Disclaimer: I own nothing having to do with South of Nowhere. Although, I wish I did. :(
So, this chapter skips about 3 months. All will be explained slowly, but surely. At least I hope so.
You wake up in the morning. You're daily ritual is the same: make coffee, drink coffee, eat breakfast, go for a run, shower, change into your clothes for the morning, do your makeup and hair, go out and explore the town. Maybe a cup of coffee, maybe catch up with the small group of friends you've acquired.
Your days pass in a haze, your life is nothing special. You constantly complain about the mundane things in your life. Why does the store have to be so far away? Why doesn't this restaurant have what I want to eat? Why is there nothing on TV?
You complain, you wonder, you seethe, you loathe.
And then one day, all of your superficial thoughts seize to exist.
It takes that one call.
In the matter of thirty seconds one's life can change. Children are born, people are fired, wrecks are caused, and people die.
In thirty seconds you can decide what you want to eat, what you want to wear, what you want to watch. In thirty seconds you can watch your whole life slip through your fingers and fall to the floor.
Thirty seconds is all it takes to make you realize just how precious life is, can make you realize that nothing in this world is guaranteed.
It takes thirty seconds to make the decision that will define your life for the better or worse.
Two days earlier
'Would you stop running around and sit down?' Olivia had pleaded with her friend.
'I can't, everything has to be perfect! I haven't seen her in almost four months!' Ashley said frantically as she ran through her house attempting to clean the spotless home.
'Ashley, sit, now! You're house is spotless and if you try to dust anymore you'll just ware a hole in your furniture.' Olivia laughed.
'Haha, aren't you just so funny?' Ashley pouted as she sat down on the couch next to Olivia.
'I like to think I am, yes.' Olivia said, giving one of her patented crooked smiles.
'You're also full of yourself Miss Daniels.' Ashley said as she threw the dirty rag towards the other girl.
'Eww! Who knows what's on this thing?!' Olivia started to panick.
'Chillax, you yourself just said that the house was spotless, therefore nothing is on the rag.' Ashley said. 'You're so dramatic sometimes; I'm not quite sure why I keep you around.'
'Puuuuuhlease! You love me. We both know the only reason you keep me around is because you secretly want me.' Olivia said as she wiggled her eyebrows.
'As I recall, it was you who wanted me. And if I remember correctly, that whole situation didn't work out too well.' Ashley laughed.
'Yeah, well, it's not our fault that I'm too hot for you.' Olivia defended herself.
'You know, you are so right, I've been meaning to tell you for a while know. I just can't live without you, you're the hottest girl I've ever seen and sometimes when you're cleaning the tables off at the coffee shop, I just wanna take you right there, in front of all of those people.' Ashley deadpanned.
Olivia just snorted while smacking the other girl on the arm.
It was true; the two girls had tried dating. After the first meeting Ashley had given Olivia a call and set up a date.
To say it was a disaster would be giving the date too much credit.
It was horrid. Both girls ended up getting completely hammered to take the awkwardness of the situation away, only to make an even more awkward situation at the end of the night.
They had been completely wasted and managed to stumble back to Ashley's house and up to her bedroom. Things had started to take a serious turn, and in Ashley's drunken blur she realized that things had to stop. Right at that moment she turned back to Olivia, only to notice the smaller girl passed out on Ashley's bed.
That night had defined their friendship, and since that moment the girls had been inseparable. Ashley had never met another person like her in all her years. Olivia was unlike any friend she had ever had. She always kept Ashley on her feet and as happy as possible.
'Anyways, what does it matter to you how clean my house is?' Ashley asked.
'I'm only defending your poor furniture. You always take it out on them when you are nervous. It's just Kyla. You know, the one you are related to?' Olivia asked rhetorically.
'Yeah, but it's my sister who has never seen my house here and who has never met you.' Ashley said, slightly annoyed.
'Everybody loves me, there will be no problem.' Olivia said nonchalantly.
'Again, full of yourself.' Ashley stated.
'No, I just know what's true and what's not.' Olivia smiled.
'Yeah, well she boards her plane soon and it only takes like two hours to get here. I have so much stuff to do.' Ashley began panicking, again.
'What else could you possibly have to do? You've been cleaning like a mad woman for the past week. You grocery shopped, you deep cleaned the house, all the laundry is done, you took care of the lawns and gardens, you even got your car washed and detailed. Relax, please, you're making me antsy.'
'She's supposed to call me when she gets to the airport that way I know when they are boarding the plane, so my phone should be ringing anytime.' Ashley said as she moved to grab the rag that was sitting haphazardly on the couch.
'So why don't you put that rag away and then sit your but on the couch. LOGO is having a Gimme Sugar Miami marathon.' Olivia sing-songed.
'Well, you know how I like my Gimme Sugar.' Ashley smiled as she walked to the laundry room to put the rag in the hamper.
'Yes I do, now get your cute butt in here so we can catch up on the episodes we missed!' Olivia yelled towards the laundry room.
'Alright, I'm ready.' Ashley said as she plopped onto the couch.
They had been watching TV for about ten minutes when Ashley's phone released the ridiculous tune that her sister had picked out.
'Oh! It's Kyla, pause it!' Ashley said as she sprinted towards her phone. 'Hey Ky! Are you at the airport?' Ashley asked excitedly.
'Ash, it's Glen.'
'Hey! So you guys made it to the airport okay?' Ashley asked.
'Ash, there was an accident.' Glen said slowly, emotionally.
'Accident? What do you mean? Is everything okay?' Ashley asked worried.
Glens voice broke through with more emotion than Ashley had ever heard from the older boy, 'The car, it just came out of nowhere, I swear I tried to swerve. I swear I did Ashley! It just hit so hard, the sound of the metal. God, Kyla is, Ashley, you gotta get home.' Glen stuttered out.
'What do you mean Kyla? Glen, where are you?' Ashley asked almost in tears.
'I'm in the ICU, the car, it hit her side. It was so loud. It crushed the whole side of the car. I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry.' Glen cried into the phone.
The sound of Ashley's phone dropping to the wooden floor rung through the apartment.
Olivia jumped up and ran towards the kitchen. The sight that laid before her broke her heart.
'Ash, honey, what's wrong?' Olivia asked as she approached her. Ashley continued to stare into space, the sound of somebody talking in the background.
Olivia bent down and picked up the phone, 'Hello?'
'Olivia?' Glen asked through his sobs.
'Glen, what's wrong?'
'I tried to save her, I did. There was an accident, Kyla is in critical condition.' Glen cried.
'We'll be there as soon as we can.' Olivia said as she hung up the phone and wrapped Ashley in a hug.
All it takes is thirty seconds to change everything.