Me and Jake stopped at the Taco Shack for vegan bean burritos and smoothies. We talked for a while, and headed back to my place.
"You can spend the night, if you want." I offered, as we approached my house. It was one AM, and I didn't really want my russet skinned friend walking home alone in my racist white trash neighborhood.
"Your mom won't mind?" he asked unnecessarily. I rolled my eyes.
"No. Not like you're gonna almost get me pregnant. Again." I joked.
"Not funny, Swan. You taking that test was the scariest moment of my life." He growled.
"Well, now that you've accepted yourself, we don't have to worry about that nonsense again, do we?" I replied lightly, even though that night had been equally as horrifying for me. When we were 15, we thought it was a good idea for us to have sex. We had been friends for a while, we trusted each other and we both wanted to know what it was like. Well, we were stupid, and didn't use any protection, and I almost got pregnant. A few months later, Jacob came out to me as gay, saying he wanted to have sex with me to prove to himself he wasn't.
"I still can' believe you talked to me after that." he thought aloud.
"Virginity was never a big deal for me. I'm glad I lost it to you, and not some loser." I replied honestly.
We were silent until we got to my house. If you can call it that. Renee and I used to keep this place really nice, and stylish looking for a trailer. There were tons of flowers and cacti around the front, and beautiful wind chimes and lawn ornaments. Now the grass was overgrown, the flowers were dead, and the ground was littered with cigarette butts and beer cans. All because he came into our lives, and ruined my mother.
"Mom, we're home." I called as Jake and I walked in. It smelled like cigarettes and crank in here.
"Mom, I won the talent show. Wanna see my trophy?" I called, hopefully. No reply. I checked the bathroom, which was empty except for old lightbulbs, tin foil, and other kinds of meth paraphernalia. Disgusted, I yelled "Jesus, mom, you could at least try to hide this shit." Not that I'm exactly a saint. I smoke weed time to time, but I would never try hard drugs. I've seen firsthand what they do.
"Bella, come here!" cried Jake. I ran towards his voice, in Renee's bedroom. Jake was knelt on the floor, over my mom. She was lying on the ground on her side.
"Damn it, she passed out again." I muttered, rolling her over on her back. What I saw will haunt me the rest of my life. My mother, my beautiful, meth addicted mother had a bullet hole in her stomach. I froze, feeling adrenaline rush through my veins. There was blood all over the floor. My mom's eyes were open and glassy, no hint of the usual humor in them.
"Mom. Mommy, wake up. Mommy, please, this isn't funny." I cried, shaking her a little. She didn't respond.
"Call 911!" cried Jacob, and he started performing CPR on her. I pulled out my archaic Nokia from my pocket with trembling hands.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"676 Park Road, Shangri-La . My mom, she's hurt, real bad. Someone shot her." Saying the world suddenly made the situation real. I started to panic.
"I've got an ambulance on the way. How long ago was she shot?"
"I don't fucking know! I just got here five minutes ago. Please send someone." I begged. Jacob continued to do chest compressions. My mom still lay there, still as a….Corpse my voice of reason finished for me.
"An ambulance should be there soon. Is she responsive?"
"No." I croaked.
"Do you know CPR?"
"My friend is doing that. Wait, I hear the sirens." I dropped the phone and hovered over my mother.
"She's not waking up, Bella. There isn't a pulse." Jake stopped doing chest compressions.
"What are you doing?!" I screamed, and started them up again.
"She's gone, Bells." He said quietly.
"No. Mom, wake UP! You can't leave me alone. Mommy, please. Mommy, don't leave me." I sobbed, pressing her chest hard. I felt for a pulse. He's right my voice of reason said. I ignored it. I grabbed her hand. It was cold. That's all I remember before I blacked out.