The Reality of Us

Heart Wreck

Alcohol flowed through my veins as I danced to the beat of the music. Bodies grinded against each other as the music throbbed. I swang my hips around, dancing with my friends.

"Jay! Can you go get more drinks?" Olivia, one of my closest friends, called out.

"Sure!" I smiled back, wobbling slightly. We were all a bit tipsy, me more than the others. Squeezing my petite body through the crowds of people, I reached an empty hall. I didn't know where the kitchen was, but I knew it was somewhere here.

"Jay!" A deep voice called out. Right away my heart started pounding.

"What's up Hunter?" Hunter had been my best friend since fourth grade, but lately I've been crushing on him. I mean, who wouldn't? With those broad shoulders, blonde hair, green eyes, and packed with a reasonable amount of muscle, he was every girl's (and boy's) dream surfer boy. No. Not boy. Man.

"Nothing much." His response startled me. Damn it, I got distracted.

"DO you know where the kitchen is?" He was close to me, almost half a foot away.

"Oh it's over th-" Two teens ran down the hall, knocking him into me. We were pressed together, and I'm pretty sure he could feel my pacing heartbeat.

"Shit. Sorry Jay." I could feel his voice vibrate through me.

"I.. ah...Hunter....like..." I made incoherent noises, distracted by his body still pressed into mine.

"Jay? You okay man? You looked a bit flushed. How much have you had to drink?" His worried tone broke my shocked haze.

"I'm fine. It's just... Hunter..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say. His hands gripped my arms.

"It's just what Jay? I've noticed you've been avoiding me. Why?" He was getting a bit angry, but he still held onto me. My drunken brain took over, and I stood on my tip toes, closing the distance between us. His face turned from one of anger, to one of confusion.

"Ja-" I kissed him. I pressed myself farther into him, and wrapped my arms around his neck. He slowly kissed back, turning me to face the wall.

"Hunter." I moaned, on cloud nine. He backed away suddenly.

"What the fuck Jay?" He yelled. I blinked confused.

"Wh-what?" I stuttered.

"Why didn't you tell me you were fucking gay? I don't do that Jay! I don't like you that way!"

"But y-you kissed back." I clasped my hands in front of me, just daring to meet his anger filled eyes. I saw something else. Disgust. He was disgusted with me.

"That's any guy's reaction to being kissed! I regret it! I can't believe I let you filthy mouth touch mine!" He backed away farther.

"Hunter I loved you for the longest time. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Tears began to roll down my face.

"I can never love a fag." I ran. I ran as fast as I could go. Tears ran down my face as tried to keep my sobs in.

"Jay? Jay what's wrong?" Olivia grabbed my arms. "Jay. Speak to me honey. What happened?"

"Hunt-Hunter. Faggot!" I broke down again.

"Son of a bitch. Jay listen to me hon. You have to calm down. Okay?" I couldn't stop blubbering. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hunter, looking worried. He looked me straight in the eye and began to walk my way.

"Jay!" He called out. I broke free of Olivia's grasp and ran. Soon reaching my car, I crawled into the driver's seat, and started it. Tears ran down my face blurring my vision.

"Jay!" Hunter was coming towards me quickly. "Jay, please don't!" Panic took over my thoughts. I had to get away. I couldn't bear to see him. I slammed my foot on the gas, hightailing it out of the grass into the street. The speedometer slowly reached past eighty. It rose higher and higher as I sobbed. Suddenly, my body was thrown forward, the sound of glass shattering, and everything blacked out.

~~~

"Jay!" I screamed as the speeding car hit the tree. "Jay, no! Please!" I sprinted towards the car, as other people poured out onto the yard.

"What happened?" They all murmured.

"Jay!" Olivia pushed through the thickening crowd, "Someone call 911!"

I neared the twisted piece of metal and nearly gagged. The smell of gasoline and blood filled the air.

"Jay?" My voice was barely above a whisper. Quiet sobs broke the unnatural silence. They were from me. "Jay, God please Jay answer me."

Silence. Then, "Hunter?"

"Jay!" I yanked the halfway off door all the way off. "Jay, baby, where are you?"

"Hunter...I'm sorry." No. I refused to let him go. I finally reached where he was, seat belt barely holding him in from he lie. His head was bloody, and his arm bent at an unnatural angle. But my eyes drew to the blood gushing from his chest.

"Shit. Jay, don't you worry baby. I won't let you die."

"Hunt-" He began to cough, blood bubbling out of his chest.

"Shhh. It's okay baby. I love you, I'm right here." I cooed as I gently pulled him out of the car.

"You said you hated me." Guilt wrecked through my body.

"I thought it was a prank. The guys had been poking at me for liking you and I thought they put you up to it. I'm sorry Jay."

"Hunter..." He groaned. I pulled him closer to my body. "Hunter don't leave me."

"I won't baby, I won't. I promise. I love you Jay."

"I love you too." He then went silent. I could hear the sirens coming up on the street.

"Jay? Jay!" He couldn't be gone. He couldn't. Sobs shook me.

"Sir? Sir, we have to ask that you give him to us. Please sir, we can help him." A kind, but stern, voice touched my shoulder, pulling me away from Jay. Tears kept falling.

"Can you believe it? What's wrong with this town? First that shooting, then the girls kills herself, then this? What's next? A mob in the high school?" I could hear the paramedics talking, but I ignored them.

"Jay..."

~~~

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The steady beeping woke me up. Everything hurt, but my chest the most. What had happened? I glanced around the white room I was in. Where was I? Then my eyes landed on something that shocked me. Hunter was propped upright in a chair next to the small bed I sat in. His eyes were red and puffy, like he had cried.

"I could never love a faggot."

"I love you Jay"

"I'm right here."

"I promise."

The flashbacks hit me hard, making me wince. I had kissed Hunter, and he rejected me. He chased me and I got in my car. Then... I got in a car wreck. He held me. My God he said he loved me. My heart skipped a beat, and the monster next to be caught it, making an annoyingly high beep. Hunter jerked, then sat up.

"Jay?" He asked groggily.

"Hunter?" His eyes widened.

"Jay! You're awake!" He went to hug me then paused. Hurt ran down my spine. He saw it then winced. "Sorry Jay, they said I couldn't hug you. They don't want the stitches to fall out."

Oh. That made sense. Wait.

"Why did I need stitches?" He winced once more.

"You hit your head pretty hard, and a piece of metal went through your chest, right next to your heart. They put you through surgery." Tears ran to eyes again, but he blinked them again.

"You were there."

"Yeah. I was."

"You said you loved me. Did you mean it?" His eyes met mine.

"Yes. Yes, I did."