#her airbags didn't even deploy

[ryanthedemiboy]

I have a fun story!

Okay. So. My mom had a little 2016 chevy spark. She got rear-ended by a full cement truck (she was at a red light, but knew to hit the gas so when it hit her, there was less force exerted on her bc it'd go to moving the car, so she was fine. Her arm was bruised from the seatbelt and she had a hell of a panic attack, but nothing further).

Her car was totaled bc the frame was bent.

The insurance company gave her money for a new car.

She got a 2018 or 2019 SUV for cheaper than even the same exact car. My mom found several newer cars cheaper than slightly older cars.

Idk what's up with it, but. [Shrug]

something so beautiful about owning a vehicle that’s 10+ years old. a beast to me. one i do not fully understand but respect & must keep in good spirits regardless

[drama--universe]

Hospital Love

Requested by @creepypastacrazier93: Hey hey! I was wondering...how about a Jiang Cheng x 21st century reader oneshot? I won't elaborate, I'll leave it to your imagination :-) good luck and thx!

Pairing: Jiang Cheng x reader

Word Count: 1.6k words

Jiang Cheng couldn't help but groan as he exits the restaurant, removing his tie after yet another unsuccessful date. It was the fourth one this month already, another woman his mother had chosen for him. They were all too preppy for his liking, none interesting in any way for even a second of the date. All of them were just daughters of other wealthy businessmen, spoiled and rotten. He had a headache from this date, the girl her voice had been shrill and annoying, especially because she wouldn't shut her mouth for a single second. He got to his car and got in, slamming the door shut before groaning as he leans his head back against his car seat. With another loud sigh, he starts the car and gets ready to leave.

He takes the long route, wanting some peace and quiet before getting home. He didn't want to see his mother for now, knowing she'd yell at him for ruining another date. He drove as slow as he could, enjoying the view around him. The night might be cold and dark, but Jiang Cheng loved the night sight of nature. Most creatures were asleep, only the rare spotted nocturnal animal awake and flying or running around in absolute silence. Jiang Cheng couldn't help but look to the side as he watched the forest. He was, however, pulled out of his admiring by a loud car horn, eyes snapping to the front just in time so he could swerve out of the way for the other car that had swerved into the wrong lane. He felt the wheels of his car hit the side berm before hitting the guard rail, the car coming to a straight stop and sending Jiang Cheng flying forward. The seat belt stopped his movement and he felt his collarbone and maybe even a few ribs break, the airbags deploying and sending his head backwards. After a few minutes, he heard voiced beside him but his head was ringing and he could barely see due to his fuzzy vision. It felt like hours before he heard voices, not able to make out what they were saying. He felt people grabbing his body and dragging him out of the car, flashing lights and sirens surrounding him as people surrounded him. Asking questions to him, but he's unable to answer as he feels his vision blurring.

When he wakes up again, the first thing he sees is you. You're adjusting the wires on his chest that are connected to monitors, seemingly very focused on your task. He goes to speak, but stops when he feels a pressure in his throat and he moves his hands up to feel what was going on. You see him move and your eyes widen before you grab his hands.

"Just a second, you're attached to a breath monitor." You speak calmly before moving your hands up and grabbing the tube that went down his throat, carefully but quickly removing it so he could breath on his own. Once the tube was gone, Jiang Cheng took a deep breath in to fill his lungs. Once he is breathing again, he looks at you again but you speak before him.

"You're in the hospital, you had a car accident a few days ago. You took a big hit to your head and to your back and left leg, so you can't move too much." You explain shortly and he almost wants to scoff, but when he feels the ache in his body he realizes that he should swallow his pride and listen for once. He sighs heavily and looks up at the ceiling. He doesn't know how to feel for once in his life, whether to be annoyed that he was stuck in a hospital for a considerable time or glad that he had a decent reason to not come home for awhile. That meant while he'd be bored out of his mind, but no forced dates either.

And thus he stayed in the hospital, using the free time for healing both mentally and physically. He had days where he only had physical rehabilitation and others where he had mental evaluations to check if his brain didn't have some later damage.

All the while, you remained his nurse, always waking him up in the morning to change his bandages and check his vitals. Then you'd bring him some food, sneaking in some regular food sometimes for him to enjoy instead of the regular hospital food. The only times he didn't see you was when you were checking other patients or when he was at rehabilitation with another nurse or doctor. But some days, you'd stay with him for hours, just talking about basic things and as much as he disliked to admit it, he liked talking to you.

In fact, he couldn't live without it. He couldn't live without you.

The days he dreaded being in the hospital were quick to chance to dread of ever leaving the hospital and you. Even when he hated the food and the constant checks on his mental and physical health, he just didn't want to leave.

Unfortunately, however, he was being discharged today and he had no way of fighting back.

He sat in the hospital gardens, going over the paperwork for his discharge as slow as he could. He'd read and reread the papers, signing the papers where he was supposed to with his good hand while a small frown was on his face.

"Don't wanna leave, huh?" You walk closer to him, leaning down to see the papers. Jiang Cheng looks up to you before sighing as he put the pen down.

"It's certainly a mental workout to leave this hospital." He grumbles as he leans back in his seat and taking a deep breath of the fresh air. You sit down beside him and grin. "Yeah... It definitely is a chore." You chuckle. "So... What you going to do now then, huh? Go back to speed dating?" You tease and Jiang Cheng groans instantly, annoyed at just the thought of it. He gives you a playful glare before scoffing.

"Sure... I'll tell my mom to give you a chance then?" He decides to tease you, but there is a slight genuine tone to it that he hopes you don't pick up on. You do, however, and grin softly as you lean on the table with your elbow. "Mhm... Might as well give me your number." You tease back and you can see a soft tint of red on his face appearing, which makes you smirk softly as you stand up again.

"Get that paperwork finished, okay? No use for you to stay somewhere you don't need to be." You smile before walking off to continue to your rounds.

After he's discharged, it takes a few more weeks for him to get back to his usual life. Luckily his mother left his alone mostly, no blind dates until he looked "presentable". His mother's words, not his own.

But then, after two more months, he was sat in a restaurant again for yet another double date. He tapped his fingers on the table in annoyance as he waited for his date to arrive.

"Look, I don't feel like pretending, so I'm just going to say hi and leave-" You speak before pausing as you notice Jiang Chen sitting at the table that was meant for your double date. You pause as you look at him. "Wait... You're my date?" You stare at him with wide eyes as he looks up, seemingly just as shocked as you were. You blink before just sitting down opposite of him, putting your bag down.

"Don't mind if I stay then?" You grin as you look at him. He looks a bit confused, still dazed until he finally snaps out of it. "You're my date?" He asked, repeating your previous question again. You chuckle and nod. "Apparently, yes." You smile sweetly. He sighs softly, leaning back in his seat.

"Is this allowed..? Not that I don't you want be here! But since I was a patient of yours..?" He asks and you lean back, shrugging. "Well... It's not illegal or anything, but it can be frowned upon. It really just depends on the situation" You shrug before looking up as the waiter arrived.

The night passed by quickly as you ate and drank, the conversation never dying down at all. The topic changed every now and then, but neither of you got bored of the conversation.

Normally, Jiang Cheng would leave after half an hour to an hour of the date, but this time he stayed in the restaurant for longer. Even after two hours, he remained in place with pleasure. By the end of the evening, he just felt disappointed that it had to end. So he offers to ride you home, desperate for those extra minutes.

And now, you sat in his passenger seat of his car as he drove (very carefully, of course). The radio was on, filling the silent atmosphere with some soft music as he tried to make the drive as long s possible without making it too obvious. But eventually, he arrived at your house and parked the car with a soft sigh.

"Tonight was fun." You smile at him, unbuckling your seatbelt. He looks at you, nodding softly but not saying anything. You open the door before looking at him. Then you just impulsively lean closer and kiss his cheek softly. "Let's do this again sometimes..." You mumble softly, your face heating up a bit before you get out of the car and walk to your house. Jiang Cheng, meanwhile, is blushing furiously and almost wants to hit his head on the steering wheel to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

That day, Jiang Cheng couldn't wipe the smile of his face as he drove home.

[my-own-walker]

Colin Zabel x Reader where the reader gets in a slight car accident (it’s not severe). BUT detective Colin to the rescue speeds his way to the collision and acts like she’s been seriously injured (when she’s only got little bruises). Rushing her home and taking care of her for the day. Just a very protective Zabel 😌

I'll Get To You

note: Ahhh wait I really love this request awwwww!!

warnings: mentions of car accidents, injuries, and a disgusting amount of fluff.

Omniscient perspective...btw.

+++

Y/N did nothing wrong. As soon as the light turned green, she drove straight, as one does. That was until some idiot in the opposing traffic lanes turned left straight into the back of the right side of her car. Her car spun out dramatically. She slammed on her brakes and her tires screeched, protesting against the sudden activity.

She was okay, minus some scratches and bruises on her face and arms from the airbags deploying.

The other driver was on his phone when he crashed into her. His car was totaled. He was also okay, though. His negligence, however, completely crushed her taillight and right side bumper.

Overall, they were both super shaken.

Y/N was just thankful to be alive. Grateful for the drivers behind her who had the wherewithal to stop dead in their tracks as soon as her car started spinning. No other cars were involved. It was a miracle everything turned out the way it did.

Police arrived on the scene quickly and ushered the involved cars off the road to a nearby gas station, Y/N and the offender in tow. She didn't even grab her phone from the car. Just the necessary documents to get the situation sorted.

+

'Uh we got an 11-79 on Newtown Road, on the northbound side,' the police radio rang out in Colin's car. It was around 9 pm. He was driving home from an emergency call to investigate a case he was working on. He was excited to get home to Y/N. They had big plans to sit on the couch and watch the new episode on Succession while eating way too many snacks.

'Tan Nissan sedan and green Subaru hatchback involved, change to 11-80,' the radio scratched again. Colin's heart dropped. Green Subarus are not common.

Y/N had a green Subaru. 11-79 means accident, ambulance dispatched. 11-80? Accident with major injuries.

His shaking hands reached for the mic. Giving his badge number, he asked 'what's the plate on the Subaru?' voice trembling. They wouldn't think anything of him asking that. Just in case it was relevant to his murder investigation, they'd give him any information.

'3 - 9 - 8 - Whiskey - Echo - Kilo.'

Her fucking license plate number.

Colin immediately took a right on the road he was on, turning on his lights and sirens to make a clear path for himself. His heart and mind raced as he sped along the road, trying desperately to get to Y/N on Newtown road.

He drove nearly 90 miles per hour down the backroads of Delaware County, thinking of nearly every possibility. He couldn't imagine the sight of here hurt. His stomach churned realizing that this could be very, very serious.

He got to the scene of the crash within minutes. He pulled up onto a scary scene. Two ambulances were already there. Two other officers and their cars were there, too. Pulling closer, he realized that the cars had already been moved from the road and into a parking lot. Her car was in bad shape, and so was the other guy's.

His eyes welled as he thought the worst. This was something he never wanted to experience. He parked and ran to the scene. Y/N was sitting upright in the back of an ambulance on its platform, legs dangling off the bumper. An EMT was tending to her, cleaning a wound on her face.

'Baby!' he shouted, jogging up to her. 'Y/N are you okay?' His brow furrowed, twisted into a look of sheer concern. His stomach was still a pit.

'Colin, hey,' she sighed, relieved that he was there.

The EMT stepped aside to give them their moment, leaving with a quiet 'you're good to go.' Colin stepped forward and took her face in both of his hands, staring tearily into her eyes.

'Baby, I was so worried. I heard on the radio in my car. I got here as fast as I could. Are you hurt? What did they say? Where's the other fucking bastard, I'll kill 'em. I'll-' he rambled.

'Colin, my love, I'm okay. I promise. Just bruises and scratches on the both of us,' Y/N assured him.

'Was it him? Was he the one that hit you?' Colin spat loudly, pointing in the direction of the offender.

'Shh, Colin, yes, it's okay. My car will be okay, I will be okay, I promise,' she whispered.

'I swear, Y/N, I will kill the son of a bitch. How dare he hurt you?' Colin dropped his hands and rounded on the man, who was speaking to the officers that were already on the scene. 'What the fuck is wrong with you, bud?'

'Zabel. Zabel. Enough,' Officer Clark said, putting a hand out to stop Colin.

'And you, calling this an 11-80? Are you stupid? I was terrified!' Colin yelled.

'No, Zabel, this was always an 11-81. Get your radio checked out, maybe the signal cut out on the 1. Minor injuries. Now get the fuck out of here before I tell Chief Carter, huh?'

+

The drive home was short. Colin rode with the lights and sirens on to get people out of his way. He just wanted Y/N to get home quickly and safely.

He guided her inside their home, making sure his hands never left contact with her body.

'Colin, I promise, I'm fine!' Y/N protested.

'Yeah uh huh, tell that to the gash on your forehead,' Colin insisted. 'On the couch, now.' He sat her down and grabbed a blanket out of the ottoman, wrapping her in it tightly. He rushed over to the kitchen and poured her a glass of water.

'What am I going to do with you?' Colin asked as he delivered the water to the coffee table in front of her. 'I love you so much, Y/N. You are so important to me. I can't lose you.'

'And you won't,' she smiled. 'I promise. I'm okay.'

'You look cold, let me get you another blanket,' Colin said, planting a kiss on her lips. He grabbed a second blanket from the back of the armchair in the room. 'Do you need a painkiller or something? I'm gonna turn the heat up I think.'

Y/N laughed from her blanket confines. 'How am I supposed to drink this if my arms are all wrapped up!' she chuckled. That chuckle turned into more of a cackle when she saw Colin come sprinting back into the room, pillow in one hand and a bottle of Advil in the other.

'I got it! I got it!' he declared. He propped the pillow up behind her and put down the medicine bottle, picking the glass up and bringing it to her lips. She could barely drink, she was laughing so hard.

'Colin, baby, this is why I love you,' Y/N laughed.

'This is no laughing matter, lady! Take your medicine,' he protested.

'You are so loving, and caring, and beautiful. I promise you, I'm all good,' she smiled.

His expression softened. He put down what he had in his hands and planted a giant kiss on her lips.

'Sorry, I got a little carried away, huh?' he resigned. She nodded, still smiling softly. 'Hah, 'm sorry sweetheart, I just want you to be okay.'

'And I am. Now can you please let me out of this straight jacket so we can cuddle?' Y/N asked.

'Oh, you don’t have to ask me twice!' Colin exclaimed, loosening the fabric's grip, hoisting her onto his lap.

+++

Yay! This was such a cute one. Thank you for the request! I described on of my own car accidents, lol. Personal experience pays off! 😅

[how-very-salty]

first of thousands

Jason Dean x Veronica Sawyer

Summary:

Veronica Sawyer is back in Sherwood for college break. She wanted to try to apologize to Martha, but instead she'd gone with the Heathes to Cincinnati for a big party. High speed, drunk driving - and as an inevitable finale, a car accident.

tw: blood and injury, obscene language, drunk driving

AU, in which she and J.D. did not date in high school and no one was murdered, but she stayed with the Heathers.

The car sped down the empty night highway. Ronnie leaned out of the window and put her face in the cold wind. Her cheeks burned with laughter and alcohol, and she was dizzy from the overflowing fun with a touch of guilt. 

Conscience, usually muted in the din of the big city, was so loud and clear here in Sherwood. This damn town had a mystical ability to bring out the worst parts of her soul; the parts she'd known for a long time and the parts she'd never even suspected. Here, all her illusions about whether she had ever been a good person had long since been shattered. 

No, she wasn't. 

Veronica had tried to fix it, of course, but it just didn't work out right. She was supposed to meet Martha tonight in another attempt to repair an old friendship; an absurd and preemptively failed attempt. She couldn't think of anything to say when they met, so she'd made up an excuse about having a headache, canceled the meeting, and gone with Heather to a big party in Cincinnati. It hadn't made her feel any better, but the drunken fog in her head had dulled the guilt for a while. Only it would come back tomorrow with more force... Maybe she should have changed the tickets and left early. Coming back was a damn bad idea. 

Veronica felt violently dizzy. She took a deep breath of cold air into her chest, waited out the nausea, and got back in the car. 

"I'm so sick," she mumbled, falling back into the passenger seat. "Shit. Does anyone else have any more drinks?"

"I think you've had enough," Duke's angry voice came from behind her; alcohol always made her grumpy, "and so has everyone else... Chandler, please keep your eyes on the road! And stop driving so fast!"

"Pfft, don't listen to that boring ass, the road is completely empty," Mac chuckled and held out an almost full bottle of gin to Veronica. "Here. There's really only this shit left..."

"It's not shit, it's forty bucks a bottle," she rolled her eyes, took a big gulp, and immediately wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I take that back, jeez... I'm really going to throw up."

"Not in my car!" Duke lunged forward, trying to snatch the bottle out of her hands.

"Afraid of the competition?" Veronica dodged easily, putting two fingers to her mouth defiantly. 

"No, that her parents will smell vomit in the jeep and shove her back into rehab," Chandler grinned approvingly and, slowing down slightly, turned onto a forest road; there was much less chance of getting caught by the highway patrol. She turned and gave Duke a mocking look. "You still haven't lost six pounds since last time, have you? Look, you're about to grow a Dumptruck patch."

"God, Heather, grow up," Ronnie rolled her eyes irritably as she took another drink; at the same second, she was blinded by a bright light. Her heart froze for a moment and then pounded frantically in her ears, a choked scream coming from her lips. Chandler frantically slammed on the brakes, but it was too late: there was a muffled thud, followed by an horrific metallic scraping....

Veronica was jolted forward, the world flashing red before her eyes. 

The airbags belatedly deployed with a loud pop. 

Veronica straightened up in the chair, her arms holding up her head, buzzing from the impact. Her consciousness returned slowly, in fragments. She tried to remember what had happened: it seemed they had hit something... maybe a deer? Her temples tightened with pain. An unpleasant squeaking sound filled her ears, and something hot and sticky dripped slowly down her cheek.

She turned to the driver's seat: Chandler wasn't there. The door on her side was open, a familiar shrill voice came faintly from the street through the noise in her ears. So she's okay... With a sigh of relief, Veronica looked out the window and immediately closed her eyes with her hand: the headlights were too bright and it was hard to see. Blinking at the growing pain in her temples, she looked around to check on the others. Mac was sobbing bitterly in the back seat, bent over her knees; the door on Duke's side was wide open. 

"What the hell happened?" asked Veronica hoarsely, wiping the blood from her forehead with her sleeve.

"You're alive!" Mac lifted her head and smiled happily. "Thank God you're alive! You just didn't move, and I... I thought you were dead too," she stammered, the smile wiped from her face. "Ronnie, I don't know what's going to happen now, I mean, we're all drunk as a skunk... I don't have any idea what kind of price we'll have to pay to get out of this one! And my dad's deal just fell through and... Oh my God, he's going to kill me!"

Veronica picked out the main point of her rambling speech:

"What do you mean… ‘too’?" she asked in a weak voice. The annoying beeping sound in her ears became more intense. Without waiting for an answer, she quickly jerked the door handle and jumped out of the car. She could hear Chandler's voice, but Dukes's... 

"Oh, come on! Get back in the car," Chandler snorted angrily, hovering over the girl who was bent over the bushes, "I thought you got rid of that habit of vomiting all the time."

Veronica stopped and leaned exhausted against the cold side of the car, breathing a sigh of relief: they're all alive. What a miracle that everyone is alive... The adrenaline had worn off and a wild tiredness pressed down on her shoulders.

"We killed him! Don't you care?!" Duke stood up and wiped her mouth with her hand, glaring at Heather. 

"Of course I do! We could get caught next to a dead body any minute," Chandler jerked her chin up as if defending herself. "I don't want to go to jail because you decided to say goodbye to your dinner! Do you?"

Veronica blinked dazedly, memories of the last seconds before the crash flashing before her eyes. The light she'd seen... had it really been the oncoming headlights?

She turned around slowly.

The crumpled bike lay on the road a few feet from the car. The headlight was broken and the light was out. On the ground, strewn with shards of glass and plastic, lay a man, his body unnaturally twisted. She stared at his face with bated breath: he looked young, about her age... and vaguely familiar, maybe they'd even gone to school together. From beneath his head, a pool of dark, oily blood slowly spread across the dirt road. Veronica felt sick again and hastily put her hands over her mouth. 

"You too?" came Chandler's irritated voice next to her ear. "Get in the car, both of you, right now!"

"Maybe he's still alive," she murmured through numb lips, unable to take her eyes off his blood-soaked face. It seemed as if she was about to remember his name.

"Look at him! If he's alive, I'm Mariah Carey," Heather rolled her eyes with an exasperated groan. "Let's go before someone decides to take a shortcut into town! We're in the clear here."

"We should check it out," Veronica moved toward the guy without listening, but Chandler quickly caught up with her and grabbed her elbow with a sudden hard pull. 

"Stop acting like Mother Teresa," she hissed in her face, "if he's still alive, he'll be dead soon anyway! And you know who will get the blame? We will! Just because we got behind the wheel after a few drinks and didn't notice some jerk driving in the dark who didn't even bother to turn on his headlights!"

"The headlights were on," Veronica protested weakly, but Chandler just waved her off carelessly and pushed her toward the car. 

"Whatever! We have to get out of here as soon as possible, we've already wasted a lot of time. "

"Really, Ronnie, let's get out of here," Duke stepped in unexpectedly, squirming uncomfortably under Veronica's questioning gaze. "Heather's right, there's nothing we can do to help him now. Our lives will be ruined... we'll be out of college for sure. You'll have to give up your dream of being a doctor, and I'll never be allowed to teach. Ever! And everything we've worked so hard for will go to hell because of one little mistake!"

Veronica looked hesitantly at the man lying beside the bike. He's dead, isn't he? The accident had been violent, he'd obviously lost a lot of blood... Doubts rose in a murky wave inside her: maybe she should have listened to Chandler and just left. Tomorrow she'd change her tickets and get out of this damn city for good, and no one would ever know...

"No one would ever know what we did, Veronica," Chandler echoed her thoughts. Digging her nails into her skin, she pulled her to the car."Especially if you don't tell anyone. You won't, will you? "

"I'm not... God, what is wrong with you?" Veronica came to her senses and angrily wriggled out of Heather's tenacious grip. "We hit a man! Maybe we can still..."

"Can what? Take his body to the hospital and confess everything?" Chandler interrupted her with a voice full of venomous mockery.

"Maybe I will confess! What's in it for me?" Ronnie stepped forward and raised her chin stubbornly. "I wasn't driving, Heather, you were! You were driving! You're the only one who's really in danger... and that's why you're trying to scare us all into getting out on our own!"

Chandler snorted and glared at her. Cold, calculating rage glittered in her eyes. 

"You may be right," she said slowly, her lips curving into a sly grin, "but what's to stop me from saying you were driving?"

"Duke will confirm it wasn't me, right?" Veronica turned to her friend and stammered: she looked down with a strange expression in her eyes. "Right?" 

"I'm sorry..." she swallowed, muttering regret. Ronnie stared at her, surprised. Maybe she had misheard? 

"As you can see, you're in the minority again. So stop fucking around and get in the car, Sawyer," Chandler ordered coldly as she nonchalantly walked around her to the car, "we're going home, with or without you. And if you say a word to anyone, the cops will know it was you who hit that poor guy....maybe even on purpose. After all, like you said, he was driving with his lights on."

She grinned triumphantly and got into the driver's seat, slamming the door loudly behind her. Veronica pressed her lips together and turned away hastily. 

"Come on," Duke tugged weakly at her sleeve. "When she's like this, it's best not to argue and just obey her. She'll soften later..."

"I don't want to be silent and obey anymore," she tugged angrily at his sleeve and took a few steps back into the darkness. "I'm going to stay and try to do something. And if you tell the cops ... then just go fuck yourself!!!"

Swallowing back angry tears, Veronica turned and walked toward the broken body on the road, slowing with each step. The second door slammed loudly behind her, the engine humming. Biting her lip, she looked back: the jeep backed up quickly and headed back toward the highway, leaving her in total darkness.

On shaky legs, Veronica knelt beside the body, which was lying on its back. Trembling, she leaned over him and pressed her fingers to his neck, trying to feel the beating vein. Her own heart pounded deafeningly in her ears. She froze in suspense; finally she felt a faint beat...a second...beat! Blood-stained eyelashes trembled. The boy opened his eyes and stared at her with a clouded gaze. 

"You're alive," she sighed in relief, smiling happily. He nodded stiffly; his lips curled into a pained grin. "My God, you really are alive!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," he murmured, barely audible.

"What? Why?" the smile vanished from her face before it could fully appear. 

"Why would here be an angel?"

It took a moment for the meaning of his words to sink in. 

"Are you flirting with me?" Veronica snorted in surprise and put her hand over her mouth. "What a time!"

"Well, I almost died...and I think I still might...seems like a good time to me," he paused to catch his breath, "and maybe I could get a kiss from Veronica Sawyer...don't you think?" catching her surprised look, he wiggled his eyebrows mockingly and immediately groaned in pain. "Sorry, I'm a little... out of shape."

"Don't move, you need to keep your strength down until someone shows up," Ronnie sat closer and gently moved his head into her lap. He moaned through clenched teeth. Her skirt was instantly soaked with blood and the sharp metallic smell made her sick again. She swallowed the lump in her throat and continued in a deliberately cheerful voice, "So you know me? I'm sorry, I don't remember your name, but you look familiar to me too.

"Jason Dean, greetings and salutations, babe," his breathing quickened badly, rushing out of his lungs with a raspy wheeze. “We went to high school together... senior year.... It was great to finally see...you fight back against that asshole trio.”

"J.D.!" she gasped, finally recognizing his face under the bloody mask. "You're the guy with the gun who kicked those jerks' asses, Kurt and Rem!"

"That's right," he grinned grimly, focusing his cloudy gaze on her, "I think one of those jerks... you started dating then? "

"Only until graduation, and then I forgot that time like a bad dream. Were you keeping tabs on my love life?" Veronica snorted and gently brushed the hair from his face. J.D. hummed indefinitely, then closed his eyes and fell silent. The wheezing that came out of his mouth sounded especially loud in the silence of the night. 

A cold shiver ran down her spine. Unable to help herself, she sobbed quietly: "Keep talking to me, okay? Please...I'm so scared," her voice trailed off. Instantly regretting, Veronica faded into silence.

"I didn't know you were afraid of the dark," J.D. struggled to open his eyes and smiled faintly. "You seemed so tough... when you went up against that bitch... But the end got a little... slurred, though."

"I'm such a coward, you have no clue," she shook her head with a bitter laugh and gently removed her hand from his cheek. "I almost left with them, I really thought about it for a while. I almost left you here to die..."

"Almost doesn't count, honey," he objected with a frown, then suddenly grinned. "Otherwise we'd be together by now... I almost asked you out... on a date at school."

"Too bad you didn't," Ronnie laughed unhappily, running her hand through his tangled hair, "I would have definitely said yes... I have a crush on you and Heather used to tease me about it all the time."

"So I... have a chance?" panted J.D., his eyes suddenly rolling up. He went limp in her lap. 

"J.D.?" cried Veronica in horror, pressing her fingers to his neck and counting the beats; his heart was still beating, but it seemed a little weaker. "J.D., please keep talking to me! Please don't leave me here alone... please..."

She thought it was the wheezing that frightened her - but the silence frightened her even more. Veronica sobbed uncontrollably, hot tears falling on his face. J.D. reluctantly opened his eyes, "I'm fine, I just... took a little nap," he raised his hand forcibly and ran his fingers over her tear-stained cheek. "Don't cry... it'll be okay."

"I'm sorry about the whole waterfall, I'm... just please hold on," she bit her lip painfully, trying to pull herself together, "it's almost dawn, someone's bound to come. Just hold on a little longer, okay?"

"And if I do," he grinned weakly, dropping his hand exhaustedly, "will you kiss me?" 

"A thousand times," Ronnie nodded, laughing hysterically. 

"Careful... with your words..." the pauses in his words became longer and cold sweat broke out on his face. Talking seemed to become more difficult by the second. "Because I will count..."

She wiped the tears from her eyes, still giggling nervously. Her soul was muddy. She should be the one supporting J.D. after what she'd done, and instead he was doing his best to comfort her. 

Suddenly, there was a strange sound in the air. The shadows of the trees lengthened dramatically. Veronica lifted her head and saw the outline of a car around the corner. 

"This way, we're here!" she called loudly, turning to J.D., unable to hide a happy smile. "Someone's coming, you hear? You're going to be saved... J.D.? Wake up, please! J.D.? Wake up, please! "

***

He still didn't understand how he had survived. The doctors said he should have been dead long before he got to the hospital, from painful shock and massive blood loss. Maybe he wasn't died because of some damned etiquette: it would have been terribly ugly to die in the lap of a very pretty crying girl. Dramatic, sure, but... he'd outgrown the drama. 

J.D. wouldn't tell anyone about the accident, just lie that he'd missed a turn at high speed and hit a tree. If he did, the bitch would probably put all the blame on Veronica. And that would be very unfair. 

Even if she hadn't kept her own promise. When J.D. opened his eyes, Veronica wasn't there, just a bunch of white coats with blurry faces. He hadn't expected her to stay, though frankly he would have liked... not an apology, no, just her presence. And, of course, the promised kiss, even if it was only one in a thousand. 

Then again, maybe he'd just imagined her? For all he knew, Veronica Sawyer had left Sherwood right after graduation. It would be a crazy coincidence to meet his first love on a deserted dirt road in the middle of the woods... wouldn't it?

He almost managed to convince himself that it was just his brain trying to keep him on the edge. 

A pretty successful attempt. 

The next morning greeted him with the usual background noise: the footsteps of nurses outside the door, the hum of machines, the crackle of old fluorescent lights, and the rustle of pages being turned. He frowned - that last one was very strange. There was no one to visit him: he and his father had stopped pretending to be a family when he turned eighteen, J.D. hadn't made any friends, and he hadn't gotten a girlfriend - it just hadn't happened. 

He opened his eyes and stared at Veronica sitting in the chair. 

"You here?" he blurted out hoarsely. She perked up and put the book down with an embarrassed smile. "Uh... I'm glad to see you."

"I'm so glad you're finally awake," Ronnie got up and came closer, crouching carefully on the edge of the couch. Her hand timidly reached for his, but she immediately pulled it away. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner... I know you were already awake, but I couldn't get to the hospital in time: I had to change my tickets to stay longer in Sherwood."

"I thought I'd just imagined you," he blurted out, looking at her greedily in the bright light of the hospital lamps. "That you were some kind of near-death hallucination."

Veronica suddenly leaned in and touched his lips gently with her own. The kiss was fleeting; he barely had time to realize it was over. She pulled herself up and looked at him uncertainly. He stared back, stunned.

"Are you going to say something?" unable to bear the hanging pause, Veronica smiled nervously. "I was just thinking... "

"First," J.D. smiled dumbly, cutting her off halfway. 

"What?" she frowned, confused.

"It was the first of a promised thousand."

________________

here a link if you want to give me the kudos <3

[pettyrevenge-base]

You're going to lie to the police? I'll go along with it I guess.

So I got into a car accident a few days ago. It was minor but mostly my fault. I was doing a k turn out of a residential driveway on a busy street and while backing up, hit a car that was speeding to get past. No airbags were deployed and both cars were completely drivable. This accident happened about 4:45.

In the car was a middle aged father and mother with a toddler in a carseat in the back next to the door that was hit. This family does not speak English.

The father got out of the car and did the immediate "look at my damage" woahs that come with an accident. He tells me there's a baby in the back and shows me the still sleeping child. His wife immediately gets on the phone with who I believe is the police. We pull into a parking lot to get off the busy road and wait. About 20 minutes later I grabbed their hubcap out of the road and handed it to the gentleman and he opened the back door again and showed me the sleeping baby.

It's now about 5:40 and the couple's niece and her bf show up. They immediate demand money to fix the car and I told them we'll go through insurance. She asks several times if I REALLY want to go that way and I told her there was no way I had the money to fix both cars, so insurance it is. SHE proceeds to call the police at that point. The aunt was on the phone with her and not the police?! Ugh fine I'll wait even longer for the police to come then.

Around 615 the toddler finally wakes up and starts crying. It's now been asleep for at least an hour and a half and most likely is hungry. At 630 the cops show up and ask the niece if the baby needs paramedics, and the niece (who didn't show up up until almost an hour after the initial collision) starts to lie to the police about how the baby has been crying since the accident and to send them.

I've been in a few accidents over my years as a driver and now I'm starting to smell what this really is, insurance scam. I look through my dash cam and was able to prove they sped through a red light right before the driveway where I turned from. When the cop came to ask me what happened I told him my side of the events and showed the dash cam proving the light was red in the direction they claimed to be coming from.

For good measure I told the police that the baby only started crying about 15 minutes prior to when they got there. The niece started screaming that I was lying. I then told the police officer "If what she says is true then I'd like to make a claim against them for child endangerment. They claim that baby was crying for the last 2 hours from the accident and never once did they call 911 for medical assistance. They called their niece to come here instead of emergency services and only asked for them AFTER they were offered. The car seat also isn't center mounted like required by state law and should be cited."

At that point the niece is calling me every name in the book like she just found I cheated on her from Jerry Springer. I then calmly tell the officer that my dashcam was running the entire time we were stopped and have it on record when the child woke up. The officer looked at her and said "ma'am it's a crime to lie on a police report, was the baby crying since the accident?" All of a sudden she now "had to check with her aunt and uncle to find out."

She withdrew her claim and the officer tossed out her "witness statement" because she wasn't an actual witness to anything. Hopefully no bullshit lawsuit comes from it!

Source: reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge

[trenidy-della]

I almost feel like I have been handling the recent stresses in my life too calmly.

My youngest step son was diagnosed with epilepsy on his first day of high school. He had an amazing first day and then was sitting at his computer like he normally does in the evening and just collapsed with a seizure. He went to the hospital via ambulance and had two more grand maul seizures through the night. He had one more later in the week, but it was a small tonic seizure. He has been free of them since his meds were upped to a higher dose for the last month. Then he had one at school today. He apparently felt it coming and got himself to the nurse before it came on. Then we were sitting at dinner this evening and he felt another one coming. It came on slow with an eye twitch that spread to a full clonic. It didn't last very long though the whole thing is tense and does feel like it is taking forever in the moment.

For both the initial incident a little over a month ago and today's I feel like I have handled it with more grace than expected. My anxiety is pretty high, but I am still functioning and getting stuff done. When my anxiety level gets too high usually I struggle with shutting down.

And while everything with the 14 year old is stressful enough, I have more on my plate than that. I have a new role as a Math Department Chair at my school, a department more than double the size of the staff that I had last year. We have been down two full teachers the whole year. Well mostly. We got one position filled briefly and then they quit after a week. So that has been great. (I am trying not to believe in curses, but damn, if the math department isn't cursed sometimes.) I FINALLY am supposed to have the department fully staffed by next week but I have been fielding a lot of angry parent emails and phone calls. I don't always do well with parents, and have spent a decent number of years in my career as a teacher actively avoiding parents if possible. Yet somehow I am almost revelling in dealing with the parents, as much as their disgruntled nature at the moment is stressing me out.

I've been able to count on everyone coming to work, or letting me know when something is wrong. The team comes to me and communicates with me. Which is awesome so that we can plan ahead and take care of issues as soon as possible, like covering classes this afternoon when one of the teachers got into a car accident this morning on the way to work. (She is okay. Very shaken up and had her airbag deployed so she will be out a few days.) This communication was not what I was getting from my smaller department last year. (One of the members of my team last year did a no-call, no-show AGAIN this year. I wrote him up for it at least 3 times last year. Their new manager is trying not to lose her mind.)

In addition to Department Chair and Sick Kid, I have also stepped up one of my secondary job titles of Lead Technology Liaison. I'[ve been meeting with the IT staff regularly to help finish the last of our transitions from our old parent company, and make sure that everything that we are doing in the process makes sense and is as seamless as possible. They are a great group and I am really enjoying working with them. It feels like we are finally making some positive changes that we were not able to make with our multinational giant corporate conglomerate overlords from before.

Oh... and did I mention that my Math Department is also onboarding as many people as all of the other departments combined? We had to clear house last year because of soooo much awful dead weight that was contributing to the downfall of our academic program. (When the kids say they learned nothing, I very much believed them.)

And while the list of stressors imply that I should be ready to collapse under the weight of it.... I feel like I'm not. I feel like I am rising to the occasion far better than I had to last year's challenges. I feel like I have calm and rationality in the face of it all, even when I feel like I have no reason to be.

I'm still not drinking, which I think has helped. I have continued to go to the gym and I work with a personal trainer at least once a week. My eating habits are okay... my sugar consumption is a little fucked since that seems to be the one place where my stress is really manifesting. Some dark chocolate something is just... *chef's kiss* when I want to run screaming from my responsibilities. I otherwise eat pretty healthy. Mostly "low carb" but high fiber and high protein.

I also did not expect this to get this long.

[casspurrjoybell-33]

Wreckless - Repairs done

*Warning Adult Content*

Finnegan Walker rolled over with a groan, his hand flying towards his alarm clock and coming down with a resounding thud. Of course that didn't work so he had to run his fingertips along the top of the torture device to find the right button. One of his father's companies really needed to invent a better alarm clock. Why was his so loud today? The next question to pop into his mind was why he felt like he'd been clubbing last night. Not that he did it much anymore, he'd been on the fairly straight and narrow since leaving college but he certainly hadn't forgotten what it felt like afterwards. Strike that, not straight but very, very narrow, especially since relocating to Baltimore. He'd been on the East Coast since just after Christmas, attempting to pull a newly acquired company up by its' bootstraps.

He knew why his father had bought it and as vice president of Walker Industries, he would have done the exact same thing and had told his father so but that didn't mean it wasn't going to be a struggle to get the business profitable and switched over to producing the circuit boards they needed for the airplane instrumentation that they were developing. It meant a lot to him that his father trusted him to handle such an important task. At least all the new equipment was in place and most of the new training was finished. That had been the easy part. The harder part was convincing the former employees who had stayed on that he was, in fact, in charge. He was used to men old enough to be his father scoffing and heckling at his orders. He was used to the pushback, to the fact that they thought they knew more than him.

He didn't like it but he was used to it. It took a few minutes longer than usual for Finnegan to get vertical and out of bed and he winced as the bathroom light came on. When he opened his eyes, things got even worse. He looked like he'd been on the losing end of a fight. Two black eyes, his nose swollen and still sore and a weird patch on his cheek that felt like rug burn. Oh, at least he found his missing contact. It had managed to work its way down into the corner of his eye while he slept. Gross... there was no way he was going to go into the office today. He called his executive assistant Megan and asked her to screen and forward his calls.

She was surprised by his request simply because it was the first personal day he'd taken but knew better than to ask questions. He had one conference call later but he would simply turn off his laptop camera and pretend he was having technical difficulties. He dug around in his kitchen drawer for two Advil and washed them down with some orange juice before making himself a bowl of cereal. His furnished apartment had come supplied with two small TV trays in the living room closet so he pulled them both out and made himself a makeshift desk on his couch. It would do. Luckily it was Friday and he wouldn't have to hide from the office for too many days before he looked like himself again. Emmett Locke was surprised to find Peter in the office when he dragged himself into work at 8:30 the next morning.

"Morning boss."

"Hey Emmett. You know you're not on the schedule today, right? Hey, do you know anything about this Mercedes?" he asked, pointing towards the metallic blue car on the side of the lot.

"Unfortunately, I do. Got into a little accident last night. I was wondering if you'd mind me using a bay."

Peter raised his eyebrows and Emmett knew exactly what that meant. This was his second accident since Peter had taken over three months ago.

"Go for it. How's yours?"

"Better than his, somehow. I'll pay for the parts, obviously."

Peter just gave him a wry smile and nodded his head, then handed him the keys. Emmett knew that just replacing the airbag that had deployed would probably cost him a grand or two and by the looks of it, yeah, he was gonna need a new bumper as well. The hood didn't look too bad and he was pretty good at bodywork so he hoped it would be salvageable. Thinking about the airbag made him wonder about Finnegan and how the punk felt this morning.

He knew he really shouldn't care since this accident wasn't his fault anyway and now he was paying for it but he couldn't help but wonder. Three hours later he had the steering wheel back on, the dents banged out of the hood and the new paint drying. It was almost as good as new. He decided to take a break and grabbed a bottle of water from the machine before heading outside. He was leaning against the wall when Tristan, Peter's boyfriend, pulled into the lot. He got out gracefully, flashing Emmett a bright smile.

"Hiya, Emmett."

"Hi, Tristan. Come to drag the boss away?"

"You know me so well. Yes, it's gorgeous out and I decided it was a good day to ride. We're picking up Angie later and it's going to rain tomorrow so it's now or never. I assume he's pretending to work on that mustang?"

The two of them cracked him up. Tristan knew as well as Emmett did that Peter had spent years on that mustang and had gotten a lot of work done on it but even he had to admit that Peter was to the point where the progress wasn't obvious.

"Actually he mentioned finding a carburetor earlier in the week. Maybe it's in."

That would explain why he was here working.

"Sure, uh huh," Tristan teased

"I know I'm never going to actually get to DRIVE that car."

All Emmett could do was shrug.

"Of course, I can't complain. It's a lot of fun even standing still."

Emmett's eyes widened and he tried not to laugh. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what Tristan was implying but wasn't sure he knew either of them well enough to say anything about it outright and confirm his suspicion so he played it safe.

"Is that so? I'll keep that in mind."

Tristan cocked his head to the side and grinned.

"I'm gonna head in and try not to cause a disaster. Have a good weekend, Emmett."

"You too."

He pulled Finnegan Walker's card out of his wallet and typed the number into his cell-phone. The paint wasn't quite dry but there was no reason not to set something up now to get it back to him. Besides, he knew Finnegan was a little bit worried about his car and might be relieved to hear from him. He wasn't expecting a woman to answer the phone.

"Walker Industries, Vice President Finnegan Walker's line. How may I assist you?"

The business card he held his hand didn't say anything about Walker industries, it simply had a fancy seal in the upper left-hand corner and Finnegan's name and number embossed in silver on a neat, white card stock. Did she say vice president? And Walker industries? Damn, now the little roadster made a lot of sense. The littlle punk was obviously doing very well for himself. Luckily Emmett wasn't the kind of person to be intimidated by titles.

"I need to speak to Finnegan Walker about returning his car."

"His car? Your name, Sir?"

"Emmett Locke."

"Please hold."

And with that, annoying music filled his ear. Before long, she was back.

"I'll transfer you. Have a nice day."

"Hello, Emmett."

Finnegan honestly hadn't expected to hear from the man today and maybe never at all. If he had, he would've given poor Megan a heads-up because she had been very confused.

"Hi, Finnegan. The car's all set, just waiting for the paint to dry. You can pick it up anytime after 2:00 p.m."

Finnegan took off his glasses and squeezed the bridge of his nose very carefully. Picking up his car would be a huge pain in the ass after staring at the screen all day and he really wasn't sure if he was up for driving. The headache he'd battled since he woke up was still throbbing. Being without the car all weekend sounded even worse.

"Are you there?" Emmett asked, worried by the silence.

"Oh yeah, sorry, just figuring something out. You caught me off guard, I hadn't made any plans yet. I have a conference call at three o'clock," he said, thinking out loud.

Emmett really didn't want to spend another night waiting around for someone to pick up their car.

"Need me to drop it off to you?" he asked, glad that the accident had happened close by.

He assumed Finnegan lived nearby as well or at least on his way home, although that Mercedes was definitely out of place in his neighborhood. Heck, most neighborhoods. As long as he didn't have to go downtown, it would be fine. Plus it gave him an excuse to drive it which would definitely help to make up for the huge pain in the ass Finnegan was simply because he didn't know how to drive.

"Would you?" Finnegan exclaimed, relief flooding his voice.

"That would be great."

Maybe this weekend and this day wasn't shot to hell quite as much as he had assumed. He didn't want to give Emmett the chance to change his mind.

"I'm on Federal Hill."

'Federal Hill? What the hell had Finnegan Walker been doing out near... Route Forty?'

Fine, he'd have to take the tunnel but as long as he got out of here soon. Traffic would be okay and he could call Andy to pick him up or just take the bus. What a pain. Emmett could think of a lot of things he'd rather be doing on his day off. Maybe he'd hang around the city for awhile or catch the ferry to Fells Point. May as well make something of the evening. He had options. 

"Fine, text your address to this number."  

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

Daryl's entire body is rigid as he realized that she was climbing between the seats to join him in the front. He would give anything to go back five minutes and say fuck the bridge and fuck the van. There were other ways to the hospital, and he'd picked the worst one. Now he had to hope like hell that this didn't fucking get her killed. He braced himself against the door frame as his head snapped around at the sound of her seatbelt clicking into place. He heard her tell him to buckle up, too. He relunctantly snapped his own into place. He could see how hard she was breathing, and he wished he could tell her they would be okay, but he didn't know if they would make it out of this alive.

He put his hand on the dashboard in order to help brace as the van started to tip forward. He felt her hand on his and that only made the fear of getting her killed worse. He insisted, "You hold on." What he meant was that she couldn't leave him, that she had to hold on for him not matter what.

As the van slid the rest of the way off bridge, he felt the tears coming to his eyes. If they survived, things between them had to change. She had to know what she meant to him. He wouldn't go another day being a goddamn coward.

It was as if by some miracle the van evened out on its way down and landed on all four wheels. It landed hard and the airbags deployed which hurt like hell all over his entire body, but he was alive. His eyes instantly went to the passenger seat. He held his breath until he saw her move. He groaned as the pain radiated through his body, but he managed to reach over and unlatch her seatbelt as a walker landed on the hood of the van with a loud thud.

@wexarethewalkingxdead

               carol   was   in   pure   panic   mode.      she   could   feel   the   adrenaline   coursing   through   her   veins,   it   was   the   only   thing   keeping   her   from   completely   breaking   down.      probable   death   awaited   them   on   either   side   of   this   van.      either   through   the   back   into   the   rotted   teeth   of   the   dead,   or   through   the   front   where   the   van   would   tip   over   the   bridge   and   kill   them   once   it   hit   the   ground.      the   question   now   wasn’t   which   path   was   safer,   but   which   death   would   hurt   less?

               optimism   really   wasn’t   her   strong   suit,   especially   these   days.

               a   shaky   breath   leaves   her   as   daryl   inches   towards   the   drivers   seat.      even   his   careful   motions   cause   the   van   to   rock,   which   just   confirms   their   presence   inside   and   keeps   the   dead   interested.      the   creaking   of   the   van,   the   thuds   of   decaying   hands   pounding   the   back   doors   is   like   sensory   overload.      she’s   one   terrifying   sound   away   from   having   a   full   on   panic   attack.

               daryl’s   words   do   little   to   comfort   her,   in   fact   they   just   reaffirm   her   panicked   state.      this   van   was   unstable,   and   they   were   going   down.      sooner   rather   than   later.      her   choice   now   was   relatively   simple.      get   up   front,   buckle   up   and   pray   the   airbags   do   their   job.      carefully   she   creeps   to   the   front,   and   she   can’t   stop   the   whimper   of   fear   that   leaves   her   as   she   sits   herself   in   the   passenger   seat.      shaking   hands   grab   the   seatbelt,   clicking   it   in   and   securing   her   to   the   seat.      she   glances   over   at   him,   expression   full   of   worry.      ❝   you   buckle   up   too.   ❞      she   manages   to   speak,   only   in   hopes   of   keeping   daryl   alive   too   if   they   somehow   manage   to   survive   this.

[justoneofthoseghosts]

Chenford + “why didn’t you call?”

"Why didn't you call?"

Lucy turns to face the voice. Of course it was Tim. He looked worried and it made Lucy pause in her actions. She closes her locker, sighing softly.

"It was just a small accident, Tim, nothing to worry about."

That was technically not a lie. Lucy had gotten into a fender bender last night which resulted in a trip to the emergency room to get checked out. Chris had gone with her and while she felt slightly shellshocked, thankfully she did not have a concussion. She did need to get some minor stitches on her temple as a result of slamming her head onto the airbag when it deployed due to the impact of the collision. The doctor had cleared her for duty and she didn't feel the need to take a sick day. She'd rather be here anyway.

"That bandage along your hairline says otherwise," Tim points out, his face hardening a bit, frowning.

"I didn't want to bother you," she tells him softly as her hand comes up to the bandaged stitches, touching them involuntarily.

Truth be told, she didn't know where she stood with Tim these days. They were sort of friendly, making small talk in the shop as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles but it had never been quite the same ever since Tim made Sargent. Lucy could not put her finger on what caused the change. She could analyze it all she wanted but she always drew a blank. Besides, Tim had Ashley now. Ashley, the lifeguard, who he could spend more time with together with Kojo, who could take him to trendy restaurants he absolutely hated.

Woah, she pauses her thoughts, where was all this angst coming from?

She takes a deep breath before meeting his eye.

Tim Bradford was an enigma wrapped in a question mark but somehow, the way the he was looking at her now made her feel like butterflies were flying in her stomach. There was this look of care and sincerity on his face after what she just uttered and it made her want to ask what he wanted from her, to demand an explanation, to question why he even cared.

"You could never bother me," he admits quietly.

There's a brief silence that hangs in the air between them, like a hush has come over the space. Lucy still doesn't know what to make of it so she simply nods and sends a small smile his way.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks Tim."

She turns around, off to morning briefing as quick as her legs would take her. Anything to get out of here. She manages to take a step before he speaks again. It's just loud enough for her to hear and she thinks this might be his intention.

"Ashley and I broke up last night."

[fruitgoat]

Today was one of those days that are like 12 and half days. My parents were having a family friend over for dinner and based on the menu I had agreed to cook as usual. I got to the main house about a minute and a half after Family Friend - I took five minutes in the Annex when I got home to try to calm the fuck down because I'd been running on sugar, adrenaline, and spite most of the day. I came in just as my mom was telling her I was running late. She asked if I got "stuck behind that accident too." I unfortunately knew exactly which car accident she was talking about. I just kinda sighed and said, "yeah, but it was my fourth accident of the day." I had to elaborate (while unpacking the groceries and starting dinner prep). Yes, there was the one at 99 and Conifer. There was also the one at Harrison and 9th. There was a (small) one at 3rd and Van Buren when I made a post office run this afternoon. And there was the one this morning (exact location unknown, but a good 50 miles south) wherein My Boss's husband apparently totaled their car. (He's okay, the airbag didn't even deploy. But it sounded like the car was going to be a total loss.) Family Friend was all, "well, let's just be glad we weren't there 15 minutes earlier when it would have been us." I pointed out that if I hadn't detoured around the 9th & Harrison accident that's exactly where I would have been. Everyone just looked at me. My dad noticed I was still practically vibrating and asked if there Anything Else. "Well.... I volunteered to give Boss a ride home so she could get the truck and pick up Dog when he got out of surgery, because obviously Husband couldn't get him up as planned and like ALL the streets were closed so it took us three times as long. Then when I got back to work, I researched whether Boss's Liability Insurance can cover New Boss and/or if her insurance starts immediately (or even retroactively) because she's pretty sure she'll end up needing to testify under oath before some kind of court about all the malfeasance she's found for this one client and the ink on her business license is barely dry. Plus, Loretta Lynn." My Dad (perfectly) just asked if I wanted a San Pel. (I don't drink anymore and my dad cut back on the sugar so a grapefruit san pellegrino is kinda our Hard Time Drink.)