chapter, socializing gives me anxiety if I'm being honest.
        "Chris you look great in either of them." I laughed as I threw on my black T-shirt and wiggled into my cut-off jeans. "You're not wearing that are you?" She tossed the pink dress back into the closet and slipped on the lavender. "Don't start with me. We won't have time for breakfast if you dont hurry."  Tossing the pink backpack at her and grabbing mine I made my way out the door before she could put up any more protests about my choice of clothing. The smell of coffee hit my nose as we rounded the corner into the kitchen.
           "Morning sleeping beauties!" Derek smiled. Derek was Luke's best friend. They met his freshman year of college and the Greyson's agreed to let him use the extra bedroom. "I would say good morning but that would mean I didn't just walk into the kitchen to see you shirtless." Chrissy rolled her eyes as she grabbed her morning smoothie out of the fridge. I never understood how she and Derek could be so much alike yet fight like cats and dogs. "Morning short stack, coffee?" He ignored Chrissy and handed me a cup. "Thanks, Derek, Do you have class today or do you start tomorrow?" When he didn't reply I glanced over to find him staring at Chrissy as she cut up some fruit. He caught me smirking "Uh, yea I start today." He trailed off  "Not until noon though..."
       Derek was a year older than Luke meaning he was four years older than Chrissy and I. He had chocolate brown hair that was always well kept and hazel eyes that changed depending on what he wore. Today they seemed more grey as he finished his protein shake. "Why are you up so early if you don't have to be to class till noon?" He smiled and gave me a flirtatious wink "Couldn't miss sending you two off now could I?" I could practically feel Chrissy rolling her eyes. "Spare us the lame sappy talk Derek, I know Luke had you up to jog at the ass crack of Dawn." When she talked to Derek I swear she had a whole new vocabulary. I made a mental note to ask her what Derek did to be honored with the very rare sarcasm she exhibited around him. Normally I was the one with the sass but usually kept my comments to myself or shared them with Chrissy.
        Speaking of the Devil, I heard footsteps pounding up the back porch. As if he knew he was being mentioned Luke opened the door, shirtless and sweaty from what I can assume was from their morning jog. "Well, Greyson looks like I won!" Derek beamed at him. Chrissy and I shared a look. The guys always seemed to be making some sort of bet and it always seemed to end in some stupid prize. "So, What did you win this time?" I asked Derek, ignoring Luke who was staring at me as he crossed the living room. "Why don't you tell her." He glanced at Luke who was now grabbing the towel off the table. "Tell me what?" He looked at me and then glared at Derek heaving out a heavy sigh. "Shower." He grunted and headed upstairs.
          "Well since he won't tell you guess I will."  Derek leaned in so he was now facing both Chrissy and me. "We are throwing a party at the cove on Friday, to celebrate the new semester!" That got Chrissy's attention. "A Party?! Awesome, ok Olive that means mandatory shopping tomorrow."  She beamed as she started clicking away at her phone in what I'm sure was her sending out invites. "Didn't we just go shopping for back to school?" I groaned. "DUH Olive, But this is the first party of the year, we have to make sure we make an impression and this" she gestured at my clothes "Isn't it." Derek chuckled "How about I take you, girls, to the best place around to shop."  The clicking stopped. "And where would that be?" I could tell she was interested but because it was Derek she wouldn't show too much excitement even if it was about a shopping trip. "Three o'clock tomorrow meet me at the clock tower, you guys are out of classes by then right? This time he directed the question at me to avoid the protest in Chrissy's glare. "Yea we only have two in-person classes a day, the rest are online. I Planned on hitting the library after class though." He shrugged "well then we can meet at the library. Luke is normally there until four anyways." Now it was my turn to glare at him. "Library four o'clock. Don't be late." He repeated with a grin.