Crash (PTB Writing Challenge #1)

Chapter 7

**This chapter includes text messages typed in bold. For those who can not see the emoticons, I wrote a description in italics and parenthesis. I also include the time sent and who the sender was, just to make it easier. I didn't feel like dealing with the whole back and forth of incoming and outgoing messages on two different phones. Also, the messages on an iphone show up in the order of most recent down to the oldest, so that's how I listed it. Hopefully it isn't confusing!**

Chapter 7

I flopped onto my bed with a sigh. Too much for one day. I felt more exhausted than the time I had run a marathon all through downtown.

I had just closed my eyes for a second when my phone buzzed from the top of my desk. I thought that was weird and wondered if I was expecting an email back from the office of admissions at the college I was applying to. Probably just junk mail.

I got up to check it anyways, and I was surprised to see a text from an unknown number. The memories of this morning came flooding back when I saw the text lighting up my screen.

8:12 (555) 359-3769:

Hey Amy

It must be Jackson. Why would he have contacted me so fast? Wasn't there some rule against doing that? He sure was straightforward.

I thought about what to reply, but before I could, I heard a knock at my door. "Amy?" It was my brother. "Can I talk to you?"

So finally Cassandra had told him.

I answered loud enough so he could hear through the door. "Yeah." The door creaked open and Phillip had a strange expression on his face. I could tell that a battle was raging inside his head between positive and negative emotions, plus how best to explain to his little sister that he got his girlfriend knocked up.

After closing the door he came and sat on the edge of my bed with a sigh. He searched my face for any sign of where to begin. I stared back at him expectantly but gave him no clues as to how I felt. What I felt shouldn't really matter to him anyways, it was his life.

He cleared his throat and looked down at his hands. "So you know." It seemed like a combination between a question and a statement, so I nodded. He sighed again. "I don't know what you're thinking of me right now," he said with a nervous chuckle.

The statement surprised me and I decided to do the same thing back. "I'm thinking you look ridiculous," I stated, eyeing his khaki trousers. And then I added, more seriously, "...and a little in over your head."

This seemed to spark something in him and he moved closer to me in his excitement. "That's the thing though! I really don't feel like I am!" He chuckled in a sort of disbelief and shook his head.

"I want this, Amy. I want this so bad. I feel like I've finally found who I'm meant to be. Cassandra she... she's just amazing. More than anything I could ever ask for." His eyes were gleaming with admiration but then he turned to me and warned me, "And you better not be thinking anything bad about her. She's a really good girl, we just... got caught off guard."

"Then I'm happy for you", I answered neutrally.

"You don't believe me."

"No... but if you believe yourself then I'm happy for you."

"I want you to be happy for yourself."

"And I want you to be the old you again."

This made him go silent. He picked his words wisely this time.

"Amy..." He seemed almost pained as he spoke my name. "Sometimes the past isn't as good as we think it is. Nostalgia will do that. This change is a good thing." His eyes looked dark and far away, like he was remembering something painful.