Chapter 8

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The young couple quickly called the police, and they were there within minutes. The cops quickly identified Marissa's body, and called her mother. When Kelly arrived she was crying hysterically, she'd had to call an Uber just to get home. When she did, she hoped it wasn't true, but there Marissa was. What remained of her brains were now mixed with gunpowder in the sand. Kelly cried hysterically, while Bridget had a hard time getting out of the car. Bridget seemed to think that if she couldn't see it, it wasn't real, that her sister wasn't really dead. The Uber driver just sat there awkwardly. He didn't want to force Bridget out of the car, but he didn't know what to say. So he just sat there, waiting for her mother to get her.

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Marissa: I knew this, or something like this, would happen after I died. I just didn't think I'd still be around to see it. I thought death was the end, no Heaven, no Hell, no having to watch the pain I was putting my family through. Clearly I was wrong, as I seem to have winded up in this particular Hell. It's not fire and brimstone, maybe that's reserved for nazis and slave traders. But I do get to see their pain. My mother had to make her daughter's funeral arrangements, find some minister willing to speak, despite my sins. And she had to hire a caterer. Apparently after a funeral the bereaved loved ones gather and eat, and talk about the good memories they have of the deceased. But as per my wishes, medical students dissected my corpse. I'm not showing you that, unless you're a pervert I doubt you want to see my naked corpse. Once they were done they cremated my remains, free of charge, and gave the ashes to my mother. My funeral, if you can still call it that, consisted of a minister saying some nice words, asking God to show my soul mercy.

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Minister: Almighty God, forgive and have mercy upon Marissa's soul. Protect her from the punishment of the grave, and the torment of the fire.

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Marissa: Maybe his prayers worked. I'm not burning in agony, but maybe he should have been a little more specific in his prayer. Who am I kidding? I know I brought this punishment on myself. My ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean and they then went back to my house for the wake. As you can see, a lot of my friends from highschool came to this wake, or maybe they're here for the free food. They seem to be talking about their favorite movies from the summer, and the Dodger's chances of making the playoffs. Who do they think died, Nolan Ryan? As you can see my mother and sister are just sitting in the corner by themselves. Occasionally Alex or Megean, or someone else, will offer to get them a drink or some food, but usually they just say they're fine. They don't know what to say, I guess most wouldn't in this situation. Notice that not one of these guests is offering to help her clean up when the food is gone. Mom tries to let Bridget know that she can talk to her about anything. Mom also isn't sure what to say, how to say it, but the important thing is to let Bridget know she's there for her.

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Over the next month mom and Bridget began seeing a family therapist. It's a good way to deal with grief, provided you're willing to do the work that it takes. If I had, maybe they could have helped me. Mom also got rid of the gun. She worried that Bridget might try something, and she didn't want to make it easier for her. Bridget was 15, her whole life ahead of her. She tried to be happy, but there was a part of her that thought she didn't have the right to be happy, not when I was dead. This is partly my fault. If I hadn't gotten into that fight with her before, she might not have so much survivor's guilt. I should have at least left a note, saying I loved her and mom, but I just wanted it over with quickly. Mom tried to help, even took Bridget to a Dodger's game. But it was late in the season, and the Dodger's had already lost their chance of getting to the playoffs. Also they lost this game to the Phillies. Bridget understood that these things were beyond mom's control, but she understood that mom was trying, and she did appreciate the effort. And Bridget did have something going for her when the new school year started, Amy. Amy was Bridget's first real crush, but Amy was also dating Jill. But like I said before, teenagers going through hormones, don't always make the best life choices. Bu the middle of October Amy and Bridget were secretly kissing. They had to be covert, because of Jill. Bridget confided to mom about her sort of girlfriend. Mom tried to be understanding, but she wasn't exactly thrilled that her daughter had become the other woman. She tried to explain that these situations never ended well. Even if Amy left Jill for her, how could Bridget ever be certain that she could trust Amy. But, being 15, Bridget wasn't really listening to logic. She was listening to her hormones.

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October 28th

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Marissa: The last Saturday before Halloween. Mom gave Bridget permission to go to a party. She did however give her a bit of a lecture.

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Kelly: You're 15, and I'd prefer you not drink or do drugs.

Bridget: I'm not planning on doing that stuff mom.

Kelly: I'm just saying, I'm not naive. I don't want you to drink and drive.

Bridget: I don't even have a learner's permit?

Kelly: It's never too soon to talk to you about this. I also don't want you to get in the car with anyone who's been drinking.

Bridget: Yeah, principal Mason gave us this lecture. My group has a driver. If they drink, I'll call this number, and someone will give me a lift home.

Kelly: That's a tremendous relief.

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Marissa; Now you've probably seen this scene before. In the movies they show you in grammer school and/or highschool. You might have seen this on a Lifetime movie or the recent reboot of "Saved by the bell." A teen goes to a party, promises not to drink and drive, does it anyway, and tragedy ensues. But let's see what happens. Amy wanted to go to this Halloween party as a sexy vampire, but her girlfriend wanted them to go as Bonnie and Clyde. Amy refused to dress as Bonnie, so their costumes didn't match. Bridget went as a cowgirl. Bridget went stag, Amy and Jill came together. They danced together, but Amy also danced with Bridget. I'm not sure they were even trying to hide it at this point. As you can see they're not being particularly subtle at the moment. So the question isn't really how they were caught, it's more like how were they not caught sooner. Jill was understandably upset about her girlfriend cheating on her. So she took her play gun, filled it with ketchup and Mustard, and squirted it all over my sister. Bridget responded by filling up her own toy gun and responding in kind. At this point Amy tried to play peacemaker. Jill angrily broke up with her and stormed off. It was actually pretty amusing to these spectators, Amy and Bridget actually laughed a little. At least it was over, they didn't have to pretend anymore. They decided to call it a night and head home. Unfortunately their group's designated driver had broken his word and had a few beers. To my relief, and hopefully yours, Bridget and her new girlfriend decided to call the number that principal Mason had given them. They were somewhat surprised when principal Mason himself showed up. He was volunteering in order to prevent these kids from getting into tragic accidents. He didn't ask any questions, just offering to drive them to their respective homes. You might be breathing a sigh of relief that a tragedy has been averted, because they acted responsibly. But the thing about avoiding these accidents, it requires that everyone act responsibly. So this part of the story isn't about the drunk driver who killed people and had to live with the guilt. This is about the people that they killed. The car just slammed into Mason's car, must have been going 70 or 80 miles per hour. My sister lost consciousness, but she would wake up. When she woke up, she was informed that Amy would never wake up.