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3 YEARS LATER FLASHBACK
[italics is rue's narration]
When Zelena Lincoln was 14 years old, her life changed forever. After arguing with her parents about a high school party she wanted to go to with Nate, she snuck out after they told her no and went with him anyway. Benjamin was a good brother, he didn't give her up for as long as he could, but their parents eventually figured out that she snuck out.
So they went to go pick her up.
After embarrassing her in front of the party, Zelena was pretty pissed as she sat in the backseat of her parent's car and argued with them the entire way home. None of them saw it coming. The asshole that came barreling through a red light going way over the speed limit because he was drunk and hit their car head-on.
Their car skidded off the road and rammed right into a pole.
―
Zelena Lincoln was in the backseat of her parent's car, on her side after the vehicle had crashed. Her head was pounding, her ears were ringing, and she could barely see straight in front of her. "Mom? Dad?" She called out for her parents, but she didn't get a response. She coughed while reaching into her back pocket to grab her phone, which surprisingly stayed secure, and she dialed the first person she thought of.
Nate Jacobs.
"Zee? Are you okay? I know it was pretty brutal, your parents dragging you out like that." Nate Jacobs said. He answered on the first ring. He always answered when Zelena called him.
"Natey..." She sniffled, which immediately put Nate into red alert mode. "Natey... I need your help." She whispered.
"Baby, what happened? Talk to me, Zee." Nate said, his voice going softer. Over the years, he's developed small pet names for her that have made her feel good whenever she heard him say them.
"Accident... car flipped. I'm stuck, and my parents aren't responding." Zelena cried. As she tried to move, she felt a sharp pain in her leg which made her cry out. Her cries for help and in pain made Nate flinch, hating that she was hurt and he wasn't there to protect her.
"I'm coming, Zee. Where are you? Can you see what street you're on?" Nate asked.
Zelena averted her eyes, trying to look up. She couldn't see the streets, but she could see what was around her. "We're at the intersection by the ice cream shop we always rode our bikes to," Zelena said.
"Okay. My dad and I are in the car. He's calling the ambulance, and we're coming, Zee. Hang in there, okay? I love you." Nate said, and Zelena sniffled.
"I love you, Natey." She said before hanging up the phone, and then she looked up to the front seat. She could see both of her parents bleeding, and they were barely breathing.
