Valarie
Chapter seven
By: Amber Boles
11:02 A.M. Same day.
Anthony walks outside. Val's standing by the mailbox, wind playing with her hair. He arms are folded. Anthony thinks she is crying.
Anthony doesn't know what to do. Comfort her? Talk? Anthony makes his decision.
"You want me to drive you home?" Anthony asks. Val turns around.
"Naw I'm fine. I'll leave when Jess is ready." She takes a deep breath. Ready. Set. Go.
"I feel like it's my fault." Val says. Anthony is confused.
"What's your fault?"
"Everything."
"That's... not even close to the truth." Anthony makes Val smile.
"If you knew, you'd think global warming was my fault.
Then behind her eyes lights explode again. A car slowly making contact with the mailbox. Val's pinned.
Val slowly moves away from the mailbox and stands by Anthony.
"Can I tell you something?" Val asks. Calm. Cool. Collected. Anthony nods. "I see things. I saw my brother and my parents die. But I didn't see who did it."
"You were there when they died?"
"No."
"What?"
"I was on the bus coming home. Normally I don't see things unless I touch something related, or if I'm close to something related." Val focuses on the mail box. Anthony is still confused.
"So you, what? See the future?"
Val shrugs. "Sort of. I suppose you can call it that, but sometimes there's not enough time between seeing it, and the actual event." Val waits for the car to hit the mail box.
Val points to it. "Look. A car will eventually hit the mail box. If I hadn't moved. The car would have pinned me against the it."
Anthony laughs. "Are you okay? Val?"
"Don't laugh at me." Val says. She's pissed. "I'm telling you, watch."
Anthony watches, Nothing happens. "Val maybe you should let me drive you home."
"No, I'm waiting for Jess."
"What ever." Anthony walks back into the house. Val waits. Waits for the car.
She hears screeching, tires burning. Burnt rubber. The car is spinning, and slowly comes in contact with the mailbox. Fortunately not knocking it over. Jess and Anthony fly out of the house.
Val smirks. Walks away. Destination: Home.
Mission complete.
12:33 P.M.
Val removes the burger from the fridge. She hadn't noticed she was hungry. She realizes the ketchup made it soggy, and proceeds to throw it away.
"Don't do that!"
Val turns around startled. Relief. It's just Josh. "You want it?" Val holds out the burger.
"Yes ma'am! Man am I starving." Josh gets right to devouring it.
Val opens the fridge. There's plenty of food. Her uncle and Aunt stocked the fridge with fruit condiments, sandwich meat, jello, pudding, cheese, and just about anything you need. She wonders why Josh didn't eat something.
"The fridge is full. You could have eaten something."
Josh shrugs, says between bites: "It would feel like I was stealing your food if I didn't ask." He's done within seconds.
"Make yourself a sandwich, I know you have to be still hungry." Val opens the fridge again takes out ham, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, mustard, ketchup, and pickles. Sets in next to the bread. Josh's eyes light up. Heaven. "Anything else you need, just take it from the fridge."
Val laughs and goes to her room.
Her walls are bare. She's been meaning to do something. Paint designs? Paste stickers. Posters? She's too old for posters.
She sits on her bed. The springs squeak under her weight.
Boom. Lights and color. Val sits in Anthony's lap, their lips slide together. Val moans. She wants more. Anthony flips Val onto her back and rips off her blouse. Val does the same for Anthony. His tanned chest expands nearly out of breath. Val doesn't want it to stop. He's warm. She wants him to hold her forever.
"Eww!" Val jumps off the bed. Her vision slowly comes back.
That was another vision?
Val stand confused at the end of her bed. She stares at it. Suddenly feeling very awkward.
There's a light knock on her door.
"What?" Val says as she opens the door. Jess stands there.
"Why did you leave?"
Val shrugs. Her voice is unusable. "I didn't want to be interrogated by the cops. I've had enough of them."
Jess nods. Understands. She hugs her friend. She knows how much it hurts. She's felt it with her sister. Sometimes, Jess feels like it would be a lot easier if her sister would have died. Mariah's not a Burdon, it just hurts. It's like a tease. There's Mariah's body, but where is Mariah?
Val sobs in Jess's shoulder for so many reasons.
Tom, Mom, Dad, Mariah, Jet, Anthony. Everything is her fault. Val wishes she would haves stayed home that day and died with her parents and brother.
"Jess," Val mumbles.
"Hmmm?"
"I feel like everything is my fault. My parents, my brother."
"It's not." Val pulls away from Jess.
"I know, but I think I should know something. Anything. Not nothing."
Jess laughs. "Val, it's not you fault. Nothing, something or anything is not you fault."
Val shakes her head. Jess couldn't possibly understand.
1:48 P.M.
Val sobs quietly in the fetal position on her bed.
Sunday, July 4, 1999 8:28 A.M.
Jess and Josh went out to watch the fireworks somewhere. Val stayed home.
Val reads a book, knows it's good to read, but hates it. The people's lives in books are so perfect, while her is so... Not perfect.
She decides to watch a few fireworks from her window. She can see the park from her window. Families and children clean up from their all day picnic, and set up their fireworks.
Val goes to sleep. Too much fun.
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Sorry it's not very long. I have to leave for my Aunts today, and I wont be back until Sunday, so it's medium sized chapter now, or long chapter later. ;)
Will write more at my Aunts, My cousin has a sleep over tomorrow, so I'll do it when she's away.
Perhaps I might even get in another chapter before I leave *Wink* *Wink* ;]
