Chapter 14

14

“The future is not fixed. It changes with everything one does. If one does not like the prediction one can always change paths.” This thought, something she had read in her research, crossed Jordan’s mind over and over as she contemplated how she would get across town that night. The issue was that she had seen the prediction about 8 a.m. that morning and 13 hours later put her at 9 PM. While she was allowed to be out late, how was she possibly going to get across town? Riding her bike there was not an option as she would have no sidewalks and the busy road was too much trouble. She could ask Stacey, but their surprise for her mother was happening tonight and Jordan doubted Stacey could get away. So that left asking to borrow the car.

Pacing her room she worked on a viable solution, OK lie, that she could tell her mom in order to use her car that evening, and so last minute too. Steeling her nerves, she grabbed her cell phone and timidly went downstairs to find her mom who was fixing dinner in the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath, Jordan held the phone to her ear as if she were talking and picked up on a conversation, trying to sound both enthusiastic and convincing.

     “I would really love to meet you all, but I’m not sure my mom will let me borrow the car tonight…” Jordan said into the phone as she entered the kitchen. Her mother looked up, slight frown on her face, but for the moment made no comment.

     “I Know,” Jordan continued into her phone, “It has been awhile since we’ve all gotten together, it’s just I’ve been so busy around here and then Bethany died and…” Jordan saw her mother’s frown sag a bit and she knew the fabricated guilt trip was working.

“Well,” she said, “Let me ask my mom and see then.”

Jordan pulled the phone from her ear and asked tentatively, “Mom, the girls are all going to see a movie and get a bite afterward, you think I might borrow your car tonight to go? I’d be back around 11.”

“Why can’t one of the girls pick you up?” her mother asked. And the thought hadn’t crossed Jordan’s mind.

“Um.. dunno let me ask…”

Jordan feigned her conversation, asking the question to her dead phone, paused and replied to her mother, “Jenna is driving and has the limit in her car. The other girls aren’t driving. I wouldn’t have anyone else in the car, mom. You think I can?”

After a few seconds Jordan’s mother consented with several don’t-do-this and watch-for-that admonitions. Smiling on the outside, but wound as tight as a top on the inside, Jordan prepared herself to leave. A few short hours later, she was dressed, address in hand and ready to go.

Once in the car, Jordan set up her mom’s GPS for 13 Justice Drive and she slowly drove to Teresa’s place. When she got there, she pulled in front of the house and turned off her headlights. The house was lit up and loud music boomed through the walls and spilled out into the street. No other car was in the drive, so Jordan figured Teresa’s dad was gone. Her hands shaking, Jordan turned the car off and sat in the darkness trying to figure out how she could approach this.

She glanced at her watch and saw she literally had ten minutes before the deed would be done. Steeling herself for the possibility that either she would be too late or that it wouldn’t be Teresa at all who was in danger, Jordan slipped out of the car and approached the house.

Rather than walk up and ring the bell, she felt it better to case the house, walk around and peek in any windows that might offer a view inside to see who was there and what might be going on.

The front window offered nothing but an empty living room, the TV was on but the music seemed to be the main attraction. By the sounds of the raucous heavy metal, it was obvious this was Teresa’s music. Another thing they did not have in common.

Jordan slipped around the back and looked into a back window, revealing an empty kitchen. She noted one other light on in the house, a small window that might indicate a bathroom, below it was an air conditioner and Jordan stepped up onto the unit to get a better view. On her tiptoes, she saw movement first then focused in and saw it was Teresa who was stepping into a tub of water. She had her clothes on, which was the first clue that something was wrong. Watching intently, Jordan saw Teresa sit into the water, pinching her fingers at something sitting on the side of the tub, a razor blade.

Jordan’s breath quickened as she realized what Teresa was about to do. Without thought, Jordan jumped from the air conditioner and ran to the back kitchen door. She didn’t wonder if the door would be unlocked and what she would do if it was, but thankfully, the door flew upon and Jordan practically fell inside.

She heard a splash of water as she tumbled in the door and fell across the kitchen into a chair and dashing around the corner toward the bathroom, she collided with Teresa who was dripping wet and just as surprised as Jordan.

“What are you doing here?” Teresa asked a bit out of breath herself.
     “It doesn’t matter, what matters is that what you are about to do is wrong, Teresa!” Jordan leaned forward putting her hands on her knees trying to regain her breath and her composure. She hadn’t really thought about what she would say or do once she was here and now it was obvious that she knew what Teresa was about to attempt.

“How did you know..” Teresa began, her once pale face now reddening in embarrassment.

“It doesn’t matter how I know. Look, please don’t hurt yourself. No matter how bad it seems right now, it does get better. Please,” Jordan pleaded, “Please don’t do this.”

Teresa stomped away toward the bathroom and Jordan heard the water letting out from the tub. She peeked around the corner and saw Teresa sliding the razor blade back into her father’s shaving bag. Giving a sideways glance, Teresa pushed past and Jordan, following her- not knowing what else to do- ending up in her bedroom door. The bedroom was painted dark blue, almost black, with lots of hard rock posters sprinkled across her walls and even her ceiling. A Ouija Board sat on the bedside table, and Jordan inadvertently shivered. Teresa plumped, or rather squished, onto the bed and stared at Jordan, rivulets of water running down her legs.  

“You a psychic or something?” she asked.

“Nooo…” Jordan began, uncertain where this was going, but alert to the fact that she did not want Teresa to know about this. “Why do you ask that?”

“I don’t know,” Teresa replied. “You were ‘in the right place at the right time’ earlier to save that kid and then you mysteriously show up here right when I’m about to…” she left off on her statement, unable to fully vocalize what she had intended to do.

Instead, Teresa stood and stripped off her shorts revealing welts around her upper thighs. Without a thought, she peeled off her wet T-shirt, more bruises and welts apparent. Jordan just stared, her mouth hanging open like an idiot as Teresa fished around in her drawer for another T-shirt that she quickly pulled over her head.

Turning, she noted Jordan’s shocked expression and shrugged, “The old man can be a real asshole.”

Without thinking, Jordan replied, “Can’t you live with your mom?”

 Teresa spit out a harsh laugh at that, “Hah! Mom took off years ago. Nope. It’s just me and him. We get along the best that we can.”

“Oh,” was all that Jordan could manage to say. Realizing this was getting too personal and that ‘the old man’ could be back at any time, Jordan suddenly had the urge to flee.

“Look,” Jordan said, “I’ve gotta go. Just please, promise me you won’t hurt yourself. Please.”

Jordan turned to leave, now in as much hurry to get out of there as she had been to get in. She heard Teresa promise, trying to keep the conversation going- her burning curiosity was evident in her voice and questions, but Jordan knew the answers were not to be spoken to someone like Teresa. She hurried outside with Teresa trailing not far behind and got into her mom’s car.

“Nice ride,” Teresa said. “Why did you stop here, Jordan?”

“Look,“ Jordan said, trying to look evenly into Teresa’s eyes. “I just was driving by and I suddenly got this bad feeling. I’ve never had anything like this happen to me before and probably never will again. I just felt like I had to check. That’s all. I gotta go- my mom needs her car back.”

With that Jordan started the car and drove away, leaving Teresa standing in the street staring after her. While glad that she had stopped a potential suicide of a not so good “friend”, Jordan wondered if she had just opened a can of worms.

Jordan’s hands shook all the way home and thankfully her mom was too occupied to greet her face to face, rather yelling a hello from the sewing room instead, remarking about her early return. Jordan said hello back, trying to keep her voice even and then scooted up the stairs to her room before her mom could ask why she had come home so early. While she knew helping Teresa was the right thing to do, part of her wondered if this might get out of hand. One thing was for sure, she had no desire to uncover that darn mirror for awhile, she was exhausted! Is this what Batman or Spiderman felt like? The movies never revealed the other side of heroic actions and saving the day, that’s for sure!

After a warm shower and a change into her scrubs (sweats and a t-shirt), Jordan settled down to check her email and Facebook page. After finding not much action on either, she went to her blog and recorded her thoughts. As she finished she typed, I wonder if I can really do this. How long can I keep this up before someone takes notice? Is there really that much tragedy around me that it could occupy my every moment? I’m not sure I want to find out. She logged out and fell into the bed, sleeping soundly.