Pink Band-aids

9:16pm He should be here by now.

The minutes ticked by ever so slowly. The smooth liquid glazed across my lips as I add the finishing touch for my make-up. Leaning closer to the window, I stretched my neck to get a better view, but still, an empty driveway. I could see the glow of the lights luminating the road to the end of the street, where there was an intersection and a few stores. My older brother Jerry and I used to walk there together to meet up with friends or to pick out a movie to watch together. But he had to move away to University. He was already half way through his schooling; his dream was to become a doctor, actually, a pediatrician. When we were little I fell and scraped my knee while we were at the park. He told me not to cry and pulled out a little pink band-aid. Ever since then I looked up to him as my hero. I hated him for leaving me.

Spring was here and so Jerry came to visit for most of his vacation. We rarely talked for I still held my grudge against him. “Josh picking you up tonight?” Jerry inquired as he walked in the room. “Yeah, he should be here any minute.” I estimated. “How long have you two been going out, couple of months?” he assumed while sitting down on the couch beside me and grabbed the remote. “A year. We have been going out for a whole year as of today, he’s taking me out for our anniversary,” I stated quite proudly. Being a sixteen year old and managing to have an older boyfriend who had graduated recently and continue to have a close relationship was very rare. “A year? Wow, I didn’t think it was that long. You guys aren’t a really ‘serious’ couple yet are you?” I rolled my eyes. “No. Especially not compared to the other couples at my school,” I responded with disgust. Rumors had it that a girl in grade 9 was pregnant; I wouldn’t want to end up like her and be the star of the gossip world. “Hey just wondering,” he said defensively. “Whatever,” I scoffed as he continued to surf through the channels. He paused and tried to start up the conversation again. “Hey is that a cut on your hand?” I looked down and realized that I must have accidentally scratched it on something while I was getting ready. I just shrugged and continued to stare out the window. “So what collage does he go to?” he asked. “Josh didn’t want to go to a collage, he found a job,” I said. Then Jerry asked, “Where does he work?” I started to get more frustrated. “He works at a Drug store.” Now can you stop interrogating me?” In the corner of my eye I saw headlights in the driveway. “He’s here! Tell mom when she gets back that I went out with Josh and won’t be back till later,” I yelled as I went down the stairs to the front door. “Sure,” Jerry replied. “Be safe, k? There are lots of idiots driving around with it being the weekend and all…” “Alright, see you later!” I interrupted as I closed the door behind me.

Night’s chill clasped at my legs and blew lightly underneath my skirt. There was Josh in his car, he got out and gave me a hug and we kissed. He walked me over to the door and opened it for me. What a gentleman. He took the car out of park and he pulled out quite swiftly. We skidded out a little bit, and a little rush swept through my veins. He was in control.

“Where are we going?” I inquired for he hadn’t told me what our plans were. “You’ll see.” He said with a smirk. We drove for a while and I zoned out. I would catch myself staring at him now and then. He was so focused. His hands steered the wheel smoothly, braking nice and soft, watching and observing for any and all hazards. I trusted him fully.

About half an hour later we pulled up to our destination. I looked up at the sign and my heart stopped. Outlined in neon red the word was: Motel. I started panicking, thinking to myself ‘why were we at a motel?’ He pulled up to a parking spot and pulled out a room key and jingled it in front of me. “Want to come inside babe?” “I…I...what are we doing here?” I stuttered. “What do you think? Come-on lets get inside it’s freezing out here.” He said. We both walked up to the door. #23. He unlocked the door and stepped inside first.

The room was dark with shadows everywhere. He swaggered in through the doorway and with a flick of a switch the shadows disappeared. The room was very plain. Old beige paint with oatmeal colored bed sheets. In the corner was a small table just big enough for two, and at the back, a small bathroom with a shower. Josh brought in a plastic shopping bag with him. He placed it on the table and pulled out a couple of candles, matches, condoms, and a bottle of some cheap champagne by the looks of it. At that moment I understood what our surprise date was. My heart rapidly pounded. The room became surreal, this wasn’t happening. I’m only 16! I heard the sound of a match being lit and the smoke lingered in the air. He lit a few candles and turned out the lights walked over to me. He was the cat and I the mouse, his prey, cornered and trapped. He wrapped his arms around me and we started to kiss again, this time he was being way more aggressive then he had ever been. I tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let go. Then again, I didn’t really want him to either. Reason suddenly gave me a kick and I shouted, “No!” Josh was outright shocked. More quietly I repeated it again. “No, not like this, I’m not ready. I’m sorry Josh. You planned everything. I’m just not ready. Please take me home.” His face was full of displeasure, guilt and humiliation. He grabbed the bottle and went into the washroom. I sat in the chair for what seemed like and hours.

I gazed at my beautiful watch, the one he had given me for my sweet 16. Memories flashed before me. We would walk down the hall together with smiles on our faces. Our friends admired how close we were. Looking back on how we spent so much time alone, it’s no wonder he got the wrong impression. Just look at me! I look like I’m in my early 20’s about to go club hopping. A noise turned me away from my thoughts as I saw Josh come out. I couldn’t see his face because it was dark for the candles had dimmed, but I heard the swishing of what sounded like a near empty bottle. Slowly, he walked towards me and said that he would take me back. I was so worried how I was going to get home I didn’t take into consideration that he was drunk. He gathered the stuff and threw his bag into the back seat and got into the car. He didn’t open the door for me this time. He revved the engine and took off before I could even get my seatbelt on. He swung around the curb and didn’t even stop for the stop sign. I fought madly against the swerve and yanked my seatbelt over. Fumbling and slipping I kept on missing and couldn’t get it in. All I could do was clutch the strap with all my might and pray.

He swerved again getting faster and faster. The force pushed me further and further into the seat. I clenched onto my seat and the side of the door. “Slow down!! What are you doing?!?” I shouted at him. He didn’t respond. His foot was still glued to the gas pedal. “Slow down please!! You’re drunk! You are going to make us crash! Please, Josh!” “Stop!”

He continued to speed, he wasn’t at all focused. Anger and his broken pride fueled his rage. His hands loosely placed on the steering wheel, his eyes drifting away. At moments he would just fully take his eyes off the road and look straight into my eyes and call me names. He said that I was just a tease, that I wasted his time. He wasn’t paying any attention to the street and it’s other users. Suddenly, the green light at the end of the road changed. A red light flashed in front of us. My heartbeat went faster and faster, for instead of slowing down, the car was now speeding up. I screamed for him to stop but Josh drove straight through and underneath them without a care. The sound of screeching breaks and metal being crushed horrified me. I opened my eyes and was thankful that we didn’t get hit; yet, guilt for the other drivers flooded my mind. I prayed that no one was hurt. My body was stiff, my throat parched from yelling, and my hands sore from holding on so tight. I couldn’t take much more. My stomach was tossed around and my head was sore from being swung sharply left and right. I let out another cry to him. “Josh, Please! Slow down!” I was barley able to say. Tears started streaming down my face, memories flashed before me. What was the last thing anyone else said to me? .” “Sure,” Josh had said to me, “Be safe, k? There are lots of idiots driving around with it being the weekend and all.” I took this moment to take a deep breath and get my seatbelt on.

Sirens. I have never been so happy to hear them! Hopefully they would be able to stop him. Josh looked in his rear view mirror, and then back to the road. “Josh, pull over! Please, you can’t run from this!” I pleaded. The blue and red lights flashing inched closer and closer. Josh didn’t pull over. I put my head down in my lap and clenched my hair. I pulled it so hard that I thought I was going to rip it out. My face was red, my eyes were red, and the light was red. I looked up and I saw the cross walk. No! It can’t be! Jerry move!!


I saw the whites of his eyes as we slammed into him.


Josh had made an attempt to turn out of the way but his reactions were to slow. He ended up driving off the road and up the side of a tree in such a way that when he hit it, the car went up and flipped upside down. I was on the side that hit the tree. My arm! Pain just shot right up till I felt like I was going to pass out. I could see blood and bone. I had broken it. Opening my eyes wider, I dared to see other horrors. Where was Josh? Oh no! He wasn’t wearing his seat belt. He hit his head and now was lying on the floor. Wait. That isn’t the floor! That is the roof. We are upside down! I was being suspended in the air by my seat belt.

The smell of gas, alcohol, and blood was nauseating. Broken glass was everywhere. In my tear soaked hair, on my clothes. Josh wasn’t moving; he didn’t look dead, more like he was knocked out. I tried to move but pain jolted up my arm. I could see legs in the distance. A pool of blood was lingering around him, Jerry. What have we done! He wasn’t moving either! ‘Help! Help! Someone help us out of here! Call 911!’ It took me a minute to realize that I wasn’t saying any of this. I was trembling as shock took hold. Surly the cops would have seen what happened. And there he was. I could see them! One went to Jerry and one went over to us. “Are you alright?!” he shouted. I shook my head. He looked in and saw Josh. He talked into his radio. He said that they needed paramedics immediately. He told me to stay calm and to not move. I saw more lights. And then another man showed up. They were able to get the doors off and they got Josh out first and carried him off. Then on climbed in and supported me as he unlocked my seat belt. I was carried out and put on a stretcher. I looked at my leg. It was bleeding too. My whole body was convulsing. I barley managed to say, “Where is Jerry. Is he ok?” “Jerry?” the paramedic questioned, “is that the driver’s name?” “No Jerry is my brother,” I sniffled, “I think we hit him.” The paramedic just told me to stay calm and they asked for my name and my parent’s phone number. They were able to get a hold of them and said that they would be meeting me at the hospital. ‘Wait! Me? What about Jerry?!’ My thoughts screamed as an alarm sounded in my mind. I wrenched my body up from the stretcher and looked too where the body on the ground was. Sprawled by the body was a ripped plastic bag. Inside it was a box of pink band-aids. A man in a white uniform walked over to the body, then, started to unzip a black body bag. Everything went dark.