Life Is Challenging (RE-MASTERED)

Chapter 9: Total Shutdown

 It's December now, specifically 2 days before my birthday.  Chloe and I's relationship has flourished and we are even closer now.

       I wake up and look outside.  I grin as I see snow everywhere outside.  "Fuck yeah! Snow time, my favorite time." I get out the hoodie and dark jeans with the black Converse High tops.  I grab your phone and ear buds and rush out the door and right into Warren. 
   
   "Hey Jimmy you see the snow? It's so beautiful, Max wants to get a picture of us all, are you in?" 
   
   "Hell yeah! I gotta meet Chloe at Two Whales, you two should totally meet us." I put a hand on his shoulder.  "Come on. It'll be fun,"
     
   "I'll ask Max but I don't see why not, sure wait for us and we'll head there together."  I head out to the front of Blackwell and notice some of the kids having snowball fights. Justin and Zack are pelting eachother with them and tackling eachother into the snow.
   
    Warren walks out behind me and Max comes from the girls dorms. "Hey Jimmy, you ready? Let's go ahead and head out before we incur the wrath of Chloe." She puts up her arms and wiggles her fingers and we all laugh. I absolutely love how I have finally made friends who I can joke with.  It's been 4 short months but I love these people. One thing I do before we get on the bus, is throw a snowball at Dana.  She has a serious crush on me.  Plus she needs to get some snow in her hair.  I pelt her in the back of the head and look away.  She looks back and glares at me, but before she can make a snowball herself, we get on the bus.  We get on the bus, I look at my phone and get a text from Dana.

D: You are gonna pay, Jimmy.  I'll get you back. :)

J: Anytime, any place.
   
    We walk into the diner and notice Chloe and Joyce are having an argument. 
   
  "Goddammit Chloe I just wish you'd show David some respect, he only wants what's bes-"
     
   "No, DAD wanted what was best for me.  He is certainly not my father, and he never will be."
     
  "Chloe. Elizabeth. Price. Do not bring him into this conversation. Do you hear me?"
   
  "Whatever. I'm out." She walks towards us and grabs my arm. "Come on, let's go somewhere else. The airs contaminated now." She leads me outside and hugs me
"You are just in time, time to shake n' bake our way to the junkyard, Max, Warren you two okay chilling here? I got something we need to talk about alone."  My heart sinks, I hate when someone says they need to talk to me alone.  "Come on Mcfly, let's head to the hangout spot." She leads me to the truck as I flash Warren and Max an 'I'm sorry' smile. 
   
   As we are driving down the road leaving the Two Whales behind, Chloe grabs my hand tight, and that worries me even more.  I don't want to know what she has to tell me, but I want to know, it's my fucking anxiety, I start sweating and shaking but she doesn't notice yet. 
 
    "So uh... babe? Is this talk good or bad?"
   
  "It's good for you, but it'll be hard for me.... I trust you, and I love you enough to tell you. It's about my dad." She says tears rolling down her eyes.
     
    We arrive at the junkyard and head to the usual spot, the building in the back by the railroad tracks. I sit on the couch and look at Chloe, she stands there and looks at me, still crying.  She told me all about William and how awesome he was.  I get up and hug her tight.  "I'm so sorry Chloe I had no idea.  I'm sure I would've loved him.  He sounds so amazing."  I just hug her tighter.
   
    "He would have absolutely loved you Jimmy, you are such an amazing guy and I've never met anyone as nice or as sweet as you, besides Max. But she's my best friend."
   
   I move her to the couch and she lays her head on my shoulder and I run my hands through her blue hair.  "I have an idea that might lift our spirits.  We could dye my hair!" She looked up and smirked, "You seem like you'd be good in black." I smile and ruffle her hair like a kid, and she punches me. 
     
   "Let's head to the store and get the dye, we got this, I'll make you hella badass!"  We head out of the junkyard and back to Chloes truck, as soon as I open the door and sit down my phone rings, it's my mom. 
   
  J:Hey mom, I'm heading to the store with Chloe, can I call you back?
   
  M: Um sure hon, I just wanted to tell you that I came early for your birthday.  I'll be at the hotel in Arcadia Bay, they said it's by a diner? I should be there tonight.
   
  J: Sounds great mom I'll take you to the Diner tonight and you can finally meet Chloe! Well love you and talk to you later.
    
C: BYE MS. CARSWELL I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU.
   
  J: Dammit Chloe
   
  M: Bye Jimmy, I love you.  And Bye Chloe.

   I hang up and turn the radio, on.  Since Chloe basically lives in my dorm with me she's taken taken a few of my CD's namely my favorite ones.  I crank up what I instantly realize as Halestorm. I start head banging, as we get to the store we buy the dye.  I talked Chloe into getting me magenta, I get my mom a souvenier key chain with her name on it, (it's a running gag between us) and then we leave, heading to Chloes house. 
   
  "This is gonna be Hella awesome!!" I say with a grin on my face.

    "Did you just say hella? I may be a good bad influence on you." Chloe says with an impish grin.  I go to the bathroom and have Chloe put the goop into my hair.

     "Okay, we leave it in for an hour and then we wash it out.  This is gonna be so badass. I've never dyed anyone's hair before besides my own."
   
   "If I have to I'll wreck the bathroom and blame it on you babe, make everything purple, like Barney jacked off on everything."
   
     "Joyce and David would kill me. But not before I murdered you for blaming it on me, so try to keep it clean."  I head back to the bathroom and carefully take off my shirt as to not get it nasty with the dye.  After I undress the rest of the way I hop in the shower and turn it on. Hot like the depths of hell, just how I like it.  As I begin washing out my hair, I hear the door open and notice a shadow through the glass. I open the sliding door to see Chloe checking her face in the mirror. 
     
  "Uhh babe? My hair is running clear what do I do now?"
     
  "Get out, genius, I brought you a towel, so uh, hop out, dry off, and let's go see your mom! I want to meet her!"  I do as she says and hop out, she looks me up and down.  "Damn boy, I'm glad you are all mine." She winks and tosses me the towel. I dry off and put my clothes back on.  My hair is a perfect mix of a pinkish purple.  I fix it into my wonderful Faux hawk. I kiss Chloe and bite her lip,
   
   "Oh no you don't asswipe."  She grabs my throat and kisses me harder.  "Let's leave now, or we will never leave in time."  She smiles and grabs her keys. 

    I pull out my phone and try calling mom but no answer.  I try again and still no answer.  I begin to worry because she never ignores my calls.

    "Chloe, she never ignores my calls.  This isn't good."

    "She may just be at the diner already, let's get going and we will meet her there."
     
  We hop in the truck and make our way back to the diner when I notice an ambulance zoom past chloe, to the intersection right up ahead.  "Damn, we may need to take the back way.  It looks crowded up there." 
    
   "No....... no no no no no no" as Chloe pulls closer I notice a familiar red car, now in flames.

     "CHLOE PULL OVER NOW!!" I get out, not even waiting for a full stop, and rush towards the wreck, tears in my eyes because I know who's car it is, it's my moms.
   
    "Jimmy what's wrong? Why did you bail? What-"  I run closer and the police stop me. 
   
    "THAT'S MY MOM, WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MOM?!?!!" I cry and plead asking for answers, the officer grabs my shoulder
   
    "I'm sorry, son. She was pronounced dead at the scene.  She lost control of the wheel and went off the road.  I'm really sorry, you can go to the hospital and see her."  I collapse right there, my breath is gone.  The sound of everything fading, Chloe comes in and hugs me tighter than ever.  I just stare at the burning vehicle that I grew up with.  Now, my mother is gone and my heart is shattered.  I enter a dark part of my mind and sense everything starting to go slower.  My last living parent, my mother is forever gone.