Josh was all too amused by this sudden attention. The way he looked at her, it almost seemed like they were having an intimate conversation that no one else was in on.
“Josh!” I said irritated.
He broke the trance and looked at me, then back to Megan. “Megan, now come on. Don’t do this to, Bre. Can’t you see she’s getting upset?” There wasn’t anything in his voice that sounded believable. It was like he was mocking me. I felt like a little kid and he was breaking up a fight I was having…humiliating.
“Aw now, I’m just teasing, have a sense of humor,” Megan said.
Becka stepped forward before I had a chance to say something I might have regretted later. Face to face she told Megan, “I think you should leave.”
“Are you threatening me?” Megan said.
Becka stepped closer to her and Megan unlocked her arm from Josh.
“Alright, alright I’ll leave…for now,” Megan said as she turned to face Josh. “See you around.” She brushed his face with her hand and threw me a glare that sent electric shocks through my body. I was gritting my teeth so hard my jaw began to ache. Megan smiled triumphantly and walked away.
Turning back around to face me, Josh said with an all too happy expression on his face, “What?”
“What do you mean, what? What was that about, Josh?” My face was steaming red with anger, and he wasn’t the least bit remorseful.
“It was nothing. You’re reading too much into this. Megan and I are just friends and that’s just how we act around each other. It’s perfectly harmless.”
“No Josh, I’m not reading too much into this and that wasn’t perfectly harmless! She was all over you; you didn’t stop her and you even seemed to enjoy it! How could you do that…and right in front of me!” I was yelling now and didn’t care who was around. I couldn’t hold back my anger.
“Maybe you should go and cool off. I’ll talk to you when you’re more rational.”
Watching him walk away, the anger that had just erupted started to drain into a world of hurt. As Becka placed her arms around me, I couldn’t hold back the liquid swelling up in my eyes. “Beck, how could he just stand there and let that happen? Why doesn’t he see how much this hurts me?”
Becka walked around to face me. “You didn’t do anything. You’re a beautiful girl settling for this guy who treats you like this. Bre, I know there’s someone out there for you, someone who will treat you well and love you the way you should be loved. Josh knows that no matter what, you’ll always take him back.” She paused. “Bre, I love you and I want you to be happy, but it kills me when Josh does this kind of thing to you. There are so many guys, great guys that would love a chance with you. Why don’t you see what’s out there?”
I looked down at the ground. She was right. But every time I thought of breaking up with Josh, the pain was almost too hard to bear so I never went through with it. “I know there are other guys out there, but I love Josh. The thought of not being with him scares me. Maybe if I talk to him and tell him how much Megan bothers me, maybe he’ll listen and ignore her from now on.” Even saying the words out loud, I knew it would be a hopeless attempt.
I looked for Josh in the crowd. I couldn’t get the picture of Megan hanging on his arm out of my head. I wish I could erase the image of them gazing at each other, the obvious attraction they have for one another. Trying to pull myself back together, Becka cut in on my thoughts.
“Why don’t I go get some drinks? Just sit down and I’ll be right back.”
Sitting there thinking about what I should do, I got that feeling again, the one right before I had that vision in my room. My entire body was tingling and I felt almost dizzy. Grabbing the bench I braced for what could appear and sat frozen as stone. Then as everything around me muted, the same bright flash stole my vision. The floating screen hovered in front of me, paused as if waiting for me to press play and begin right where I left off. I slanted forward, and it played.
Paul had just handed the newspaper to Kim and she was reading the headline out loud, "Plane mysteriously falls from the sky in Austin Texas!"
The stress was evident on her face and she looked terrified as she continued reading, "On Friday morning the United Airlines Boeing 747 coming from LAX airport to Houston, Texas crashed. The cause is not yet determined, although they have not ruled out the possibilities of equipment malfunction or another terrorist attack. The airlines are on high alert. If you are planning to fly within the next two weeks, be prepared for longer check-in times and the enforced precautions that every airport has put in place to insure the safety of its passengers…” She trailed off, gaze falling away from the paper.
Paul gently took it from Kim's hands and pulled her close. He glided his hand to bring her chin up so she could look into his eyes.
His tone was soft and even as he spoke, "Kim, we’re going to be fine, I can feel it. Please don't worry about this. You know we have to go. I don't think my sister would ever forgive me for missing her wedding." He smiled hoping it would relax her. It seemed to work a little, but there was still uncertainty in her expression. "I know that your father died in a plane crash a couple of years ago and it was a horrible tragedy. Please remember that flying is still statistically the safest mode of transportation. It’s not going to happen to us."
Tears streamed down her rosy cheeks. The pain of losing her father was still hard to handle. I could understand why she was so terrified of flying.
He wiped away the dampness that covered her face and grabbed one of the suitcases on the bed.” We need to get going. It sounds like we’re going to have a longer wait at the airport than we thought, and we can't miss this flight."
Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and zipped up the other suitcase.
Suddenly, a bright flash impaired my vision. As the bright light dissipated, the scene changed. Paul and Kim weren't in the house anymore. They were surrounded by people moving swiftly past each other, darting back and forth. The chaos appeared to be a congested freeway with off-ramps crossing over each other, going in different directions. It was hard to focus on any one single person because of the number of people in the scene. I could see people from every walk of life; there were business men and women wearing suits, families with little kids, and a handful of people reading books to pass the time. People were pulling suitcases behind them and hugging each other, saying their goodbyes. Paul and Kim were at the airport. There were huge electronic flight status monitors that they both were scanning back and forth in search for information.
"Which one is ours?" Kim asked.
"Um...well...hold on a second." Spotting it, Paul exclaimed, "There we are. It looks like our flight is running a little late. Let's get going." He grabbed a black duffel bag and they headed for the large flight of stairs that led to security.
They passed specialty shops and food stations. Kim pointed to a little coffee shop at the base of the steps. "Yum...do we have time to get a cinnamon roll?"
"I don't know how long we’re going to have to wait to get through the security check point. Remember what the paper said about the long lines." After he said it, Kim looked stressed and uneasy. She didn’t want to be reminded.
"Paul, I don't know about this. Something is telling me not to get on this plane."
My heart raced. I wanted to yell at them not to get on the plane, but I knew they couldn't hear me. Everyone around me would think I was crazy yelling at no one. Only I could see them. Was I crazy?
Something from behind the screen caught my eye. I tried hard to ignore it and focus, but this thing, this figure, invisibly pulled at me. It was as if the figure was willing me to look at it. Before I could object, my sight started to readjust on its own. No matter how much I wanted to watch the scene, my curiosity was stronger, and I had to see. It took a moment, straining my eyes the same way you would focus and squint at a painting that had a picture within a picture. As the blurriness faded, I zoomed in on the figure. It was that girl, the black-haired gir
l that had been staring at me earlier, but her expression was different now. Her eyebrows were pinched together. She fidgeted as she concentrated on me. I wanted to return my attention to the screen, but couldn't. I could feel her emotions, the negative aura seeping from her, and I was distracted.
“Where are you heading? Will you be gone long?” Someone asked Paul and Kim. I closed my eyes tight, shaking my head to see if I could break this strange influence distracting me. When I opened them, I focused on the ground first, and was able to regain my sight back. I looked back to the screen.
I rested on Kim and could almost feel the tension and hopelessness emanating from her. Her eyes creased together and she looked petrified, afraid to move.
"Kim, it's time," Paul urged.
Panicked, I realized I had missed a lot. Paul and Kim were already through security and at the terminal about to board the plane. What had I missed? Was it important? I felt sick with worry that I may have missed an important piece to this strange story. Who was this girl with the long black hair? What was her significance in all of this and what did she want from me?
"Paul?" Kim was holding onto his shirt. "I can't...I can't go..." She looked like she was about to burst into tears again. Her eyes were thin slabs of ice.
"Kim we aren't going to Los Angeles. We’re flying into San Diego.”
"I know but it’s still down south and it’s too close. The plane that went down in Texas took off at LAX. I can’t, I just can’t."
Paul took a minute. Finally, he said, "Kim, we have to go." Then they disappeared into the long gray tunnel.
Tears were running down my face. I instinctively knew that Paul’s decision to board the plane would be his last.
Flash! Everything disappeared into the light, and another scene started. As the light faded away, I was staring at my room. My TV was on a news channel. Kind of ironic since this was how this whole bizarre, unimaginable thing started.
The news anchor began, "Tragedy has hit the greater Medford, Oregon community. Flight number three-six-nine-zero flying from Medford to San Diego has crashed just after take-off. There were eighty-six passengers and six crewmembers on board. There were no survivors. The FAA’s preliminarily determination as to the cause of this horrific tragedy is engine failure.”
With that, the screen disappeared again and I heard Becka’s voice.
“Bre, are you okay? Can you hear me?”
I could only imagine how I looked right now, tears trickling down my face, but I was too distraught to care. My mind was consumed with thoughts of Paul and Kim. They were gone- gone forever. Had I just witnessed the unchangeable future? Had it already happened? Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I said to myself, No, Bre you’re delusional! This is all just one big dream or more accurately, one huge nightmare! Okay, Brianna wake up! Just open your eyes! But the more I tried to talk myself out of what was happening to me, the more I knew deep down that I wasn’t crazy, and that this was all too real.
I needed to focus on the real questions. What was my part in this whole thing? Who were these people and was there something I could do to prevent this? As that last thought passed through my mind, I heard a very faint voice speak from deep within me, like my conscience was listening in on my thoughts and interjected. Bre, I know this is all new to you, but you have nothing to fear. You’ve been given a special gift. A gift you’re ready for and a gift that will change lives. Don’t take what you see lightly, for every part is vital information that you will need.
Becka’s soft tender voice cut through the inner voice speaking to me, “Bre, it’s gonna be okay. We will get through this Josh-Megan thing, I promise."
“Beck...” I paused, skipping over her statement and talking out my thoughts as if I was asking myself this question. “Do you believe in predestined paths in life? That in life there’s a set plan for each of us, and that decisions we make can alter it?”
She studied my face for a moment, her eyes tightening and her mind silently wild with thought.
"I believe that every decision someone makes could change their life path…” She looked up to the sky, possibly thinking about how to word the next part. “And…if you stay with Josh, then I’m afraid you could miss out on your true path to discover your true love."
"No.” I shook my head, frustrated. She didn’t understand what I was saying. “What I mean is, do you think it's possible that there are people in the world who could be a key to how your life turns out?"
“Ummmm…I guess?” She still didn’t get it as her face contorted into a question mark.
I was just confusing her and myself trying to piece this together. This was all very foreign to me. I felt like I had been plopped in the middle of China without a guide and unable to speak the language. No books, no translators. I was completely and utterly alone.
"Bre, I don't know where you’re going with this. Are you saying that someone needs to intervene in your life before you can make a decision about your relationship with Josh?”
Staring back into Becka’s perplexed brown eyes, I knew she didn't get it. How could she? Continuing this topic would only send her into a deeper spiral of confusion. I decided to stick with the subject she thought I was discussing, Josh.
Taking a deep breath, I lied, "Yeah, I guess that’s what I mean."
She didn’t catch onto my mood, which was good. She was just happy that we were both on the same page, or so she thought.
“Like I said before, there are other people out there for you and you shouldn't be afraid of being alone for awhile. Plus, if you stay with Josh, you might never find your soul-mate."
“Hey!” Trevor jumped up and startled both of us. Trevor was Becka’s boyfriend and Josh’s best friend.
“Trevor, don’t do that!” Becka hissed, holding her hand over her heart.
“What?” He chuckled, holding his hands palms up, and shrugging.
Rebecca and Trevor were the perfect couple. They complemented each other so well, both extremely good looking, dark-haired, and bright eyed. Trevor’s dad was a strikingly attractive African American and his mother was a beautiful well-kept Caucasian. Together, they made beautiful children. Trevor’s skin tone was a light golden brown; his hair was wavy and silky black. He was everything Becka wanted in a boyfriend: tall, handsome, funny and sweet. He accepted Rebecca’s quirkiness and loved her for it.
Rebecca rolled her eyes and looked away from him.
“I’m sorry Beckers,” He said playfully, grabbing hold of her waist to stop her from turning away from him.
She glanced back at him, trying to stay mad but cracked a smile and pushed him away.
“Just don’t do that again!”
“Okay. I will.” He laughed, teasing.
Rebecca glared at him.
“Okay, okay, I’m just kidding. I won’t do that again.” He kissed her cheek.
She turned to me, smiling bigger. “Do you see what I have to put up with?”
I returned her smile, wishing I had what they had.
Rebecca was lucky. They were just right for each other.
“So…” Trevor began, peering over his shoulder and motioned for someone. I tensed up, but forced myself to stay put. Trevor waited for Josh to come up before he went on. “Wouldn’t you know it, I was walking around trying to find you girls and I stumbled over this pitiful loser. Bre, you may know him, Josh-the-stud Cummings?”
Josh wouldn’t even look at me.
“Hmm…sorry that you came across a jerk like that,” I said to Trevor. “You’d probably be better off finding…” Scanning the crowd, there had to be somebody I could make Josh jealous over and then I spotted him. “Someone like Austin James.” Josh snapped his head at me as I fought back a smile. “At least he has a heart and I bet he doesn’t treat his girlfriends like you treat me.” This made him furious. His jaw stretched out and his eyes became two thin slits that looked as if they’d scorch the back of Austin’s head. I knew that would get to him. Josh couldn’t handle me talkin
g about other guys. Picking Austin, who was good looking and an all around great guy, definitely did it.
“Come on, Beck, let’s go, I don’t think I want to stay here anymore.”
“Are you sure? Isn’t your dad’s event in a half hour?” Becka said.
“Yeah, but I’m sure he’ll understand.” I stood up and grabbed Rebecca’s arm.
“Hey.” Trevor had come around the bench and stood in our way. “Where are you going? Don’t leave now, we all just got here. We’re supposed to hang out today. C’mon, don’t let this little thing ruin the rest of the day. Let’s just make up and be one big happy family again.”
I looked at Becka’s pleading face. From my periphery, Trevor was motioning Josh to come over and patch things up.
Getting impatient, I told Trevor, “This isn’t a little thing. It’s a big problem and I’m not going to pass over it like I do everything else. I’m getting tired of being treated like I’m nothing to him.”
“You’re not nothing to me, Bre. You’re everything to me,” Josh said coming close to me and taking my hand in his. I really had no interest in touching him, but if he was trying to apologize, I didn’t want to set him off.
“Then, if I’m everything to you, why would you let Megan flirt with you like that? I was humiliated. If a guy were hitting on me right in front of you, I wouldn’t play along with him and then say ‘that’s just how we act around each other, perfectly harmless.’ If it were the other way around, I guarantee the guy’s face would be permanently fixed to the concrete by now.”
“I can’t stop her from acting like that, Bre.” He took my face in his sturdy hands. “I’m not into her like I am you.”
“Maybe not, but you can tell her you can’t be friends anymore.”
“I can’t do that.” He pulled away from me.
“What! Why not?” The irritation was building up inside of me.
“Bre, I’m not gonna stop being someone’s friend just because my girlfriend is insecure about herself and can’t handle a little competition.”
Awaken (Awaken Series Book 1) Page 4
