Second Chances

Chapter 2

      Ten seconds of silence. That's how long it took them to comprehend what I had said. Amber looked at me, bewildered, as we continued down the street. "EYES ON THE ROAD, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD AMBER!" She turned the car just milliseconds before we would've slammed into an oncoming SUV. Jason took deep breaths, almost like he was trying to calm himself.
      "Come again," is all he said. I sat, still as a corpse, wrapped in the confusion that that question had caused. I felt Jason's eyes burning a hole into the back of my skull. "I said, 'COME AGAIN'," he said, more agitated and angry than before.
      "Umm..." I said awkwardly. "...who... are you?" Jason leaned back against the back seat and sighed.
      "So I did hear you correctly," he said. The awkwardness that had filled the car turned to a somber sadness. I looked at Amber, who raised her eyebrows and quickly glanced at Jason. I slowly turned to face him. He looked crushed, devastated. He stared blankly, down at his lap. I felt terrible, like I had just killed him mentally.
      "I'm sorry. I wish I could, I truly, truly do. But I can't," I said. "When I look at you, it's like looking at someone on the street; I couldn't recognize you if I tried. Was I important to you?" It was at that moment that I saw a tear roll down his left cheek. Followed by another one. And another one. And another one. Within seconds, a smaller version of a waterfall streamed from his eyes. I glanced at Amber in disbelief, and she raised her eyebrows as if I was being an idiot. I turned back to look at Jason.
      He sat silently in the back, tears streaming down his face. He glanched at me for a second, which caused him to cry even more. I wished we would've brought some of those tissues with us. I placed my hand on his knee, and he stopped shaking for a second. He wiped his eyes and then his face and leaned placed a hand on top of mine. "I'm sorry for asking that," I said. "I should've assumed I meant something to you. Otherwise you wouldn't have been there when I woke up."
      He took a deep breath before saying, "Do you really not remember any of it?" I shook my head, and his head fell, chin to his chest.
      I unbuckled my seatbelt as Amber pulled up to a stop light. I climbed over the armrest attached to my seat and flopped unceremoniously onto the backseat. My leg pinched with pain as I landed. Jason laughed and helped me into a sitting position. I buckled myself back in and Jason leaned his head against mine.
      The car behind us honked their horn as the light turned green. Amber drove forward into the intersection as I yawned. Jason smiled and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek, but he stopped. He sat back up and looked out the window. I looked at Amber in the rear view mirror, and she glanced at me for a split second before turning her eyes on the road again.
      I gently grasped Jason's knee and he turned to stare at me. I smiled. His eyes lit up and he smiled back at me. He placed his hand on top of mine and squeezed my fingers. I noticed a spot of color on his ring finger nail; a small honeycomb of black lines and white hexagons. I held up my left hand so I could see all of my fingernails. On my index finger, there was a patch of white lines and burgundy hexagons, and on my pinky finger, there was a spot of burgundy right at the edge. My hand fell down as I realized we must've gotten our nails painted together.
      Jason picked at a scab on his arm as Amber merged onto the highway, heading south. He noticed I was staring blankly at the headrest of Amber's seat, so he said, "Hey."
      I jumped, not expecting him to say anything. "Yes?" I said, a little shaken.
      He took a deep breath before saying, "I know you don't remember any of it, and I really wish you would, cause this would make it a lot easier for all of us, but... before we got to the hospital... I thought you were going to die... I let myself believe that you'd never open your eyes."
      Tears started rolling down his face as he continued, "It's all my fault... none of this would've happened if I would've been paying attention..." He wiped the tears off his face and took a long breath before saying, "Sorry. I didn't mean to cry."
      I stared at the floor of the car, not knowing what I should say. Jason took his hand off of mine, causing me to glance at him. He met my eyes for a split second before looking away. I jabbed him in the side, causing him to lurch away from me and squeak. I started laughing as he said, "HEY!" I keeled over, unable to breathe as I was laughing too hard. Jason poked the underside of my arm, making me fall against the door.
      I sucked in a sharp breath as I hit the door, causing a small squeaking sound to come out of me. Jason stopped for a second before bursting out laughing because of the noise I had made. I pushed Jason away from me as he continued to laugh. He took a deep breath before smiling at me.
      I held my hand out to Jason, and he took hold of it. I set our hands on his leg. I smiled as Jason squeezed my hand. It felt familiar. It felt right. I don't know how I knew that, but I loved it.