𝐈 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮

Jonesy

Three years ago

  "Jonesy Amerie Claypoole, don't you dare slam my doors! I pay for this house, not you! You ungrateful shit!"
  My ears rang as my mother's voice echoed off the walls of the house. Three more days, I thought. Three more days and I would be out of here and away from her.
  "Oh my God, Mom! I'm not doing anything!" I yelled down the stairs before going into my room. The sound of a bottle shattering on the floor was the only response.
  "I do everything in this house and you and your brother are so ungrateful." I could hear my mother's words as she trudged up the stairs, her steps pounding against the wood. "I put all of my time and money into you two and what do I get in return?"
  She was right outside my door. "Nothing!" She pounded her fists against the wooden door and it shook like a leaf withering in the wind. "I don't get jack shit in return!" She continued mumbling as she made her way towards her own bedroom.
  I felt tears brimming in my eyes, silently sending a prayer of thanks to whatever higher power was above me, thanking them that Ellis wasn't here to see this. He was staying with our father for the weekend while I was stuck here with Mom until I went back to school. He was too young, he didn't need to see her like this.
  Mallory Claypoole could be so cruel when she was drunk and off her meds. My brother liked to see the best in her, but I saw her for how she was. Her bipolar disorder mixed with alcohol was not a pretty combination.
  A few moments later, I heard the sound of my mom by my door again; without warning, she threw open the door and tossed a suitcase into the room. There was a lit cigarette hanging out of the corner of her mouth and her hair was sticking to her forehead from sweat.
  She was on more than just $6 vodka.
  "Pack your shit and get the fuck out of my house."
  I sat on my bed too stunned to speak as a sob caught in my throat. "Mom, please; you're drunk, let me stay and take care of you-"
  "I don't want a damn thing from you, Jonesy!" She wiped her sweaty forehead, cigarette ash falling onto her face. "I just want you and your shit the fuck out of my house."
  She bent down and started grabbing my clothes, throwing them into the suitcase. "You think you're such a grown adult, huh? You're almost 20, let's see how grown you are."
  I felt the red hot sting of tears on my cheeks and my heart felt as if it was trying to claw its way out of my chest. "Mom, please. Don't do this."
  "I don't-fucking Christ." She stared down at where her cigarette had fallen from her and landed on one of my shirts. It was burning a hole through the material and of course, Mallory did nothing to stop it.
  "I need another cigarette and a beer. When I come back, I want you gone. And your shit!" Mallory exited the room, pounding down the stairs and out the door. I heard the start of the car engine and the tires squealed away down the road.
  It took me all of two seconds to pick up my phone and dial her number. Amaiah picked up on the first ring and the sound of her voice seemed to calm my nerves a bit.
  "Jonesy? Hi, baby-"
  "I need you," I blurted out, interrupting her. "Mallory just kicked me out and-and...I need you."
  "I'm on my way, don't hang up."
  I nodded, chewing on the corner of my nail while Amaiah tried her best to lighten my mood. She was good like that; she always knew what to say and when to say it.
  One of the main reasons I loved her. Amaiah Thomas and I had been going out for almost two years, after she transferred to my high school her junior year. She was one of the most beautiful, kind hearted, and headstrong women I knew. She made me laugh when no one else could, she told me the hard truth when she knew I needed to hear it, and most importantly, she didn't judge me for my mother's behavior.
  "Okay, I'm almost there, I'm just passing Dillhaven Drive so I should be there in less than fifteen minutes," she was saying. "What's that song you heard on the radio the other day? The one you said reminded you of me?"
  I felt heat creeping across my face. Almost as if she could tell I was blushing, Amaiah laughed.
  "Come on, sing it for me. Before you know it, I'll be there."
  "Okay." I inhaled and started singing the lyrics of a song by one of my favorite bands, Eyedress. Amaiah was the human equivalent to their song Something About You. She was a breath of fresh air, she always had a smile on her face, and her laughter could light up an entire room.
  "Do you really think I'm the prettiest girl you've ever seen?" She interrupted in a soft, quiet voice.
  I didn't even think twice when I answered her. "Of course, Amaiah. The prettiest girl to ever grace the face of the earth."
  She laughed. "I love-" her voice was cut off by a blood curdling scream and the sound of metal crunching. I felt my heart leap up to my throat and an overwhelming nauseous feeling in my stomach.
  "Amaiah? Amaiah!" I screamed into the phone, a sound so unfamiliar to me. I could hear the sound of her vehicle being thrown before crashing into something.
  "I-Jones...there's something...in-in my...stomach." Her voice was weak and I could hear blood in her cough. "I-I can't move, Jonesy...I'm stuck."
  I didn't hear the rest of her message, I was already taking off down the road. I willed my feet to propel me faster, faster than I had ever run before. For once in  my life, I was grateful for all of the extra P.E. lessons I had taken.
  The cold night air stung my face and my hair came loose from its ponytail. My muscles were on my fire and my body was begging me to slow down, but I couldn't. I wouldn't.
  I reached the crash sight and the scene before me made me sick to my stomach. A large semi truck was on its side, fire burning upwards from the engine. The driver was struggling to pull himself out, rubbing his eyes and pulling his shirt up to prevent smoke inhalation.
  I didn't care about him. I knew it must've been wrong to not care, but I didn't. I needed to get to her.
  Nearly fifty feet away from where the truck was tipped over was Amaiah's blue Subaru. The entire thing looked like a crushed up soda can and the front windshield was broken. I could see her arm hanging out of the driver's side window, limp and bloody.
  I ran to her. "Maiah, Amaiah, please baby. I'm right here." I tried prying the door open but it was so badly crushed it wouldn't budge. I stuck my arm through the window and lifted Amaiah's head up; her dark hair stuck to her forehead and blood trickled down her face.
  Her eyelids fluttered open for a moment and a weak smile crossed her perfect face. "J-Jones..." She coughed, spitting up blood. She tried reaching for me but her sleeve caught on the metal object protruding from her stomach.
  "Oh, look at that...I've been impaled." She gave me a small smile and a weak laugh. "C'mon, Jones, laugh." With her other hand, she reached up and pressed her hand to my cheek.
  I kissed her palm, tears streaking my face. "Now is not the time to quote Frozen."
  She laughed again and slightly shook her head. "It is...if it will make you laugh." She blinked slowly, her breathing becoming shallow. "I just want to hear it one last...time."
  No, no, no. I shook my head and gently shook her shoulder. Amaiah opened her eyes and inhaled; I could see just breathing took a lot of energy. She needed help.
  "No, Amaiah, this will not be the last time, I refuse. I'm going to call 911 and they'll fix you." I reached frantically for my phone and swore under my breath when I remembered I had dropped it in my front yard. "Amaiah, give me your phone. No! Open your eyes, keep your eyes open and give me the phone."
  She took a deep inhale of breath and pulled her phone out from where it had landed in the cup holder when she crashed. The screen was cracked but the thing still worked.
  I quickly dialed the police, my heart pounding in my throat still. "Hello? Y-yes, there's been an accident and-and my girlfriend's been..." I couldn't get myself to say the words, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. I cleared my throat and continued. "There's something in her stomach. She-"
  "Jonesy." I heard Amaiah call for me weakly. I spun around and knelt beside her again. "I'm not going to...last until they get here." Her dark eyes were slowly becoming glassy and her skin was becoming pale from the loss of blood.
  "Sing that song again. The one from earlier...that reminded you...of me." She coughed again, blood trickling down the side of her mouth. "It's the last thing...I want to hear before I...go. Please?"
  She was right. Fuck, she was right. I nodded and settled onto the ground, gently smoothing back the damp and bloody hair away from her forehead. I began singing, probably getting the words wrong several times, but I didn't stop.
  I don't know when exactly it was when her chest stopped rising and falling, signaling that her heart had stopped. I kept singing even after I heard the sirens and saw the flashing lights. This was her dying wish.
  It wasn't until the medics pulled me away that I stopped. I could see their mouths moving but I couldn't make out any of their words.
  I looked down at my hands that were covered in blood. Her blood. My eyes moved back to the car where Amaiah's lifeless arm was still hanging out of the window and my heart finally fell back to its place in my rib cage..
  She was gone.