Just a word of caution, its about a totaled BMW Z4 (cue the angels) and drug use. So if those two things offend you; walk away now :) If not...carry on reading...and those of you who do read, I love ya for it ;) And now, without further ado I give you the August Short Story Challenge entry "Lead Me On"
Friends to the bitter end, she had told me so long ago. But would she feel the same after I tell her that I just wrecked her new BMW?
I rubbed my bloody forehead and stared at my reflection in the rearview mirror. My hazel eyes seemed to be mocking me. I scowled at myself and tore the mirror off the windshield. What did it matter anymore, the car was wrecked. I doubted Faith would even care.
Oh no, she's going to care, I thought as the authoritative cry of a police siren whooped behind me. The cruiser door opened and a hard nosed cop eased his way out of the car, clipboard in hand. I slammed my hands on the steering wheel. This was it, I knew it was. The end of free life and the beginning of a possible very long jail sentence; damn drugs, I hated Heather with a fiery passion for ever getting me hooked on heroine. And in that moment I hated Faith for trusting me so much with her brand new BMW. Why did she have to be so in love with me. It made the fiend in me manipulate her; mostly because I knew I could.
God this was going to kill her. In my rare moments of clarity I could see how in love with me she was; how much she hoped she could help change me; make me a better person. Make me the person I was back then. But no one could help me; no one could change me. I was a junkie through and through and even I hated who I was and what I had become.
The cocky officer approached the vehicle. I could see the smirk on his face and I wanted nothing more
than to pummel his face. "Afternoon, sir," he smirked.
I said nothing choosing to stare at the mangled front end of the beautiful blue Z4. The black leather seats were as soft as butter and Faith had spared no expense in customizing her car to her liking. The car was classic Faith and I had ruined in the blink of an eye. Well more like the sniff of a line.
An ambulance came screaming around the bend in the road and the paramedics jumped out, rushing toward the maimed wreck of Roadster. "Easy boys. He's fine," the cop called to the paramedics. To me he said, "Can I see your license and registration please."
I fiddled in the glove box for Faith's registration. She had so much stuff crammed in there I had a hard time finding it. "Today please," the officers said he shifted agitatedly from one foot to another. I slammed the glove box shut and riffled through some papers in the center console. I glanced up at the expectant cop.
"I can't find the registration."
He scowled, "Why not? This is your car is it not?"
Bastard already knew the answer to that. "No, it's my frie-girlfriends car," I explained.
"Alright, slowly get out of the car," the officer instructed.
I unclipped my seat belt and slowly opened the door and stepped out. The vial I kept my junk in fell onto the side of the road. The rocks bounced against one another and it hit the pavement. The cop's eyes bugged as if he'd just caught Santa Claus boinking mommy on the couch while daddy slept soundly in the bedroom down the hall.
"Well, well, well what do we have here?" he asked hooking his fingers into his belt loops and rocking back on his heels.
A probation violation times two, I thought to myself. To the cop I said, "That ain't mine."
He snorted and rolled his eyes. "You junkies really need to come up with a better line. "It ain't mine" is the oldest one in the books. Turn around and place your hands on the trunk."
Embarrassed I turned and "assumed the position." Faith was really going to kill me when she found out. I wondered if there was any way to hide this from her. I shook my head slightly. Of course there wasn't. Her car was totaled and I was going to jail. Again.
The cop frisked me, handcuffed me and shoved me into the back of a squad car. More cops arrived along with a tow truck and the ambulance left. I sat in the back of the stale car staring at the scene before me.
Faith
Have I ever told you how much I hate, and I mean hate with a fiery passion, the sound of the ringing phone? No, probably not. In case you missed it, I hate the phone. Especially mine. Whenever it rings someone is always calling with bad news. Today was no exception.
I'd been sitting at the kitchen table reading the day's news paper when the phone rang. I thought about ignoring it, but I figured it might be Chase. I let him take my car out for a spin hours ago and he still wasn't back yet. I was beginning to worry. I picked up the receiver and was greeted by the tinny, recorded voice of the operator announcing she had a collect call from the district jail. I accepted the charges.
"Damnit Chase, what did you do?" I demanded. I swear if he hurt my car I would kill him.
"Faith, I need you to sit down and take a deep breath. And try not to get too mad, okay?"
"Chase Randolph Harris if you don't tell me this fregging second what happened - "
"I wrecked your car," he said, cutting me off.
"YOU DID WHAT!?" I screamed.
"I'm sorry, it was an accident. I was, um, I uh, there was a curve in the road. I was going to fast and I lost control of the car and crashed into a tree."
"My - how could - oh my God, tell me your kidding," I sputtered in disbelief.
"Faith I wish I was. I'm so sorry."
"Chase that was my brand new car, my brand spanking new Roadster Z4. And you wrecked it!"
"I'm sorry Faith," Chase apologized.
"Stop apologizing," I ordered him.
"Faith there's more," Chase said.
I groaned. "It's totaled isn't it?"
"Yeah, but that's not it."
"What else?" I asked completely unsure if I wanted to know the rest.
Chase made a funny noise into the phone, static crackled over the line. "Chase?"
"I'm still here. Look, Faith, they're telling me I have to get off the phone now."
"They who?"
"The guards," Chase replied.
"Chase why are you in jail?"
"Faith I gotta go. Come see me and I'll explain it all."
The phone went dead. I held it in my hand staring at it. Chase wrecked my car. Chase said he was going to fast around the curve. Chase was in jail.
Then the realization hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. Chase had lied.
Chase was using again.
Copyright 2009 by Elizabeth James as Common Law Literary Property.
I like Chase's name. *smiles*
ReplyDeleteInteresting story idea. I think it would be nifty to see the expansion, and how things get resolved from there.