Amber wiped the tears from her eyes opening the bedroom door. The man lying there was finally asleep. He was lying on his stomach, his back facing the door. She softly shut the door behind her.
Bending over to pick up some broken glass off the kitchen floor, she heard him shift on the bed next door. She stopped mid reach scared if she moved she would surely wake him up. That was the last thing she wanted right now. She needed to get away. Quickly.
A small sigh escaped her mouth as she heard him start snoring. Amber moved the couch from its back to its feet. It had toppled over during the loud brawl. She walked back the hall to the nursery.
The little room was a jungle scene. A stuffed giraffe stood at one corner of the room. An ape, elephant, and tiger were at the other corners. A little light shined through the only window. She started packing some cloths and diapers in a small diaper bag.
Amber sat down the bag after she was finished packing. She looked inside the small crib. Big blue eyes looked up at her. They seemed to question what she was doing. A wide smile spread across the baby’s face. Reaching his little arms up to his mother. Her hands grabbed the 4-month-old baby to her chest.
She moved through the living room. The baby stirred in her arms. Amber rubbed its back hoping the baby wouldn’t cry and break their cover. The small child stopped its stirring and held onto its mother’s shirt. Amber breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly walked down the walk.
She had been waiting for the right moment to leave. Now, it was time to leave. It was time to forget the way it once was. Time to leave her old self behind. She would never return to the person she once was. No more people taking advantage of her. They would learn to not rely on her again. They had to. Amber was tired of being pushed and told around. She had to live her life the way she wanted to live it. Getting beat around isn’t what she wanted.
She placed the baby in its car seat. Running around the front of the car she reminded herself why she was doing this, for her son. Certainly not for herself, she could’ve lived with the beatings, the yelling. Her child would not. She refused to have her child grow up to be like his father. She wouldn’t allow it.
Her body slid into the seat of the red Explorer. The leather immediately stuck to her legs. The damp summer air was so thick she could barely breath. She pulled out of the driveway leaving the house and the changed man she had married.
J.C. yawned. He got up from the bus seat. Clicking off the TV as he went by it to go to his bunk. He rubbed his blue eyes sleepily as he walked up to talk to James the driver.
“Hey James. Hanging in there?” J.C. asked.
“Yeah.” The man replied, rubbing his eyes.
“You sure man. You look pretty tired.”
“I’ve gone with 2 days without sleeping once. I can do it again.”
“Ok, I’ll get you some coffee to keep you up.” J.C. turned to go in when James called back.
“I don’t need coffee. I’m fine.”
“You sure?” J.C. asked concerned.
“Yeah, I’m good. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night James.” J.C. turned to walk back to his bunk.
It was late. He was the last one to fall asleep. That was rare. He stared up at the bottom of the bunk on top of him. If he died young, would people remember him as J.C. from ‘N Sync or Joshua Chasez from Maryland? Would they be sad because another handsome guy died or a gifted man? He loved his fans, that’s why they went so far but do they really know whom he is? Would they miss him because he was a nice man? How many fans would really truly love him as a person not just as a rich musician? After many hours of thinking and deciding he finally fell asleep.
Amber clicked on the radio and turned down the volume making sure not to wake the baby. An announcement came over the station.
“There has been a terrible accident down highway 522 East. The road is blocked and traffic has come to a standstill. If you are heading that way please try to turn around. The paramedics are trying to get the people out of the vehicle but they can’t get to them. I repeat there is an accident on highway 522 East. You will not be able to get through so please turn around when you can. Thank you.”
Amber hit her hand forcefully on the steering wheel. She would have to take the long way to her mother’s. It will take 2 hours more to go around the wreck. She pulled her car into a parking lot of a convenient store. Amber checked her bruise in the rear view mirror. She tried to brush her long blonde hair in front of the black and blue eye but it didn’t work. Looking past herself she saw her son still sleeping. She didn’t want to wake him.
Locking the doors she told herself she wouldn’t be long. She couldn’t risk her son being taken not when they came this far. Opening the door to the store a bell rang. She didn’t see a cashier anywhere behind the counter. Amber quickly went around the store grabbing small bags of food.
The bell on the door made her look up. A young man walked in and looked around. His eyes stopped at her. Amber went back at looking at the drinks. She looked up at the mirror in the corner. He still stood where he was smiling at her. She looked at the drinks again until she looked up at the mirror again. He wasn’t there.
Hearing a shuffle behind her she looked over her shoulder to see the young man looking at her at the corner of his eye. He turned to her and smiled once again. She grabbed the drink she was looking at and turned to move down the aisle when she ran into the man. It was then she got a good look at him.
His eyes were a beautiful blue making his slender face radiate with power. The brown hair looked soft and shiny. Amber could tell he was well built. The dark blue tank top hugged his every curve. The black wind pants he was wearing is what she had heard behind her before turning to look at him in the first place.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized.
“It was my fault, I scared you.”
Amber smiled and walked past him. She wasn’t trying to be rude; it was just that she had a son in the car. Walking up to the counter she noticed the cashier wasn’t back yet. She sighed really wanting to get out of there. She leaned over the counter looking for the cashier.
The man walked up to her while she was still leaning over the counter. She looked up at him.
“My name is Josh.” The man introduced himself.
“Amber,” she replied being polite. Josh nodded slightly.
Amber again looked over the counter getting very impatient. “Who leaves a cash register full of money in it?” She asked herself out loud.
Josh smiled. “I’m sorry I scared you back there.”
“That’s ok.”
“Hey, did you hear about the wreck?” Josh asked.
“Yeah, just what was on the radio?”
“Yeah, me too. They said a large bus or something crashed. The driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed over the side of the bridge. Everybody died. Not one survived.” Josh told her.
“Wow, that is terrible. Do you know who they were?”
“They didn’t say.”
“What station were you listening to?” Amber asked.
“Oh, we were just flipping through and we just happened to stop at that particular station,” Josh said.
“Well screw this I’m leaving.” Amber placed 20 dollars on the counter and started walking to the door. Josh followed.
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Josh asked as they walked to her car.
“No, not at all.”
“How did you get that bruise?”
Amber stopped and turned to look at him. She looked over his shoulder to where a large blue and silver semi-bus was parked. It wasn’t there when she arrived. Her eyes finally landed on Josh’s blue ones.
“I fell,” she lied.
“That is a pretty big bruise if you fell. Where did you fall?” He asked.
“In my house.”
Josh smiled and knew she was hiding how she got the bruise. He wasn’t going to ask anymore. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No, husband.” She started walking to her car once again. Josh walked after her.
“How old are you?” He asked again. Amber turned when she reached her door. He didn’t seem so amazed.
“19.”
She then heard the baby crying. He heard it too. Amber opened the back door and reached in to grab the baby. As soon as the baby was picked up it stopped crying.
Josh reached over and rubbed the baby’s head. “What is its name?”
“Wade Alexander.” Amber told him.
“Very pretty baby.”
Amber stuttered slightly, “I uh…need to get going. Nice talking to you though.”
By that time another guy came down the steps of the bus and yelled his name. Josh looked back at Amber.
“Nice meeting you.” He turned to run to the bus.
The man still stood on the steps. “Hey, J.C. you ready to go home?”
Josh nodded, “I am so ready, Joey. Lets go.”
Amber put the baby in the car seat. Reaching for the handle she realized whom she was just talking to.
“Hey, you’re…” she trailed off when Josh turned to smile at her.
“Yeah…I know who I am. I’m glad that somebody saw past the whole musician thing and saw that I’m just a regular person. That was all I prayed for, thank you.” He turned to run up the steps.
Amber smiled to herself and turned to get in the car when Josh stuck his head out of the bus door and yelled: “And don’t worry Jared will get what he deserves. You don’t have to judge him; he will get his chance to be judged. Don’t give up, keep moving on.”
Amber stood motionless for a moment. How did he know her husband’s name? She never told him.
“How did you…” she trailed off when she didn’t see the bus. The bus was just there. I didn’t hear their bus start up…did I? No, I didn’t, I know I didn’t. It just looked like there never was a bus there. Like I never even talked to Josh. She got in her car confused. Driving out onto the road another announcement came over the radio.
“Attention. There has been a wreck on 522 east. Traffic is backed all the way up to Route 325. We just got this in. The accident was only a one-car accident. It was a large blue and silver semi-bus. Apparently the driver fell asleep at the wheel and ran over into the river below. All of the people that were on the bus at the time are dead. The bus held 10 people, 5 of them included: Chris Kirkpatrick, Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, and J.C. Chasez from ‘N Sync. They were heading to their next concert in Hershey Park, Hershey, Pa. This is such a tragedy but uh…” there was a pause and Amber heard a sniffle from the lady that was announcing it. “I’m sure they are already home in heaven. Great sympathy for these people’s family’s and for the fans they had all over the world.”
Amber pulled over to the side of the road. She was shocked. It was unbelievable. All of this time she had been talking to J.C. he was really dead.
“That is how he knew my husband’s name,” Amber told herself out loud. He knew what had happened. He knew she had to keep moving on. How would she though? Jared would certainly come after her. Maybe even kill her this time. She didn’t know what to do.
“Keep moving on. Amber, don’t worry, I’m here. I will always be here.” Amber smiled at the voice. She recognized the voice.
J.C. It was all J.C.
He was now her guardian angel.