What If the Day Never Turned Red?

Golden Hour on the Horizon- Lauchlin Huebner

What If the Day Never Turned Red?

Ariana Kish

What if the car didn’t crash that day? What if the teacher didn’t mark you late? What if you didn’t lose your friend that day? What if you weren’t forced to remember that day of red? What if you weren’t standing there in front of a courtroom filled with people just to hear you? All of the questions I still ask myself to this day. What if?

What if it had been a normal day? A day when the sun was shining, and the birds were singing. Today wasn’t that day. It was raining out, but it was in the middle of the winter. Why it wasn’t snowing was beyond me. I don’t care to pay enough attention in school to figure out why. It wouldn’t matter to my future anyway, so why should I pay attention to it? My future is set in stone. Graduate and go to a decent college to major in English. That was set in stone, until today. 

What if I didn’t go to school? That probably would’ve solved all the problems that day, including my Trigonometry teacher yelling at me for being late. As she yelled my name, I mumbled “Sorry” under my breath and took my seat in the back. The only class where I pay attention and sit in the front is English. That class has always come easy to me. Just me and my writing. But for now, I’m stuck in the back of this math class for fifty minutes. An unexpected, little voice in the back of my mind said, “Just go to the nurse and skip. You were already late to school today and that’s your fifth tardy this month. At some point, you will be sent home anyway.” So that’s just what I did.

What if I never left the class? Then, maybe my problems would’ve been solved. I left the class claiming to have a migraine so I could go to the nurse. I walked towards the door and then outside. “Freedom” I screamed in my head. I went to the usual spot where my friends meet up. A red, brick building. And sure enough, my friends were already there. We all jumped in the back of the car, with a plan. A plan that was already set in motion. 

What if that plan never happened? What if we just forgot the plan and went back to school? That would have solved the problem of no one getting hurt. No one would be left in a bloody mess on the floor. No one with their last words being your name. No one’s death would be your fault. But it did happen, all because of you. You are the reason. You are the reason for the manslaughter of someone you called a friend. You are the reason for that day of red.

What if you never went to the restaurant? You and your friends’ usual plan is to head to the city and stop for sushi along the way. Everyone liked sushi. It was a break from the crummy food at school. You get out of the car and head into the restaurant. The same booth in the corner called our names. You greeted the waiter at the front, and sat down at our special booth. All of a sudden, a loud, earsplitting bang came from outside the shop with the screech of car wheels running away.

What if we just stayed in the shop? There was nothing dangerous in the shop beside the rusty, one-hundred-year-old chairs in the front. Being the curious young adults we were, we sprang out of our seats and ran outside of the shop. We saw that the police were already there, pulling a husband and wife out of an overturned car. We heard the people around us say, “It was a hit and run.” Of course, no one saw the license plate of the other car. We walked back into the restaurant, but something felt off.

What if we just decided it was too dangerous to stay near where a hit-and-run just occurred? We wouldn’t have to witness what was back in the shop. We walked back to the booth. I then went to grab my bag where I had left it, but it was gone. My wallet, my ID, everything was gone! These were not the only things missing. My car keys were gone too! Everything we left on the booth table was gone. The waiter at the front of the restaurant was also gone. It felt eerily quiet. It felt as if time had stopped for a second. Then, we heard a scream! 

What if we didn’t follow the scream? Maybe, there would’ve still been a future for me? We all ran to the back room where the sign said, “Employees Only”. The waiter and a woman were face down on the floor. A man stood in front of them with a gun. Both of them were shaking with fear. A scream exploded from my lips as I realized that the woman was Anna, one of my best friends. She had come with us to the restaurant. My mind started to race. Then, I heard “Bang”, and the whole world turned red.

What if the car didn’t crash that day? What if the teacher didn’t mark you late? Then, this day wouldn’t be filled with mourning. Anna followed my scream with a scream of her own. A scream of terror. A scream of my name. My next memory was being dragged out of the shop. The words “murder” and “police” were being yelled. In a flash, I am in the police station. The world felt numb. 

“What if I never had to relieve this pain and sorrow? I just wanted Anna to receive her justice.” I took a breath and finished my testimony with “Thank you.” I walked off the stand. The judge paused before making her verdict. You could hear a pin drop. “The defendant is found guilty.” The man who ended her life was guilty! A grim smile grew across my face as I knew that Anna had received her justice. Those what-ifs in my head would never disappear. They would forever hover over my head, remembering that bloody, red day.