It was hot, the kind of hot that could have easily been satisfied with blasting the AC, but Erin Dearden's car was a piece of junk and there hadn't been cold air blowing through those vents in at least three years. It wasn't that she minded all that much, as the bright, young girl had always been the type to roll the windows down and appreciate the feeling of the wind in her hair. Passengers, however, mainly her mother, weren't so easily appeased. It was a shame, too, because the trip could have been made much more pleasent if the older woman would have just been a little more simple.

"Erin," said Heather, getting the attention of her daughter with a tone that implied she was nearly drowning in the passenger seat, "when are you going to get this thing fixed?" 

Glancing away from the sprawling, white line-streaked highway, the twenty-one year offered little more than a flighty shrug of her thin shoulders. "Dunno," she added, eyes flickering back to the road, "maybe never. Who knows?"

Next to her, the older woman sighed and began to root around in the glove compartment for something to fan herself with. She would get lucky and find herself a course listing that Erin had forgotten about since freshman year at college. If she were being honest, she thought her mother was a bit dramatic, because she herself didn't even think the weather was that bad, and as summer wore on, it had the potential to get much, much warmer. 

"This car was ancient when we bought it for you," Heather remarked, patting her hand against the faded armrest as if to prove a point. "I wish you'd just get something new. Something safe."

It wasn't as though Erin hadn't thought about a better, newer and more efficient car, but she really just liked the Camry, even if it was '95. She still remembered the day her dad had brought it home for her, how her mom had woken her up the Saturday after getting her license and lead her downstairs to find the black car parked in the driveway. It was a magical gift for any sixteen year old, and she had treated it well ever since. Maybe Erin was overly sentimental, but she just wasn't ready to give it up yet. Plus, it still got her from point A to point B without incident, and that was the important part.

Shaking her head at her mother, Erin's long, brown tresses came loose from behind her ear, "it's fine," she insisted, tucking away the stray strands once more. "You don't have to worry." 

The pair continued on down the highway, making good time on their way to the good mall in the city. They had been long overdue for a shopping trip and a day together. Erin had been so busy with school at the end of the semester, and now finals were over and classes were done for the summer, she was eager to play catch up with her family and friends. She was looking forward to those familiar faces and longed to have the perfect summer, something to hold her over once fall came around.

Erin continued to drive and talk to her mother, laughing and joking, and catching up on gossip in the meantime. Before she knew it, traffic seemed to catch up to her, and she was forced into the left lane with cars to her other side and the guardrail to the other. From the back of her throat came a displeased noise as she shifted in her seat, her brown eyes shifting from mirror to mirror as she looked for a way out.

It was only a few seconds, just a quick glance around, but Erin hadn't even had time to see the semi crash ahead of her, and she heard the screeching of tires and the crunching sound of metal on metal before she actually saw the wreck. Everything was in slow motion after that as her car crashed into the pick up in front of her. Even the pain was slow, albeit, intrusive and sudden and the way that her chest hit the steering wheel was something the young girl didn't think she would ever forget. There was the sickening sound of glass breaking all around her, people screaming and the sudden jolt of being hit from behind. The metal body of the Camry was crushed up so small that the backseat was nearly in front.

There was blood coming from somewhere, and Erin's lungs felt like they were being cut apart with every breath she took, but at least she was alive. Slumped over the steering wheel, and barely conscious, Erin turned her head to the passenger seat, ready to ask her mother if she was okay. 

"Mom?" she asked, her voice a hoarse whisper as she looked at the empty seat. A look of horror flashed through her eyes as they moved over to the person-sized hole in the windshield and Erin thought she was going to be sick as she realized what had happened. "Mom!" she screamed, only this time in anguish and regret. The car wasn't safe, her mother obviously had every reason to worry.

The rest of that day was blackness littered with flashes of information, clues that helped Erin to know that she was being rescued, taken to the hospital. Her father had come as soon as he heard; he was a mess, but happy that she was alive. The guilt that sat like a stone in Erin's stomach couldn't say the same.

After that, it was a long four months in the hospital filled with tasteless food, that sterile smell, different surgeries and physical therapy to restore some sort of quality to her life. On the day of her release, Erin left the hospital with pins holding part of her femur together, and scars on her body that would always remind her of that day--she was a survivor, but she still didn't know why.

Coming home was strange for Erin. The house looked the same on the outside and the inside, but it was obvious that something was missing. The walls used to echo with the sound of her mother's laughter and voice, and now, they were just cold and silent. It wasn't just Erin who felt this way, either and her father, John, felt that it was best to move. It was a bittersweet decision, and the brown-eyed girl felt as though he was just running from the grief he'd yet to face. Although, Erin was unable to fault the man, as she hadn't truly accepted her mother's death either. They were two sides of the same, sad, coin.
---

After a more than generous settlement with the trucking company whose driver had caused the accident in the first place, Erin and John moved a few towns away and settled into a luxury apartment. It was new and different for Erin, especially when she was used to an average life at best. Now, the two of them wanted for nothing, but the money did nothing to heal father or daughter, and these walls were just as empty and cold as her childhood home had become.

The weather was starting to get cold enough for a real jacket, and Erin tossed hers on the couch in the living room after coming home with groceries one afternoon. "I got that pasta you like," she mentioned cheerily, giving her father's head a kiss as she passed him with the bags and entered the kitchen. "You know, the fresh stuff," she called as she began to put jars and packages into their respective places on shelves. 

"And the sauce?" the older man asked, a weathered smile on his still handsome face as he too entered the kitchen to help his daughter.

"It's..." she paused, sifting through the paper bags until she found a glass jar full of red sauce, organic and everything, "right here." Erin handed it over with a smile and talked quietly with her dad while they put away the rest of the groceries.

The two tried to make the best of their situation, and still reminded each other that they were loved and they could get through this together. It was different, and it was hard, but Erin believed that one day she would feel normal again, and that one day, her dad might meet someone new. Through all that happened, she still wasn't one to give up hope. 

It was times like this, when there was so much going on in her mind, that a walk alone really helped. "Hey, I'll be back in a bit," she announced, donning her black jacket once more before leaving the apartment. There was a nice pond in the center of the property, and Erin hoped a few times around it would cure what was ailing her for the moment.