Free Resisting Fate (Predetermined) by Heather Van Fleet

call.
    “Um Emmy? Is that you?”
    My heart stopped, and for an inkling of a second and I closed my eyes to absorb the sound of that all too familiar voice on the other end. It was Jack. What did he want?
    “Emmy baby, is that you?” OMG, he was calling me baby  now? What, he saved me like, one time, and now I was all his to pet name and stuff? No. No way!
    “What do you want?” I snapped, feigning irritation in my already messed up voice. Okay, yeah, so I’ll admit, that pet name wasn’t so bad. In fact, it kind of left me all super giddy inside.
    My stomach flipped, the hair on my arms rose. Yeah, he so didn’t need to know that though…
    “Um, Emmy?” he paused, his voice going low, growly even, as he finished his sentence, “its Zachary.”
    I slapped a palm over my forehead. Oh my god…Okay, I was so glad I didn’t say Jack’s name. Wow. Maybe my hearing had gotten affected somehow during the whole choking incident.
    “Zachary?” I cleared my throat and sat up straighter. This was not a call I expected, “Uh, is that really you?” Oh, shit. Why was he calling me at all? Out of all the moments, he had to choose now…
    I threw my arm over my face. Nausea and nervousness ate away at my stomach. Something else was there too…no, it couldn’t have been disappointment…right? It’s not like I really expected Jack to call me…
    “Yeah, it’s me Red…Jesus…I really missed you.” Oh for the love of all things holy… he was missing me ? This wasn’t happening.
    “I miss you too…” I slapped a hand over my mouth.
    I should have hung up on him. Or I should have thrown the phone against the wall. I mean, he left me without a simple goodbye, not even a note. I had to find out that he left the next day when I showed up at his house, ready for our planned date. Instead of Zachary at the door, there stood Mrs. Martin, clad in tears and tissues, with excuses that never exactly jived with me. The bottom line was he’d disappeared, out of the blue, the boarding school thing was only a front, I was sure of it.
    “Baby, are you okay? I heard what happened. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. I’ve failed you now…in so many ways.”
    “You haven’t failed me Zachary. You didn’t know! How could you have?” Part of me wanted to yell at him–to tell him that he didn’t protect my heart  like he had vowed he always would. So yes, in that way he did kind of fail me.
    My heart spoke up though. That blood-beating organ always has a tendency to take over when Zachary was involved. And apparently it was telling me to shut the hell up. It liked when he spoke to me in his sweet talker sort of way. My brain was kind of over it.
    “Hey Red, are you still there?”
    Pain radiated through my heart, through my throat, both the physical and the emotional kind. My dry, cracked lips began to quiver in sync with each other. I inhaled the stale, hospital air, realizing that I was on the verge of losing it again.
    “Yeah…I’m here.”
    “You sure?”
    “Yup.”
    “Huh, well, I uh…”
    “What, Zachary?” I snarled, “…spit it out!” I ran my hands impatiently through my unruly hair, root to tips and back again. Over and over like an unending carousal of hair pulling, I was positive I would be bald soon.
    It was his turn to talk. I had absolutely no idea of what to say to him anymore. I was confused, I was hurt, and dammit if I wasn’t angry too. Too many emotions battled for control. I was on the verge of a meltdown. One minute he told me he loved me, told me that we’d be the forever kind of couple, and then boom, he leaves, and doesn’t call for like, months on end! I didn’t get it!
    A pounding thud sounded through the room. The trembling of my hands increased at the noise, and I dropped the phone. I picked it up of course, but when I looked up to see who had made all-that ruckus, I squeaked, literally squeaked in surprise.
    Jack.
    “What’s wrong, Emmy? Baby, please tell me! Can I do something?