Uninterested in his answer, I turn back to the car, and as I remove the sheet, Luke says in a concerned voice, "I wouldn't do that, Ali."
I rip the cover from the car; it's my dad's Ranchero. It was his favorite vehicle out of all the ones he owned. Tears fill my eyes as I run my hand across the hood while walking over to the side. I drop to my knees when I see the crumpled-up door panel. My mind starts to turn, and flashes of my father come across it. There is a reason why the door panel is crumpled.
My father was on his way home from work when a young woman t-boned him. He pulled out from the intersection, and she side-swept him. She was going so fast that it spun their vehicles around, causing hers to go into the ditch. Her car flipped a few times before ending up on its roof. My father rushed over to see if the young woman was okay.
There was water in the ditch, and she was trapped inside her vehicle. Unbeknownst to them, one of the telephone poles nearby had a loose cable laying in the water. As my father was pulling her out of the driver's side window, both he and the young woman got electrocuted, and my father was killed instantly. My father taking the brunt of the shock, the woman they say, received the shock through him. The young woman ended up dying from head trauma a few days later.
I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to look at Luke. I push his arm off me as I stand up and take off running. I can hear the muffled crackles as he yells my name, but I keep running. I run out of the building, past Jason's house, and all the people partying until I reach my car. I am crying so hard that I drop my keys while fumbling to get into my vehicle.
"Ali, wait!" Luke pleads as he grabs my arm.
I turn to yell at him to leave me alone, but I bury myself into his chest. He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight while I cry the hardest I have since the news of my father's death. I've felt so alone since I have been back, and I’ve reached my threshold. I break down, and it feels therapeutic in a sense. I push my hands against Luke's chest, pushing myself away from him and out of his grasp.
"Sorry," I whimper while wiping my face and under my eyes with my shirt sleeve
. "It's okay. I needed a shower anyway," he says with a smirk, while trying to lighten the mood.
I giggle. I guess Luke isn't the asshole I have assumed he was from the day we met. He's quite sweet.
"Have you been drinking?" he asks.
"Yes, I have had a few," I reply.
"Would you like me to drive you home?" I nod politely and hand him my keys before walking around my car to get into the passenger side.
I figure I need a ride home since I am not in the best condition to drive. I've had a few drinks, and my recent outburst in front of Luke are two good reasons for that.
We are silent during the whole drive to my dad's house. I lean my head against the window, staring out into the darkness as tears spill down upon my cheeks.
We pull up at my dad's house, and I run inside without even saying 'thank you' to Luke. I run-up to my room, slam the door shut, and lie down on my bed. I pull a pillow to my chest and cry myself to sleep.
I WAKE WITH A SUDDEN urge to pee. I remember that I didn’t go to the bathroom while I was at the party. Flashbacks from what I saw in the building at Jason's fill my head. I walk downstairs to see if my car is here. I look out the window; my car is in the driveway.
I grab myself a glass of water from the kitchen and walk into the living room. I'm startled to see Luke on the couch, and almost drop my drink. There is light shining on his face from the moonlight poking through the window. He looks hot even while he sleeps.
I walk over to the couch, grab the blanket off the back, and cover him up. I look at him for a moment, then head back to my room.
Chapter Six
My ringing phone awakens me. An unknown number flashes across my screen. I hit the silent button, lie my head back on my pillow, and fall asleep.
I sit on the couch, watching TV. My dad is in the kitchen, frying fish he caught on a great weekend at the cabin. He comes into view as the sun is shining through the dining room window before supper time.
"Dad, do you need any help with dinner?" I call out to him. He doesn't reply to me. I call out to him once again, and there is still no response. He doesn't even turn to look at me. He's just standing there staring out the window. Beams of light shine on him as the sun is setting. I leave the couch and walk toward him.
As I approach him and place my hand on his shoulder, I softly say, "Dad?"
He vanishes, and dust particles float around through the air in the beam of sunlight where he was standing.
I spring awake in a panic, dripping with sweat, and start to cry. It is the first time I have dreamt about my dad since he passed away. I am confused as to why he did not look at me in my dream nor answer me. The dream felt so real. It was like he was there staring out of the window.
I walk to the bathroom while collecting myself from the bizarre dream. The light at the top of my phone
