The Story of My Less Than Perfect Life

PART 1 Carter

1

I had a dream one night that I heard a very loud shriek; it sounded like a girl. I ran into the woods and the light of the moon gave me guidance to a boulder. On top of the boulder a girl was screaming, blood coming from the deep cuts made in her wrists. I wanted to call out to the girl but when I tried to, no sound came out. "She needs my help" I thought to myself. When I took one step the girl fell off of the boulder. Using all her strength she waved me forward and I willingly went over to her. "Hold me" she uttered weakly. So I knelt down and picked her up easily into my arms. She smiled then stroked my face leaving trails of blood on my cheeks. Not only did she stroke my face once but three times. Then she smiled and her breath shuddered to a sharp stop. Her hand dropped from my face and her smile faded. I was shocked to see how much blood was coming from her wrists. Silent tears were streaming endlessly down my bewildered face. "I didn't even know her name" I thought as I pulled her lifeless body closer to my chest as if to shield her from the arms of death. "She wanted me to hold her while she died; Why didn't I have the courage to call the paramedics?!" A low sob broke free from my chest. I sat down and kissed her forehead. Her hands. Her arms. Her fingertips. Her shoulders. Her neck. Her cheeks. Her head. The tip of her nose. Then I snapped awake.

2

A pale gray light shone through the gap in my curtains. I got up, walked groggily over to my window and pulled open the curtains. "Dammit" Rain. Sheets of rain pouring down. "Well then, sweater it is." I went to my closet and pulled out the first sweater I touched; It was black, perfect. I then threw on a pair of jeans, grabbed my phone, went into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, gelled my hair, grabbed my bag and my car keys then went downstairs and out into the pouring rain to my black Mercedes.

3

School was a major drag. There was nothing good accept the fact that we got a new girl. Her name's Tyler. Oh yeah, and when I walked into Algebra Two there was a sub. She pronounced my name entirely wrong! It's Carter you old bat not Sarter. I swear I'm gonna have nightmares about Ms. Torentino for days.Seven months later. I had already gotten to know Tyler pretty well, virtually at least. She and I were great friends. When I got to lunch the day of the incident, I saw Tyler trying to sit with the dance team. But they just called her a psychopath and told her to go the hell away. Then someone shoved her onto the floor and everyone just laughed. "Leave her alone dumbass" I said to the stupid jock in my english class. He was just kicking her, hard, in the back with the full force of his foot. Tyler was sobbing when I went over to her and helped her to her feet. "Hey, do you need a ride somewhere?" She just nodded tearfully. So, I grabbed my jacket from my table and put it on her shoulders. As we walked down the hallway I noticed that she was stumbling dizzily as she walked. Then, she just fell over. I thought that she fell, but she didn't respond when I tried to help her up. Unconscious. So I scooped her up easily into my arms, and turned on my heel to walk back the way we came, toward the office.

As I stepped to the door leading outside where the office building was, I noticed that it was still pouring. So I pulled my jacket off of her shoulders and wrapped it around her upper body. I stepped outside and the cool breeze made me shiver. I trudged through the pouring rain, my gelled hair getting soaked, on the sidewalk leading to the office building. When I stepped inside the entryway Mrs. Fax gasped, immediately jumped out of her chair, hightailed it to the door and held it open for me.

4

"I don't know why it happened exactly. But, we were walking down the hallway towards the parking lot and she just, collapsed." I explained to Mrs. Fax in a worried voice, not taking my eyes off of Tyler's ashen face. "Well dear, she'll be fine. She just needs rest, relaxation and-" She stopped talking when she heard Tyler stir on the cot in the corner. "Well look who's awake! How do you feel hon'? Woozy, sore, nauseous, drowsy?" "Uh-all-all of them" Tyler said. It was the first time I'd heard her speak. Tyler's voice was a soft soprano; soft, sweet, comforting in a way. Her voice was sweet like honey and smooth like velvet. "Well, Carter, she doesn't have a car so can you drive her home? I'll excuse you for the rest of the day." "Sure. I was already going to take her home after that idiot kicked her in the back."