Seeing Stars

Copyright all rights reserved to Monica Pereira 2013 
Smashwords Edition

Anne sat in her room as she thought about the prom she was yet to attend.  She was dressed in all the right clothes, but she worried that she wasn't good enough.  Most people speculated when they were not wearing school clothes, and she didn't like to be speculated upon.  She wanted to just show up and have fun -  but no doubt people were going to stare.  

“I might not go!”  gasped Anne as she shrivelled up inside.

“Anne!  Your prom date is waiting!”  gasped her father Adam.

Anne sucked in her breath as she tried to tell herself to be calm.  She didn't want to be calm and she fidgeted over the idea of phoning up her date on mobile to tell him she was sick. 

“That's is a stupid plan!”  she gasped before Adam opened her door.

“Anne, date is here;”  he said.  “You are set for the prom;”  he added.

“I don't think I am wearing everything right;”  muttered Anne as she tried to fidget with a jewellery box.

“You look fine;”  told Adam as he glared.  “Now go, have fun;”  he cheered.

Anne sucked in her breath and then she picked up her purse.  She walked past Adam and then she walked down the stairs.  At the front door Anne met Jacob.  Jacob looked okay, but his shirt wasn't ironed.  Anne narrowed her eyes as she saw he didn't even have a flower.  Anne sighed and walked up to Jacob and then she told him to take her to his car.

“Okay princess;”  told Jacob as he smirked and took her hand.

Anne was led to the car and inside she buckled up and looked to Jacob once again.  Jacob looked as though he were dead tired, and she knew that the prom was where he wanted to go the least.

“Are you sure you want to go to prom?”  asked Anne as she glared at him with narrowed eyes.

“Sure, I paid thirty dollars for a seat;”  he declared as he started the car.

“Well maybe you want to go to the beach or something?”  offered Anne as she glared at Jacob in plea for him to change his mind.

“No chance, I am going to eat my meal;”  he declared before he drove off.


Anne was led inside the prom room.  She didn't want to be there, she really didn't; and she shook inside of her skin.  She felt uncomfortable and people turned to look at her and Jacob, and the strangest thing was that she felt better only when they began to tell Jacob that he had a nice shirt.  Anne knew they were taunts, however Jacob brushed off their comments and waved with a grin on his face -  Anne smiled too; with him she could never be seen as a loser.

“I feel so good; I am glad I came;”  told Anne as she hugged Jacob's arm.

“I am glad too;”  he muttered.  “But later I will want to definitely get drunk;”  he added.


The prom came and went.  Anne and Jacob had a meal and a dance, and then they took their shoes to Jacob's car.  Inside of the car Anne took off her shoes and rubbed her feet as Jacob took out a cigarette and lit it.

“So what do want to do now?”  asked Anne as she glared at Jacob.

“I don't know -  Vegas?”  he asked as he raised his brows.

“You can't drive to Vegas;”  told Anne as she shook her head.

“I know;”  muttered Jacob as he rolled his eyes and then looked at the road.  “Do you want to get drunk?”  he asked.

“I don't get drunk, it's just drink to me;”  told Anne as she narrowed her eyes.

“Do you want to drink?”  asked Jacob as he raised his brows.

“I don't care;”  told Anne as she shook her head.  “I just don't want to walk;”  she declared.

“Okay;”  told Jacob as he checked his wallet for money.  “We'll buy some alcohol and have a night at the beach before I take you back home;”  he said.

“Sounds like a good plan;”  told Anne as she smiled.

“Cool;”  muttered Jacob before he started the car and drove.


Jacob and Anne sat in the back of the car and sipped on beer as they waited for the night to pass.  It was too cold and windy outside so they chose to stay inside of the car.  Jacob looked at Anne as she looked at the seat straight ahead -  she hadn't said much and he wondered why?

“Why aren't you talking?”  asked Jacob as he glared at Anne.

“Well I've been drinking;”  told Anne as she stared at Jacob.  “Slowly;”  she added.

“So have I;”  told Jacob as he glared back.  “But still you should talk;”  he added.

“Why don't you?”  asked Anne as she narrowed her eyes.

“I would like to;”  told Jacob as he glared at Anne.  “Did you like the prom?”  he asked to change the subject.

“It was okay;”  told Anne as she sighed.

“I don't know about you but many people offered comments over my shirt;”  he muttered.  

“It's not ironed;”  told Anne as she glared at Jacob.

“Oh well;”  told Jacob as he raised his beer.  “I still went;”  he added.

“I am glad you wanted to go;”  told Anne as she smiled.  “I was ready to chicken out before you arrived;”  she confessed.

“Really?”  smiled Jacob as he grinned.  “I am surprised so many people came;”  he added.  “I thought it was going to be small and fake;”  he said.

“I am glad all those people came;”  told Anne with a sigh.  “They told me they liked my dress;”  she declared.

“It's nice;”  muttered Jacob as he smiled.  “I liked it as I saw you;”  he added.

“You did?”  asked Anne as she looked to Jacob with a drunk blush on her lips.

“I did;”  he said before he continued to drink.  


Anne and Jacob shared drinks for an hour, then Anne chirped it was almost one am and Jacob agreed she needed to get home.  Jacob hopped into the drivers seat and started the car as Anne lingered in the back of the car.  He didn't mind that she wanted to be a passenger, but with her in the back he felt like a caddy.  That fact itched Jacob as he backed the car and turned it around to urge it onto the main road, and he grew uncomfortable as he drove.

Jacob felt awkward as he looked at the road.  There were blinding lights everywhere and they stung his eyes.  He tried to blink down the glare however the lights shimmered in his sight until tiny little stars formed to create a dancing galaxy.  Jacob felt annoyed as he tried to see the road, however he began to drift into a lone world and soon he could only see the stars.

Bam!  The car crashed, and four cars honked as glass sprayed over Jacob's face and arms.  Anne screamed, however she was tossed to the front and through the windshield -  she landed with a sick thump on the hood of another car and soon there were shouts and screams from pedestrians and drivers.  The stars continued to dance as the world began to panic, and no one calmed down until the paramedics, cops, and tow-truck drivers came to clean up the mess of a bad intersection crash.


Jacob woke up in the hospital and saw Adam's face as he glared at him from a nearby seat.  Adam didn't want to tell Jacob that Anne had died, however he did tell him that he was angered as he glared at him with a swear on his brow.

“You drank?” asked Adam.

“Yes;”  told Jacob. 

“That's not what people do on prom;”  told Adam as he narrowed his eyes.  

“I thought it was expected;”  told Jacob as he glared at Adam with hurt on his bruised brow.  “I am sorry, I saw stars and I blacked out;” he confessed.

“You are sorry;”  told Adam as he glared at Jacob.  “My daughter is dead;”  he declared.

“I am sorry;”  told Jacob as he began to hurt.  “I didn't mean to crash so bad, I know I didn't;”  he muttered.  “It's all scrambled up with stars;”  he declared.  “I had blinked them away as I had all of this pain pulsing through me;”  he outlined.  “It was like something I have never been through;”  he added.

“My daughter is dead;”  told Adam as he narrowed his eyes.  “You should have never taken her to prom;”  he added before he stood and left the room.

Jacob rolled his eyes as he blinked -  he couldn't see well and he felt sore still.  A nurse came and helped him ease himself with a morphine shot, and Jacob felt no pain, but he did feel guilt and he told Anne that he was sorry for having had seen stars.