The pitter pattering of water against steel and glass was paired with the quiet music coming from the radio; soft notes of a piano and strong notes of a saxophone led the piece, which made for a relatively peaceful ambiance for a rainy venture.

Klaus was nose deep in his small tablet, viewing the customer and their information once more. All they needed was right there; the address, the name, the type of vehicle and the service needed. They were driven into the hustle and bustle of springtime in downtown Rouxland.

Any teenagers and college students that could be seen flocked to storefront awnings and roofed dining areas, glasses in their hands and carefree smiles even though the weather around them was dreary with its gray pall.

Anybody else were mostly adults hurriedly crossing busy intersections, shielding themselves from the downpour with large canopies of subdued colored umbrellas, so large in fact that anybody without an umbrella probably could’ve stayed mostly dry.

“Are we there yet?” Klaus inquired as he stared out of the raindrop dappled window, intently watching the raindrops absorb and tear away from each other as they raced down the glass.

“It’ll be another ten minutes at minimum.” Skye heard Klaus groan as his head laid back against his seat, his hazel eyes nearly rolling to the back of his skull. “Hey, you’re the one who elected to not have our driver use toll roads.” She addressed the middle aged man at the wheel, staring down the red light with narrowed eyes as if trying to intimidate it into changing into green.

“The toll would’ve been three dollars in one direction. I’m sure he could’ve sacrificed three measly bills to the Lockwood Department of Transportation.” Skye continued.

“But Skye, we would’ve had to have owed him the toll amount. Besides, that three dollars could go to supply shopping or to this man’s groceries. Have you seen the inflation in this economy?”

Skye hummed and shrugged. “Hm. Touche.” She conceded, folding her arms above her head and perching one leg atop of the other as she leaned back in the backseat as their light turned green. Ten minutes until their destination with an inexpensive ride on the way there; she was sure it was going to be smooth sailing.

Just as Skye and Klaus were settled, the car they traveled in suddenly stopped just moments after passing through the intersection. Klaus’s seat belt tightened to the point where his breaths were stolen from him while Skye face planted against the back of the front passenger seat before her restraint could do its job.

Loosening his seatbelt and getting her face unstuck, the duo exchanged worried glances and looked about the car; it didn’t seem like an accident, but traffic was stopped while another car up ahead had swerved to the left. “Hey, what gives?!” Skye screeched, her arm being grabbed by a disapproving Klaus.

“Some crazy redheaded lady ran across the intersection. I-I had to stop!” He stammered. Klaus craned his neck to look past the corner of a brick building, finding a redheaded woman pushing pedestrians aside as she was nose deep in her smartphone. “I swear, some people are just crazy! Has Spring Break gone to their heads?!”

“Well somebody’s getting four stars if they don’t fix their seat restraints.” Skye admonished as she looked at the seatbelt loosely strung about Klaus’s body, useless after using its emergency life saving tactic. He unbuckled himself and sat close to Skye to use the middle seat’s lap belt. “Could you believe it, kid?”

As the car resumed motion, now minutes off schedule, Klaus rolled his eyes. “Maybe if you didn’t loosen your own seatbelt up so much in the beginning, you wouldn’t have risked a concussion.” He expected his head to get smacked or snark to be shared with him; however, Skye was only resuming her previous position before the rude interruption.

- - - -

The pitter pattering of sprinting footsteps splashed water onto the wearer’s jean covered shins, leather skidding across the concrete as the runner’s form stumbled here and there, traction being lost time to time courtesy to mud serving as a barrier between her soles and the ground.

Voices grunted and screeched with each person she bumped into during her run, looking up to see where she was going only when she wiped the screen of her phone on her clothes to be rid of the droplets covering the map. Concrete slowly turned to white lined asphalt that was just as slick as the mud she nearly slipped on, and yet managed to keep running.

“In half a mile, turn right into the parking lot,” the voice of a British woman instructed.

Jade rolled her eyes and groaned as she scanned the intersection and the sidewalk leading to a wide, five story building that stuck out among the other buildings in downtown Rouxland. She swerved at an angle just as the light she was looking at turned green, managing to sprint past two lanes of cars as they waited for her whilst another had to be stopped by Jade sliding across the hood.

She disregarded the incessant honking of the car she came in contact with as asphalt quickly turned to a curb she jumped over to find herself traversing tan colored bricks. “You have arrived.” Just as the instructions ended, she ran full speed ahead to the establishment.

She took a moment to look down at her side at the satchel slung across her shoulders bouncing off of her side. She checked every now and again in lieu of her GPS to keep her cargo safe, something she was instructed to protect. Her thoughts replayed over and over again in the back of her mind. They were vivid at first, but now background noise as one might equate having their television on in the background whilst taking care of other tasks.

- - -

“I’m glad you’re okay from that accident,” a voice would begin in her head, thinking back to the events of that morning. The young man had made eye contact with her, eyes of hope and joy, but also of concern and grief in a complex amalgam. “How’s Raina? Is she okay?”

Jade shook her head. “That’s why I came back here, to see if she’s okay.” Her eyes gazed at one of his arms wrapped up in a cast and hanging in a sling tied around his neck, pearly white except for the black ink in the form of signatures from various friends of theirs. “What happened here?”

“Surprisingly a radius fracture was the only thing I sustained from the accident aside from all the nightmares.” Despite the casual air of his words, the air was silent between them for a few seconds that felt closer to an eternity. “I’ll be okay. Grandma’s not going to make me work too hard so I’ll be able to rest after I’m done here.”

Jade gazed at the house the party on her invitation took place at; the remaining guests, familiar and unknown alike, were put to the task of cleaning up furniture thrown outside and cleaning up trash strewn about the lawn. It was all under the meticulous watch of an older lady whose ponytail reached her mid back.

The old lady whipped her head around to investigate the interaction between Jade and her friend, eyes gobbling up the redhead as she folded her own arms. She stayed atop the staircase to the porch, remaining an overseer lest someone escaped her sight. “I assume that’s your Grandma?” Jade deferred to her friend.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “She hasn't been too happy about the state of things.”

“Stryder!” She rasply called out, blue eyes furrowed at him. “Just tell your girlfriend about Raina and get back to work! There’s still a ton of bottles you hooligans strewn about the yard! Your Granddaddy is gonna be mighty angry if he goes to mow this lawn and his mower breaks because of your irresponsibility!” She sighed at the end of her rant. “Kids these days..”

He turned his focus back to Jade. “After the accident, Raina and your mother were airlifted to the hospital. The closest one is in downtown Rouxland just off of 45th Street. You can’t miss it.”

Jade typed away at her GPS’s search bar, and sure enough the downtown hospital was the first result. As she ascertained her choice of directions, Stryder went into his own phone to recite the texts he received that morning. “Raina managed to contact me with her backup phone. I guess she couldn’t reach you. As I always said, don’t substitute contacts for numbers.”

Jade stared hard at him, disregarding any attempt at humor. “Right,” he sheepishly whispered to himself. “She told me she was on the third floor, room twenty-six and to send you over if I saw you. She also told me to give you this to give her.”

It was then that Jade noticed the hazel, leather satchel slung around his shoulders. Giving it to her, she unlatched it and found a four inch thick book held together by string that surprisingly still held up after eight years. “She’d never go anywhere without this. I have to go!” She hurriedly latched the satchel shut and slung it across her shoulders. “Is there time to be driven out there?”

“Hey, Grandma! Jade needs a ride!” Stryder called out.

“I have a doctor’s appointment in an hour! Find your own ride!” She screeched back.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Damn.” He breathed. “Don’t worry, I can call for and pay for a taxi. It might be a twenty minute wait, but-”

“I can run faster!” Jade backed up with spring in her step as though her body was readying itself. “You just worry about your cranky grandma, I’m going to see Raina. I’ll tell her you said hi!” She turned round as the GPS started giving her directions, sprinting down the street before he could protest.

- - - -

Her body stumbled as she let out wave after wave of heavy breaths, her form slowing down despite Jade commanding her legs and lungs to give her just a few hundred more feet of sprinting distance. By the time she made it to the main entrance of the hospital, her body slowed to a jog, gradually morphing into a walk that stumbled and made her collapse to her knees.

Her exhausted form garnered the attention of others nearby, including a younger woman in floral scrubs. Jade clutched the thick strap of her satchel as she was powerless to her muscles’ screams and her burning throat and lungs as air pushed through and reignited the burns. It didn’t help that her mouth was dry, thus adding fuel to the fire.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” a woman loomed over her, extending her hand to the young lady. “Are you okay?” She and Jade made eye contact for what felt like an eternity before she reached for the nurse’s hand.

* - -

“Here we are,” the nurse said to the redhead whilst she was downing a tall plastic bottle of water, managing to eye the numbered panel on the wall next to the doorframe; twenty-six. “I’ll go get you more water.” She offered, noting how fast the bottle was being emptied before walking through the corridor, leaving Jade at the room.

Jade stepped into the room, picking up on the sound of a heart monitor’s beeping. It was a steady pulse that helped lower Jade’s blood pressure, even if it was by a small increment. The air conditioning was stronger in this room compared to the rest of the hospital, which did well to dry and cool her body once drenched in sweat and warm rain.

Her heart sank when she laid her eyes upon the hospital bed before her. Clear, thin tan colored tubes were taped to the bridge of her nose as the tubes entered her nostrils, guiding what appeared to be a kind of liquid feeding formula into her body as another tube was attached to her arm colored in a deep scarlet.

Hanging above the bed was a clear bag, wrinkled with just a cup left of medicine, its own tube latched onto the back of her hand as the red tube connected with her wrist. Although the patient was wrapped in blankets, she looked to have been shivering. “R-Raina..?” Jade quietly called out.

The patient turned her head to slowly face Jade, her eyes furrowing at her scrutinizingly before her expression softened. She smiled at the redhead. “You’re okay.” She happily confirmed. “You’re really okay.” Her smiling expression was accompanied by a tear slipping down her cheek. “I couldn’t sleep at all. I wouldn’t have been able to until I knew you were okay.”

“You’ll be okay too, Raina.” Jade reassured, pulling up the nearest chair to her bedside. She reached for her hand; it was cold as ice until Jade’s warm palms wrapped themselves around her. “The air conditioning sure is strong in here, isn’t it? Need me to tell them to turn it down?”

Raina weakly shook her head. “N-no thanks.” She tried to sit up, but gave up, holding her chest instead. “It’s this medicine. It’s making me cold.” She turned her head so their eyes met. “My worst fear was seeing you in the same boat as me, but it looks like Lady Luck was on my side. You have no idea how happy it makes me to see you okay.”

Jade nodded. “I’m glad to see you too. In no time at all you’ll be back on your feet and we’ll get the rest of our Spring Break back on the road again, I promise.” Raina smiled at her encouragement, but looked away and put on a solemn expression of dull eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Did you know your mother was airlifted to this hospital too?” She quietly asked. Jade looked in the same direction Raina was staring in to see a vacant bed just on the other side of what would have been a curtain barrier. “Me and her were talking about you last night. She was very lively and wanted me to tell you that she loved you very much.”

“Where’s she now?” Jade gripped Raina’s hand a little more, hoping she had just been moved to another room that she could visit.

Raina’s eyes let out more tears that slid down her cheeks as her breath hitched. “She checked out this morning.” For a moment, Jade’s eyes lit up. Maybe she was on her way home as they were speaking, maybe she was already home and trying to call her, but as soon as Jade’s smile could get too big, Raina shook her head. “No, Jade. She checked out.”

Jade’s smile faded. No, that couldn’t have been true. She grit her teeth as her words circled her mind like a swarm of bees, and no amount of denying the implications of Raina’s words could ever stop the tears that started to drop from her emerald eyes. “I tried to call you, but your phone doesn’t have my backup phone registered as a contact.”

Jade sniffed back any tears that tried to escape as she thought about parents, then it dawned on her. “Your father.” Raina’s heart monitor beeped a little faster, also indicating a spike in blood pressure. “He called the house phone this morning trying to figure out where you were. I know you registered him as a contact - why didn’t you call him and tell him you were here?”

Raina rolled her eyes. “He’ll just blame me for getting hurt by going to that party. He’ll just say how I should’ve stayed home and applied for either college classes or a job instead of attending a party with my best friends. He’ll blame you too.”

Jade gasped quietly, remembering that her father was the kind of man to blame everyone else rather than circumstances themselves, whether it was bad luck or truly someone else’s fault entirely rather than those closest to him. “Then I’d tell him it was my fault. I was the designated driver and I failed us.”

Raina pulled her shaky hand from Jade’s hands and raised it to her chest, pulling away the collar of her top to reveal an emblem-like metal piece stuck to her chest. Anyone else would have mistaken it for a necklace or a charm, but Raina knew otherwise. “Then he’d grind your core into dust. Me and Stryder have talked - he said he’d take the blame. He’ll say he was the one driving. Besides,”

Raina gathered all of her strength to sit up straight, grunting the whole time with Jade reaching out to try and stop her, but her effort proved fruitless to Raina’s stubbornness. “How could you have known alcohol could affect your automotive form?”

“I should have known. I just should have! You wouldn’t have been in this situation if I just didn’t drink anything! Maybe I should’ve backed out, and maybe you wouldn’t have gone!” Jade’s rant devolved into loud sobs as she put her head to her lap. “It’s all my fault! I’m sorry!”

Raina reached over to pat the redhead. “It’s not your fault. It was just horrible luck. Look, I’ll be out of this hospital soon, and then we can figure out where to go from there. All right?” Jade looked up for a moment with tearful eyes, nodding without a word. “I knew you’d see it my way,” she quietly said with a warm smile.

Jade gasped and reached into her satchel, pulling out the thick book Stryder handed her earlier that day. She presented it to Raina; she beamed at it and took it, nearly dropping it on her lap, otherwise she managed to hold it and sit it down gently. “My journal..” she let her palm sweep across it, taking in the textured leather. “I guess I left it at his house last night. I’m glad he kept it safe.”

Jade watched Raina hug her journal, closing her eyes as she tightened her grip, then opening her eyes to hand it back to Jade. “I want you to have it. Do you remember when you gave me that journal?” Jade took it into her arms, unable to respond with nothing else but a soft nod. “It was when all of my stress came to a head several years ago when my mother passed on. It took a while, but it played a part in saving my life. I’ve written so many things in this journal that whenever I read it, I think about how far I’ve come.”

Raina leaned closer to Jade’s face; the latter pulled back shyly, but not fast enough before a quick contact between their lips was made. Raina pulled away, her cheeks managing to warm themselves up. “Thank you for being there.”

“I-it’s no problem.” Jade rubbed the back of her neck. It wasn’t the first time they made contact like that, and yet every time felt like the first time; warm, inviting, safe. “But why are you giving it to me?”

“So it can be our journal, silly.” Raina simply smiled warmly at her. “I know, Spring Break and I’m giving you homework. All I require is a couple of thoughts to start with.”

As much as Jade wanted to decline the project, she accepted the task with a nod. She figured that if it was going to help Raina recover, she’d do whatever it took to raise her morale. “Your- I mean, our journal will be safe with me for the time being. Just know my house is cluttered.”

“Then I guess I’ll help you clean up when I get out of here, yeah?” Raina put her hands to her hips, raising an eyebrow too.

“Sure.” She shrugged. “Just be warned, I might be keeping an old slumber party pizza under all that clutter that’s probably become some advanced civilization of cybernetic roaches.”

At first, Raina faked a gag from that thought, then she started to giggle to herself. Jade slowly giggled too, the two of them forming a symphony of carefree laughter. Raina held her chest as she bellowed, but the two of them had the widest grins nonetheless before sharing a kiss like they did earlier.

Jade could’ve swore that this time, it lasted a while longer than she had realized.

- - - -

That evening, the house was quiet save for the nightly news. Since coming home from the hospital, her mind was preoccupied with her mother and Raina. She frowned when she looked up from her book to see her mother absent from beside her. On any other night before, they’d read their books together. Tonight, her book was left alone on the in-table.

Even though she thought of her mother, she couldn’t bring herself to cry more than she did over her earlier. She had guessed that maybe her mind would let her grieve later when everything would sink in, or maybe it was that safe feeling from being with Raina earlier.

Her mind switched gears to focus on Raina and Stryder. Though they were injured from the freak accident, Jade took comfort in them still being with her. They looked out for each other since primary school all the way up until now; there wouldn’t be anything to worry about.

Jade sat her book down when the microwave beeped loudly from the kitchen. The redhead strolled in; she managed to declutter the small kitchen table and reorganize the house bills dating back to several months ago, as well as clean up old food her mother no longer ate and yet insisted she wanted to keep.

As the microwave beeped again, the press of a button opened the door to reveal a steamy ceramic mug with a tag hanging from the side. At the same time she pulled it out, she heard a ringing sound. She shrugged; maybe it was from the TV. Except the ringing sounded like it was coming from the house phone.

Briskly walking into the living area once more, she picked up the house phone with her free hand and recognized it was Stryder’s number. She answered it, wedging it between her shoulder and ear. “Hey Stryder, what’s up?” All she heard was breathing. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s Raina. She’s out of the hospital.”

Jade let out a happy squeal as a grin stretched from ear to ear. “That’s awesome! I can’t wait to see her again! I knew she’d be strong enough to recover!”

“Jade..” Stryder spoke, his voice trailing off. “I couldn’t believe it myself. Jade, she’s..” Jade’s heart sank as her smile morphed into an expression of horror as she covered her mouth, dropping her tea to the ground in the process. Stryder only said it once, but those words bounced around her skull like a cave whose walls could echo a person’s words for an eternity. “She’s gone.”