[a.n./ Again, all I ask is for a little thumbs up or thumbs down. I promise I don't bite. :) Nick, Joe and Kevin will all have strong presences in the story, so have no fear. I'm just attempting to do some character development.
Also, if you have any questions or anything seems unclear, please ask. I'd be happy to reply. Enjoy!]
Chapter Two
It had been two weeks since Isla had returned to the Windy City and still she had not resumed her normal routine. “Isla you have to go to work,” Kate’s vexed voice announced, interrupting her thoughts.
“My parents are paying rent this month.” Isla didn’t even look up from her journal. Ever since the accident, that seemed to be the only thing she paid attention to anymore.
“I don’t care about the rent. You have to get out of the apartment. Do it for you; do it for me.” Kate tried to find a positive way to phrase her thoughts, but came up blank. “You’re always here. Every time I come in, you’re just sitting on the couch or sleeping in your bed.”
Isla shut her journal and stood up abruptly. She rushed out of the room, bumping into Kate’s shoulder on the way out. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know my presence our apartment was so annoying to you.”
Kate sighed. “It’s just not healthy, Isla. You need fresh air; you need to talk to people. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be silent all day.”
She grabbed her jacket from the closet and slid her boots on. “If you want me out, then fine.” Slamming the door, she started walking. To tell the truth, Isla was terrified. She felt exposed and unsafe out of the confines of her apartment. As she walked, she cursed herself for making such an irrational decision to go outside. Who did Kate think she was anyways, her keeper?
Standing on the corner for moments on end, Isla contemplated turning right back around and marching inside. “I’ve already made it this far,” she mumbled, digging around in her pocket for her train ticket. “Might as well follow through.”
After making her way onto the Red Line, she sat and thought about where she wanted to go. Navy Pier was always a favorite spot of hers, and at sunset it would probably be just the adventure she needed. As Isla rode along, she thought about the past four years of her life.
High school had been a dream; she had supportive friends and strong grades to compliment a healthy family life with her parents and two brothers. Things came full circle when she began dating Andrew, a senior from a different school. He had the looks, the manners, and the personality that Isla adored. From their initial meeting she swore that his brown eyes would be the last she’d ever fall in love with. Their romance survived the long distance between their colleges, and the occasional fight over how serious their relationship was, and what lay ahead for them.
Isla smiled as she thought back on the night when Andrew had first said, “I love you.” Those three words were extremely meaningful to her, and she’d warned him to use them wisely. She’d met many a boy who would toss that phrase around like it was nothing, and Isla had a knack for believing them. This usually resulted in unfortunate tears falling deafly on her pillow at night.
The wind was unusually strong for that hot July night as Isla sat on Andrew’s lap beside a bon fire. “It’s getting late,” he muttered softly into her neck. “Are you ready to go?”
She nodded silently and they stood up, bidding their friends goodbye. Hand in hand, they strolled over to his pickup truck. Isla grinned as she ran her fingers across the white racing stripe. She adored the way she felt sitting next to him in this truck.
As they pulled into her driveway, she turned to him, a smile dancing on her lips. “Tonight was fun,” she confessed. Andrew pushed a stray lock of blonde hair away from her eye and planted a kiss softly on her lips. “It was.” They looked at each other for a moment longer. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Isla pulled herself out of her trance. “Right.” She slung her purse over her shoulder. “Goodnight.” Sliding out of the truck and slamming the door, she waved meekly as he drove away. Just as she was about to unlock her front door, her phone began ringing.
“Hi Andrew,” her heart beat strongly in her chest.
“I missed you three stop signs ago.”
Isla sat down on the concrete stairs outside of her brick home. Her hair blew all around her, and no matter how she tried to tame it; it seemed to have a mind of its own. In the distance, she could see his taillights. “Yeah?”
“I love you Isla.”
She blinked. It wasn’t the romantic she’d always thought it would be, but somehow, it was better. “I love you too.”
Isla snapped back into reality as she approached her train stop. After walking a few blocks to get to the water, she sat down, dangling her feet over the water. At the end of the pier there was a concert. The roar of the audience clouded her mind only momentarily, and she was caught up in memories once again.
“Andrew,” Isla said in her most threatening voice. “I cannot come home this weekend. I have a huge test on Monday, and I’ve really got to spend most of my time researching in the library.”
She could hear him sigh on the other end. His tone told her this guitar recital was really important to him, but if she didn’t do well on her exam, she was facing an uncertain future in Organizational Communication. “Ask Kyle to tape it for me. I’ll fly home next weekend and we can watch it together. It will be perfect.”
“Whatever.”
Isla hated when he acted childish. They were 20 years old and should be past these infantile passive-aggressive arguments. “I love you. You can call me right before you go on stage and I will give you the most supportive speech of all time.”
He laughed. “That’s a pretty tall order. Are you sure you’re up for it?”
“Oh please,” she chided. “I will knock your socks off with my witticisms and creative alliteration. You will truly be impressed.”
Andrew couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, I’ll call you then. Study hard, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Isla sat by her phone for most of Saturday, waiting with her speech in hand. She had to admit, this was some of her best work. Her creativity may have been better applied to her studies, but in this instance, she had to show support in the only way she could.
At 4:07 p.m. her phone rang. “Hi Kyle,” she said, with her eyebrows furrowed. “Did Andrew forget his phone?”
There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. “There’s been an accident.”
“Did Andrew forget his guitar?” Isla asked with a chuckle. Sometimes she swore that boy would forget his own head if it wasn’t attached to the rest of his body.
Kyle cleared his throat. “There was a car, and we tried to swerve.” Isla didn’t breathe. Her heart was pounding in her throat and she was doing everything she could to not throw up. “Andrew didn’t make it.”
Isla could feel the tears falling down her face, mixing with the rainwater dripping from the sky. “You’re going to catch a cold you know,” a deep voice called from behind. Turning around, she matched a gaze with a pair of unfamiliar hazel eyes. Placing her hands over her eyes, she began sobbing uncontrollably.
The boy ran over to her and crouched down. “Oh don’t cry,” he pleaded. “Shhh. Shhh. It’s okay.” He spoke as if she were a young child who had just learned the unfortunate truth about Santa Claus. He tried to pat her shoulder but felt helpless. How had this happened?
“I’m okay,” she insisted, waving him away. “You can go, I’ll be fine.”
“No.” He helped her to her feet. Although he didn’t know why she had become so upset, he knew it was best to not leave her outside alone. “You need some dry clothes. Come with me, then we can call you a cab to get you home.” Following his lead, Isla trudged behind him, weighed down by the weight of her now soaked clothes, and feeling foolish for breaking down in front of a perfect stranger.
“So what’s your name?”
“Isla.” She sniffed and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “What’s yours?”