Josie glanced into the rearview mirror, a familiar urge rising in her chest: turn around, go home, forget all of this. It was late, and she hated going out at night, but staying awake was easier than facing the dreams that waited for her in her sleep. Besides, there was something she needed to talk to Danielle about—something she couldn't avoid any longer.
She bit her lip as she turned from the highway onto a smaller street. She was almost there. Danielle lived on the outskirts of the city, just close enough to be within the community, but far enough away that Josie wondered to herself if she had left the city limit.
Josie's palms began to feel sweaty as she gripped the steering wheel, and she felt panic rising inside of her. "No," she told herself, "no more running away. She deserves to know the truth."
As she pulled into a driveway leading up to an apartment building. Josie thought it was strange that an apartment was this far out of town, but here it was. Danielle's place. A shiver made its way up her spine, and she dreaded entering the building.
She forced herself from the car, however, and made her way to the entrance of the small complex. She began to climb the stairs, hoping to reach floor three at a reasonable hour. The climb was exhausting, but not physically. In her head, Josie kept replaying every worst case scenario that could come from tonight.
Danielle might be angry with her, or uncomfortable, perhaps, and if she was, then Josie felt she would most likely lose the older girl as a friend altogether. She was about to change Danielle's entire perception of truth. And quite possibly her perception of Josie, as well.
"No," she told herself again, "you made your choice, Josie. You will stick to it. Even-" she gulped, "even if she hates me after this."
Danielle's door, room 12, was the last of the four rooms on the floor. Josie knocked softly, holding her breath and forcing herself to calm her nerves. She came here for a reason, and she would see it through to the end.
Danielle opened the door, and she seemed shocked to see Josie standing there. Her eyes widened in confusion, and she seemed to cock her head to the side.
"Josie?" She asked, "what are you doing here?"
"Th-there's something I n-need to, um," Josie stammered nervously. "I have to tell you something, Danielle. Is that okay?"
"Of course," Danielle told her, "come inside, and tell me what's going on."
As Danielle led her to a couch, Josie saw the older girl's phone on a charging port. The lock screen showed a much younger Danielle, and a familiar boy. He was smiling, as if he'd won the lottery, and he had good reason to. After all, when he'd started dating Danielle, Josh had felt he'd inherited the world.
A pit grew in Josie's stomach, and she sat down beside Danielle on a small couch. She took a deep breath, and opened her mouth to explain. Her story, her dreams, her thoughts.
Her mistakes.
YOU ARE READING
A Life Rewritten
AcakJosie is haunted by her past, and the memory of a boy she used to know. Jake is scared for his wife, trying his best to help her through the painful memories that have forced their way back to the surface. Danielle wants closure, after the mysteriou...
