Grayson County

Two

The officer looked at me in this strange way through his rear-view mirror.
       Then he grabbed his radio once more, "Could you send some back up to assist Veronica Mountgomry with the Pierre case? She seems to be the victim and has damage to her car." "I'm already on it, sergeant." This time it was a male responding to his radio message. The officer looked at me again through the rearview mirror then shifted his car into drive. "Didn't your mama teach you not to hit a girl when you were a kid?" he said as he turned around in the middle of the street. I looked down at my bloody hand again, did I really lay hands on her? I felt tears streaming down my face and at this point I didn't care, "Hey, no need to cry. I know jail is a scary place but if you do that in a cell you oughta be picked on." I knew he was right, but I was more scared as to what I did to V over what jail would be like. The officer started laughing at me so I looked up, "That's my friend Officer Mateo, he's on his way to assist your girlfriend." I saw his car pass us, he was definitely headed towards my house. "Oh we're not..." i couldn't finish my sentence, i had wanted to date her for so long and now i didn't know if she would even let me start now. "Oh that much is obvious, kid. You were attacking her car and from what she told me, you also attacked her. Good luck trying to get her back though, that is, after you serve your time." Holy shit, I. I laid hands on her? I laid hands on Veronica? Why would I do that? "I don't know, kid, you tell me." "what?" "You asked why would you lay hands on her, I don't have an answer for that, only you or her have that answer."

I saw another police car pull onto Jacobs street.
       My neck and throat continued to ache and my eyes started to feel dry from crying so much. The cop car pulled up and parked in front of mine; the guy got out of the car and started to walk over to mine. I turned off my car and got out, "Hello, im officer mateo, are you Veronica Mountgomry?" I nodded, i felt like i couldn talk anymore and it felt like there was a lump in my throat. "Before I ask any questions regarding Jacob Pierre, are you in any serious pain?" I looked at my feet, "Well I guess it just all depends on how you define serious." he chuckled, "i only asked cause you've got hand marks around your neck and your breathing really heavy, so i just need to know if i need to call up my friends to help ya out." i looked back up at him, i hadn't realized how heavy i was breathing until he pointed it out. "Oh. Well, I don't think that you necessarily need to call for help. I mean like my neck hurts and it's a little hard to breathe but I should be fine." He cocked his head at me and started to look concerned. "I'm gonna call for the fire department, you shouldnt be finding it hard to breathe." The fire department? No, no not again.

We were almost to the station when Officer       Mateo started talking on the radio.
       "Dispatch I need some backup, 18 year old Veronica Moutgomry has passed out on the sidewalk of Lake Road; she had been complaining of breathing complications shortly before I mentioned having the fire department check on her." I shot my head up with wide eyes, the sergeant looked at me real quick through the rearview mirror then looked back at the road, "everything good back there kid? We're almost to the station, I don't need you acting up now." I opened my mouth but the words didn't come out. I tried again but still, nothing. "You know something don't you?" I nodded my head,

I was there that night.

We were at the local carnival when I had just won the big pink teddy bear that Veronica wanted so badly.
       She had such a big grin on her face and she wouldn't let go of that thing. Her mom picked us both up and drove us to her house. My mom wouldn't be off of work for another hour so we just went and hung out in V's room. We were playing truth or dare, when V's mom went to pick up some pizza for dinner, V picked dare and I dared her to spray her favorite perfume on her teddy bear. Neither of us thought about the fact that she had just lit a candle and had to lean over it to grab her perfume. Then her hair caught fire. She rushed to the bathroom but tripped on her shoes that she kicked off right in front of her door causing the fire to spread onto the carpet. I grabbed her teddy bear and her shoes and we both ran out the front door. It had started raining shortly before her mom left so the rain put out the fire in her hair but the fire in the house spread. We both watched as her house became a big campfire until one of the neighbors pulled us farther away from the house. By the time the fire department got to the house all that was left of it was V's front yard, her shoes, teddy bear, her mom's car and everything inside of it, herself and her mom. That night they stayed at a motel and the next morning they drove to Louisiana to go live with her grandparents. That was the last time I saw her.

Suddenly everything went black and the next thing I knew I heard a heart monitor, and a breathing machine?
       I opened my eyes and I was in a hospital room. I went to sit up but my whole body fought that idea, so I just layed there. How did I get there and why am I here? Today had been such a blur that I didn't even know what was happening anymore, but I just knew that I was ready for this day to end.  Then I heard someone walk through the door of my room, I opened my eyes and tried lifting my head but the back of it hurt so badly that I fell back onto the pillow. "Oh good you're finally awake!" said a voice I didn't fully recognize. Once they walked into my sight I immediately knew who it was, "Sergeant Cambell? What are you doing here? Actually, what am I doing here?" he let out this hearty laugh then sat down in the chair beside my hospital bed. "Woah chill out kid everything is gonna be ok, you're safe now. Your boyfriend is at the station and the doctors are taking great care of you." Then he smiled at me. "But you didn't answer my question, why am I here? I don't remember how I got here. I just remember closing my car door shortly before talking to another officer, I think his name is manny?" I could see that he was trying not to laugh but I didn't care, I just wanted answers. "His name is Mateo, so you were close. About your question, you were transported here. When you were talking to officer Mateo you passed out, I can only imagine the pain you must be in." So that's what happened. Well now I know why I'm in so much pain. But how do I get out of here? "Wait, is my car still at Jacobs house?" "yes ma'am." "hold up, what floor am i on and what room?" He looked at me in a strange way but replied, "floor 1, room 187, why?" Then the memories hit me like a train.