"That was a pretty bold move you made back there." My mom said, leading me to the car. I could feel my face heat up a bit as I blushed. I didn't look at my mom, I looked at the tree we were passing, covered in a thin layer of white frost.

The first sign of winter.

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" I asked her, still avoiding her gaze. I heard my mom chuckle before she replied. "I suppose. I just never thought I would see you...pecking a boy on the cheek, so to say."

I bit my lip. "Might as well have the experience of a relationship while I can." I muttered.

My mother didn't reply. 

We walked in silence until we reached our car. Both of us climbed into our seats and stared at the windshield for a moment. 

"Everything's going to be okay, Cecilia." My mom said eventually. Somehow, she managed to keep her voice strong and steady. I glanced at her, but looked away quickly when I found that she was staring at me. 

"I know it will be." I answered. 

I didn't mean it.

My mom sighed and pulled out of the parking lot, navigating her way through lines of cars until she reached the spot where she could get out of the parking lot.

We had barely gone three miles down the road before we ran into traffic.

"What's going on?" I asked, trying to peer over the cars in front of me. "I'm not sure." My mom replied, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "I'll check the news and see if there's anything in there."

I sat anxiously in my seat, tapping my foot against the ground, before remembering that my phone was in the glove compartment. I opened it frantically and picked up my phone, turning it on and immediately going to my texts.

Cecilia: Isaac are you in this traffic?

I waited for a moment, staring at my glowing screen. The thought bubble that usually appeared when someone was texting back didn't come up, so I closed the app and opened up the internet.

I wasn't sure what I was looking for. I just scrolled around a bit.

After a few minutes, during which I found nothing, my mom let out a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a squeak. I looked up at her, confused. "What is it?" 

My mom opened her mouth to answer, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of sirens. I looked out of the driver's side window and watched an ambulance swerve around the traffic, followed closely by a firetruck.

I stared at my mom, but she did not attempt to speak again. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide. "Hello?" I snapped impatiently.

My mom looked at me, then glanced out her rear-view mirror. "Hold on tight." She told me stiffly.

"Why would I--HOLY SHI--"

My mom swerved into the next lane and started driving in the path of the ambulance and firetruck. I screamed a few colorful words. My mom shot me a chastising look, but then locked her eyes back on the road. She drove around the ambulance and the firetruck, then pulled up a side street.

Suddenly she slammed on the breaks. I flew forward and whacked my chest against the dashboard. 

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" I screamed, whipping my head around to face my mother. "Look out your window." She answered my calmly.

Surprised, I turned and looked out of my window. My heart was pounding, but I didn't know why. I just had a bad feeling...

Then I saw something, a car wreck. The silver car was beat up on the driver's side, and the back of it was smoking. I was starting to shake.

I looked over the car and saw a boy, about my age, in the grass. He was clutching someone against his chest, someone who must have been his father.

The boy looked up, his face streaked with blood, dirt, and tears. I gasped.

"Isaac." I whispered.