Hollow

She was absolutely perfect. Her black dress flowed over her flawless curves and her rich brown curls hung by her shoulders. Her eyes were like an endless abyss that trapped and drew you in, but her lips were soft and forgiving. She had been perfect, but now she was gone.
Jack snapped back to reality and looked around. His two best friends were sitting with their girlfriends enjoying the way Saw III made them cuddle ever so close. "Hey man, you all right?" Drew asked.
"Yeah. I'll be fine. I just gotta get outa here," Jack replied. "I'll talk to you guys later" Jack stood up and started up the stairs. He was grabbing his coat when Drew came running after him.
"You've been thinking about her again huh?" Drew said shaking his head. "Man, you gotta forget about her. You can't let some chick mess with your head like this. It aint healthy."
"I know. I know," Jack muttered as he put his jacket on. "I just gotta go get my head straight that's all."
"Alright, I'll talk to you later," Drew yelled as Jack headed out into the rain.
Jack hopped up into his truck and slammed the door. He fumbled with his keys until he found the right one and jammed it in the ignition. The engine sputtered to life as Jack searched his glove box for his cigarettes. He finally found them and slid one of the smooth sticks between his dry cracked lips. He pushed the gas petal to the floor and listened to the engine roar as he pulled out of the parking lot.
He had been thinking about her again, which always upset him. His mind raced with all the questions that had swirled in his head countless times before. Every time he found himself thinking about these questions he never seemed to get any answers. "Why is it always easier with other girls but not her? Why does it seem like she is always right when they fight. What the hell is so special about this girl that he can never seem to get over her?" Jack slammed his knuckles into the steering wheel as his windshield wipers fought against the downpour that pummeled the truck. He felt the small trickle of blood roll between his fingers as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
Jack took a long drag from his cigarette and inhaled the thick smoke. He held it deep in his lungs until they burned. He slowly exhaled and watched the whips of smoke dance in front of him. He was starting to turn back into the cold hollow person he was before he met her. Always ignoring his feelings, but they were still there like a thorn in his side. He had opened himself to her. Put himself on the line, but it got him nowhere. He had wanted more, but ended up alone and exposed. He was now a cold shell lacking what emotion he should have, often dwelling on that one girl who he opened himself to, but got nothing in return.
Jack pulled into the small desolate parking lot and turned his car off. He put his hood up to protect from the unforgiving rain and walked into the small store.
"Hey, what do you got in hundred proof?" Jack asked the guy behind the counter.
"Well, we got all kinds of vodka if you want something like that, or we got things like Southern Comfort and..."
"I'll take a fifth of SoCo," Jack said interrupting the older gentlemen.
"Can I see some I.D. kid?" Jack pulled his brothers drivers license from his wallet and handed it to the man. "What's your birth date?" asked the store clerk.
"August 5, 83," Jack said getting pretty annoyed at this point. He paid the guy and told him to keep the change as he lit another cigarette and walked out the door. The sky was suddenly illuminated by a flash of lightning, which was followed by a deep growl of thunder. Jack looked toward the sky and let the rain dance on his face as he cursed Mother Nature for her cruel addition to his terrible night. He got back into his car and opened his bottle of sorrow. He knocked it back and drank deeply as the harsh liquid burned his throat going down. He pulled out of the parking lot and continued to drink from the bottle of self-pity. His eyes started to get heavy as he looked down at the bottle and noticed that it was almost empty. He gazed out his window and watched a speed limit sign dance and swirl as he flew past it going well above its designation. Jack's eyes seemed to be getting heavier and heavier as he drove without meaning through the night. Eventually everything went dark....
Jack rang the doorbell, but no one answered. He waited a moment longer before opening the door and walking in. He had gotten off work and decided to stop by his girlfriend's house. After all it was homecoming. He had desperately wanted to take her, but had to work. It was his senior year and he needed the money for college. His boss was an ass, but making ten dollars an hour he'd put up with a lot. Jack picked up some flowers on the way over and held them prominently as he looked around the dark house. He heard voices from upstairs and headed up, but wondered why she wasn't alone. His best friend had taken her to homecoming because his girl friend broke up with him three days before hand. They must be talking or something he thought as he ascended the stairs and walked towards her room. Jack dropped the flowers as he peered into the room. "What the hell," Jack roared as he stormed into the room. Jack grabbed Steve by his hair and belt due to the fact he had no shirt on. Sara screamed and pulled the covers tightly around her. Jack threw Steve into Sara's dresser and sharply kicked him in the ribs.
"Hey dude, chill out," Steve pleaded. "Lets talk about this."
"We're way past talking." Jack moved towards him, but Steve speared him into the bed and ran out the door.
"Jack don't," was all Sara could get out before Jack was running after him. Steve made it down the first flight of stairs, but Jack caught up to him on the second. He tackled him, which sent them both through a glass storm door.
Jack's eyes snapped open and he struggled to see through the darkness. His car hit a lot of bumps before Jack realized he was about six feet to the right of the old dirt road. The front end of the car dipped suddenly, but was jolted back up with in seconds. The car went air born. Jack closed his eyes and knew he was dead. The landing slammed his head back into the cloth seat, but the car kept going. Jack stomped on the brakes, but the car slid through the mud. A large oak tree was quickly made visible by his headlights. Jack tried to swerve, but the tires were no longer in his control. He slammed into the tree with a sickening thud, but his airbag didn't go off. His forehead smashed into the steering wheel and his world went dark for the last time. He had freed himself from his earthly torment. Ended his pain and heartache that he had carried with him for months. He had lost his best friend, his first love, and now he had lost his own life.