"Jennifer? Jen, where are you?" I called out into the dark night. The rain poured down on me feircely and soaked my clothes to the bone. I desperately strained my eyes for any signs of Jennifer's long brown hair waving about in the storm.
"Jen?" I called out again even more nervously. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me out over the hills in the area I had reached. We had been taking a walk when Jen had wandered ahead. Then the rain had started up. She was lost.
The sun had gone down and barely any light could be seen from anywhere. What happened to her? As I ran on, I soon realized that even I had no idea where I was. We were both lost.
With a short streak of luck, I spotted a familiar figure only a few ways away from me. "Jennifer?" I called out towards it.
"Taylor? Is that you? Oh my God, it is. I've been looking everywhere," she screamed on the top of her lungs to get throught the pouring rain.
She began to dash towards me happily and I waited patiently for her to reach me. I took a step foward from where I was standing, and suddenly, something pulled me down. I tripped on a hard piece of what felt like metal and fell violently.
"What the?" I asked myself and tried to stand up again. As I stood up and brushed the mud from my pants, I tried pulling my foot out from the small hole it had landed in, when I found I simply couldn't. I was stuck.
Jennifer was still coming towards me, unaware of what was going on. Suddenly, there was an all too familiar screach from a short distance away. I glanced towards the sound and my mouth dropped my mouth open in fear. There, coming at me, was the frightening headlights of an oncoming train.
"No!" I said to myself and pulled my foot while praying it would come lose. Why, of all the places, did I have to land on a railroad track?
Jen stopped dead in her tracks, suddenly looking like a ghost. "Taylor! Holy crap... move... train! Get out of there!"
"I can't. I'm trying, but I can't. My foot is stuck!" I yelled as lightning pierced the ground off in the distance. It was followed by a loud crack of thunder.
She picked up speed and headed towards me, but wasn't fast enough. The train's whistle blared to warn me as if I didn't know my fate already.
"Somebody, help me! Please... help me!" I screamed and felt tears rush to my eyes. I began sobbing hysterically while prying my foot out of it's trap. If I didn't get it out....
"Jennifer!" I called out again and hoped she would reach my side.
There was a faint "I'm coming" from her as she began yelling my name and traveling as fast as she could.
I was helpless as I gave up and watched the train come towards me faster... and faster... and faster... in the dark.
"Noooooooooo!" I screamed for the final time as the the train sped up to the spot on the tracks where I was crouched over...
* * *
"Nooooooooo! Help me! Please, don't let the train hit me. Jennifer, help me!" I screamed and sat up in my bed faster than I ever had before.
My breathing calmed down when I realized I was only in my bedroom at home. "It was only a dream," I sighed and slouched while letting go of my tight grip on the covers.
Hot sweat poured down my face as I looked around. Suddenly, Zac shot up into the air from his trundle bed beside me at the sound of my yelling.
"What? What happened? Who died?"
"Well, me... almost," I said breathlessly.
"Huh?" my younger brother asked and gave me a look.
"It was just a dream. The train was there and everything..." I trailed off and Zac nodded to show he understood me perfectly.
We had all been affected by the accident only a few months ago. Five months to be exact. I had met Jennifer then. She had been just another fan until Alex started telling me all about her. I decided that I wanted to meet her. I did, and really got to know and like her. Then we had decided the relationship wouldn't work out. Just when things were getting better, are car colided with a train and sent me into the hospital. Strange trip, huh?
I ended up with cuts, bruises, and two broken bones. The casts had been long gone. My appointment to take them off had been scheduled almost three months ago and I was almost perfectly normal again. I was finally back in Tulsa again with my family.
The strange thing about it all, was that I still had small feelings for Jennifer. I thought about her a whole bunch and I just couldn't help it.
"You okay now?" Zac asked me and broke my thoughts.
"I'll live. Don't worry."
"Well, good. Now, could we get some sleep around here." Zac glanced over at the digital clock on our radio and shook his head. "It's past midnight already. We've got a local concert today. I'm tired!"
I fell back against my pillow and stared up at the bottom of Ike's bunkbed. "Yea, whatever. Goodnight," I told him and closed my eyes for some needed sleep.
* * *
"C'mon Taymister!" A familiar voice called to me from above my bed.
"Jennifer?" I asked in a tired voice.
"No, silly. This is Alex! Your mom said to come in and wake you up while I was here."
I was completely concious as I popped out of bed in a flash with my blanket rapped around me. "Alexis, what are you doing here? I'm in my boxers for crying outloud!"
"Relax! I'll just turn around while you change," she said as if it were no big deal.
"Um, no! You'll just nicely exit this room while I change!" I yelled at her.
"Fine, fine. I'll see you at breakfast. I just hoped you hadn't forgotten about the concert today, that's all," she said calmly and walked out of the room.
I hurried to get dressed in regular clothes. I hurried over to our dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of loose fitting jeans and an adidas t-shirt. What was the big idea of a girl walking in on me while I was half naked in my bed? Sure, I'd known Alexis all my life, but she still didn't have any right to bardge in like that! As I nearly tripped in the hurry I was in to get out of the room, I almost forgot to add my last addition to my everyday outfit. I grabbed my most treasured choker off of the desk and clipped the halved sunshine around my neck. The friendship choker had been given to me as a Valentine's Day gift from Jennifer. I made sure to wear it every single day for always.
The golden rays reflected flashes of light in the new day sun. I checked myself in the mirror quickly, just to make sure I looked okay, and headed into the hallway.
"Mommy! Zac won't stop chasing me!" I heard my younger brother, Mackenzie, yell from the other room. There were sounds of scurrying feet and Zac's laughter from the same area.
"You had better watch out, young Mac, before the giant flying peant butter patties and I carry you off to our secret cave for dinner!" Zac warned in a vampire type voice.
I laughed in amusement at the two younger boys having fun as I reached the dinning room and took my seat next to Alex.
"So, Alex. How's Jennifer doing? Has she mailed you lately?" I asked and reached for a pancake from the plate in the center of the table.
Alex sighed suddenly and gave me a look. "What's going on? All you ever talk about is Jennifer this and Jennifer that! Could you please fill me in on what I've missed?" she eyed me desperately for an answer.
"Oh, come on. I'm just curious on how she's doing. Jennifer's a friend so, naturally, I'm wondering what's up."
"Well, Einstein, if you're so interested then why don't you just ask her yourself?" she pushed me farther.
Alex did have a small point there. I barely ever communicated with Jen anymore. Sure, there was a phone call or email here and there, but mostly we'd kept to our own lives. Alex talked to her more than I ever did. She had known Jennifer even before me and emailed her practically every other day.
For all I knew, Jennifer could already have a boyfriend now or worse. Something like that. Maybe I could email her later on in the day just to see what's cooking.
"Uh, well, I would ask her myself, but I'm busy," I said as a lame excuse.
She just shook her head sadly and turned to look at Isaac who was on the opposite side of her. Ike just shrugged and she turned around to me.
"Okay, I'll tell you this. She talks about you a lot! Just about as much as you talk about her. And ya know, I'm getting quite sick of all this!" Alex pouted and crossed her arms.
She really feels that way? I thought, but didn't dare to ask outloud.
"You know, if you miss her then why don't you just go visit her down in Blacksburg?"
That was a good idea! "I might," I stated and took a few quick bites of my pancake.
"Well, she'd just love it if you did!"
"Really?"
"Positively! Trust me. I know her better than you do, Taylor," Alex bragged.
"Well excuse me! You haven't even met her yet!" I said sarcastically.
"Okay, well sorry! Maybe you should just bring her back here so I can meet her!"
* * *
The auditorium was packed full of screaming teenage girls! They were everywhere I looked. I played off of their high energy and boosted our performance for our famous 'MMMBop.' It was crazy that morning.
"Okay, guys, what do you want to hear next?" I yelled into the microphone and got back a million different screams.
There was a small group of girls in the front that were all yelling out the same song so I decided to just go along with what they wanted. It was the easiest way.
"Alrighty. We're gonna play 'River' from our album, 3 Car Garage. Is that okay?"
The blurr of noise seemed like a 'yes' in my book so I turned to Zac who started up the song. "Ready? 1... 2... 3... 4... let's go!" he yelled and began to bang on his drum set.
Ike sang lead while I livened up the audience by getting them to clap their hands and jump up and down to the music. Halfway through the song I couldn't hold back my smiles. I loved performing. It was one of the greatest thrills of my life to get to play music in front of tons of people.
"I guess we'll never know... Exactly where this river's gonna flow... And I guess we'll never understand... Until we reach that promise land..." the chorus echoed.
We played a couple of more songs before we ended the concert, satisfied. My sweaty shirt stuck to me as I walked off the stage with a sigh. Zac ran ahead of us and Isaac caught up with me.
"So, Tay, what's all this I'm hearing about Jennifer?" he asked slyly.
"Nothing," I replied, hoping that he'd drop the subject.
"Well, I'm sensing something here. What could it be? I know! You're-"
"Isaac, don't push it!" I snapped at him quickly.
"Geeze! Sorry, man," he called after me as I took off towards the dressing room.
"Taylor," I heard my dad's voice from behind me. I slowed to a hault to look back at him.
"Yea?"
"There's a phone call for you," he told me.
"Now?"
Dad nodded his head and turned the corner. The dressing room phone sat blankly at me. What the heck I thought and picked up the receiver.
With a quick touch of the 'hold' button, I muttered a greeting into the phone.
"Taylor?" a girl's voice asked from the other end.
"Um... this is me... I mean, him... well, you know, I hope," I spit out after a couple of tries. There was laughter on the other end.
"Hi! Uh... this is Jennifer."
I leaned on the table beside me in shock. Why'd she call me here? I thought and searched for some words.
"Hi! Oh my Geezers, I didn't expect to hear from you!" I said happily with an innocent giggle to go along with it.
"I know. I called your house, but you weren't home so your mom gave me this number," Jen explained.
"Well, I'm glad you called. So, what's up?"
"Um, nothing really. I just haven't heard from you in a while so I figured it might be nice to chat. Although, right now might not be the best time." It felt so good to hear Jennifer's voice again!
"We just finished our concert," I said as if to tell her I had the time.
"Oh, really? Cool. How'd it go?"
"Great, as usual."
"But, I guess I better let you go. There are fans waiting for autographs, Taylor!" she said.
"Aww, they can wait," I said, wanting to stay with Jen longer.
"No they can't. Trust me, I know what it's like. Before I met you, an autograph was practically all I cared about. Besides, don't you love signing stuff?" she insisted.
"Yea, I guess so. So, I guess I'll just email you later, okay?"
"Sure!"
"Alrighty, I'll see ya later! Buh-bye!"
"Tootles!" she said quickly before I heard a 'click' at her end of the phone line. Despite the shortness of the phone call, I had enjoyed every second of it. Especially since I hadn't heard from her in a long time!
I smiled to myself. Now I knew that I would have to get together with Jennifer soon. I didn't realize how much I missed her.
"Tay?" It was Isaac.
"Hmm?" I mumbled dreamily.
"Um, are you ready to meet a few fans because they're getting really restless out there," he told me.
"I'm ready. I'm coming," I said and walked towards him as if I were floating.
"Taylor, are you feeling okay?"
"Yea, I'm fine."
"So, who was on the phone?" he asked me.
"Jennifer," I replied in the same tone of voice.
"Oh, so that explains it," he joked as I shot him a warning glare. "I'm just kidding... don't kill me!"
We made our way out to the venue lobby, towards the large table reserved for us. There were girls waiting in line with CD covers, t-shirts, and any other types of merchandise possible.
Zac was sitting in a chair patiently for us. Wow! Big first for him! Zac's actually sitting down I thought with a laugh.
"Well, it's about time you guys showed up!" he called over to us as we headed for the table. "I thought I'd be all alone for the pirana to feed on!"
I laughed a little and took my seat next to my brothers. I grabbed a marker off the pile in the center of the table and motioned for the first fan in line to step up to the table.
"Me?" the little red head said. I nodded.
The girl came closer and handed me her Three Car Garage cover and I quickly signed my name and passed it down to Isaac, who signed it and passed it to Zac. The routine continued until about an hour had gone by.
I glanced behind the beginning of the line to see how many people were left until we could head for home. There were about a hundred more autographs to sign.
"This is going to be a long day!" I muttered to Ike.
"No kidding," he replied.