Truly Free // COMPLETED

16. The Nightmare in Cathedral Square

sorry for any mistakes
....

Homecoming at Carraway High School is basically a bunch of hormonal teenagers shoved into the ballroom at the fairgrounds and sweating off about two pounds. I went once, my sophomore year, and never went back. Lots of people think, that because we live in south Alabama, we're nice and respectful and we mind our manners and say ma'am and sir, and for the most part we do, until October 15th and then there are kids basically having sex in the middle of a crowded dance floor.

That's why I'm not going this year.

Gray is going, though. To everyone's surprise.

He ended up asking one of the girls in his math class named Casey, and he seems excited about it. I've met her before and she's really sweet and I don't really have a problem with it, not that it would mater anyways, I'm not his mom.

"Addison, I wish you could've just went with Howard just as friends and then you could've just hung out with me and Casey," he said to me, trying to persuade me into going.

"No, it'll be okay! I'll just go take pictures of y'all and come home. You know I don't want to go, and you also failed on finding me a date. Just make sure you come by after."

"Addison, I found you a date but you turned him down."

"I just told him that I wasn't going, which I'm not."

"But you could be going. And if the whole date thing bothered you, then we could've just gone together. A lot of people do that."

"It. Is. O-K. I'll be okay, you'll be okay, everything will be okay, just stop freaking out, you're starting to sound like me."

*****

Day of Homecoming

"Gray where's your tie? We're meeting them down there in 45 minutes, we need to hurry up!"

"Uhh look on my dresser, I think it's there. I'm almost done, just hang on," Gray calls back from the bathroom. I was somehow lassoed into helping him get ready, and I'm not mad about it, he's just really unorganized.

"Okay, I've got it do you know how to tie it?"

"Yes, I know how to tie a stupid tie, Addison," he says, snatching the black tie out of my hand with a smirk.

"Ok, good for you. Did you pick up the corsage this morning like I said?" I ask.

He nods.

"Yeah it's in the fridge, just like you told me."

I run down the stairs and make sure the corsage is what I ordered. White roses, baby's breath, and iridescent ribbon. Okay, we're all good.

We have to meet Casey and her parents downtown for pictures and if we run late so help me...

"Okay! I'm ready. You got the flower? Good. Let's go," Gray says running down the stairs.

I grab the camera and my phone off the kitchen island. His tickets are in my purse by the door, so I grab that and my Chacos, and we hurry to the truck so we can attempt to not be late.

"I called the restaurant this afternoon, your reservations are still in place. I have your tickets, don't forget to get them from me," I run through. This whole day is stressing me out. It really wasn't my job to plan all of this, but Gray is just incompetent, his mom is busy, I don't trust Casey, so I took it upon myself.

Gray nods and climbs in his truck as I run over to my house and get in my car. I pull out of the driveway first so he can follow me to our picture-taking location.

We arrive in downtown Mobile after a while and park on the side of the street. We shouldn't get a ticket. We agreed to meet Casey and her parents in Cathedral Square and we see them as we approach. Casey looks beautiful in a white dress and I can't help but envy her naturally tan skin.

"Hi, I'm Kimberly, Casey's mother, and you are?"

"Oh, I'm Addison. Gray's friend I'm just here to take pictures," I reply, trying to be nice although I don't appreciate her blunt tone.

"Oh... that's nice," she says as she walks over to where her daughter and Gray are standing.

Good talk.

We start taking pictures soon after that and I have to admit, Gray and Casey look wonderful together. I feel a pang of guilt that I turned Howard down. Right as we finish up pictures, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, but I ignore it.

"Alright then, I guess we're done," I say, turning off my camera. "I'll get these on a disk as soon as I can."

"Thank you for doing this Addy," Casey smiles sweetly.

"It was no problem."

We start walking back to where we all parked, Casey talking about how excited she is for her last homecoming dance. My phone vibrates again and I pull it out of my pocket to see my mother's name on the screen.

"Excuse me," I say to the others and walk away. "Hello?"

"Addison thank God," my mom says in hysterics.

"Oh my- Mom what's wrong, where are you?"

"We n-need you to come to the h-hospital. Andrew got in an accident and he's in surgery. They don't think he's going to make it Addison please hurry," she sobs and hangs up.

I drop my phone on the concrete below me and I know it shattered but I couldn't care less. I can feel my knees giving out beneath me and my breathing becoming shallower. I feel hands on my waist and face and hair, basically anything the owner can get a hold of.

I let out a broken-hearted sob and break down right on the sidewalk. I can feel people staring at me but I can't focus on anything but the owner of those hands, my best friend, trying to get through to me.

"Addison, I need you to tell me what's wrong. Tell me what's wrong so I can help," He's saying frantically. "Who was on the phone?"

"Andrew was in an accident," I whisper in a daze. "I need to go to the hospital."

I can only get out a few words before he quickly grabs all my things and ushers me to the truck, helping me inside and starting it up, leaving his date in the square. The whole way to the hospital, he keeps me pressed to him as I cry myself into oblivion.

But who could blame me.

My worst nightmare is coming true right before my eyes.

*****

A/N: the fit's about to hit the shan