A thin blanket of snow covered the slanted brown roof of the Mackenzie house. As the sun beat heavily upon it, the snow began to melt, dancing down the eves trough, and then dripping down the window. A rainbow of colours sat on the light purple walls of Cassandra's room. The morning was peaceful and serene. A shrill sound broke the silence, and Cassie rolled over to shut off her alarm. Groaning, she crawled out of bed and towards the bathroom.
"I can't believe vacation is over already," she muttered to herself as she ran her fingers through her straight black hair. "And I can't believe I'm awake at 6 o'clock!" She made her way down the thinly carpeted staircase, and to the kitchen where she proceeded to gather the necessary elements to make her breakfast. Deciding it was too early for anything but cereal, she grabbed a box of Froot Loops and a bowl, and slid into a chair.
The house was unusually quiet for a Monday morning. Her emerald eyes wandered the kitchen, in search of some sort of clue to the whereabouts of the rest of her family. They came to rest on a small piece of white paper. A frown wrinkled her brow as she made her way to the tiled counter the note sat on. Her long, pale finger reached forward and gathered the note up in the palm of her hand.
"'Cassie,'" she read the note aloud to herself. "'We didn't want to wake you this morning, but I had to take your father to the airport. He has that conference in Atlanta this week. Your sister left for BC last night, but you were asleep before she had a chance to say goodbye. Michael is with me. We left you the car, but you need to put some gas in it. There's money on the living room table for that, and your lunch. Say a prayer before you go, just to be safe. I love you, princess. Love, Mom.'" Cassie smiled to herself and folded the note carefully and replaced it on the counter; it was her way of letting her mom know she had read it.
She made her way back upstairs to her room. Swinging the door to her closet open, she rummaged through her outfits. She finally settled on her favorite outfit: pair of black cords and a green wool sweater. Brushing her hair into a loose ponytail, she glanced at the clock. The red numbers were glowing brightly, 8:05. She jumped up and ran down the stairs. Grabbing her car keys, the money from the table, her bag and jacket she raced out the door and into her car. Starting up her car, she drove off.
Large fluffy white flakes fell heavily, blanketing Cassie's deep green Civic. Throwing back her hood, she shook the snow from her head and unlocked her car. THUD! A large snowball hit the hood of Cassie's car, sending snow flying in all directions.
"Hey, Cass!" a familiar voice called from across the parking lot. "Where ya off to? There's a HUGE party at Mike's place tonight, and you've just gotta be there!" Cassie turned to see her best friend, Elizabeth, jogging towards her. Elizabeth's blonde hair swung from side to side behind her, and her blue eyes sparkled with their usual joy as she made her way to Cassie.
"Liz! Hey! A party?" Cassie stood in thought for a moment, her pale brow furrowing. "I don't know…I usually go to youth…" she was abruptly cut off by her sometimes overly enthusiastic friend.
"Shut up! You always go to youth, and then you always call me and complain about how horrible they treat you there. You know that your "friends" there care less about you than I do. Come on, I'm your BEST friend. How many times are you going to turn me down? It's not like you have to drink or anything. If you don't want to, you know that you don't have to. You can hang with all the designated drivers," she chuckled softly, smiling brightly. "I love you, Cass, and I never ask you to do anything on Fridays, except today. C'mon."
"Alright, alright," Cassie's voice sounded reluctant. "But, I'm not drinking, and I'm coming home before 2. Alright?" Liz nodded frantically, ecstatic that Cassie agreed.
"Okay, I'll come to your house at about 7:00, and then we'll get ready and go. We can't show up too early, or too late. I'm great at showing up at the perfect time." Cassie nodded and waved good-bye to her friend. She started her car, and drove off.
"…Ya, I know I shouldn't go…that's not true, Liz doesn't do anything like that…no, I'm sure that I want to go…I'll be fine…I'm not going to drink, remember?" Cassie held the phone between her shoulder and her chin, and listened to her friend, Emily, from youth, tell her why she shouldn't go to the party. She sighed and muttered a few choice words under her breath. "Look Em, I'm going to this party and you can't stop me," and with that, Cassie slammed down the phone.
"Cassandra," her mother called from the bottom of the stairs. "Elizabeth is here for you," Cassie hated the fact that her mother called everyone by their full name, whether they told her otherwise or not. Cassie swung open her door just as Liz trotted up the stairs. The red shirt she wore outlined every curve, and she had placed her hair in large ringlettes all over her head. She wore tight blue jeans with shoes that made her taller than Cassie.
"What are you wearing?" Cassie asked with a laugh. "That is the stupidest outfit I've ever seen."
"Shut up! It's my normal attire, just…more party-like," Liz commented as she flopped her small body onto Cassie's bed. "What are YOU planning on wearing? Your sweat pants and a big baggy sweater?" Liz's light chuckle escaped her throat.
"Ya, that's exactly what I was going to wear," Cassie shook her head and walked to her closet. After rustling through many hangers of clothes, she emerged with a long black shirt and a forest green cashmere sweater. "This-" she said, holding the outfit out, "-is what I was going to wear," Elizabeth's mouth dropped open and she nodded frantically in approval. "I thought you'd like it," Cassie walked into her attached bathroom to change. She emerged less than 5 minutes later. Her hair was placed in a loose bun on top of her head, and the outfit she wore hugged every curve of her thin body.
An hour later, the two girls made their way down the stairs. Throwing on her coat and shoes, Cassie reached for the doorknob.
"Just a minute, girls," the light-hearted voice of Cassie's mother flew through the air like a song. "Could you come in here please? Both of you," the two girls exchanged glances and trudged into the living room where Cassie's petite mother sat. "I figure you two are heading off to a party," Cassie's mouth opened in protest, but her mother stopped her. "I won't tell your father, dear. Just promise me that you won't drink, and that you will drive responsibly, and that you'll both get back here in one piece," her pale gray eyes wandered to Elizabeth. "I want you to know that you can come back here anytime, whether you are inebriated or not. You are like another daughter to me, and I promise that I will take care of you," her pale lips curled into a warm smile as she made her way to the girls and gave them both a quick hug and light kiss on the cheek.
Cassie drove carefully over the freshly fallen snow, which blanketed the city streets. Pulling up to the brightly lit house, which almost shook with music and overflowed with people, she parked her small car and the two girls climbed out. They walked up the newly shoveled sidewalk and knocked on the door. A tall, well-built figure appeared in the doorway.
"Hey Liz! Cass! Glad to see you could make it. Come in, sit down, ENJOY! You can put your coats in my room, and then join us downstairs," Mike lead the girls to the stairs and pointed to the upper level. "Mine's the second door on the left. You should have no problem finding it," with that, he left them. They carefully made their way up the stairs and opened the door to Mike's room. Putting their coats on the bed, the turned and quickly left the room.
The party dragged on into the wee hours of the night. Cassie wandered around the house, talking to different people all night. Surprisingly, no one pressured her to drink. Liz, on the other hand, soon became the life of the party. After having a few too many drinks, she had passed out on a couch in the basement. Sitting down on a well-worn blue couch, Cassie rested her weary eyes.
"Hey you," a gentle voice appeared suddenly beside her. "Didn't think I'd find you here," Cassie opened her eyes and turned to see a friend from youth, Scott, seated next to her.
"Scott? You're not at youth?" Cassie was obviously shocked. "Have you been drinking? You're, like, the last person that I would expect to see at something like this." Scott was the pastor's son, and was one of the most spiritual kids at her youth. He was always praying for people, dancing during worship, leading Bible studies, he even played in the youth worship band.
"Well, I started to get to know Mike in Social class, and when he invited me, I thought 'Hey, what could it hurt?' Next thing I know, Mike's giving me some sort of drink. But I swear I only had 3!" His glassy eyes were wide with fear. "Don't tell my dad, eh? If he found out I was at a party instead of studying, he'd flip! Not to mention how bad it would look when the pastor's son gets caught drinking," Scott was now speaking whatever came to his mind, happy that Cassie was there to listen. "I mean, I don't know what came over me. I never drink, I never come to parties, and I don't know why I'm doing it tonight. So many kids at youth look up to me, if they found out that I'm doing this…man, I don't know what I'd do. Cass, I don't know what came over me tonight. I'm not usually like this," her turned his head, his blue eyes filled with tears. "I've gotta go. I think I'm going to head home before my dad notices I'm not there," without waiting for a response, Scott stood to his feet and began to make his way out of the house. Cassie looked at her watch and realized that it was time her and Liz started home. With Mike's help, Cassie helped Liz out to the car and started to drive away.
As she pulled out onto the main road, she saw the bright lights of another car speed towards her. She barely had a chance to scream, as the other car slammed into hers. Her piercing eyes slowly closed, and a lone tear trickled down her cheek.
When she woke, she struggled to move. Her arms felt like lead, and her head like a bowling ball. She began to cry, and the salt from the tears began to sting the many cuts on her face. She turned her head and saw Liz sitting on the curb, sobbing heavily. She had a large cut on her head, but nothing else. Questions raced through her head. Why? What had she done wrong? She hadn't had anything to drink that had alcohol in it; she'd stayed sober to avoid a situation like this. She longed for her Mom. A small sound escaped her throat as she sobbed heavily. Her body ached, and her usual smile had been wiped off her face in a split second. She heard bits and pieces of the police officers talking. The other guy was drunk, and his name was Scott something-or-other. He was her age, and had been taken to the hospital, but they were sure that he'd be okay. Pains shot through her arms and legs, and a horrible realization came to her: she was going to die. The officers were now talking about her. Cassie could only pick out some words with the blood filling her ears. They said that they were sorry, but there was nothing more they could do. She heard Liz scream, and someone trying to comfort her. The blood was now caked in her eyes. She wished now, more than ever, that her mother were with her. It was then that she felt a hand grasp hers. It was her mother's.
"Shhh, honey," her mother said between sobs. "I got here as soon as I could. Don't try to talk. Honey, I want you to know that I know you didn't drink. It wasn't your fault. I called Daddy, and he told me to tell you that he would put 'Daddy's girl' on your grave, just as you wanted. Michael's here too. He's trying to be brave for both of us. It's so hard. I love you, Cassie," it was the first time her mother had ever called her anything but Cassandra. Cassie's breath became shallower and shorter. "Honey, you'll be in Heaven soon. Jesus is waiting," her mother began to sob as Cassie breathed her last breath. Her arm went limp, and the heavy blood flow slowed to a stop. Liz walked over and lifted Cassie's limp body in her arms, crying and hugging her tightly. Soon, the police and spectators began to leave. The scene was cleared and the next morning, everything was back to normal. But, the lives of Cassie's friend's and family were forever changed. They couldn't be fixed as easily as the accident site. A person that meant so much to so many was gone because of one split second decision.
This story was based on the following poem: I went to a party, Mom, I remembered what you said. You told me not to drink, Mom, so I drank soda instead. I really felt proud inside, Mom, the way you said I would. I didn't drink and drive, Mom, even though the others said I should. I know I did the right thing, Mom, I know you are always right. Now the party is finally ending, Mom, as everyone is driving out of sight. As I got into my car, Mom, I knew I'd get home in one piece. Because of the way you raised me, so responsible and sweet. I started to drive away, Mom, but as I pulled out into the road, the other car didn't see me, Mom, and hit me like a load. As I lay there on the pavement, Mom, I hear the policeman say, the other guy is drunk, Mom, and now I'm the one who will pay. I'm lying here dying, Mom. I wish you'd get here soon. How could this happen to me, Mom? My life just burst like a balloon. There is blood all around me, Mom, and most of it is mine. I hear the medic say, Mom, I'll die in a short time. I just wanted to tell you, Mom, I swear I didn't drink. It was the others, Mom. The others didn't think. He was probably at the same party as I. The only difference is, he drank and I will die. Why do people drink, Mom? It can ruin your whole life. I'm feeling sharp pains now. Pains just like a knife. The guy who hit me is walking, Mom, and I don't think it's fair. I'm lying here dying and all he can do is stare. Tell my brother not to cry, Mom. Tell Daddy to be brave. And when I go to heaven, Mom, put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave Someone should have told him, Mom, not to drink and drive. If only they had told him, Mom, I would still be alive. My breath is getting shorter, Mom. I'm becoming very scared. Please don't cry for me, Mom. When I needed you, you were always there. I have one last question, Mom, before I say good-bye. I didn't drink and drive, so why am I the one to die?