“When you’re ready.”
“She stepped out in front of the car,” I croak, tears rolling down my cheeks. “She looked right at me, and just stepped out.”
“You’re saying she wasn’t already on the road?” Jack asks.
“No, she wasn’t. I know what I saw, and she most certainly stepped in front of me.”
Jack nods, but I can already see the doubt in his eyes. “What happened next?”
“It was all so fast after that. I hit her and . . . oh God, I hit her. I hit her. I crushed her. I felt the car slam into her body. The sound . . .”
I put my head in my hands and sob hysterically.
I hurt that girl.
I hurt her because I wasn’t watching.
If I was watching, it never would have happened.
“It’s okay, Callie. Please, breathe. You’re going to be okay.”
“Is she . . . is the girl okay, Jack?”
Jack looks to my mother, and then back to me, “I’m sorry, but she passed away on the scene.”
I don’t hear anything he says after that.
My screams are so loud they fill the room.
I just went from being a sixteen-year-old girl . . . to a murderer.
I CAN’T HEAR WHAT SHE’S saying.
My mother is talking frantically to me, something about lawyers, and money, and how bad this is going to look. She’s going on about the family, and how angry they’re going to be when they find out what I did.
What I did.
I killed that girl.
I killed her because I wasn’t watching where I was going.
I killed her because I wanted fun more than I wanted to stay at home and just be a normal kid.
I killed her.
Her family are going to hate me. They have every right to.
They’re going to want my blood, and why shouldn’t they? That girl was no older than me, and now she’s gone.
She’s gone forever.
There is no coming back from that.
Nothing can ever bring her home.
She’ll never taste ice cream again, or feel the sand beneath her toes, or smell the incredible smells that come from a burger shop, or fall in love, get her first kiss, get married and have babies.
That’s all because of me. Because of me and some stupid mistake.
I don’t know what I’m supposed to do right now except sit here and wait. Just wait for the police to come in and take me away. Just wait for her family to call me a monster, and a murderer, and fight until I’m no longer allowed to walk freely. And they should, shouldn’t they? Do they not have that right? That love for their child?
Of course they do.
Police come in and out over the course of the next hour, and I find out what happened to all of my friends. Jessika got crushed in the car and had to have surgery to remove her leg. She’s stable, but I’ve ruined the rest of her life, too. She now has to go through the best years of her life missing a leg and feeling miserable, all because of me. Because of one stupid mistake.
Sophie is okay, but she’s messed up. She had a few injuries, including a broken collar bone, arm, and leg. She’s going to recover well, but she’s really traumatized by the whole thing. I get that. I really do. It was terrifying.
Joanne is okay. Somehow, she suffered the least amount of damage. She’s got a few cuts and bruises, but someone was watching over her because she’s going to be just fine. She’s my best friend, and I’m desperate to see her, mostly so I have someone to talk to, but I don’t even know if she wants to talk with me.
Why would she?
I just created hell for her.
The worst part of it is none of them saw anything.
They were all scouring the floor for the can, so not one person saw the girl step out in front of me. Nobody saw it. Which means I’m alone when I share this part of the story. As far as they’re concerned, I’m the only one claiming it, and I know what they’re thinking . . . I’m just saying that to get out of the charges.
But I’m not.
I’m not.
I’m telling the truth.
Her eyes, they were broken.
She was broken.
Nobody is going to believe me, though.
I’m alone.
Completely alone.
About to face the worst thing I could ever face in this world.
4
NOW – CALLIE
Have you got a criminal record?
I stare down at the line on the application form for a waitress job I’m applying for, and I wonder what will happen if I say no? Will they look? Will they check further? Do they do a background check, or do they just say they do? If they don’t, and I get the job, and they find out later, can I get into trouble?
I don’t know.
I literally have no idea.
All I know is I need a job, I need something to get me started, but I don’t know how I’m going to do that when every job application I’ve filled out has asked if I have a criminal record.
