Living In The Shadows

I jumped up and pumped my fist through the air like I won some great athletic match.

"Fantastic! I'll pick you up at 8."

I shouted, "Yes!" so loudly I feared they heard me at Melanie's house.

I needed to burn off the nervous energy. I went to my workout room and ran on the treadmill until I was gassed.

***Melanie***

I was shocked. He asked me out after calling me on my tutoring bluff. Oh well. It was the end result that mattered, right? And he said he liked me! I jumped out of bed and did a happy dance that was so loud, Keri ran into the room to see what was going on.

"He asked me out!" I shrieked.

She smiled, and said, "Bitch."

"Sorry, but he practically melted me when we were talking. Oh, my God! I wanted to jump on his lap and break my cherry the first time he smiled at me."

She laughed and said, "Goodnight, Mrs. Steel."

I threw a pillow at her back as she left my room. "Mrs. Steel." I liked the sound of that.

When I woke the next morning, I realized I forgot to set my alarm. I panicked when I saw it was quarter to eight.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." I lamented as I rushed past Keri into the bathroom. She laughed.

I had to take the world's fastest shower, pick an outfit, and put on makeup faster than I ever considered. I knew it couldn't happen. When the hot water hit my skin, I decided to take my time and let him wait for me. Lainey did it to Ken a few times. He never minded. Well, he never openly complained about it.

I got out of the shower at eight on the dot, and saw he wasn't there yet. I felt relieved and set about picking out my cutest top to go with my hottest jeans.

As I closed my lip gloss, I heard the doorbell ring. Then my cell started ringing. I saw that it was Lainey, so I ignored it. I figured I'd call her later. Joe was more important. I heard Keri let him in and then my phone rang again. It was my mom.

I got pissed and turned off the ringer.

I walked downstairs and saw Keri hugging Joe. He looked sick and white as a ghost. It was also clear he'd been crying.

"What happened?" I asked rushing to him.

"Jim had an accident on set. They don't think he's gonna make it." Keri said.

He fell to his knees, and I hugged him as the tears fell from my eyes too.

Keri turned on the TV and it was all over the news. Jim fell while doing a stunt. His safety harness failed, and he fell twenty feet missing the air pillow that was on the ground that was supposed to protect him. They actually had cell phone footage of the accident. It looked awful.

I pulled him to the couch and held him as we watched the story unfold. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out. That time, it was Ken calling.

I answered, "Ken, holy shit, we're watching the news. Do you know how he is? No one is saying anything other than he may not make it."

"He's in surgery. Abby's on a plane already. Listen, Lainey and I are flying out as well. Can you try to get a hold of Joe for us? He's not answering his phone."

"He's here, Ken. He knows." I looked at Joe, "Where's your phone, baby?"

"I don't know. I saw what happened on TV and came right over. I guess I freaked out and left it at home."

"Hear that, Ken?" I asked.

"Yeah. Listen. Use your debit card and get him on a plane. He needs to get to the hospital right away. I talked to Jim's assistant who told me it's true, they aren't sure if he's going to make it."

I started sobbing. "Okay, I'll do whatever I have to."

The call ended and I said, "Keri, get on the computer and find us tickets to Hollywood. They gotta have an airport, right?"

She shrugged and said, "I'll figure it out. Don't worry about it."

I lifted Joe's chin and kissed his forehead. "Joe, we're going to the hospital. Stay positive, he's gonna be okay."

He smiled a fake smile, and said, "You're right. He's Jim fucking Steel. Heroes never die."

I hugged him and said, "Let's go. We need to pack our bags. Keri and I are going along."

He stood and took a deep breath as he wiped the tears from his face. He straightened his spine, threw his shoulders back, and said, "You're right. I have to be strong. Let's..."

Suddenly, our attention was turned to the television. The news anchor looked serious as she said, "We just received word that Jim Steel died on the operating table from his internal injuries..."

To be continued...