The Luck Charm Chapter 1

2001

     Anna Lee let out a scream at the top of her lungs as she exited the school doors. She was finally free! High school was done and over with. She was on her way to college and everything was set in motion. Swinging her black shoulder length hair, she skipped to where her friends, Meena and Xee, were standing, busy taking pictures.

     High school had been the best four years of her life. She had met her friends Meena and Xee and now the three of them went everywhere together. They were inseparable and Anna wondered how she would do with each of them going their own way for college. Unlike Anna, Meena and Xee came from a home with parents and siblings. Anna was an orphan who had been living with a pair of foster parents. They were decent…enough when needed, but she’d never had the love of a home as her friends did. Thankfully, she had brains and it won her a full ride for a nursing scholarship. She was ready to fulfill her dreams and ready to make a difference in the world.

     “Where have you been? We’ve been waiting forever,” Xee Vue said as she gave Anna’s arm a playful slap.

     Anna grinned from ear to ear. “I was busy dancing in the halls.”

     “Let’s take a photo together. It’s our last day as high school students. Can you believe how fast the time has gone?” Meena asked.

     “I can’t wait to go to college! I’m super excited!” Anna cried.

     Xee rolled her eyes and pulled Anna into the group shot. They laughed and hollered loudly as they took shots of each other. Their memories of their last school day were one Anna wanted to remember forever. Meena at one point tripped over her heels and fell on the ground, her skirt going over her head, showing off her bright green boy shorts. Everyone laughed as Meena blushed and covered herself as quickly as possible. Anna knew that she would miss her friends dearly.

     Meena Thao was someone she had met while running late for class. The two had collided together and spilled their books. Needless to say, running didn’t help either one of them. They were both late and both going to the same class. Each one had no excuse when the teacher asked for the reason for their tardiness. In detention, they bonded over how clumsy they had been. Meena was a tall, thin, pretty girl with a pair of chocolate brown eyes that danced when she smiled. She had two brothers and was the only daughter. Her two brothers guarded her like a hawk and no one dared to come close to her for fear of being chewed alive by her brothers.

     Meena had a good head on her shoulders. She spoke with an elegance that made Anna jealous. She came from a rich family and was taught excellent qualities of what a lady should be like. She attended church on Sunday mornings, raked leaves for free, and was a part of student council. She was also a part of the debate team and once brought all the men to their knees on her speech of how a woman should be allowed to be treated equally in a marriage. Her parents, Ryan and Linda, were both real estate agents, who scored huge commissions from the mansions they sold. Meena lived the good life and there were times when Anna secretly envied her.

     Xee, the comical one, was someone Anna could not live without. She met Xee when she transferred from another school half way through their junior year. Xee came to the school with a record of a troubled student. She was known to start fights, gossip, and even go against teachers. But when Anna saw her in the school yard trying to fight her way out of being attacked from two school bullies, Anna realized Xee wasn’t troubled. She simply knew where she stood. Xee was a tall, lanky girl with broad shoulders and long bouncy black curls, which she wore in a ponytail. She had a set of brown eyes that melted your heart when she smiled and when she sang, you’d swear you were in heaven. She had one sister and one brother who always misunderstood her and were her rivalries growing up. She rarely had someone who understood her until she met Anna. The two became fast friends and Anna realized that those who were afraid of Xee were because she had the ability to make you discover the truth in yourself. And most couldn’t face the truth so they ignored her.  

     Xee’s parents, Gina and Tom, were great parents. Her mother worked from home and her father managed a hotel. In their free time, the three of them would escape to her father’s hotel and roam the halls pretending to be three very important Italian models.

     Together, the three of them had nurtured each other through broken hearts, lies, and tears as they faced their years of high school together. Meena was on her way to become a lawyer and Xee was heading toward becoming a singer. She’d scored a label with Hit and Run Records in Los Angeles. The three of them were ready to face their future.

     “I’m going to miss you guys so much,” Anna said as she hugged them.

     “Stop it, Anna. You better not make me cry,” Xee said.

     Meena laughed. “We all know that Xee is a softie on the inside. But we promise we won’t let anyone know that you’re actually a girl.”

     Xee beamed a smile. “Why, thank you!”

     Anna took a deep breath. “Come on, let’s go home, get dressed, and then I’ll come pick you guys up for our last dinner together.”

    

     Anna smoothed down the front of her black dress and looked in the mirror. She had her black hair curled and pinned up on her head. She slipped on some hoop earrings and put on her black heels. She grabbed her purse and walked down the stairs to find her foster mother, Laurie Thomas, walking to the living room with a handful of magazines. Laurie was a freelance photographer while her husband, Grant, owned a gas station near their home. The two had no children and she had been their first foster child they’d accepted into their home. They were as nice as foster parents went.

     Laurie was a pretty woman with brown curls and blue eyes that made you want to fall in love. She wore colorful pieces of clothing and always had her makeup done perfectly. She was a good woman and a fine mother.

     “You look great,” Laurie said.

     “Thanks. I’ll be home by eleven, the latest. If I am late, I’ll give you a call.”

     She smiled. “Have fun. Drive safe.”

     “I will and thanks.”

    

     “My father is going to kill me!” Xee said hours later as they finally walked to Anna’s car outside of Myth nightclub.

     The idea to go to the club was Meena’s last change of plan. When Anna arrived at Xee’s house, the two weren’t dressed to go to dinner at Xee’s father’s hotel, but instead, they were wearing dresses to go out dancing. Anna had second thoughts, but because her friends were too excited, she went along. Now, it was three in the morning and they were just making their way out of the club.

     “Let’s think of something wise to say,” Meena said.

     “Can I just blame it on you?” Anna asked.

     Shocked, Meena said, “Anna! We all went!”

     “But it was your idea!” Xee chimed in.

     “Ok, blaming me isn’t going to make us get home any faster. Come on, let’s get in the car and go home. We can talk on the way home.”

     Anna dug her hand into her purse and pulled out her keys. She opened the car door and everyone got in. As she started the car, Xee let out a big yawn from the back seat and flopped down on the seat. Meena laughed and buckled herself as Anna drove out of the parking lot.

     The highways were quiet and Anna took that time to think about what she would say to her parents. She could lie and say she had forgotten the time, but she knew Laurie was too smart for that. She could just tell the truth and risk being lectured. But Laurie hadn’t given her permission to go to the club. She could always use the “I’m 18” sentence and even if it hurt Laurie a bit, she would win.

     “You wondering what you’re going to tell Laurie?” Meena asked from the passenger seat.

     Anna glanced over. “I thought you were sleeping.”

     Laughing, she said, “No, I’m too energetic to sleep now.”

     “What am I going to say? I mean, if I tell the truth, she’ll never forgive me. And if I lie, it will only make things worse. What do I do?”

     Yawning, Meena said, “Just tell her the truth and take it like a real woman, Anna. She’ll yell, but she’ll get over it.”

     Anna nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

     They were approaching a merging highway when Anna’s phone rang. She asked Meena to look for it in her purse. After several seconds, Meena came up empty.

     “It’s not here,” she said.

     “It has to be.”

     “Let it go to voicemail,” Meena said.

     “It could be an emergency. Can you check again?”

     Meena once again looked through her purse and pulled out a bottle of water. She handed it to Anna who reached for it. Before she could grab it, Meena let go and the bottle fell to the floor where the pedals were.

     “Shit!” Anna cried.

     She glanced at the road and then ducked real quick to retrieve the bottle when they felt the slam of another car hit Meena’s side. Anna cried and swerved the car, turning it around 360 degrees. The sound of the tires screeching woke Xee up who sat up screaming. Their car spun around to the other side and when Anna finally managed to get it under control, the car was rising smoke from the hood and they had driven a good mile on the shoulder. Everyone was panting hard and shaking.

     “Are…you guys ok?” Anna asked a while later.

     “Oh my God, I thought I was going to die,” Xee said.

     Meena looked over her shoulder. “There’s another car over there. We should check to make sure no one is hurt.”

     Anna swallowed and dug into her purse, finally finding her phone. She dialed for help and got out of the car. The other car, a sedan, was sitting on the shoulder. As she neared, the door opened and a tall man came out.

     “Are you drunk?” he called out angrily.

     She brought her hands up in a praying gesture. ‘I’m so sorry. I hope you’re not hurt. I have insurance. I’ll pay for the damages.”

     He laughed and looked her up and down. “You? A little girl?”

     The words stung her and she dropped her hands. “I came here to apologize to you and to ask if you were ok. I didn’t come here to fight.”

     He ignored her and pointed to the hood of his car. “Do you know what kind of car this is?”

     She finally looked at the car. It was dark and she couldn’t see well. “I’m sorry. It’s too dark; I can’t tell.”

     “I should have known. A little girl like you wouldn’t know at all. It’s a BMW and fixing it would probably cost more than all of the shoes you own put together.”

     “Hey! I came here feeling sorry for you. There’s no need to drag me into the ground with your insults!”

     “Why the hell not? You’re just a little girl who thinks it’s ok to drive around without care. The world isn’t all about you, kid.”

     Anna gasped and wished there was more light so she could see his face. But it was too dark and all she could make out was that he was tall and had a deep voice. But before she could answer him, the door to the passenger side opened and another person came out.

     “Hans, the police are on their way,” he said.

     The man talking to her turned to him. “Good, stay in the car, Jedidiah.”

     Anna sighed. “I’ve called for help as well.”

     “Why don’t you just go sit in your car? Can you do that without getting into trouble?” he asked.

     She let out a deep breath of annoyance and did as he had told her. When she reached her car again, she was spitting anger. Meena and Xee looked at her with confused looks.

     “What happened?” Xee asked.

     “That stupid guy! The nerve of him! I went to apologize and he was so rude! Insulting me and calling me a little girl!” Anna cried.

     “What?!” Xee shouted.

     “Forget it. Help is on its way and we’ll be out of here in no time.”

     “Did he give you his insurance?” Meena asked.

     Anna gasped. “That’s right! I was going to exchange insurance.”

     She dug in her purse and found it. Then she got out of her car. As she neared the other car, the man who was sitting in the passenger side got out. The light in the car was on long enough for her to catch that the other man was talking on the phone, but he had his face turned away.

     “What do you want?” the man asked.

     “You’re not any nicer than he is, are you?” Anna asked.

     “You hit us.”

     “Correction, you hit me.”

     “Because you weren’t watching where you were going. What were you doing? Talking to your friends about hair?”

     Anna gasped as anger filled her. “How dare you!

     He laughed. “Little girls like you have nothing important to talk about besides hair, makeup, and shoes.”

     “And I wonder what little boys like you talk about? Who has a bigger dick?”

     He grabbed her by the shoulders roughly and she stumbled backwards. He lost his balance and fell with her. The necklace she wore around her neck broke and slipped into his left breast pocket. Headlights shined toward them and she screamed as she realized they were on the highway instead of the shoulder. He yelled out something and grabbed her by the waist. He lifted her up and they stumbled back onto the shoulder. Anna was breathing hard, her life flashing before her eyes. She heard voices and saw the man getting out of the car, heading toward them as well as her friends.

     “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” the man shouted at her.

     Before she could stand up, headlights once again lit their way and the man beside her shouted for him to watch out. A truck blared its horn as it slammed into the man before them. Anna screamed as the man she’d heard called Jedidiah earlier ran to the one called Hans.

     “Anna!” Xee cried as she reached her side.

     “Oh my God!” Meena cried.

     Anna stood up, her eyes full of tears and her heart racing as she watched the lifeless body of the one man on the ground. He was covered in blood and completely still. The other man’s cries were loud as he hollered for help. The truck that had hit him had stopped a few feet away. A man came out of the truck and ran toward them. Anna felt weak as she began to shake, watching the horrific scene before her. She heard the sirens a few moments later, flashes of blue and red blinded her, but all she could think about was what she had witnessed. The medics arrived a few moments later and the man was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was carried in a stretcher with a white cloth over it. Blood seeped through the fabric and Anna took several breaths, scared beyond her life. Her friends were holding her as they watched the scene before her.

     Lights had been set up and she could now see what was before her. The black BMW had its hood smashed up and the door to the side of the driver’s side was still left open. The man called Jedidiah was actually just a few years older than she was. He was tall, broad shoulder, and had jet black hair left a little longer than most men. He was wearing jeans with a black shirt and a white sports jacket that was now covered in blood. His face was written with anger and disgust as he stared at her. Then he came toward her and she swallowed hard.

     “You killed him,” he said.

     Anna, shocked, tore herself free from her friends. “What the hell are you talking about? I wasn’t the one driving the truck! If you forgot, it was the truck that hit him, not me!”

     “But if it hadn’t been for you and your stupid friends, my brother would be alive! For as long as I live, I’ll never forgive you! You deserve to rot in hell!” he cried.  

     Anna sighed deeply. “He was your brother?”

     “Yes, he was my brother! My only brother! You took him away from me.”

     “I didn’t kill him!” she shouted.

     “I don’t care. In my eyes, you did. Let’s see how you live on knowing you’re a murderer.”

     He walked away and Anna sobbed. Her friends grabbed her before she hit the ground. They held her as she began to cry. The moments that happened replayed in her mind and she shook her head. How could he blame her? How could he blame her for his brother’s death? She wasn’t the one driving the truck. She hadn’t hit him.

     “It’s ok, Anna. He’s just angry. I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” Xee said.

     “You don’t understand! He said it so I couldn’t live with myself,” Anna cried.

     “Don’t let his words hold you back. It wasn’t you who was driving the truck. If anyone is the murderer, it’s the driver of the truck.”

     Meena turned her around and held her shoulders. “Anna, get a grip of yourself. You know what happened here. He’s just looking for someone to blame. Don’t let him get to you.”

     Anna sighed and looked toward where he was sitting, his head bent down low, his shoulders were heaving. She knew he was crying and she felt the guilt eat her alive. He was right. Could she live with herself? She felt the tears fill her eyes and she shook her head slowly, her breath leaving her body with painful gasps.

     “You guys, he’s going to hate me forever,” she whispered. “He’s a stranger and yet, I can’t seem to let the idea of a stranger hating me, cursing me.”

     “Anna!” Xee said jerking her head toward them. “You’re letting him get to you. Stop it! You didn’t kill his brother; the trucker did! You did nothing wrong. Everything happens for a reason. His brother’s time was up, that’s why he went the way he did. Stop taking the blame.”

     “Let’s get out of here. I think you need a change of scene,” Meena said.

     Anna sighed and reached up to massage her neck when she realized something. “Where’s my necklace?”

     Xee lifted her hair up. “Your necklace?”

     “It’s gone. It’s the necklace Laurie bought me for graduation.”

     “Why don’t you go tell the officers on scene if they find it, to call you? I’m sure right now they won’t let you near the scene,” Meena said.

    

     “What happened? Why were you at the club?” Laurie asked as Anna sat on the couch.

     She arrived home to find Laurie and Grant waiting for her with disappointed faces. She had sat quietly for an hour listening to Grant lecture her on being irresponsible and how worried they were. She knew she was wrong so she didn’t answer. Grant had ran his fingers through his hair multiple times, destroying the brown locks that were usually so nicely combed. She knew he was angry because he didn’t use her name. He simply called her “you.” From experience, she knew that it meant he was beyond livid.

     “I…I didn’t mean to go. When I arrived at Xee’s house, they had changed plans and we…we went because we thought it would be fun. I never expected any of this to happen. I’m sorry,” she sobbed.

     “We got the call from the police. Tomorrow you’ll have to go give a statement about what happened,” Grant said.

     She nodded. “I know. The officer already told me that. I don’t even know how it happened the way it did. It just…it just happened so fast. I was…it wasn’t something I expected.”

     “If you had gone to where you were supposed to go, none of this would happen!” Grant shouted. “This is what happens when you lie to your parents. Do you realize what you’ve done? Another man is dead because—“

     “But it wasn’t me who hit him!” Anna interrupted. “I was just there when it happened. The truck…the truck driver killed him.”

     “But if you had just avoided it, you wouldn’t be involved,” Laurie said. “Your father is just worried about your well-being. You have a full scholarship and everything is ready for you to start your future. You are always so careful in your decisions and so we respect ever decision you make. But…this has got to be the worse decision you have ever made.”

     Anna started crying. “I’m sorry. I know it won’t change anything, but I am truly sorry. I wish there was something I could do.”

     “There is. Don’t ever lie to us again,” Grant said.

 

     Anna parked her car in the empty slot and headed toward the police department. She had a restless night, tossing and turning, dreaming about the young man who was killed. All she saw was his lifeless body covered in blood. There was one point where she dreamt she was the one behind the wheel. The guilt ate her alive when she woke up this morning. She ate little at breakfast and now she felt her stomach growling. Laurie had offered to come with her, but she declined. She wasn’t going to let anyone mark her with a stain that wasn’t hers to begin with. She was going to make it known that although they were there at the same time; it wasn’t her who killed the other man. There was a person responsible for it and if she was right in her knowledge of laws, he may have been arrested or charged already.

     Anna stopped at the front door and took a deep breath. She pushed open the door and walked in. She had been told to come directly to the front desk and the receptionist would direct her to where she needed to go. As soon as the lady at the desk saw her, she pointed for her to have a seat. She sat down and sighed deeply. She knew being here meant not knowing when she would be able to leave so she’d cleared her schedule. She searched around her purse for a piece of gum and when she found one, stuck it into her mouth. As she chewed and waited, she picked up a magazine on the table and flipped through it. A few moments later, she heard someone walk in and the lady at the desk directed him to sit down. Whoever it was walked past her and sat down on the other end. She blew a bubble and popped it loudly, forgetting she was in a public place. She did this several times until she heard the person sitting beside her speak up. When he did, she froze, recognizing his voice.

     “Such a rude little girl, popping gum like you’re in the privacy of your own home,” he said.

      Anna lowered the magazine and stared at the man from last night. Today in the light, she saw him clearly and realized how she had misjudged his appearance. He wasn’t just a man; he was a good looking man with deep brown eyes, nicely shaped eyebrows, thick lips, and big strong hands. He wore jeans with a black button down shirt, which made his eyes look mysterious.

     “It’s you,” she said.

     He raised his eyebrows. “What’s wrong? Afraid I’ll press charges?”

     “I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not afraid. I’m just here to give my statement as to what I saw. If you’re looking for someone to blame, you’re looking at the wrong person.”

     “You were the cause of this. If you had been watching where you were going, we wouldn’t have stopped and Hans would be alive.”

     “I already apologized for that part. But I am not going to let you make me feel bad about your brother’s death. I’m sorry about it, but it wasn’t my fault.”

     “People like you don’t like to take matters into their hands. They like to sit back and watch others run around like a chicken whose head has been cut off. I know people like you.”

     “People like me? You know nothing of me! You’re the little rich boy who drives around in a BMW and goes around harassing women by insulting them. Didn’t your mother ever teach you any manners?”

     “My mother died when I was young.”

     “I suppose that’s why you’re so clueless as to how the world works.”

     He reached over and grabbed her arm, his fingers biting into her flesh until she winced. “You better watch your mouth, little girl. I’m not afraid to take you down. Judging from your appearance, I’d say you were poor. Not down in the mill poor, but just poor. You have picked the wrong person to mess with. When I am done with you, all you will have left is the clothes on your back.”

     She jerked her arm free and glared at him. “All I have ever had were the clothes on my back. You can’t scare me by talking big. You have no idea who I am. You can threaten all you want with your big words, but in my mind, the only reason why you pick such big words is so you can hide behind them. Your threats are worthless and they don’t frighten me one bit.”

     He smiled and then leaned closer to her. “Do you know who I am?”

     “I don’t care who you are.”

     His smile widened. “Don’t be so cocky, little girl. I will strip you of everything you own.”

     “Go ahead. I eat men like you for breakfast.”

     “Anna Lee?”

     She turned and found an officer waiting for her. She glared at the man beside her and then got up.

 

     “What are you doing to do?” Xee asked as they sat together in Anna’s backyard enjoying some sandwiches and soda. The afternoon sun was high and it was warm as they sat underneath the tree.

     “Go on with what I had planned. The officers told me that I wasn’t at fault. The truck driver said he swear he didn’t see anything and they’re testing him for alcohol. So far, it has been marked as a tragic accident,” Anna said.

     “I can’t believe that man would blame you for it,” Meena said.

     “I don’t care anymore. It’s over with. I’m moving on and I’m going to live my life without care or worry from him.”

     Xee grabbed a sandwich and took a bite out of it. She chewed and swallowed, then looked at Anna. “Did Laurie chew your butt off for going to the club?”

     Anna rolled her eyes. “What do you think? She nearly had a heart attack when the officers called her. But I’m sure she’ll get over it and everything will be ok between us again. Right now, she’s having trust issues with me. I don’t blame her.”

     Meena sighed and laid on her belly, looking up at them. “You know, my father told me that if I ever did what I did again, he would cut off my allowance. I’d die if I was left with nothing to spend. Do you know how expensive my life is going to be with college?”

     Xee jabbed a finger into her shoulder. “You never have enough to spend! Look at you already. You’re wearing designer clothes and you’re only 18! Imagine you as a grown woman and it’s scary.”

     “Hey, hey, hey…I have high standards, ok? I like wearing nice clothes and I like the feel of it against my skin. There’s nothing wrong with wanting nice quality.”

     “There is when you have no dough!” Anna cried.

     Everyone laughed.

     “I’m so excited for this new chapter of my life. I am so ready to flee and see the world. Thanks for being my friends, you two. When we come back, let’s do a reunion and let’s never stop writing to each other, ok?” Anna asked.

     “Deal,” they said in unison.