~ Blurry ~

by

Sherri Fulmer Moorer

Kirsten checked her watch, shifting around nervously. Jake was late. He always kept her waiting. She shouldn’t put up with it. Didn’t he know how dangerous it was for a young woman to wait outside a dark building, alone? Yet she did it again and again, knowing it was wrong.

In more ways than one.

She was taking her cell phone out of her purse when she heard footsteps. Blowing a sigh of relief, she snapped it shut.

“It’s about time you showed up…” she trailed off, dropping her phone.

Danny smiled as he rounded the corner. “Waiting for someone?”

“What are you doing here?” Kirsten snapped, pushing her blonde hair behind her ear. “I thought you had a race tonight.”

He smiled and threw up his hands in an exaggerated shrug. “I’m just taking a stroll on a winter evening. It seems a lot of action takes place around here on the weekend. I figured I might as well have a piece of it.” He looked around. “What are you doing here?”

Kirsten tried to suppress a shudder. Even in the dark, she swore his red hair and green eyes were flaring like they always did when he got angry. She straightened up and looked him in the eye. “I’m meeting a friend who’s helping me with some stuff.”

Danny laughed. “The heck you are.” He grabbed her arm and slammed her against the wall. “Why don’t you be straight with me, Kirsten? We’re in the back of the University dorms! Just admit it. You’re here to meet your other boyfriend!”

She tried to wiggle free but knew she wouldn’t succeed when his grip tightened. Looking around, she saw the alley was empty. Where was Jake? Shouldn’t he be here by now? It was clear there would be no happy ending. Her plans were ruined. She had to fend for herself. “You can’t handle the truth,” she hissed, glaring at Danny.

Danny laughed again and loosened his grip. “Would I be here if I couldn’t handle the truth?”

Kirsten sighed. “You want it straight? Fine! I’m meeting a guy here.”

“Why are you hooking up with guys on campus when you have a boyfriend at home?”

“Don’t do this, Danny. This is awkward enough. Look, it’s over between us.” She glanced around. “Why don’t you just leave?”

He grabbed her by both shoulders and slammed her against the wall again, hard enough that she saw spots. She cried out in pain.

“Why, Kirsten? Why did you do this to me? What have I done to deserve this?”

She laughed bitterly. “I did it because I hate you. You’re an awful person!”

Her laughter was cut off by a slap. The force of it knocked her down. Fortunately, the spots had cleared. She grabbed her phone and dashed for her car. Danny was right behind her, and she knew she couldn’t outrun him. Looking around, she saw a stack of bricks against the building from construction on the adjacent parking garage. She grabbed a few and threw them at Danny. Luck was with her. He dodged every brick except the last one, which hit him in the stomach. He stopped and doubled over, giving her enough time to dash around the corner and jump in her car. She started the engine just as Danny threw himself on the hood. Screaming, she shifted the car in reverse and slammed the gas pedal against the floor. It worked – the inertia threw him off the car. Backing into the road, she breathed a prayer of relief for the fact that no traffic was coming. Once she was on the road, she picked up her cell phone and checked it. Thankfully, the damage was mostly cosmetic. The battery needed to be snapped back into place, but otherwise there were only a few scratches. She squeezed it, hesitating. Who should she call? Jake had abandoned her. Most of her friends were an hour away. She remembered that Rachel and Natalie were on campus for Band Clinic. Maybe they could help. They used to be friends but drifted apart since she and Danny started dating. That was natural. It’s hard being friends with someone when you’re dating her ex-boyfriend. Shaking her head, Kirsten realized she had little choice. They were all she had right now. She flipped open the phone and dialed a number she was surprised she still had in her contact list.

“Hi, this is Rachel. I’m at Band Clinic, so I won’t be able to talk to you until Monday. Have a great weekend!”

Just her luck; she got voicemail. Natalie recently got a new cell phone and she didn’t have the new number, so it was Rachel or nothing.

“Rachel, this is Kirsten. I know I’m the last person you expect to hear from, but I need your help. I just broke up with Danny and he’s angry. I barely got away from him, and I’m scared. It’s nine o’clock Saturday night. I’m on campus. I was hoping you could let me stay with you and Natalie tonight. Please give me a call if you get this message.” She snapped the phone closed. She pressed the brake at a curve in the road, but the car wasn’t slowing.

“Now what?” She asked to no one in particular. She put more pressure on the brake, but it went straight to the floor and nothing happened. She panicked as she saw a road sign indicating a curve ahead. She knew there was a bridge over a river just around that curve. She pumped her brakes and tried to pull her car toward the shoulder on the opposite side of the road but a car coming around the curve forced her to swerve. Her car spun out of control. She tried to pull up the parking brake but it was too late.

She screamed as the car bounced down the cliff, into the cold water below.