Romance Fan Fiction ❯ Keep in Touch ❯ The Cliche Chance Meeting ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author’s Notes: The title is a play on words. You won’t understand till after you read about the character’s problems. The main character’s problem isn’t given in this chapter but there are a lot of hints! The joke will be at the end of the short story incase you don’t figure it out. Breaking out of a long writer’s slump with this… Hopefully… Just a light romance story set in a small town during winter with a few perks to it. I plan to keep chapters for the most part close to 2000 words so I can add content for interested readers effectively this time. This won’t be a long story though anyway from what I had thought about before deciding to start it. It seems I never finish long stories without support anyway probably due to lost interest. Sorry there is no comedy in this chapter, this chapter is all about inserting plot devices and the “cliché meeting” of course, would you have it any other way? There will be plenty of comedy later on according to plans/ideas, so don’t worry, be happy now.

“Burrr… It sure is cold today,” I tell myself barely managing the words with teeth chattering.

“Man it must be below freezing… I don’t understand this town. During class it was raining and now it’s freezing. It’s like lady fate has some kind of grudge against the people living here… Including me of course. … … Not good, throat is starting to hurt!”

I quickly stop and pull my backpack around my right shoulder opening it. Class had just ended for the day at the college I’m attending which explains the backpack. It’s orange, my favorite color. A lot of people think I’m a loony for picking orange but to me it’s a warm, bright, healthy, and most of all uplifting color, like the sun. The contents are for the most part that of the average college student though what I’m reaching for is quite the necessity for me during winter here.

“Winter… what a joke. More like the yearly ice age… and this is only the beginning of it! Man where did I put that thing?”

Beginning to panic I start pulling books, papers, and other random school materials out of the backpack. Even the inner pockets are reaped of their belongings.

“Oh man… Please lady fate… Not the scarf too… At the very least, don’t take that from me. I need it or else my throat…”

The sound of a minivan’s horn cut off my thoughts, blaring over the top of the hill behind me practically sending me to the ground. It’s not a requirement but there have been quite a few accidents at the top of the hill from being unable to see over the edge. Never know what might be waiting there. When it’s snowing occasionally kids would take turns watching the top of the hill and the bottom while others go sledding down it. It became normal for the townsfolk to honk a few times before reaching the top of the hill as precautionary measures against future accidents.

“Well looks like I forgot my scarf today… Gonna have to hurry home or else my throats gonna be sore for a while.” I said sighing as I pulled my backpack back over my shoulder almost slipping on the ice.

“Whoa, man this ice is brutal. Well at least Madison Street is only a couple blocks away.”

It is an intersection but you have to turn either left or right cause Arthur Avenue Street ends there. The youth call it the dead mans plunge cause of the length of the decline and the fact that there is no straight at the end of the decline only shops. Meaning if you go too fast sledding down the street, you won’t be able to stop in time before hitting the curb. This road is for the most part the only way into town. There are some dirt roads that no one ever uses anymore though. Even so it’s rare for people to come over the hill this late at night unless it’s someone delivering something.

“Wait a sec… Something doesn’t add up here. Ice…” I state frantically looking down towards the end of the hill.

“Ah good… No one’s there… …!” Just as I finished the last word a figure with a cane appeared from around the shop on the right at the end of Arthur Street. The sound of the van’s final warning echoed through the air with its headlights beaming over the top of the hill.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Why would someone take this road when there’s ice everywhere! Aghhh, Maaan… This is no time to think!”

My legs moved of their own accord dropping the backpack to the ground. Calling it difficult to run as fast as one could on ice would be an understatement. A few times I’d stumble but recover my steps on a solid dry part of the ground. Luckily I had already made it halfway down the rest of the street before the minivan came looming over the hill.

“Ahhh Shit! How the hell did he get up the hill anyway! This person must not be from around here... Going up an icy hill is one thing as long as you don’t lose momentum but going down is another story all together!”

I began to panic the figure had just entered the crosswalk and the van was now making its way down the hill. If at any point it becomes unable to maintain a steady decent this would lead to a disaster. I was only a block away but there was no telling if I would be able to warn the person in time without yelling…

“Looks like this is it, definitely not a good time at all to have to do this,” I thought to myself reaching the drastic conclusion.
I braced myself and made ready to shout, “HEEEYYY! WAAaa… …”

For a moment it was like fire flared up through my throat. Indescribable pain, like being stabbed with hundreds of needles through the neck. I cringed into my lap holding onto my neck. The figure at the end of the hill, seemingly like a young woman with a white cane had stopped a few feet away from the other end of the crosswalk meaning she was still somewhat in the street. She was shaking her head as if trying to look for someone or waiting for another call out.

“Urghhh… It hurts… It hurrrts...” The pain wouldn’t cease, to make matters worse, I could hear the sounds of screeching not far behind me. As I turned my head I became aware of the minivan’s situation. Let’s just say the front of the vehicle was no longer pointing towards me.

“Not good… Throat hurts so bad. That woman with the cane is in danger. Cane… White cane…” I repeated to myself as if trying to alert myself of a new danger.

“SHE’S BLIND!? Lady fate why art thou so cruel!” I uttered mentally staggering to my feet and breaking out into a full-fledged run towards the figure.

The pain was still there but the combination of adrenaline and my conviction to ensure the unknown person’s safety for whatever the reason was negating it heavily. The minivan was now honking wildly as it slid sideways plunging downward gaining more and more momentum decreasing the space between us more and more until it was upon us. The figure at the end was standing there in awe trying to grasp the situation.

For a moment it was like the calm before the storm. I could hear every breath as I ran and thought to myself continuously, “Will I make it in time? Will she be ok? What about the driver… What about me!?” So many thoughts… There was no other audio, just my breathing and the figure in front of me edging ever closer as I bridged the gap between us. Only those two things were noticeable at this moment in time. Nothing else mattered, not my throat, not even the ice. My whole vision was blurred out except the small figure before me.

Then it just happened, in a flash. Everything all at once just happened. My final conclusion seemed to just pop up as I turned my head the last time to see the van literally less then ten feet away. It was clear that even if I had dove with her in my arms the lost force or speed from taking her with me would have caused us both to be hit by the van. Coming to a dead stop and pulling her back to safety would have been improbable nay impossible. So it was either watch her get pummeled without even being able to see how to negate as much of the impact as possible cause she’s blind or take my chances instead. Ultimately the bane of the human heart played a role in making this decision.

I could see the look of dread about her face as I came crashing into her right shoulder with my hands pushing her aside and still moving forward slightly as I turned my head to meet the broad end of the van. That last bit of distance I got after pushing her probably saved my life. Instead of being hit and getting caught under the side of the van, I made it to the driver side edge and got struck on my right side causing me to spin around the dashboard hanging in front of it. My legs seemed to be sliding across the ground underneath the dash. I was nearly knocked unconscious by the blow but somehow managed to hold some of my senses. My right hand was gripping something pole like but all that mattered to me was holding onto the van regardless. I feared that if I let go the wheel might maul my legs against the street and I’d be crippled for life if I weren’t already. To be honest I couldn’t tell anything other then that the thing I was gripping was to my benefit.

The final blow came abruptly. The driver side wheels slammed into the curb on the other side of the intersection rolling over it tossing the van into the wall of the shop stationed there. It’s hard for me to explain what happened at this point. The first blow not only knocked the wind out of me but also deluded my hearing and vision. The second tipped the iceberg. I came to a dead stop in the blink of an eye. The G-force sent my consciousness tottering in and out for a few moments then out completely. I remember seeing the girls blurry image lingering over me with my head in her lap. Even felt a few tears hit my cheek before losing it again. The next few times I came to, more and more people were about me talking. It was pure madness or seemed so to me. The last time I came to, I was in an extremely small room with a bench on each side with people on them and a mask over me helping me breathe. I caught a glimpse to the right of me and found the white cane in my hand and the figure of the girl sitting there, holding my hand over the cane.