Chapter 12: A Proposal
“What the hell?” Dan says as he instinctively covers me. We hear screaming and pounding footsteps indicating people running.
“Chresanto.” I whisper quietly as my heart races faster than it ever has before.
Daniel looks at me and grabs my hand and quickly leads me over to the window. He swiftly opens it and lets me climb through it and he climbs out after me and he grabs my hand again and we run around to the front, where absolute chaos is.
All this happens before I can even blink. I just know that it was him. It was him last time, it was him this time. He’s dead is all that runs through my mind.
Everyone is running around the front screaming and scrambling to get into their cars. There are people searching for the ones they know on the lawn while still trying to duck down. I scan the crowd behind Dan’s shoulder, looking for anyone I know.
Then I see him. He’s on the lawn, frantic. He keeps pulling people aside, asking them something I can’t hear, but I’m pretty sure it’s about me. I push past Daniel and run to him.
“Chris!” I yell and his head snaps in my direction. His eyes widen and relief flushes across his face as he meets me halfway. I try to give him a hug but instead he swerves it and just grabs my arm and leads me to his car, where Mariah is already. He opens the door and shoves me in and runs around to the side, and somehow manages to pull off amidst the crowd of cars trying to jet off at once.
“Jacob, Isabella, and Christina left already. I told them they could go and that I wasn’t leavin until I found you.” He explains in the car, eyes on the road intently. My heart is still pounding, and all I really want right now is to be in Chris’ arms because for a split second I thought he was dead, and it was horrible. Worse than the first time. The only thing keeping me together is the fact that he has not let go of my hand since the lawn (aside from getting in the car).
“I thought it was you.” I say quietly, still not being able to process anything that just happened.
He quickly glances at me and his eyebrows furrow, but he doesn’t say anything. When we’re far away enough from the house he pulls over to the side of the road and climbs out. I get what he’s doing, so I climb out too and we meet at the front of the car and he pulls me into the tightest hug he’s ever given me. His arms are wrapped so tightly around my waist it almost hurts, but I don’t really care. I wrap my arms around his neck and squeeze. One of his hands comes to the back of my head, tangling in my hair but pressing my head closer into him. Up against his chest, I can feel his heart racing just as fast as mine. I’m not really sure how long we stay there but I know it’s not enough.
“Melanie.” He whispers into my hair. “Baby girl,”
“Chrissy.” I whine. I’m just.. I don’t know. That was scary
“We’re fine. Come on, let’s get home.” He says.
“Wait.” I say and hold onto him tighter so that he can’t leave. I don’t wanna let go :(
When he finally lets me go we quickly get back in the car, where he grabs my hand again. No one says anything on the way back to my house. When we get there everyone is talking in the living room, laughing.
“People be getting shot at parties nowadays!” Jacob laughs and everyone else does.
“When I heard that shot, I was GONE.” Isabella says and everyone erupts in laughter as well. Chris, Mariah, and I take seats on the couch and Mariah joins right in the conversation.
