It'll Be Okay

“I hate you!”
I screamed as I slammed the rickety trailer door. It was hard to see through the tears streaming out of my eyes. He finally did it. I never thought I could be filled with so much anger for a person. I ran as fast as I could to my secret spot but ended up tripping over a raised root.
“Ahhhhhhh!” I screamed in a frustrated sob, holding my ankle.
I crawled back up to my feet and kept walking, slightly limping with even more anger.
My “secret spot” was this old fallen tree in the woods behind my trailer, it’s a place I’ve been coming to for years.
“I hate him so so so much!” I said aloud, hitting a tree with closed fists.
My choking sobs made it difficult to breathe so I sat on the fallen tree and tried to calm down.
Derek, my brother unfortunately, gave Mr. Rabbit to that stray dog that devours everything in his path.
No, Mr. Rabbit isn’t a real rabbit, he’s a stuffed animal that I’ve had since I was a baby. Except my grandpa gave me that rabbit, and he isn’t around anymore, so it had a very special meaning to me.
Leaves crunching nearby cut my sobs short.
"Bailey!”
It was my mom.
“I’m over here.” My voice cracked, revealing that I was crying.
Seconds later my mom comes through the trees, hugging me after sitting by my side.
“Come on baby he didn’t know it was from grandpa, he feels horrible.”
“I don’t care if he didn’t know. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s gone! Not only that, but it was still mine!”
“You’re right honey, and he will get his karma, but you need to come home. It’s already getting dark.” My mom always had the most soothing voice, and it was hard to be mad when she was talking.
We walked back to the trailer in silence.
Waiting outside was Derek.
“Bailey, I swear I didn’t know, I just wanted to get you a little mad. I didn-”
I cut him off short.
“I never want to speak to you again.”
I walked past him to my room and got under the covers, letting a tear fall every so often.
Outside I could hear my mom and Derek talking.
“Mom I really didn’t mean to”
“I know Derek, but unfortunately this isn’t the type of thing that can be fixed”
I heard the screeching of the door’s hinges as they both came inside. I didn’t leave my bed for the rest of the night, not even when dinner was called.
“I hate him.” I say one last time before drifting to sleep.

The Next Day

“Okay never have I ever kissed a boy!” Brianna asks while laughing. Clara giggles as she puts a finger down. This causes everyone to gasp and interrogate her with questions like what was it like.
“Honestly? Eh.” She made a face and we moved on.
Today is Saturday night, which means we all stay the night at my best friend Clara’s house. Clara has a huge two-story house and every Saturday her mom orders pizza and lets her have me, Brianna, and Lizzie over. We have all been best friends since the 2nd grade, and now we’re in the 8th grade about to enter high school.
We always talk about the latest drama, new movies, and recently we would talk about boys.
“What about Charlie Allen?” said Brianna.
“Charlie!?” Lizzie yelled. “No no no, Liam Carter is the cutest in the school”
“Really? I think it’s Derek.” Everyone stopped and looked at Clara.
I have always known that Clara has had a crush on Derek, but she has never said it out loud. Before, I would have just said ew and moved on, but my new hatred for Derek made my blood boil.
Clara must have seen the look on my face because she started apologizing profusely.
“Just stop. It’s fine. I'll get over it.”
The room went dead silent for a few minutes until Lizzie says we should play truth or dare, which got everyone in a better mood.
“Brianna can go first and then whoever is asked is next.”
“Okaaay, Bailey truth or dare?”
“Hmmmm, truth.”
“Is it true you have a crush on Charlie Allen?”
My face goes bright red, giving myself away before I can answer the question.
“I’m sorry” I say guiltily, knowing that Brianna thinks he’s cute.
“No worries, he’s too preppy for me.” Brianna says with a smile. “Your turn.”
“Okaaaay, Clara? Truth or dare?”
“Truth!” She said getting ready for my question.
“Who is the guy you kissed?” I laugh while the rest of the girls made oooo sounds, but Clara stayed silent.
“Claraaa?” I say, “You have to tell us.”
Clara put her knees together and hugged them. Her eyes turn to me.
“I’m sorry Bailey.”
“What?” I say, but then my smile fades. “You didn’t.”
“I’m so sorry, I should’ve told you.”
“What’s going on?” Lizzie asks.
“She kissed her brother” Brianna whispers back.
“I can’t believe you would do that. What is wrong with you?” I said, boiling with rage. Everything he does is ruining my life, first my rabbit and now my friends. I hate him so much.
Just when I’m about to say I want to go home, Clara’s mom walks in her room.
“I’m sorry girls, but get your things together, your parents are here to get you.”
We all look around at each other in confusion, but hesitantly collected our things.

My mom was frantic, trying to get home quickly, but traffic made that impossible. Her knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel and sweat beaded her forehead.
“Mom? What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain after we pick up Derek.” Her voice was shaky. This worried me, but I just switched my eyes to the honking vehicles ahead.
“Why aren’t you at work?”
“I had to leave early”
Mom noticed I was getting worried.
“It’s okay baby.” She said in that soothing voice that calmed me down.
“You seem nervous, why is everyone out so-”
My eardrums exploded, and my mom wrecked into the vehicle in front of us.
Ringing ears.
Warm pain.
I can’t make out what I’m seeing.
“Bailey!” It was my mom. Her voice isn’t soothing anymore.
Finally, I can make everything out. Glass is everywhere, and I can see red.
“Bailey, we have to go!” My mom never yells at me, so I pushed past the pain and hurriedly climbed out of the door.
“Are you okay? Can you walk? Can you run?” She bombarded me with questions while checking my wounds, but I couldn’t answer.
“Nothing too serious. Let’s go. We need to go.” She gripped my wrist and dragged me away from the car.
I looked around and there was fire, screaming, and everyone on the street was running. Most of the cars on the road were crushed with debris and on fire.
“Bailey let’s go!” Mom was screaming, but I was in shock and my eyes began to burn.
It happened again, but this one was further in the distance so I could see what was going on. It was like something fell out of the sky.
We started to run past the fallen people and wrecked vehicles, mom having to catch me, so I didn’t collapse.
We ran for 20 or so minutes, the world is the loudest it’s ever been. Car alarms, screaming, and even the sound of my own breath was deafening.
Finally, we could see the trailer in the distance, and we ran even harder.
My mom threw the rickety trailer door open and once we got in, she fell hard against the wall and began to sob. Sobs that hurt my ears and made my eyes water.
“Mom?” I say with a quivering voice.
“Derek!!” Mom screamed and I ran to his room, which was completely empty.
“He’s not in here!” I yelled back to her
“Oh no...” She covered her face for a moment and looked back up at me, sniffling.
“Come here honey,” mom said, wiping the tears from her face and holding her arms out, “just come sit with me.”
“Mom what’s going on!” I’m yelling at this point. I’m so confused and terrified.
She was silent for a moment, but eventually spoke.
My body went numb. Her words repeated in my head.
“...News interruption... Destruction... If it happens it will take out the entire northern hemisphere... This could be it.”
I had fallen to the ground without even realizing it, and my mom’s arms were around me, telling me everything will be okay.
“What about Derek?” I slumped down next to her.
“I don’t know baby, I don’t have any service. I’m not sure if we can find him in time.” She held my cheek and wiped away my tears.
“What do you mean?!” I screamed. “If it happens how much time do we have?”
“Maybe an hour, maybe more, maybe less. There’s no way to know.”
“No,” I shook my head and started hyperventilating, “No, no, no, no, no”
I felt like I was going to be sick. I needed to say goodbye to him, I don’t care about the stupid bunny rabbit anymore. I don’t know what to do, I can’t breathe. I love him, he’s my brother. The last time I talked to him, I told him I hated him.
Without thinking, I got up and ran outside. The cold air hit me harder now that my adrenaline has gone down. I ran off to my secret spot.
The thuds of my footsteps and the crunching of the leaves were all I could concentrate on.
Approaching the spot, I could hear loud sobbing and I stopped dead in my tracks, nearly falling over.
I felt relieved. It was like a weight was lifted off of my chest, and I started crying, harder than ever before. I sprinted through the trees.
“Derek!”
I ran to my big brother and nearly tackled him with a hug. Nearly a foot taller than me and I almost took him off of his feet. Derek wiped his face and spoke.
“I didn’t think I was going to see you guys again. I saw the news interruption and I waited and waited, but you and mom never came home. I thought I was going to be all alone. I am so sorry about your rabbit, if I could take it back I would.”
“Don’t worry about it, none of it matters anymore.”
Moments later our mom joined us at the secret spot.
“How did you know where to find him?” she said holding her throat, sobbing.
“This is our secret spot; we came here almost every day when we were little. Especially when things got hard with you and dad.” Derek said.
My mom smiled and pulled us together tightly, and all I could hear was the sound of their breathing as we huddled together in the cold night. Slowly, the world went pitch black, the moon and stars disappearing from the sky. Mom held us tighter as we shivered.
In her soothing voice, mom told us it’ll be okay, and I could tell she meant it. I felt at peace with them at my side and I knew I couldn’t ask for more. Finally, there was one last crash.

I woke up to the sounds of the birds singing and the smell of dinner in the kitchen.