Waiting on Depression Road, chapter 1
Jenna was an average girl. Her life was fair and pious. Her parents treated her well. She had but one sibling, one that her father was proud of for everything. Richie was sweet, but life had been stabbing him in the back. The two got along well with each other. In fact, they were the best of friends until Richie turned 13 and the girls were always after him. They once chased him clear down the block. Boys never chased Jenna like those girls chased Richie. Richie was considered quite handsome down this side of town. He had short spiked black hair and narrow green eyes that looked like limes. Jenna, however wasn't considered beautiful here. Anywhere else, boys would rush to marry her in a heartbeat. But this town wasn't like other towns. Here, the only beautiful girls were the only ones born here. These girls were big breasted and blonde. They wore too much eye shadow, and their lips were practically made of lipstick. Not like Jenna. Natural, glistening Jenna. With her short black hair and her hazel-brown diamond eyes. The only one who appreciated her was Richie. If he weren't her brother, she'd have fallen for him. Unfortunately when the girls started to go for him, they were separated. Jenna never let him live it down. She would yell at him every chance she'd get. She wanted his "perverted soul" to go to hell. And pretty soon, it did.
When Jenna was 14, she had a single friend. Her name was Taiuh, and she was the busboy at Jenna's favorite diner, where she and Richie used to spend time together. Taiuh was 16, the same as Richie. Jenna and Taiuh had lots in common, and they were the only decent looking girls in town. They actually looked like sisters, so similar. Well one day, Jenna walked into the diner and saw Taiuh, on her day off, sitting by Richie. No, no, no. Jenna thought. Not again. Every time Jenna made a friend they would end up meeting Richie and using Jenna to get to him. Jenna curiously walked up behind them. Taiuh turned around, "Oh, hey, Jen." Richie looked to Jenna.
"Jen, this is Taiuh, my gi-"
"I know who Taiuh is," she interrupted. Taiuh giggled. "Why didn't you tell me you had such a cute brother?"
"I don't..." Jenna mumbled to herself. Her soul was just boiling. When Taiuh slid her hand across that table and Richie put his hand on top of it, she exploded.
"Does anyone care? Every freaking time I manage to find a friend, you have to butt back into my life! Now don't even start with the 'but we love each other' crap. Don't you love me? Is it ever about me? Aw, now you're like Barbie and Ken. Cinderella and Prince Charming. I don't even care anymore. Go live in you're fairytale castle. I don't want to be in this story anyway."
Without thinking, Jenna punched Richie and ran out the door. "Shouldn't you go after her?" Taiuh was really concerned.
"Hey," said Richie. "She's a kid."
"No, really, Richie. Go after her." Suddenly Richie looked to the side and cocked his head. He heard "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." coming from outside. He grabbed her hand and dragged her out. "It's our song."
Taiuh laughed. "But Richie we don't have a song."
"Then this'll be our song. This'll be our song." Forever those words were destined to echo is Taiuh's head. Because then he tried to make her laugh. Richie could make anyone laugh. He danced into the street. Right in front of a car. All Taiuh could think was those words. "This'll be our song. This'll be our song."
Taiuh walked to Jenna's house. She found Jenna in the tree house in the back yard. Jenna glared in a helpless sort of way at Taiuh. She looked at the floor when Taiuh looked back. "Ya know," Jenna said. "Richie built this tree house for me when Mom started drinking. We were so scared, so he built this house so I could get away. We used to talk up here. Night and day. What happened?"
Suddenly Taiuh heard music in her head. She heard it. She heard "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." She just froze. "Jen... Jenna. Your brother... Richie, he-"
"I don't want to hear about Richie. I don't want anything to do with Richie."
"Your ma's crying. You probably will too. When you hear about Richie."
"I said I don't want to hear about Richie."
"Okay well fine. He died. He's gone. Gone forever. One minute he's making me laugh and the next a car flies outta nowhere and takes his life with it. Good to know you care." By now tear were streaming from Taiuh's eyes. She was in a hurry to leave. And to think she was friends with such a brat. And that song made it worse. Tormenting her mind. "This'll be our song. This'll be our song."
Jenna thought she was going to be sick. Richie? Dead? No, no, no. Richie was in his room on the phone. Of course he was. She ran into the house. Her mother was crying, so was her dad. She rushed into Richie's room. Empty. He was really gone. A week after the funeral, her mom committed suicide. Richie always told Jenna that one of those days her drinking would lead her to do something crazy. And Jenna's father, well, he sort of lost the will to live. He knew he couldn't leave Jenna alone, but he didn't eat so much. And he didn't say much either. She never saw Taiuh anymore.
So one day Jenna took a walk. Down that long windy road Richie would always take her on when she was sad. She had always wondered if it could be lonely without Richie. It was. Richie never took her to the end of the road, so she thought she might as well see what was at the end of it. So, Jenna kept on walking. And walking. All of a sudden she heard Richie's soothing voice. He whispered to her. She looked to her side and there he was. "I knew it wasn't true," she said. "I knew it. You were just waiting for me. Waiting on Depression Road."
They walked on down the road. At the end was a park. They found a disposable camera on the ground. She looked to Richie. "Can we take a picture? To remember the day I found you."
He thought a moment. "Yeah, a picture." She held out the camera and snapped a picture.
"Oh, the suns going down. We have to get back home before dad gets mad." She started off. "What's the matter, aren't you coming?"
"I can't go back there. Dad'll kill me. Besides, no one will understand. Now go." She did as her brother commanded but on the way home she got that picture developed. She rushed home. "Dad," she said. "Look! I found Richie. He's alive. Look at this picture we took."
"Jen, let's not go through this again." Then he looked at that picture. It was definitely current. And there Richie was, right next to Jenna. Her father took a closer look at the photo and noticed that Richie was slightly transparent. The tree behind him seemed to show through his head. "He talked to me and everything," Jenna exclaimed.
"Jen... Richie's dead," her father said.
"But... the picture," she gasped.
"Jennifer," he said. Which was strange, because he never called her Jennifer. "Do you still believe in ghosts?" She thought a moment.
"Nope, I can't say I do." When he showed her that picture again she didn't believe him, nor did she want to believe him.
"No!" she screamed. "You're wrong!" In an instant, she tossed herself out the door. Running straight for Depression Road.
She sprinted down the road until she was out of breath, which then she walked. She assumed she'd find him at the park, but she never found the park. Richie never showed up. The park never appeared. It was unlike anything. She walked for hours, lonely and cold on the road. Just before the sun rose she saw a road sign. Kind of random, really. She looked carefully at it. In Richie's handwriting she could make out a sentence. It read, "Believe him, Jen, and tell Taiuh I love her. Love, Richie"
When Jenna was 14, she had a single friend. Her name was Taiuh, and she was the busboy at Jenna's favorite diner, where she and Richie used to spend time together. Taiuh was 16, the same as Richie. Jenna and Taiuh had lots in common, and they were the only decent looking girls in town. They actually looked like sisters, so similar. Well one day, Jenna walked into the diner and saw Taiuh, on her day off, sitting by Richie. No, no, no. Jenna thought. Not again. Every time Jenna made a friend they would end up meeting Richie and using Jenna to get to him. Jenna curiously walked up behind them. Taiuh turned around, "Oh, hey, Jen." Richie looked to Jenna.
"Jen, this is Taiuh, my gi-"
"I know who Taiuh is," she interrupted. Taiuh giggled. "Why didn't you tell me you had such a cute brother?"
"I don't..." Jenna mumbled to herself. Her soul was just boiling. When Taiuh slid her hand across that table and Richie put his hand on top of it, she exploded.
"Does anyone care? Every freaking time I manage to find a friend, you have to butt back into my life! Now don't even start with the 'but we love each other' crap. Don't you love me? Is it ever about me? Aw, now you're like Barbie and Ken. Cinderella and Prince Charming. I don't even care anymore. Go live in you're fairytale castle. I don't want to be in this story anyway."
Without thinking, Jenna punched Richie and ran out the door. "Shouldn't you go after her?" Taiuh was really concerned.
"Hey," said Richie. "She's a kid."
"No, really, Richie. Go after her." Suddenly Richie looked to the side and cocked his head. He heard "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." coming from outside. He grabbed her hand and dragged her out. "It's our song."
Taiuh laughed. "But Richie we don't have a song."
"Then this'll be our song. This'll be our song." Forever those words were destined to echo is Taiuh's head. Because then he tried to make her laugh. Richie could make anyone laugh. He danced into the street. Right in front of a car. All Taiuh could think was those words. "This'll be our song. This'll be our song."
Taiuh walked to Jenna's house. She found Jenna in the tree house in the back yard. Jenna glared in a helpless sort of way at Taiuh. She looked at the floor when Taiuh looked back. "Ya know," Jenna said. "Richie built this tree house for me when Mom started drinking. We were so scared, so he built this house so I could get away. We used to talk up here. Night and day. What happened?"
Suddenly Taiuh heard music in her head. She heard it. She heard "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." She just froze. "Jen... Jenna. Your brother... Richie, he-"
"I don't want to hear about Richie. I don't want anything to do with Richie."
"Your ma's crying. You probably will too. When you hear about Richie."
"I said I don't want to hear about Richie."
"Okay well fine. He died. He's gone. Gone forever. One minute he's making me laugh and the next a car flies outta nowhere and takes his life with it. Good to know you care." By now tear were streaming from Taiuh's eyes. She was in a hurry to leave. And to think she was friends with such a brat. And that song made it worse. Tormenting her mind. "This'll be our song. This'll be our song."
Jenna thought she was going to be sick. Richie? Dead? No, no, no. Richie was in his room on the phone. Of course he was. She ran into the house. Her mother was crying, so was her dad. She rushed into Richie's room. Empty. He was really gone. A week after the funeral, her mom committed suicide. Richie always told Jenna that one of those days her drinking would lead her to do something crazy. And Jenna's father, well, he sort of lost the will to live. He knew he couldn't leave Jenna alone, but he didn't eat so much. And he didn't say much either. She never saw Taiuh anymore.
So one day Jenna took a walk. Down that long windy road Richie would always take her on when she was sad. She had always wondered if it could be lonely without Richie. It was. Richie never took her to the end of the road, so she thought she might as well see what was at the end of it. So, Jenna kept on walking. And walking. All of a sudden she heard Richie's soothing voice. He whispered to her. She looked to her side and there he was. "I knew it wasn't true," she said. "I knew it. You were just waiting for me. Waiting on Depression Road."
They walked on down the road. At the end was a park. They found a disposable camera on the ground. She looked to Richie. "Can we take a picture? To remember the day I found you."
He thought a moment. "Yeah, a picture." She held out the camera and snapped a picture.
"Oh, the suns going down. We have to get back home before dad gets mad." She started off. "What's the matter, aren't you coming?"
"I can't go back there. Dad'll kill me. Besides, no one will understand. Now go." She did as her brother commanded but on the way home she got that picture developed. She rushed home. "Dad," she said. "Look! I found Richie. He's alive. Look at this picture we took."
"Jen, let's not go through this again." Then he looked at that picture. It was definitely current. And there Richie was, right next to Jenna. Her father took a closer look at the photo and noticed that Richie was slightly transparent. The tree behind him seemed to show through his head. "He talked to me and everything," Jenna exclaimed.
"Jen... Richie's dead," her father said.
"But... the picture," she gasped.
"Jennifer," he said. Which was strange, because he never called her Jennifer. "Do you still believe in ghosts?" She thought a moment.
"Nope, I can't say I do." When he showed her that picture again she didn't believe him, nor did she want to believe him.
"No!" she screamed. "You're wrong!" In an instant, she tossed herself out the door. Running straight for Depression Road.
She sprinted down the road until she was out of breath, which then she walked. She assumed she'd find him at the park, but she never found the park. Richie never showed up. The park never appeared. It was unlike anything. She walked for hours, lonely and cold on the road. Just before the sun rose she saw a road sign. Kind of random, really. She looked carefully at it. In Richie's handwriting she could make out a sentence. It read, "Believe him, Jen, and tell Taiuh I love her. Love, Richie"
