Crash

*** STRONG LANGUAGE ***

“Johnny! Slow down! Slow down! You’re going to get us killed!” Kevin screamed.

“We’re not going to make it if I slow down!”

“We’re not going to make it because we’ll be dead!”

Johnny slowed the car down, but only a little bit. His best friend, Kevin, clung to the grab handle.

“Red light,” Kevin said.

“It’s yellow.”

“It’s going to be red by the time you…Johnny!”

Johnny accelerated then turned left through the red light, swerving the oncoming traffic. He ignored the angry honks and middle fingers zipping past them.

“We’re going to crash. I’m going to die in your shitty Honda Accord,” Kevin said.

But then Kevin started chuckling to himself. Johnny turned his sweat covered face to his friend, “What are you laughing about?”

“Just…this is so typical of you. You knew this day was coming. For months you knew about today and you didn’t do shit about it. Just moped around. Now, at the very last second, you’re speeding down Midland Avenue, about to get us killed, when you could’ve done something a hell of a lot sooner…”

“I know, Kevin! I know,” Johnny shook his head, trying but failing to clear his thoughts, “It’s just…when I woke up this morning…I can’t explain it. I just moved. It’s like all the dread I’ve been lost in finally cleared and I just moved.”

Kevin stared at his friend.

“Johnny, you panicked. That’s all. The day you’ve been dreading finally came and you panicked. We should call this whole thing off before we end up crashing or in jail. Let's just hit up a bar instead.”

“No. I’m going.”

“And what exactly are you going to do when we get there, hun? You do realize we are already too late, it started a while ago…”

“It’s never too late.”

“Oh, if that’s true, then slow the fuck down!” Kevin shouted, followed by a chorus of car horns.

Johnny continued to ignore the other drivers. He ignored Kevin too and started driving faster.

“Jesus Christ,” Kevin muttered, one hand clinging to the grab handle, the other crossing his chest in silent prayer.

Johnny ran a hand through his black hair as Kevin pulled out a cigarette. After lighting one and taking a long drag, he offered Johnny one.

“I’m good.”

“I think you need one more than me.”

“I don’t want to smell like smoke when we get there.”

Kevin sighed and whispered, “I think you’re going to have bigger problems than that,” He put his pack away and continued smoking.

“You never answered my question,” Kevin said.

“What?”

“What are you going to do when we get there?”

Silence filled the car.

“You have no idea, do you?”

Johnny still didn’t answer him.

Kevin started chuckling again, “Ryan is going to kill us.”

“Fuck Ryan.”

Kevin started laughing harder.

“He never did give me back my baseball cards,” Kevin said.

“He sold them.”

Kevin whipped his head back to Johnny, “What!?”

“He sold your baseball cards like eight years ago. He made me swear never to tell you. He also said he was gonna get them back for you but he never did.”

“Motherfu--!” Kevin chucked his cigarette out the window.

“I really believed he was going to get them back. But after today I doubt he’ll care anymore,” Johnny said.

“He never cared! I don’t believe for a second he was going to get them back for me! That son-of-a-bitch! Fuck it! Speed up, Johnny! I’m kicking his ass when we get there.”

“We really will end up in jail if you do that…I’m sorry for never telling you.”

They remained silent for a few minutes. Kevin stared out his window when he finally said, “Remember when we were kids, at camp, when you found all of your stuff in the lake?”

“Yeah…”

“It was Ryan…but I might have helped.”

Johnny’s head snapped to his friend, “What the fuck!”

“I don’t want to hear it! My baseball cards are gone! Do you have any idea how valuable those things are!”

Johnny shook his head and turned back to the road.

“Fucking Ryan.”

“Fucking Ryan,” Kevin muttered, “I might kill him when we get there. That fucker had no right selling my…”

“Please don’t do that…we’re close…I can see the church."

“Faster! Lets ruin this fucker’s day!”

“I should’ve told you about the baseball cards sooner. You would’ve helped me no problem, then.”

“I was already helping you asshole.”

“True, but with attitude.”

“Well this wasn’t exactly how I thought my Sunday was going to go, but here we are…just park in front.”

Johnny drove his Honda right up to the doors, halfway on the curb. The screeching tires made passersby turn their heads in their direction. Both men jumped out of the car and ran through the doors. In the foyer was a sign that made Johnny’s heart sink every time we saw or heard the words.

Welcome…to our wedding…Ryan & Miranda…Chicago, IL / June 7th, 2025

Kevin pushed the sign down.

Johnny smirked as they made their way down the hall to the chapel doors.

“This might be the bravest thing you have ever done,” Kevin said.

“Or the dumbest.”

“You said it. But for what it counts, I think it’s brave.”

“Thank you.”

Johnny and Kevin stopped in front of the doors.

“I still think it’s bullshit that Ryan didn’t invite us,” Kevin said.

“He didn’t want you here because he said you’d get too drunk and cause a scene.”

Kevin chuckled, “Yeah…he was probably right about that…and everyone knows why he didn’t invite you.”

“Everyone but her,” Johnny whispered.

They both stared at the oak doors for a few more seconds before Kevin spoke again.

“Are you ready?”

“No.”

“Too bad,” Kevin kicked the doors open.

The boom of the doors turned every head in the pews their way. Johnny couldn’t breathe, especially when he made eye contact with the bride in flowing white. Her mouth was opening and closing but saying nothing. Johnny moved down the aisle, Kevin following right behind him. They made it to the front as Ryan darted down the dais, fists balled and nostrils flaring.

“What are you two doing here?” He demanded.

“I’m here to talk about my baseball cards,” Kevin replied.

Ryan snapped his head to Kevin, bewilderment and anger coating his face. Kevin stepped up next to Johnny. Johnny just stared at Miranda. He couldn’t hear either man. He couldn’t hear the murmur of the Church. He couldn’t hear or see anything but Miranda staring back at him with shock and confusion. Johnny pushed past Ryan, stepping up onto the dais. Ryan grabbed Johnny’s arm.

“What the fuck do you think you’re…”

Ryan was cut off by Kevin’s fist slamming into his face. Miranda gasped and the room erupted into chaos. People started shouting to call the cops as the groomsmen joined in on the fight. Some of the guests tried pulling the men apart, but Johnny couldn’t hear or see any of it as he stepped in front of Miranda. She stared back at him.

Words failed him. He didn’t know how to speak. It felt like his brain was short circuiting. He wished for time. Time to say what he always wanted to tell her.

“Johnny…” Miranda whispered.

Johnny moved.

Her words were cut off by his lips. He kissed her with all the silent words he wanted to say. He kissed her with the desire and want and love he kept buried inside him, with the shame he felt for being too late. He kissed her with the pain and longing he secretly carried. He couldn’t stop, especially when she started kissing him back. She didn’t push him away.

But Johnny was ripped away from her.

Miranda stared at him with shock and something else as he was pulled down the dais by a groomsman, pulled away from her. She watched as Kevin and Johnny were thrown out. Ryan tried reaching Johnny, screaming, “I’m going to kill you!” But his other groomsmen were holding him back now.

“Don’t worry man, we’ll get Johnny later. We’ll get both of them later,” One of his groomsmen said.

The doors closed with a boom, erupting the room with echoing finality as the crowd looked around in shock. Whispers floated in the air but Miranda couldn’t hear them. The world seemed to change in an instant. She only snapped out of it when Ryan grabbed her by the arms.

“Are you okay?” He asked. His nose was bleeding and he was going to have a black eye.

Miranda only nodded.

“I can’t believe Johnny fucking did that, I’m going to fucking kill him when I see him again,” Ryan spat out blood, “I’m going to kill both of them.”

Miranda opened her mouth but Ryan spoke again.

“Okay…Father Matthews! Lets fucking finish this.” Ryan yelled while holding his nose. He went back to his place standing across from Miranda.

Father Matthews gaped at him, “Are you sure…we should take a quick break…”

“No! Now! Let's go!” Ryan shouted. His face was so red it looked ready to explode.

“Okay okay…where were we…everyone quiet down please…we will be continuing the ceremony.”

Everyone sat back down and the whispering stopped. It became dead quiet as they stared at Ryan and Miranda.

“Now…Miranda Taylor, do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in holy matrimony, to love, honor, comfort him and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?”

Miranda stared at Father Matthews, stared at Ryan’s battered face, then stared at the doors.

She looked at Ryan again.

She looked towards the doors again. The kiss still lingering on her lips.

Miranda finally turned back to Ryan.

She opened her mouth to speak.