Lindsey sat on the bed looking at her packed bag, She sighed fixing her clothes, and then beginning to pin up her hair in the way her mother preferred. She knew she was probably over-reacting but they both needed their space and she needed to finally face her family. She heard the front door open, and close. She wondered if it was Austin, she had hoped to be out of her before he came back. She roughly chewed on her lip as she gathered her things and checked her phone. Right as she opened it the notification came across.
'your driver has arrived.'
She hastily gathered her things and began to push her way out of the room. Right as she opened the door Austin stood outside of it reaching for the handle. He looked her up and down, and eyebrow raised. He was silently asking her, 'going somewhere?'. She broke the eye contact pushing her way through, making him move out of her way. She hadn't forgotten the words he said to her. He knew she hadn't meant it the way he twisted it. He knew she just didn't want to confront anyone connected to her family. Yet here she was forcing herself into confronting them. facing them somehow. Her heels clicked against the wood floors of the house as she made her way down the stairs to the front door. She opened the door and made her way down to the idling black suburban. She opened the door greeting the driver as he helped her place her things into the vehicle. She tried to wipe the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. She thought of all the romance movies she had watched over the years. You were supposed to always turn back, so she did. Only to watch him close the door and turn off the lights leaving only his room lights on and the rest of the windows dark. She felt the lump in her throat grow. Maybe this was it for them. The whole car ride she felt as if her clothes were growing tighter and tighter and as if she was suffocating. Her breathing picking up as they pulled into the gated community. She looked at the home she had grown up in, all lit up, every window illuminated. She waiting till the SUV was placed in 'park' before she climbed out meeting her waiting parents. Her father held a warm welcoming smile on his face as if he was happy to see her, her mother another story. She looked angry, furious, ready to explode and release every statement she was holding back. The second Lindsey was inside, doors closed her mother went off. Screaming and shouting about how 'selfish' and 'immature' Lindsey was and how she didn't think of her father's re-election. Everything drowned out, as she watched her brother race down the stairs stumbling on some steps crashing into and pulling her into a giant hug. She had missed him, he was the only one from the house she missed. He kept muttering on about how sorry he was and how he should have noticed the signs. He then pulled her, more dragged her up the stairs into their guest room going to introduce her to Dahlia. She smiled and hugged her before Zander could get a single word out.
Austin sobbed loudly as he stood under the now cold water of the shower. This was his usual crying spot, the shower was loud enough to mask his sobs and the water washing away his salty tears. He scrubbed a hand down his face. He was fucked, he thought about getting faded to help him forget everything. settle into bed with nothing but him and his high. He loudly screamed, "Fuck me!" before climbing out the shower, shutting off the water.
He quickly texted his fight buddies asking if there was anything he could jump in on, just to blow some steam, luckily for him there was one. He quickly dried off and got dressed before heading over. It wasn't as big of a win of money as he was used too, but it was something to keep his head and hands busy, plus it wasn't too far. Austin sighed as he walked down the street towards Ocean Parkway, the same direction fo the bridge. He sighed as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He glanced at his caller ID, Wings. It was Lindsey. He sighed flipping open his phone pressing answer.
"Hey Princess, how can I serve you today." He smiled, a laugh escaping his lips.
"Nothing just wanted to hear you." She whispered, "and I wanted to let you know your sister is doing great. She seems really happy and she loves our personal library."
"That good," Austin replied scratching at his stubbly jaw, reminding him he needed to shave.
He heard some shuffling and shouting behind him. he peaked back, looking at the group of three or so men. He brushed it off figuring they were just some guys either heading to the fight or enjoying their night. But something felt off.
"Everything alright?" Lindsey breathed into the phone. Austin nodded replying, "Yeah, just heading to a fight." suddenly the sound of two gunshots ripped through the air.
He could hear Lindsey frantically speaking through the phone. None of what she said registering. He looked down at his side, watching the stain of red spread over his T-shirt. He placed his hand to his side, feeling the warm thick substance. Suddenly it felt as if the world had turned upside down. The concrete was cold against his cheek, He wondered if this was it, if this was how his story ended. He could feel his tears run across the bridge of his nose and the burning pain spread through his body. He looked at his phone they lied lit up on the ground next to him, his call still going. As slowly reached for it, placing it to his ear. He could hear Lindsey's scrambled crying words. With everthing he had in him, he whispered, "Ocean parkway, Ave K, call 911."
YOU ARE READING
Bridge Jump (rewrite)
Short Story"Some stories are just supposed to end sad." Book 1 * * * Everyone is more alike then we think. When two people from different walks of life meet on a small bridge in the lower east end of Brooklyn, they confide into one another, but just as fas...
