Unwoven Ties - Bethany Lopez Page 0,1

damn rain?” I muttered in frustration as my attempts did not open the car. I stopped for a moment to take a deep breath and give my aching arms a rest, then began to pull again. “Please, God, help me…”

I yelled out in triumph when the door knocked me on my ass once again, then scooted forward to check the pulse of the man in the driver’s seat. I thought I could feel a faint heartbeat, then moved to unbuckle his seatbelt. Knowing there was no way I could catch the man who was much larger than myself, I moved my body out of the way and pushed the button, mentally apologizing to the man for any damage I unwittingly caused.

I looked over the car quickly to check on the girl, and saw Jake pushing her into the back of our vehicle and running around to let himself in on his side.

I was torn between pride that he’d gotten out and helped the girl get to safety, and anger that he hadn’t followed my instructions to stay in the car.

Realizing I’d have to worry about that later, I grabbed the man by the arm and pulled with all of my might. When he tipped out and splashed to the ground, I turned him and shoved my hands under his armpits, then began to drag him, watching warily as the fire started to spread.

“Damn, you’re heavy,” I heaved as I hauled him away from the car.

I worried as I realized we were on the opposite side of the car from the kids, so I dropped the man and murmured that I’d be back, and took off in a run, thinking I would get in my car and drive it farther down the road to wait for the police.

Unfortunately, that meant I was running right past the wrecked sports car when it exploded.

One second my feet were on the ground, taking me closer to Jake, and the next I was flying through the air, my ears ringing. The last thing I saw was asphalt as my face careened toward the highway.

Five Years Later

One

Jacob

The touch of your skin helps me breathe. Any time the pain feels like it’s gonna take me under, all I have to do is look at you, and I’m whole again…

I looked up from my guitar strings and brought my eyes shyly to Alison’s, curious to know what she thought about the latest song I’d written. It was still a draft, but she was always the first person to hear what I wrote.

“That’s beautiful, Jake.” Her sweet smile tugged at my heart, just like it had every day since the moment she’d come up and asked me if I was okay five years ago. Although we’d gone to the same school all of our lives, that was the first time we’d had a real conversation.

I’d been in love with her ever since.

“Thanks, baby,” I said genuinely. I honestly didn’t know how I would have made it through the last few years without her by my side. Lord knows my father hadn’t been much help.

First, he’d been too torn up with his own grief to worry about mine, and then he’d been too busy trying to move on and forget the life we used to have. It seemed like the second he found out Mom was in that accident, our family had been lost.

I might as well have been in that explosion along with her, for as much attention as he paid me over the last five years.

“Did you write it for me?” Ally asked coyly, tossing her long sandy hair over her shoulder.

“You know I did,” I replied, putting my guitar down gently and moving toward her. “Everything I write is for you.”

I could tell that pleased her, and my heart began to pound in my chest as I watched her lay back on my bed, her hair fanning out around her. It was really humid this time of year in North Carolina, so she was barely clothed in short shorts and a soft pink tank top. I could see her small, pert breasts straining against her shirt, and eagerly crawled up on the bed to cover her body with my much larger one.

“I love you, Alison,” I murmured as I lowered my head.

“I love you too, Jake,” she sighed as she opened her mouth in invitation.

This was a much better way to spend a morning than sweating my ass off in English class. With my dad off doing