The Only One

Can you imagine your life falling apart in the blink of an eye? Waking up fine, but going back to sleep the same day and your whole entire life is shattered to pieces? Have you ever blamed yourself for something that happened that wasn't directly your fault, but you could have prevented it? Have you ever been happy and sad at the same time? Sounds weird right? But try to imagine it. Don't worry if you can't. I'll explain it.

July second, you woke up and looked out of the window of the beautiful beach house your mother rented for you and your best friend. Since you turned 18, your mother wanted you out of the house this holiday. You normally just stay inside, writing all day, every day and twice on Sunday; but not this year. Your mother rented a gorgeous beach house in Dubai. A trip of a lifetime, together with your best friend. You met her 2 years ago when you changed schools due to bullying. You two immediately hit it off and became like family. With your father gone, she kind of made your family complete again. You knew you could trust her with anything. It didn't matter what you were feeling, she was always there to listen, laugh with you or to cheer you up. She was your shoulder to cry on. She was your rock. She was the glue that held your life together.

You had the best time ever, which you never thought would be possible. You didn't like going out at all, let alone travelling. But this trip, this journey, this adventure was something else. It was amazing and that was mostly because of the person you spend it with. You haven't told anyone yet but you do have a little crush on her. It's probably nothing serious but you do really care about her.

You stayed for two weeks. A lot happened. You went scuba diving, you went to one of the biggest attraction parks, you went shopping with a budged your mother gave you, you ate some delicious food and of course, you spend a lot of time at the beach and in the water. You, especially, loved being in the water. You're a real water rat. You love swimming and you're a pretty spectacular surfer. So, you spend a lot of time in the water and on your surfboard. But your best friends, she was quite the opposite. She didn't want to touch the water because she always thought it was filthy and disgusting. Ever time you would go for a surf, she would just bring a towel and tan.

After those two life-changing weeks, it was time to go back home. You were surprised to hear yourself say that you really didn't want to. But everything comes to an end. So, the last day of your stay, you went to bed, thinking about how much you were going to miss Dubai. But you were also excited to go back home and start writing again. And it didn't matter where you were, as long as you had your best friend by your side.

The next morning, you had to wake up pretty early. Your flight was at 8 a.m. So luckily for you, you packed the night before. At least that's what you thought because, typically her, she still had to pack all her stuff. And because she was your best friend, you were kind of obligated to wake up at 4 in the morning and help her.

You guys called a cab and headed for the airport. And that's where something extremely strange happened, didn't it? You got out of the cab, checked in, went through security, checked in your luggage and were waiting to board the plane. You were both very tired, leaning back in those uncomfortable airport chairs, eyes closed when suddenly you saw something. You saw a red number on a black screen. It looked exactly like a screen all flight numbers come on at an airport. Then, you saw something big, something white. It was a plane that took off but there were flames all around the aircraft. The flames engulfed the aircraft before it crashed and exploded. You immediately scared up, opening your eyes, breathing quite heavily. What was that? It couldn't have been a dream, could it? No, you weren't asleep. How could you dream without falling asleep? But if it wasn't a dream, what was it then?

"Are you alright?", your best friend asked you. "Yes, I'm fine", you had answered her. You didn't want to worry her. You just spent the best two weeks of your life with her, you didn't want to act weird. And besides, you were probably just tired. It probably didn't mean anything. So, you shrugged it off and acted as if nothing happened. "Can all passengers with destination make their way over to gate 8, please", a speaker-voice said. You woke up your partner in crime before you both made your way over to gate 8. You had to wait for another two hours because your flight got delayed. You looked up at the big screen and you froze with shock. It was just the same as in your vision. You tried to hide the panic in your eyes though, not wanting to worry your other half.

You boarded the plane with a small heart. You were actually scared, something that doesn't happen often. You two sat down on row 3, all in the front, in seats A3 and B3. Your best friend let you sit by the window because she knew that you loved looking to the clouds, dreaming away. Everyone seemed calm so you tried to push the feeling that something was wrong to the back of your mind. You had put your headphones on and completely ignored the flight attendant’s instructions tutorial. And right after, the plane took off. You looked around at all the people on board. You were scared for them. If what you saw was real, they would all die within a few hours, if it would even take that long.

You took off your headphones and looked out the window. You usually love how calm the clouds make you feel, but that was not the case right then. The clouds were all grey and black. You looked behind yourself and saw smoke entering the cabin of the plane. People started screaming but you, you stayed still. Your muscles refused to move. You couldn't believe what you were seeing. Flames came out of the left engine and started making their way into the cabin. You had never seen so much panic before. You could just see it in everyone's eyes. They all knew they were in trouble. They all knew they were going to die.

You turned back around and grabbed your best friend's hand. You looked into her eyes and squeezed her hand so hard, you could see she was in pain. You knew this would be the last moment with her, and you wanted to make it count. So, you leaned in and pressed your lips on hers. You kissed her, and to your surprise, you actually felt her kissing back. That were the last few seconds before you felt the plane going into a nosedive. What happened after that is still a bit blurry. You remember laying on filthy soil with burning wreckage all around you. You heard sirens coming towards you. "H-e-e-e-l-p", you managed to breathe out before it all went black.

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You opened your eyes and looked around a white room. You were in the hospital. You panicked and ran out of the room but a nurse stopped you and calmed you down. "Where's Jill?!", you had asked in panic. You remembered exactly what had happened and if you were okay, your best friend had to be too. The nurse brought you back to your room right before your mother rushed through the door. "Omg sweetie", is all she screamed out before hugging you so tight you felt like your death was yet to come. "I'm so glad your okay", she told you but you didn't really care. "Where's Jill?!", you screamed. That's all you cared about. "Sweetie, Jill, she didn't make it", your mother told you. "No-one did except for you", the nurse added before leaving the room. You busted out in tears. How could that have happened? Jill. Your best friend. Your partner in crime. Your other half. The girl you were in love with, she's gone and that's all your fault. You knew what was going to happen and you still boarded that plane, with her by your side. What if you said something? What if you told her? Or what if you just found a way to get her onto another flight? She would still be alive if you had spoken up. It was a stupid vision but you shouldn't have ignored it. Of course, that's easy to say now. The damage is already done. But why did you survive? Why you and not her, or someone else? Were you just lucky or was it faith?

Can you imagine your life falling apart in the blink of an eye? Waking up fine, but going back to sleep the same day and your whole entire life is shattered to pieces? Well, I didn't have to imagine it because this is exactly what happened to me. But why me?