His Angel

Chapter 2

Pictured: Vanessa Marano as Ariella Vickers

The sound of my phone ringing and the vibration on the mattress causes me to abruptly awaken from my peaceful sleep. Of course...it was none other than Riley. I look at the time. 02:37.

"What the fuck do you want, shit-head?" I answer.

"You said to call if I needed a ride, dad,"

"Alright," I sigh. "I'll be there in 10 minutes. And, don't disappear like last time. I drove around for 3 hours looking for your sorry ass. I found you harassing a nun for percs."

"Hey! That was one time!" he yells at me through the phone.

I shuffle around the floor looking for a shirt to throw on. I run my hand through my hair to push it out of my face. Lighting a cigarette, I unlock my 2006 Honda Accord and get in. I turn it on and blast the heat.

I find the little shit passed out on a mailbox, wrapped in a leopard print comforter. I stir him awake by scaring him with the horn.

"You fucking asshole," Riley mumbles as he gets into my car.

"Where are you crashing? My place or your's?"

"Your's. If I show up at home like this, my mom would interrogate me on where I was. I told her I was studying with you."

"You still lead her to believe that we still go to school? I thought she was smarter than that. Why doesn't she get a truancy notice?"

"I show up to first period then ditch." We laugh and talk about the keg until we arrive at my apartment.

"You're on the couch," I tell him as I throw a pillow and blanket at him.

"Aww...you sure you don't want to cuddle, princess?" He holds out his arms like he was inviting me to hug him.

"Sleep, you drunk idiot. If you crawl in my bed while I'm sleeping, I'll throw you out in the snow in nothing but your birthday suit." Riley immediately drops his arms and plops on the couch. "Goodnight."

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The smell of bacon frying draws me out of my sleep. The bright winter sun blinds my unsuspecting eyes. Sitting up, I straighten Zach's dog tags. I remember the day his battle buddy, Victor Hans, gave these to me. It was the day of Zach's funeral. At the graveyard, after they folded the flag and handed it to me, he came over and told me that Zach said that he wanted me to have them and that he loved me. Victor said it with tears in his eyes. He was there when Zach died. Vic was 50 feet from Zach. The medic tried but they were too far from the base and Zach needed more than the medic could offer in the field.

I walk over to Zach's room quietly, careful not to alert Ri that I'm awake. I haven't touched his room since he left. After I was told he was dead, I didn't leave his room. Every time I went to sleep, I hope to wake up to him, cooking breakfast like he always was. I prayed that I was stuck in some twisted twilight zone and that I was going back to reality any minute. Grabbing one of his shirts from the closet, I collapse on the floor, bringing the shirt to my face. The smell of bacon disappears as my nose is filled with the scent of pine and Old Spice, Zach's sent.