Pursuing Nirvana.

t h i r t e e n

Morning came too soon. It felt as if I had fallen asleep only an hour or two ago. As I regained consciousness, memories of last night slowly crept back into my mind. They snuck in the way a serial killer would enter the household of their next victim: silently, cleverly, and carrying an intention to do serious damage.

A real human died last night, and I had witnessed it, with my own two eyes. I was there, I could've done something, but I didn't. Instead, I stood there like a coward, clutching my boyfriend for dear life.

Brayden.

The last time I saw him he was a pitiful human, laying in a crumpled and emotional heap on the cold concrete.

I recollected every little detail of the ghastly occurrence. The gunshot, the blood, the sirens, the fear, the tragedy.

I remembered Cody, how could I forget his haunting image. The sheer pain etched into his features as he fell to his knees. The color draining from his flesh until he was a sickly white. His once bold, tall figure seemed so small and fragile.

I saw the life escape from his being.

Yet, I still didn't do anything about it. I stood there: paralyzed.

I swallowed hard, trying to push the situation out of my mind, but the guilt was eating me alive.

Jesse began to stir, blinking his eyes open and gradually reaching his arms above his head to stretch. I had completely forgotten he was here, but thankfully he was.

He froze as his eyes fell on me,"Uh, we didn't-"

I chuckled,"Nope."

"Thank god, no offense."

"None taken."

Jesse sighed loudly and reached for his phone. His face paled within seconds of holding the phone, and his eyes enlarged to the size of golf balls. Frantically, he spun around both sides, in search of something. Once he had located it, he leapt from the couch in a swift rapid movement.

"We've got to go, like, right now."

Without so much as a tad bit of explanation, he snatched my hand from my lap and yanked me off the couch.

I tried to stop him, but digging my bare heels into the smooth chestnut flooring offered me no avail. The madman kept tugging me along with no issue, as if I were a rag doll, sitting idle. I attempted to stop him one last time as he jerked the front door open, "Jesse, what the hell is going on?!"

He turned to me, his face wild and frantic, "I'll explain in the car, just come with me."

........

Street signs, skyscrapers, and bus stop benches all merged into one colorful blur as Jesse's black Mercedes raced down Madison Avenue. I was almost positive the speed we were going was far above the limit, but the look of terror and determination painted on Jesse's pale face told me that I should probably keep my mouth shut.

I turned to study him. Jesse's knuckles were nearly a ghostly white from his grip on the steering wheel. His arm was stretched out straight and his head was angled slightly downward, watching the road through his short boyish lashes. The side of his lower lip was tucked between his teeth in righteously uninterrupted concentration.

My attention diverted back to the city, where everything was still whizzing by. Wherever we were headed had to be of an incredibly high importance.