My Waitress (NOT EDITED)

Chapter 12

Don't trust Ethan? Why is Malachi saying that all of a sudden? I've known Ethan for almost all of my life, he's my first ever best friend who I know would never hurt me or betray me, Emily too. But their parents seemed so different back at church... They acted like they didn't care about my life at all, just the... wealth. And the look they gave me... the look everyone gave me... it was a look of distrust... a little hatred. What did I do? What did my parents do? Maybe I shouldn't...

But why do I have to listen to Malachi? Something about Malachi just makes me like him, but I've known Ethan longer than him, so I trust him more. Should I? All I do is text back a question mark. Ugh, my head is spinning right now. I wish I could talk to Naomi and Ashton, but Naomi has a family emergency in Chicago, so she's spending the weekend there, and Ashton's working his part time job. I can probably talk to them tomorrow at school.

I put my phone away and look back at my parents' graves. I read my dad's: In loving memory of Jeremy N. Miller. October 24, 1978- May 31, 2018. A friend, a son, a father. A man with an imagination. You have reached to the top, and now you can Rest In Peace. Then my mom's: In loving memory of Courtney H. Miller. May 16, 1980- May 31, 2018. A loving woman, a mother, a daughter, a sister. You brought many hopes up and brighten the world with your smile. The world has darkened now, but now you can Rest In Peace. I wish I had gone to the store to get some flowers before, but in front of the graves lies the flowers I placed last week. And the week before. And the week before that... and so on. There was one lovely rose in between of the two graves that I know I didn't place. I'm grateful for that person. That one person...

More tears fall from my eyes. What did they do to deserve this? To die at a young age? What did they do to make their own friends disown me, their daughter, who didn't even do anything? Who doesn't know anything? Speaking of that...

What did my parents do?

For work I mean. I can't remember why or how they got so wealthy. I don't think they really brought it up. I never brought up the subject. Did I? I'm not so sure. I'm just the daughter.

I bend my knees and kneel down closer to the ground. "Can I still trust Ethan?" I ask my parents. "Or any of the Katzons? Or any wealthy family that you were friends with? Dad, you taught me who and who not to trust... I need to know who I can count on.." As I say that the air around me feels off. Cold. My head is spinning more and it starts to throb. "Ugh..." Everything darkens around me till I only see my parents' graves. I shut my eyes and put my hands to my head. The sounds of the day that it happened ring through my head. The screams of me, my mother, my father. The sounds of a car crashing. Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it—

"Nicole." The screams stop, and a familiar low hollow voice comes in. I slowly open my eyes, and they widen from what I see before me. My father kneels the same way as I am in front of me, hugging his knees. He still wears the clothes he wore that day, a black and white long sleeve shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and navy blue pants with black shoes. His pushed back raven hair and his short stubble beard remains the same. But his olive green eyes glow, illuminating what's around us.

"...Dad?" I manage to say.

He smiles. "Hey, pumpkin. How's it going?" Is this really happening? My dad is really here, talking to me. I smile back, the last of my tears falling down my eyes. "You're really here.." I try and reach out to him, but my hand just goes through him.

"This is all part of your mind, honey. I'm gonna be real with you, Nicole. It would be nearly impossible, and a miracle, if you're mother and I were still on this planet. That crash was very fatal. You remember what happened, do you?"

Memories of that day come back to me. "Yeah... I do. I don't think I'll ever forget that day. It's a miracle that I'm alive though..."

"You had a better advantage of staying alive. The world is lucky to still have you standing. I expect you to live past my age, get a man that'll make you happy, a job that you'll love, and one day have kids. You're mother and I always wanted to be grandparents. You can tell them my amazing stories I used to tell you when you were a little rascal."