Overdose

33. Yvonne Mcreary

Tristan's mom, Rose, had gotten me all cleaned up. I didn't have much to wear, but she said that she would take me to my house and get me some clothes. I had told her about me calling emergency services, and she said that she will try to figure something out. She gave me a shirt of Tristans, some old band tee that was faded, and a pair of jeans that somehow fit me.

She sat me down at the table with some hot chicken noodle soup that I was very grateful for.

"So tell me what happened." She rested her hands on the table with a sympathetic look on her face. It was almost hard to look at her. It was the same look she had given me when she had wrapped me up in a blanket after the crash, the same look she had when she was making sure I wasn't hurt.

I began to tell her everything. I started with what life was like after the car crash. How it was hard for my mom and I. Rose didn't stop me until I came to a certain part. The night Tiegan threw his party. The night Tiegan did what he did that made me terrified of him, terrified of wearing clothing that showed too much of my skin, and terrified that he would do it again.

"You don't have to go too in depth, honey." Rose patted the hand that I had balled into a fist. It was shaking, and I didn't notice until her hand touched it. I nodded, and continued on.

We came to the night of my attempt, and she told me what had happened. How my mother called the station frantically, how she prayed to Maria that it wasn't me. She told me that she had jumped up once she saw the address, and that she was a first responder at the scene.

"You met my brother?"

"Tristan! Didn't I tell you to give us some privacy?" Rose glared at her son.

"Well, I wasn't going to just stay upstairs while someone just came back from the dead." He sat at the table. "I don't believe the things you're saying about my brother. He would never hurt people."

"I'm not a liar." I knew it had to hurt to hear that your family member did something so terrible. "He was just doing it to survive. He hated hurting people. But I know he was a good person, he stayed behind so my friends and I could escape."

"I wish he could have made it out." Rose's words hurt me.

I felt guilty. It was unfair. Evan had been in there longer than I had, and when he finally got the chance to escape, he gave it up so I could make it out.

"Me too."

I had become invested in the soup, trying not to make eye contact with either of them.

"My poor son." Rose choked out.

"Mom, come on. You know he wouldn't want you to be like this." Tristan moved his chair next to his mother and put his arm around her, comforting her.

I excused myself and went to the bathroom, trying my hardest not to cry. It wasn't working. I thought escaping meant that things would get better, that I would be with my mom again, that I'd be home and not trapped. But nothing changed. I had to watch a family that lost two people find out that they could have gotten their son and brother back but got me instead.

I leaned on the sink, trying to calm myself down. My heart was pounding, and I felt dizzy. I looked in the mirror. My face was red, as were my eyes. My black hair looked thin and lifeless and my face looked pale. The scar over my eye taunted me, making me think of that terrible car accident.

Someone knocked on the door. "Yvonne? Cariño, are you OK?" I could hear it in Rose's voice. She had been crying. She tried turning the door knob. "Please open the door."

I shook my head. I couldn't let her see me like this. I tried wiping my tears with toilet paper, which didn't work. She called out to me again, but I still didn't open the door. I curled up into a ball against the wall and cried.