Always One More.... [Finished]

Day 1

"Louis! Think fast!"

I turn around in time to see the small projectile flying straight at my head. My arms come up, hands reaching out.

A perfect catch. The football lands in my hands, the familiar weight a wonderful reminder that I'm still alive after last night's crash. One of the worst nights of my life, and a great wake-up call to tell me that there's more to life than fast cars and police chases.

I press my hand over my left shoulder, which is wrapped with stitches underneath the cloth. A dislocated and torn up shoulder, bruised-to-the-bone ribs, a sprain in my right ankel, and a minor concussion. My body is pretty well banged up from Jacob's, one of my college buddies, sweet ride rolling down the side of the bank and into the woods.

Only a thick clump of trees stopped us from plummeting to our deaths in the dark ravine. I can still remember how they bent under the weight of the car and six 21 year olds, the sound of bark snapping and branches falling onto the car echoing in the darkness.

Being the only two sober ones there, Jacob and I had been sitting in the front seats, our drunk buddy Oscar sitting between us.

I had wanted out of the car from the moment Jacob had let the others talk him into speeding down the highway at night. Nothing in that idea had sounded right to me, but Jacob had refused to pull over, and the others had egged him to keep going faster.

I had wanted out, only me. And oh the irony, I got off the easiest, the luckiest, of all six of us.

"Nice throw, Aeron!" I comment, joining my roommate at the picnic table. We're eating outside today because it's supposed to be the last nice day before fall. Rain and thunderstorms fill up the rest of the week's weather predictions, and I'm not one to pass up a good day when it's here.

"Yeah, but that's only half the play. Great catch, Louis." He grins and holds his hand out as I take my seat. "Now give me back my ball, bro."

I roll my eyes, but hand over the ball. "What, no keepsake? I don't get to cherish it, too?"

"Nope. Maybe someday you'll have your own cuddle stand-in, but Terry is my beauty, and that's how it'll always be." Almost five years older than myself, he hugs the football, kisses it, then carefully sets it down on the bench next to him.

Terry is what he named the football, after his fiance. She's back at their hometown, about to give birth to their kid. She is barely a year out of high school, and they've been dating for two years, the whole town aware of it.

Nobody thought twice about scolding them on Terry getting pregnant, though. Her and Aeron had been engaged for almost a month when it happened. Now, their families pitch in to help them get started with their family life while Aeron finishes his college degree.

"So, I heard you got pretty banged up last night after that tailgate party." Aeron points to my shoulder with one hand, the other reaching for his lunch. "That why you're all wrapped up today?"

I nod. "Yeah. But before you make any judgements, I wasn't drinking. I went to have a good time with friends, and me and the driver stayed sober."

"So what happened?" He takes a bite out of his sandwhich.

I explain the crash to him: how Jacob let himself be pushed into speeding, and wouldn't let me out of the car. How the police saw us, and chased, but couldn't get Jacob to pull over. I describe how Jacob saw the turn in the road too late to react, and we went rolling down the bank and into the trees, narrowly escaping death.

Aeron shakes his head. "Man, sounds like a night. You get in trouble?"

"Nah, just patched up at the hospital and released this morning."