Invade My Heart

Chapter 1 ✓

“Hey, Danny,” Beau said, sticking his head into my room. I laughed at his bed head, his light brown hair sticking up in all directions. Obviously, he just woke up. He ignored my laughter and threw me the phone. I caught it with no struggle. “Darren’s on the phone.”

“Okay, thanks cous,” I shouted as he walked down the hall. I put the phone to my ear and smiled, “Hello?”

“Hey Danny,” Darren replied out of breath, sounding worried.

“What, Darren? You know this is like the third time you called today. I know you miss me and all, but let’s face it, you’re becoming too overprotective. I’m fine. I’m definitely stronger now. Stop getting your panties in a twist and stop worrying about me. I miss – “

“Shut up,” he growled seriously. My mouth snapped shut, knowing what he was about to say was serious.

“Dar, is everything okay?” I said, sitting up on my bed.

I heard a door shut on his end and hushed whispers. “Darren, what’s going on?” I asked again, this time screaming as the talking on his end became louder.

“Danny, listen and listen good,” he said, getting to a quieter part of the room. “Jarred just got attacked and he’s in critical condition. He wants you here. You’re his best friend. In fact, all of us need you here. So, I suggest you get packing and take the next flight down here.”

This time, I stood up and paced around my room.  “What? What happened?” I gasped, pulling a shaky hand through my dark hair. This wall all too much to digest. I started imagining the worst-case scenarios in my head. “Is Jarred okay?”

“We’re all not okay,” Darren’s voice trembled at the end. I clutched the phone tighter, knowing what he was going to say next would top the cake. There was a moment of silence before Darren let out a sob. “Mom’s dead.” 

It took a while to fully understand what he was saying. Finding words to respond to a declaration like that was difficult. I could feel myself slipping into the same numb feeling I felt when my dad died fourteen months earlier. All I could hear were the sounds of Darren’s choked sobs and a feminine voice soothing him.

This couldn’t be happening! I just talked to my mother a day ago! I enjoyed the sound of her tinkling laughter when I told her that Beau's cooking was a disaster. I enjoyed the lame joke that she shared. The sound of her voice alone was comforting. It made me feel as if I were home.

Now she was gone.

 “Danny, we’ve just been attacked an hour ago. Mom – mom – she took the bullet for me,” Darren continued, trying to keep an even tone. “The doctors told me it would be a miracle if she still lived, so I’m assuming that she – that she –“

He couldn’t finish his sentence. My heart dropped into my aching stomach. “I’m sorry, Danny. It’s my fault again. It’s my fault that both of our parents died. I’m so, so – “

At the other end of the phone, I heard the slam of a door and a voice that sounded a whole lot like Jarred’s own. He shouted something that was too muffled to decipher.

“What?” Darren asked in shock. He choked and started to cry again. “What? Are you lying to me?”

Jarred’s voice sounded clearer now as he responded to Darren’s questions.

“Dar,” I shouted into the phone, knitting my eyebrows together in worry. “Darren, what the hell is going on?”

I kept yelling his name into the phone, waiting for his response, but all I heard was the door slamming shut again and a different voice coming from the other end. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I recognized the voice.