Insanity (Sequel To Madness)

My Best Friend

~*12 Years Ago*~

"Sweetheart, we have a visitor. Please come downstairs." My mother calls from the bottom of the stairs. She had forced me into a long, white spring dress that goes down to my ankles. She told me I looked "cute", but I just think I look ridiculous. I never wear these types of clothes, even at the going age of 5, I never wore any of it. I lift my dress with the palm of my hand and carefully go down each and every step to the bottom floor where my mother had beckoned me from. The carpet is soft under my bare feet while is creep down the steps. I nervously turn and look for my mother. She stands by the front door, holding it open. My mom's friend Margaret, her two daughters Lily and Kate, and her son Josh stand in the doorway. Lily and Kate are another pair of twins that we count as our family, for some reason we've always had so many. My mother says that she's lucky to only have one brat to take care of, but for some reason I've always felt like the truth was always hidden, perhaps I did have a hidden twin hiding from me somewhere out there. Margaret smiles brightly, showing her crooked teeth to me.
"Hi Violet, its lovely to see you." She says. My mother motions for me to come to her, and I do, carefully stepping in my dress so that I don't fall. That would be embarrassing.
"Josh, go walk your lady to the door." Margaret coed while gently nudging him towards the inside of the house. I feel blush on my cheeks and see it on Josh as well.
"Here, I'll help." Josh tells me softly as he locks arms with me and grabs an edge of my dress and picks it off the ground.
"Thanks, Josh." I say gratefully. We walk to the door and he helps me to go down the small step on our porch.
"What a little gentleman you are, Joshua." My mother comments happily.
"You look beautiful, Violet." Lily tells me with a smile on her pale face. Kate rolls her eyes and crosses her arms.
"She looks like she hates the dress, and I hate my own too. Don't worry, Violet, not every girl is meant to be covered in pink and flowers." Kate whispers. I giggle quietly, causing Josh to do the same.
"Josh, go to the car with your sisters. And take Violet with you, we have to be on time to our reservations." Margaret demands while she turns back and chats with my mother.
"Let's go, Josh. We don't want to stay around those witches." I whisper with a small giggle. He giggles back and leads me towards his mother's car that sits in the driveway.

***

We get to a restaurant that my mother has deemed fit for a fancy lunch, and we all walk inside. My mother announces her name to the people at the front desk and they lead us to a table. I sit with Josh, as far away from my mother as possible. We sit, eventually ordering from a poor girl who has to deal with all of my mother's questions about the food. She always has to ask about the calories, and the fat, and every little ingredient involved in her food. Eventually, after a very long conversation between my mother and Kate arguing about the perks of being an alcoholic, our food comes.
"But, at least then you don't have to ever have serious conversations when you're wasted." Kate mumbles as each plate is placed in front of us.
"Kaitlyn! You shut your mouth about that nonsense." Margaret demands from across the table.
"Fine." Kate sighs as she unwraps her silverware and carefully places her napkin on her lap. I eat in silence along withe everyone else at our table. I've never been much of a talker anyways, especially not right now when everyone is here. I reach long into the table in front of me to grab my glass of water.
"Here, I'll get it." Josh whispers while he gently brings my hand back into my lap. He reaches past me and takes my glass off the table carefully. He hands it to me gently and caresses my finger as he hands it to me. I take a sip of water from the glass and hand it back to Josh once I'm done. Josh takes it with ease and reaches past where I'm able to and sets it back in its place on the table.
"Thank you." I whisper to him as I pick up my fork and continue eating the pasta dish I had ordered.
"You're always welcome." He whispers as he keeps eating as well. I blush slightly at his words and finish eating, placing my fork on top of the plate so it would be easier for the waitress to grab. We stay at that restaurant for almost another hour while everyone, except Josh and I, talk about random subjects around the table. I feel myself getting tired of all the boring conversations and slowly close my eyelids and rest my head on the edge of my chair. I suddenly feel that chair move under me and something being placed atop my head. I open my eyes only to realize that it was not the chair that I leaned on, but Josh. I lift my head and feel myself blush.
"Sorry... I thought it was the chair..." I whisper softly. Josh chuckles at me softly and runs his smooth fingers through my hair.
"Its okay, Violet. You don't have to thank, or ask for permission, or apologize to me." Josh whispers back while he gently caresses my hand lovingly.
"Oh... Th-thank you... But I don't know why you'd say that, Josh." I stutter nervously in a hushed voice.
"Isn't it obvious? My mother wants me to marry you one day, and you deserve a man who will take care of you and doesn't ask so much from you. You're one of the nicest people I know, and whoever you marry should be nice too." Josh explains to me, just quiet enough so I could hear, but no one else could.
"Oh... Uh... That's so nice of you to say... Thank y- I mean... Never mind, I'm a mess." I stumble on my words and feel myself blush brightly.
"You're the prettiest mess I've ever seen, don't worry, Violet." Josh tells me with a slight pink showing on his cheeks. I smile at him and feel my face steaming hot.

That night when we went back home, my mother turned on the news at she always does. Josh and his family were driving home and then the headline came on.
"-a family of four has crashed on the highway. The casualties involve 15 year olds Lily and Kaitlyn McNeal along with their mother Margaret and son Joshua." As those words bounce off the television speaker I could feel my heart sink. I had tried hard to forget about that night, and about that entire family all together. Somehow, I had forgotten. I had forgotten that my best friend and his entire family had died in a car accident. However, there was one thing my mother never told me, that the news reporter had false information that night, and Josh was alive.