The Death of Colleen Rivers

Chapter 18: Colleen

You know when you're reading a book, or watching a movie or television show and the couple you have been rooting for finally get together? Or the lost puppy returned home? Or maybe the protagonist overcame his/her fear? At that time, aren't you just so overcome with joy that you start to cry? Yeah, that was me right now when my brother could see me again and believed that I was real.

I just lost it. All the tears I had been holding back since that argument with my family the night before my "death" came flooding out, as if the dam that was in me had burst. "I love you, Jamison," I sobbed.

He hugged me tighter. "I love you too, Sis."

"I'm sorry to ruin this endearing family moment," Baylor interrupted. "But your mom is coming up the stairs, and may I add she's coming rather quickly."

"So?" James asked. "What does it matter if she's coming. She'll be thrilled to see Colleen."

I hated to, but I pushed James away. "Not yet she can't see me. It just isn't the right time for this. Not here. Not now."

He sighed. "Fine alright. Cover your face then and hide in the closet."

I quickly obeyed. Baylor came in the closet too, both of us out of sight of my mother. He grabbed my hand almost instantly and pulling me into his embrace. We sat down together in the floor of James' closet. For a boy's closet, his was pretty clean and didn't smell bad at all. But that's how James is. A neat freak. I could hear Mom tromping up the stairs, swinging Jamison's door open with a loud squeak.

"James? Were you talking to someone?" I could hear Mom ask him.

"Oh, uh, yeah I was."

"Who?"

I couldn't hear James speaking so I knew he was trying to think of a believable lie to tell her. "I was talking to Takayuki."

Mom gasped. "That Chinese girl?" her voice suddenly filled with wonder. And not child wonder. Mom wonder. Which was worse. She continued to ask questions in a wondrous voice until there were no questions left to ask at all. Like when children keep asking "why" to everything someone tells them. It's tragically annoying.

"Yes, Mom," James sighed.

"Oh, Jamison! That's so exciting! Do you like her?"

"Um, sure? I don't know yet."

"Well that's okay, sweetheart. Oh! Let's go tell your father about this! This is wonderful news!" she squealed. "JACOB!," her voice boomed. "WE HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS!"

"YES, MY DEAR?" Dad screamed back.

"Come on, James! Let's go!"

James groaned but must have followed Mom out the door because I could hear two pairs of feet ebbing out of earshot.

"I think they're gone," I whispered.

"But that doesn't mean we have to leave here," Baylor whispered in my ear. He was so close that his breath tickled my ear.

I turned to face him. "And what do you propose?" I said in a still hushed voice.

"This." And with that, we were kissing.

We usually don't do this and I knew we needed to get out of there but I couldn't. I couldn't pull away. Maybe I thought that if I pulled away, for even a second, he would be gone. I didn't want to lose him again. So we stayed there, together, until we heard someone coming up the stairs into the room. How long were we there? Seven, ten minutes? It couldn't have been that long, but it felt like an eternity.

"Okay we have to go, Bay," I whispered, trying to contain a giggle.

I could feel him smiling as he pulled away. "Oh, alright."

The closet door was yanked open and standing in front of the door wasn't James, and it wasn't my dad. It was the last person I was expecting to see at the moment. Right in front of me stood my mother.