Castaway ➳ cth [EDITING/HIATUS]

Chapter 34

(A/N): Be prepared for a wild ride, y'all. 

June's P.O.V.

One week passed by, of me ignoring Michael, not allowing myself to say one single thing to him due to the awkwardness that ghosted between both of us and lingered there.

One week of me running in the evening every day after school, pretending to run away from my life and from all of the issues that ruled over me.

One week of me intending to become a better person.

Running past the beautiful, fall scenery of the park three blocks away from us, I studied a couple in front of me walking slowly on the pavement and awkwardly slowed down to run past them, and as I did so, I grazed the woman's coat ever so slightly that it transmitted an electric shock through my body, making both of us wince.

"Sorry ma'am", I apologetically say as I stare into her face. She was too young to be called a woman, her young, facial features explaining otherwise. Her short, light brown hair was partly covered by a wine-red beanie and the thick, black hood of her jacket that was draped over her head.

Her light eyes scanned me up and down and a smile curved her lips, murmuring a "It's fine" while grabbing tightly onto her boyfriend's hand whom I couldn't recognize, due to the fact that the hood was hanging deep in his face and for some stupid reason he wore sunglasses.

Continuing my run, I debate on whether this girl seemed familiar, but there was no name I could connect with that face.

As I jogged down the path covered in orange leafs, my legs grew tired the closer I approached the lake between oak trees and stood there for a while, staring into the nothing.

That moment, I felt the pain in my stomach, as if something was wrong.

My vibes never lie. I rely on them as if my life depends on it. There's this bothering feeling in my stomach, that I couldn't control, it felt like I was about to throw up or crash down onto the ground. Maybe I ate too little breakfast, but that would be impossible.

I've done this daily running for a week now, and nothing similar had ever happened.

Couple minutes of me crouching down, unable to move, I sense my phone's vibration in the one of the pockets of my jacket and pull the device out. My mother was calling me for whatever reason.

Holding my stomach tightly with wrapped arms around myself, I answer the call and press the phone between my right ear and my shoulder.

"June, I need you to come home right now." My mother's voice shook as if panic overtook her. "Be there as fast as possible, please."

"Mom, can't you just tell me what is going on?" Being fed up with her secrecy, I wasn't ready to go home for my mom's lectures about leaving the door of the patio open, or going out of the house without turning off the stove and so on.

"I swear, if it's one of your lectures about chores I'll..."

"June, I swear by Christ, if you don't get home in at least five minutes..." Unexpectedly, a loud whimper startled me and it seemed like she broke down, a male voice comforting her in a calming voice, probably Michael's dad.

"Mom?" The heart in my torso began pounding in a rapid pace. "Is everything okay?" Next thing I hear is the sound of someone taking my mom's phone off her hand and saying: "June, you're mom needs to tell you something. I don't wanna say it here."

"Michael? What is going on?" I kept listening to my mom's screams of pain and sorrow, and the suffering whimpers that sent eerie chills down my spine. Forgetting the pulling sensation in my stomach, I proceeded to step away from the lake and the ducks quaking, and asked one final time: "Really, do I need to go home right now?"

"June!" Michael's voice turned from worry into hysteria. "It's about your sister, god dammit!"

Those words triggered every single emotion inside me, and as I hung up and ran across the park, I slowly connected the dots, my mother screaming in agony, the comforting words from Michael's dad, Michael saying it's about my sister and the urgency... and my stomach aches.

This can't be true. Please, dear God, my thoughts are telling lies.

The way from the park to my house seemed like an eternity although I ran with such energy, occasionally ignoring red lights for pedestrians, bicyclists and people walking along the buildings.

My arrival startled my mother, Michael's dad and Michael himself. Harshly sliding the patio door shut, I took my headphones off my ears and sat on one of the chairs in our kitchen.

In the reflection of the patio window, I noticed how red my cheeks were and how beats of sweat trickled down my forehead, but I ignored it. Instead, I glance at the other's dismayed facial expressions, my mother laying on the ground sobbing while Michael's father held her tightly, Michael sitting left next to me covering his face with his palms as he put his elbows on top of the surface of the dinner table.

"Mom?" The shakiness in my voice came naturally, although I tried so hard to keep a cool head and wishing that it was all just a stupid, short dream.

"June..." Michael finally revealed his drained face, numb eyes locking with mine. "Promise me one thing, alright? Don't freak out."

"Why?"

"Just... remain calm please." His reassuring and pleading voice sped up my heartbeat even more, thinking it will burst out of my chest in any second.

From panic, couple tears brimmed on the edge of my eyes and I swallowed the upcoming whimpers from my nervousness and anxiety attack.

"One of your dad's colleagues called your mom and told her that something rather tragic happened. Yesterday night, your... dad drove home with your sister riding shotgun and he was..." his voice began to stutter, "... supposedly drunk or something I have no idea... and then they hit an upcoming vehicle at a speed of hundred and ten miles per hour and... the ambulance came and opened the car doors of the destroyed vehicle and they did everything they could, but..."

"But what, Michael?"

"June, your sister didn't make it." 

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(A/N): Eh. I could've written this chapter a bit better. Yes I had to include a character's death in this story. Anyways, now that Nele died, what do you think June is about to do?

Hopefully you liked this chapter, although I could've written it better :( I cried a little writing it though.

Stay tuned my dudes! - Ally