text: Anonymous The Crash Years One To imagination and creativity. May they both never decide to leave me. 
   
   
     
   
   (6 months ago) 
  ANDROMEDA (ANDIE) BARRY and JACKSON (JACK) CAMDEN @ the guest house of the Barry residence 
  Andie drilled her eyes into the bathroom mirror. It was odd how a mirror’s reflection could both stare back with a coldness that somehow comforted her at the same time. But now there was no room for comfort. Between her and Jack there was the thin door, and that didn’t leave much room for breathing.  
  	Everything had been going so well, too. At first she didn’t think her parents would consider her want to move in with Jack and start off early at the university. But somehow, they agreed that this was a very appropriate step for her to gain some independence and maturity… just so long as they stayed in the guest house across the lawn. And had no mistakes. 
  	Andie started freaking out again. “They’re gonna kill me… they’re gonna kill me…” she muttered as she grasped onto the sink and stared into the mirror once more. But Jack was waiting out there, just as worried as she was, and it was time that she told him. 
  	As if a magnet were built into Jack’s sternum, Andie threw open the bathroom door, and her arms flung out to Jack. 
  	“So what was it?” Jack asked. His hands were clammy from twisting his hair, and the feeling felt odd as he touched Andie’s warm skin. 
  	Andie was to the point of crying now. All she wanted to do was to crawl onto one of the couches and keep to herself. But now wasn’t the time for that. 
  	“It was positive, Jack. It was positive… and now my dad’s gonna kill me!”  
  	Shock, and what seemed like a tinge of adrenaline and joy flooded Jack’s veins. Weird how two feelings – of being afraid and happy – could enter a mind at the same time. Pictures of a red-faced Hugh Barry yelling and a red-haired toddler on a swing balanced in Jack’s imagination, and for some reason he was a little okay with both. 
  	“I can’t keep it, Jack.”  
  	Jack had been pulled out from his imagination faster than a fish on a line. He hadn’t noticed that he had left the conversation for so long. Andie’s words had not set right in his chest. 
  	“Wait, what?” Jack asked, falling back on the living room couch. He felt as though he needed to think for awhile. But there was no time. He had to put himself in Andie’s shoes. He noticed how ironically, it was sunny outside. 
  	“Jack, I can’t keep it. My dad is going to kill me.” Andromeda felt like a sponge that had been dried out. While it had been true that she loved children, and always wanted one of her own, it just wasn’t right like this. At least, not in real families. But the blank look in Jack’s eyes made her feel full of self pity. She decided she needed to sit down as well. 
  	The conversation seemed to end there for awhile as Jack and Andie settled down to watch something on the television. However, they were not on the same couch as they usually had been. Andie felt like a horrible child-hater, and Jack felt horrible for not saying anything. Meanwhile, the sun continued to shine through the windows, and cool air was still blowing throughout the house. 
  	“Andie, what if it wasn’t that bad?” Jack asked. 
  	“Then the guy would have survived, obviously.” Jack sighed. Andie was still mused with the television program. 
  	“No. I mean… what if it wasn’t so bad, you know, if you kept the baby?” Jack couldn’t breathe. He said it. His face turned a slight shade of red. Andromeda’s eyes widened. 
  	“Jackson, my dad said no mistakes. This is a HUGE mistake! My dad will kick us out of this place. And then where would we be? And I’m pretty sure that my mom would be the only one –,” 
  	Jackson stopped her. “Andie, think about it. We’ve already moved in together. We have well-paying steady jobs. And what father wouldn’t want a grand-kid? Think about it.”  
  	Jack didn’t really know why he was all of the sudden trying to convince Andie to keep the baby. Maybe it was because he didn’t like death. But perhaps it was because the picture of the toddler on the swing sounded better every minute. His brain racked with possibilities. 
  	Andie on the other hand had begun to freak out once more. Sure, the house was big enough, and they both had steady jobs. She wasn’t even too sure that her father would blow up about the ordeal. But what about Jackson? Would he be there for her? Andie shot a glance at Jack. 
  	“Why do YOU want to keep it, Jack?”  
  	Jackson looked back at Andie. Even as she looked unsure of herself, there was still an underlying layer of strength. Though her question had come on strong, Jack had assumed the reasoning behind it. She wanted proof that he was going to be there for her, always and forever. But he had also gotten his proof that Andie would rather keep the child rather than hold the title of being some sort of murderer. 
  	“Because Andie… I love you. And as much as this is a mistake between the both of us, I couldn’t imagine putting you through the pain of making this problem… or perhaps a blessing, disappear.” 
  	“But-,” Andie stuttered. 
  	“I know your dad will be angry at both of us… for a while Andie. But we both knew this was going to happen. Maybe not now… not this early. But Andie, I love you enough to take care of you, and this baby. I’ll be here for you.” 
  	Andie paused for a while. Even through this deep pit of anguish and despair, a hint of hope glowed in her heart. Was it really true that doors could open while others shut and locked themselves up? 
  	“Really… Jackson, really?” 
  	“Yea, of course Andromeda.” Jackson smiled. Though his reign of fatherhood didn’t quite seem clear to him, he was sure he could make things right. Andromeda smiled back up at her boyfriend and decided to join him on the couch to watch television after all. The sun decided to set into the dark frigid night. 
  MILOS BARRY and WASE CHABLASE @ the Barry residence 
  	“Thank you for taking me out… AGAIN,” chuckled Wase as she was led up the steps to the Barry’s front porch by Milos’ hand. Though the comment was said sarcastically, the look on Wase’s face was of pure admiration. She couldn’t have been any happier. 
  	“You’re quite welcome, Miss Chablase,” Milos replied in his common gentleman-like manner. As his father, Mr. Barry was the top surgeon of Nelson, as well as his top role model, it was to be expected that Milos was automatically perfect. And according to Milos, he was sure that he had found Wase to be a perfect match. This was good however, because it turned out that Wase felt the same way about Milos. 
  	Wase came from an uptight Chinese family that had moved to Nelson, New Zealand for its fresh, uplifting culture. Wase’s father, Mr. Chablase was the local dentist, and Mrs. Chablase was an aspiring actress who would sometimes travel to Christchurch and Auckland for shows. Wase happened to be the perfectly balanced-type of daughter. She was the type who joined the town symphony at the age of eight, playing piano, who ran for the high school track and cross-country team, and still had leftover time to finish homework, and work at her father’s office.  
  	Milos had noticed that he had been staring at Wase’s neckline for a few seconds. He quickly looked back into her eyes, and composed himself, suddenly turning a shade of red and nervously running his fingers through his neatly combed hair. 
  	“Uhm… uhhh… do you want to come in and meet my family?” Milos stuttered, “I mean, they’re probably going to sleep soon, but I’m sure they’d like to meet you.” The look on his face was similar to that of a yearning toddler asking for a Popsicle. 
  	Wase’s reply was interrupted by the slamming of the back door. Wase and Milos peeked around the corner. The door opened again. 
  	“What do you mean you’re going out?!” yelled Mr. Barry as he stormed after a very angry-looking Denver, Milos’ twin brother. He was otherwise known as the “evil” twin. 
  	“I’m going out, so what?” huffed Denver. This happened every night. Milos sighed in regret as he watched his brother with hazed, puffy eyes and a cigarette in hand walk away from a future. 
  	“Your college fund, that’s what!” Mr. Barry roared. Like always, he didn’t wander too far for Denver anymore. He’d walk out about three feet from the back porch, and after that it was useless. 
  	“Pfft. What college fund? I’m not going to college.” And with that, Denver stalked out of the yard, messing with the spare change in his pocket. 
  	“You’re ruining this family, Denver!!” That was Mr. Barry’s exasperated reply he always gave before giving a huge sigh of grief and returning back into the house to his always-loving wife, who would somehow encourage him that everything was going to be okay. 
  	“I think this is my queue to leave…” muttered Wase as she turned to Milos. True, there was always time to meet the family, but Milos didn’t want everything to turn out this way. Where Denver would always interrupt. 
  	“Wase… wait.” Milos almost freaked himself out. Since when did he become hasty? Would she freak out? Well… he really liked her. But what if she didn’t like him that way? What if she never wanted to see him again? No more Wase? Had Denver ruined it all?  
  	And with quickness quite comparable to that of a swimmer diving into the water, Milos decided in that second to kiss Wase.  
  	The two blushed miserably and smiled like pageant girls before Wase composed herself and came to the conclusion that now was a good time to get back to her house. 
  	“I think I should leave now. Today was wonderful, thanks Milos.” She said this before giving a quick kiss to Milos’ cheek and half skipping, half walking back down to her own home. 
  	Milos gave a sigh unlike anyone else’s today. It was a pure sigh of relief. He then stretched his arms for once, as a prideful man does, and began to walk up the steps into his humble abode. “I’ve got to ask her out,” he breathed into the cool night sky before stepping inside. 
  DENVER BARRY @ the Barry residence 
  	“Night… finally,” Denver thought to himself as he peered outside his bedroom window. He had been twiddling his thumbs now for hours. How did he know? Blisters had begun to form on the outer edges. Calluses later. Whatever didn’t hurt him would only make him stronger.  
  	Life hadn’t exactly been too exciting lately, as far as night life goes. Denver’s best friend Koda had recently been put into juvenile hall for drunk driving and illegal cigarette smoking. Denver knew it was only moments until he was next. Him and Koda had always done everything together. 
  	It had been three days since Denver had slept or hardly ate, and it didn’t take a mirror for him to know that he reflected disaster.  His sight was mostly a blur, and the only thing that had kept him awake these last couple of days was a hot shower. Now all he wanted was a drink. Well, maybe more than one. 
  	The thing about winter that Denver loved was the fact that you could wear a coat. Coats had been his rescue for the pack of cigarettes he always carried. Unlike in the summer, only a tight pair of jeans could hold one or two cigarettes at the most.  
  	Two slaps on the face and Denver headed downstairs, where his father would always be, trying to talk some “sense” into him. Denver didn’t care. As long as the pap had his golden boy Milos, that was all he needed.  
  	“I’m going out,” Denver mentioned before opening and slamming the back door. He heard talking outside. Must be Milos and his date. He hadn’t met the girl before. It was their fifth date. 
  	“One, two, three…” Denver mumbled to himself as he stepped down the back porch and began to swiftly walk across the grass. 
  	“What do you mean you’re going out?!” yelled Paps. Denver laughed to himself at the fact that his father pretended to be clueless every single time he went out. He shook his head. 
  	“I’m going out, so what?” Denver glanced back at Paps. Was that a hint of despair in his father’s eyes? Couldn’t be… usually it’s just the mask he puts on in hopes that the family reputation wouldn’t be ruined. Denver took a puff of his cigarette. 
  	“Your college fund, that’s what!” More like family reputation. Whatever. Denver had already seen the empty pregnancy tests in the trash this morning. He wasn’t the only one Dad was going to have to worry about. 
  	“Pfft. What college fund? I’m not going to college.” And with that, Denver walked out of the yard, playing with the spare change in his pocket that he would later use for a drink or two. 
  	However, as he neared the sidewalk, Denver heard the everyday twinge of guilt as his father yelled after him, “you’re ruining this family, Denver!!” 
  	Wouldn’t you know it. But hey, Milos’ date was kind of cute. 
  ALEXANDER (ALEC) HARRISON @ the Harrison residence 
  	“dont go getting so eddicated that you wont talk to your old frends. I said dont worry I will always keep my old frends even if I can read and rite.” 
  	Alec heard a glass crash down the hall. As an automatic reaction he set down his favorite reading book, Flowers for Algernon, and rushed to see what had happened.  
  	“Tss-oww,” whined Emilie as she glanced up guiltily at her brother Alec. As always, he had gotten there before everyone else. Even with the huge, brand new house, Alec had always remained the same. 
  	Alec looked at the broken shards of what used to be a vase scattered around his sister. Nothing too serious, a bit had sliced open her leg, but the problem was that the house was void of any alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. He gave the parental look that gave the meaning, “you did it again, Emilie?” 
  	“I’ll go get Mum and Dad,” Alec soothed as he darted out of the kitchen and upstairs to tell his parents of what had happened.  
  	“Emilie! What happened sweety?” asked Bebban Harrison. She looked in shock at the amount of broken glass around the kitchen, and gave the “explain every detail” look. 
  	“I wanted that sleepy tea, Mum. I was just getting a mug! But… I grabbed for your vase instead,” replied little Emilie, who tilted her head back down to her bleeding leg in guilt. Bebban continued to comfort Emilie as Marianna, the eldest daughter, went to search for the broom. Adam, the father, swiftly came up to Alec. 
  	“Alec, we need some alcohol for Em’s cut. Do you think you can run down to Oliver’s real quick and ask him for some?” Adam was the main doctor in Nelson. He recently acquired a job there, and was now working with Mr. Hugh Barry. Oliver, who owned the pub down the street, was a family friend.  
  	“Sure Dad,” replied Alec as he ran out of the house, and down the street towards Oliver’s Irish Pub. 
  DENVER BARRY @ Downtown Nelson – outside of Oliver’s Irish Pub 
  	No doubt, Denver was wasted. It had been hours since his expedition to the pub, and he knew from how cold the pavement was. Oliver kicked him out again after he picked another fight with a man after drinking 16 shots of tequila. It must have been around midnight. He had to get up. He had to go home. 
  	The wall of the pub was useful for keeping the cool ocean air out, but it was also useful for helping drunks get to their feet. In Denver’s case it was the latter. People inside the pub were pointing, laughing as his useless carcass crawled up the wall, slipped, and crawled up again. Finally his fingers grasped what seemed to be a window sill and that kept him from slipping again.  
  	“I can walk…. damnit, I can walk,” slurred Denver as he attempted to take a first step. Like a baby his legs seemed like two uncoordinated stumps of wood that didn’t seem to want to respond to his wishes. Somehow he took another step. It was going to be a long walk home. The door to the pub opened. More humility? Or maybe an invite inside from pity? 
  	“Alright, thanks Oliver,” smiled some stick with a blonde head as he waved his stick arm and hand goodbye to the pub owner. So it was neither. It was just a customer. Denver groaned in hopelessness and the world went black. 
  ALEC HARRISON @ Downtown Nelson – outside of Oliver’s Irish Pub 
  	“This should be enough for the little miss. Take care, Alec, and make sure to get rid of those vases,” chuckled family friend Oliver as he handed Alec a small bottle of both tonic and tequila. They were samples that would belong on first class in an airplane, but they would do perfectly for Emilie’s cut. Alec nodded in agreement and stepped out into the crisp, cool summer night. 
  	“Alright, thanks Oliver,” Alec smiled as he waved goodbye. He heard someone make a sharp groan to the left of him. Next to his feet collapsed a dark-haired boy, probably about his age. Alec gasped.   
  	“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Alec cradled the boy’s head in his arm and lightly slapped his face. The boy opened his eyes for a second before gasping and coughing in Alec’s face. The sharp stench of tequila and cigarette smoke poisoned his nostrils. Alec hid his face in his sleeve before glancing back up at the pub.   
  	“Hmm,” Alec sighed. This wouldn’t necessarily be a problem for Oliver to handle. Oliver did deal with a lot of drunks, but this was different. Alec had to bring him back to his father. 
  	Along with the tequila and tonic, Alec slugged the dark-haired boy over his shoulder and started walking back to his house. “It’s gonna be alright, mate,” Alec reassured the passed out stranger.  
  @ the Harrison residence – the next morning 
  	As soon as the sun had risen, Alec was awake. He wasn’t sure as to why, other than being curious of the boy he rescued last night. Perhaps that was the reason, and either way, there wasn’t a chance that Alec was going back to bed anytime soon. He made up his bed and rushed downstairs as slowly as he could. 
  	As Alec came downstairs, he glanced at the couch that Dr. Harrison had set the boy to sleep on last night. It had been covered completely in towels, with a bucket to the side in case the boy needed to throw up any extra tequila.  The couch looked the same, the bucket looked the same, and the boy was still in the same position that Dr. Harrison had laid him in last night. Was the boy dead? 	 
  	“Alec, what are you doing?” asked Dr. Harrison, who suddenly appeared in the chair beside the couch the dark-haired boy was on. Was he in the chair before? If so, Alec completely didn’t notice. 
  	“ I um uh… I couldn’t sleep. Anymore,” stuttered Alec. He rubbed his eyes and tried to collect himself as his dad raised a brow and chuckled. He motioned his hand toward the still available seat in the living room. Alec eyed his father suspiciously, but decided that sitting wouldn’t do so much of harm. 
  	Alec squinted. “He’s not… dead, is he?” Another chuckle from Dr. Harrison. 
  	“No, but you were very right to bring him to me, Alec. From the looks of it, he hasn’t slept in days, and he certainly hasn’t been feeding himself properly. And from the vomit on his face, I’d say he needs a shower. But thank you son, for getting me the alcohol for sister’s cut.” 
  	Alec looked at the boy with the dark hair. He looked so still. The morning sun that shone through the windows made the boy’s hair shine a little. Dark circles encompassed the boy’s eyes, making him look haunted. His slender body seemed to be buried in the couch. The boy’s face looked familiar. 
  	“So how long until he’s up?” asked Alec, completely ignoring the part about Emilie’s cut. A third chuckle from the peanut gallery. The sun began to rise enough that the light would force itself through a window, reflect off the television, and burn into Alec’s eyes. Funny how something so wonderful could be bad, too. 
  	“ I don’t know, son. It could be in a couple of hours. Like I said, he needed a lot of sleep…” 
  DENVER BARRY @ the Harrison residence 
  	Like always, it began with a searing pain in the head. But as of lately, the head pain would soon be followed by pain from the hollow emptiness of his stomach, and then even worse, the pain of opening up his tired, swollen eyelids. 
  	However, only two of those three pains happened. It was a relief to know that even with the bright sunlight (bright sunlight? That never happened in his room), his eyes didn’t seem to hurt. He began to open them slowly, while also trying to find the connection from his brain telling his arm to block the bright light.  
  	“He’s waking up!” Denver heard the sound of a little girl’s voice whisper. Last time he had checked, Andromeda was certainly older than he was. Thankfully, his arm responded and blocked the sunlight enough for him to squint his eyes open. Then the smell of vomit became apparent. Crap. 
  	The sunlight suddenly became blocked. Was it cloudy outside? Denver had always wished for rain this summer. He loved winter weather. His eyes flew open. 
  	Five blonde-haired faces glanced back down at him. So that was what blocked the sun. He began to look at the faces. 
  	The first was a small girl (probably the one who whispered), who looked over the couch with excited eyes and a toothless grin. She giggled as he winced, trying to get used to the lighting. 
  	Second was probably the mother of the house. She was skinny and petite, and held her composure with a respectful grin that also worked as a warning. Her warning was probably against the tequila vomit from last night, still stuck on his face.  
  	Third was a teenage girl, probably around his age… maybe younger. Unlike the younger girl, this one looked at him in admiration. She was very pretty, but her knowledge in guys like him would ruin her. He laughed silently to himself. 
  	Fourth was the father. He was a very careful-looking man. His brows held the same concentration as his own father’s. Wait. That was the Dr. Adam Harrison that his father worked with.  Denver gulped louder than was necessary. 
  	Denver noticed the last person from last night. The supposed stick with blonde hair turned out to be a teenage boy his age. He had never seen him before. Well that was because the Harrisons were new to Nelson. But a stick was a poor way to describe the boy. He had deep blue eyes that contrasted well with his choppy blonde hair. He was perhaps the most perfect looking person he had ever seen. Then the whole family smiled. 
  	“My god,” Denver breathed. 
  ALEC HARRISON @ the Harrison residence 
  	Alec had only been sitting outside for ten minutes when he decided that perhaps fresh air wasn’t so good for him after all. The whole day he had forgone everything. He ditched a game of chess with Emilie, he skipped practicing piano, and ultimately when the decision was made that some fresh air would be nice, Alec thought this was the total remedy. Until now. 
  	The dark-haired boy had been instructed to eat a decent meal by Dr. Harrison, and so he did as he was told and ate a whopping omelet, crumbs and all.  
  	Next he was instructed to go take a shower because he had stunk. Likewise, he marched upstairs and was taking a shower at this moment. And for some reason the time was killing Alec. Who was this person? If they didn’t know him, would they have to keep him? Were “Found” posters stapled across the neighborhood necessary? Millions of questions racked through Alec’s mind. A knock sounded on the wall next to him. 
  	“Is… Dr. Harrison around?” asked the dark-haired boy, “I need to know where to put this towel.” Alec jumped up from his chair. The dark-haired boy turned pale. 
  	“Dr. Harrison is out at work right now. If you want I’ll take it for you.” The dark-haired boy quickly handed him the towel and looked around nervously, darting his eyes as if to avoid Alec’s. 
  	“Yea, I… should probably get back home now,” the dark-haired boy muttered. He stuffed his hands in his jean pockets. 
  	“Sure,” replied Alec, “hey um… how do you know my dad’s name?”  
  	“Oh, you noticed that, huh? My dad works with yours… I’m Denver Barry.”  
   
   
   Publication Date: January 26th 2012 https://www.bookrix.com/-an0nymous