Collide

Chapter Twenty-Two

Zach

Flashing lights. Sirens. Pain. Always pain.

I'm in the car, and I can't get out. I can't feel it mashed around me. I want to just die. Why am I still here. There's a woman screaming.

"That's my son! That's my baby!"

Mom? Was mom here for me?

"max! I need to see my baby!" She cried out.

It was me in here, not max...didn't she care? Couldn't she see I was in here?

No one was coming to help me..No one cared.

I heard the sirens starting to leave and tried cry out.

"I'm here! I'm still in here!" I tried to tell

I jerked awake breathing hard. "I'm right here!" I called without realizing just that I was awake and out of the dream.

I leaned forward and out my face in my hands. This had to stop... I don't know if I could even keep doing this...waking up from nightmares each morning. I keep feeling like I haven't gotten any sleep...

I climbed out of bed and headed down stairs, just because I needed to get out of my room.

It was only six-thirty and the sun hadn't risen yet. I heard the front door open as I was started a cup of coffee.

Confused, I poked my head out of the kitchen to see Quinn trying to sneak up the stairs.

"What the heck, Quinn!" I burst out. "Where have you been!" I demanded.

Quinn looked dumbfounded. She tried to open her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

Quinn always slept late. Not as late as I do but still. She never woke up this early if she could help it.

"Where we're you." I said again in a quieter, deadlier tone.

"I was... I was just out." Quinn stuttered.

"With Mike?" I asked through gritted teeth. I was going to kill him. Mike was dead.

"Zach we didn't do anything. Mike and I just lost track of time." Quinn tried to explain. She looked like she was reaching for words but nothing was coming to get.

I stood with my arms crossed not readly listening to her. I had told him. Warned him! And what did Mike do!

I was going to kill him.

----------------------------------------

"Zach, just calm down." Natalie told me as me as we walked through the park later.

Quinn had called Natalie and explained things to her. Some how Natalie had caught me before I went to skin Mike. I wasn't sure how exactly that happened, but all the sudden I was being pulled out of the car by Natalie and she was tugging me through the park.

"I'm not going to calm down." I seethed. "She's my sister. My sister Natalie! That was crossing the line and he knows it!" I said angrily.

"Oh shut up Zach. You don't even know the whole story because you can't shut your big mouth and listen!" Natalie snapped back. She'd been listening for an hour already and obviously had enough.

"Oh so I should just keep my mouth shut and let things happen now?" I shot back.

"I never said that-"

I cut Natalie off. "Like some one else? Who can't seem to open her mouth about anything, especially how she's feeling!"

"Oh! I can't talk about how I'm feeling! Look who's talking! Zach you're a freaking loose cannon who is waiting to just blow at any moment!"

"At least I'm not a broken glass ready to shatter and hurt everyone around them!"

"That's not fair Zach and you know it! I loved max!" Natalie said angrily.

We'd stopped walking altogether now and were glaring at each other. My arms were crossed while Natalie was waving her hands all around wildly.

"He as my brother Natalie! I have loved him for twenty-two years! So don't you try and tell me I don't understand!" He shouted back.

"I never said you didn't understand, and I never belittled your love for max but I loved Max so much in such short of time that Im not sure you can fathom it." Natalie said angrily.

"I can fathom it Natalie! And to think that you belittle what I know about love is an insult." I said angrily.

"Stop turning everything I say back on me like a double edge sword!"

"You're the only one calling things a sword!" I was so irritated and I wasn't thinking rationally. I now know I shouldn't have but... I didn't thinks about at the time...

"Just s-" I cut Natalie off by crashing my lips down on hers, Pulling her close.

My heart lept in to my throat when I felt Natalie kiss me back. Her arms hands flew softly to my shoulders and I heard her sigh a little. and then... It call came crashing down.

Natalie pulled away eyes going wide. She spluttered trying to find the words to Say. "What the hell Zach!" She Burt's out angrily. And then she got for in my face and jabbed her finder into my chest. "What made you think I even wanted to kiss you." She seethed.

My heart broke. I felt it literally shatter inside of my chest.

I took a step back from her and shook my head. "I-i don't know... I wasn't. I wasn't thinking." I said looking at anything but her. I shoved my hands in my pockets trying to hide the tremble.

I never knew you could be so high and come crashing down.

"Oh, you weren't thinking? So that makes everything okay! I don't think so Zach! You can't just go around kissing people who don't even want to kiss you back."

Natalie was furious and I did nothing to stop her from yelling at me.
I couldn't do anything but hope that.... That maybe I could pick my heart up off the ground and try to piece it back together.