the thanksgiving of the PTG2 brigade
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As the light morning rays fell upon the sturdy and solitary apartment of Eren Thor, the grass was shining below Eren’s window, covered with the early dew. The clouds were covering the sky, making the air crisp and cool, createing a serene day for local gatherings in preparation for Thanksgiving. Eren is awakened to the soft sound of knocking at her apartment door. She stretches, her long brown hair in a frazzled braid, reaching towards her feet. She shuffles in her Snoopy pajama pants and matching shirt to answer the door, her eyes tired from the night before sorting out her bills. Slowly opening the door, Heather, her best friend in the world, slides in handing Eren a large cup of coffee, then rummages through her purse to hold out an envelope.
“I know you probably had a bad night, but read this,” Heather pleas to Eren, as she takes the envelope and slumps on the dusty red sofa, sipping her coffee analyzing its contents. “I got this in the mail just yesterday and you know Eren I wish I hadn’t. My parents just love to send their personal problems to me and now cry for help… Because ever since my brother stole all that money from their bank account, and then denying my help, I just couldn’t have contact with them anymore, you know? Anyway, it’s just an update.” She sighs, looking through her pantry to find the food for the next day, her tall body stretching up to reach a can of peaches, setting it on the counter; her long orange hair swaying to her movements. Her face calm, but distant, her eyes staring a thousand miles away. She gathers herself and looks to Eren with humor holding up the can of peaches “Eren do you have anything for tomorrow?” Eren finishes reading and looks at Heather concerned.
“Girl I’m sorry about this, they really are helpless. I’ll back you up if you need anything. And yes I have food it’s all in the freezer, why would I keep turkey in the pantry? I wouldn’t waste your money Heather Gilmore!” Heather laughs as she joins her on the sofa. “So when are the boys getting here?” Eren says changing the subject. She sits up gathering up her bills from the coffee table and sets them in her little office across the room. Heather checks her phone and excitedly answers,” Now!”. She leaps from the sofa and runs to the door, swinging it open she embraces the boys. Percy Gregg and Travis Powers, both taken by surprise they laugh, Eren joins in to complete the group hug and they all exchange their greetings.
“Everyone is here this is so amazing!” Eren exclaims.
“It’s just like any other time Eren.” Percy slurs to her. Travis’s stance changes when he looks at Heather, his strong build and young face brightens to see his friends again. Percy, a brother figure to him, always have eachothers back. It is the only thing he cares about even a little bit, he is careless towards everything else, even his own life. That is why he gets in trouble with the police many times in the past. Eren, as she hugs Percy, smells the bitter whiskey on his breath and whispers,” You’ve been drinking again…?” Percy’s dark curly hair covers his face as he looks down at his torn up Vans, he scuffs the carpet and replies,” I couldn’t keep away.” He looks up at her with his piercing green eyes, searching for another reaction. The chatter stop and they all look at Percy. Heather joins in,” It’s only been a couple of weeks Percy, what set you off?” Percy snaps back, “I don’t know! I was doing fine but then...I just got lonely, and I had to do something about it.” Eren puts a hand on Percy’s shoulder and gives a reassuring smile.
Travis finally speaks trying to make humor of the situation, and ending the moment of surprise, ”Well since we’re done with the subject now, I say we go and prepare all that food, are you with me men?” He smooths back his dirty blonde hair and gives that sly smile toward Heather, who blushes, replying shyly,”Sure Travis.” The mood returned in a heartbeat, as they all gathered around Eren’s kitchen table to make the holiday happen to Heather’s over enthusiastic pleasure of it.
Like Pavlov’s Dogs, they start to make the food as they have done so every year together. Heather admires all her friends and thinks to herself, this will be a good Thanksgiving…
The day reaches the afternoon and the sun has settled high in the sky with clouds everywhere, Percy stares through the window at a deer crossing the road in the back of the building, the deer crosses the road and looks back to the road and the building, and then for a second Percy thought, it looked at him, straight into him, he jumped back, startled by it as the deer took off into the thick woods. Percy had a impulse to react in a strange way, he spoke to Eren in what he hoped a casual manner.
“Um, Eren, I have to go uh, to the store, to get some ingredients for the uh, pie.”
Eren looks at him confused, “For pie? I thought we had everything.”
He quickly replies,”Well I just noticed we don’t have any uh, flour.” Not convinced, but trusting him, she tells him to go ahead. He dropped his things and started to walk out of the apartment, grabbing his black leather jacket, out of the door. Heather and Travis notice him leaving and ask Eren what happened Eren said, ”He said we needed vanilla for the pie I guess.” Travis and Eren carry on with their task but Heather stares at the door, wondering what he is actually going to do.
An hour later as the kitchen is at its maximum level of messy, they all finish their cooking, but start to wonder when Percy will get back. Heather and Travis start to contact him, tracing his phone and calling him. “He couldn’t have gotten in that much trouble, or any at all right?” Eren asks worriedly. “We’ll find him…” Heather reassured as she calls Percy again.
Time goes by and they start to get anxious. Eren is pacing around her apartment while Heather calls distant friends and relatives of Percy to see if they knew his location. Travis starts to head out the door to look for him when suddenly the door busts open to Percy, wild eyed, face flushed, and blood running down from his forehead. Travis jumps back; almost yelling,” Percy wh-”
“No time!” he gasps as he catches his breath,” they are after me, they are-”
“Who?” Eren says alarmed.
“No time we have to leave now!” Percy demands as he runs to grab his keys and runs out the door, the rest of them following quickly, to Percy’s pick up truck. They all jump in and Percy screeches down the main road toward the wilderness away from the city. Heather’s frantic but calm in voice asks,” What is going on, who is after you?” Percy doesn’t respond but keeps accelerating down the road checking behind him every few seconds.
“Percy!” Travis says firmly, grabbing Percy’s shoulder.
Percy looks at him irritated and brushes his arms off, “Fine! The police are after me. They kept questioning me, why I was drinking, how many I had, if I had family, have I ever come home drunk and hurt people. That’s when I got angry, and punched one of them, and kicked another. I couldn’t control myself, and then I just ran.”
Eren reacted first, “Percy you can’t do that! You are in a lot of trouble with them now-” “You think I don’t know that?” Percy exclaimed. “Alright both of you calm down, Percy you can’t be doing this, you can’t run away from them, they’ll keep looking for you. Please trust us we’re trying to help, just pull over.”
Percy clinches the wheel and pulls over on the side of the road, the sun starts to set, and the air around them becomes quiet and cold. They all get out and look to Percy, who is cursing to himself, kicking at bark and the ground, letting his confused rage out. Travis speaks up, ” Percy, you have to think about this man, this isn’t right, why did you do that to them?” Percy stares at him ,” Because of you all! I attacked them because of you.”
Eren starts to speak “What? Percy what did we do?”
Percy reacting angrily to her says,” Exactly, you did nothing, you’ve never helped me with anything, I’ve always struggled on my own, I never had real happiness, I’ve never found it, and they only way I could solve it, was drinking, it’s never been any better being sober, you act like all of these things, hanging out and cooking would help? It’s stupid, and I couldn’t be pitied anymore.”
Travis tries to reason with him, but hopelessly. “Percy listen to us, we’ve cared for you anytime you wanted it, this is your battle against yourself and it doesn’t need to exist, I have never known how to have feelings for people, but you do, and you shouldn’t make it so negative.”
Sneering at him he growls, “Yeah, so you wouldn’t know how it feels anyway would you Travis?”
“Percy-”
“No!”
Percy grabs from inside his jacket and holds a gun towards Travis, yards away.
“Percy stop!” Heather steps forward holding up her arm.
Percy points the gun at her, shaking and tense, threatening silently to her, then points back to Travis,” I’ve had enough of all of this, I’m going to-” Percy looks behind them down road alarmed. The faints sound of sirens comes closer to them and the dim lights from the car starts to appear. “Get in the car!” Eren yells at them as they all rush back inside the truck, Percy shaking, dragging himself back in the vehicle to speed away. The truck gains even more speed now, the police car, in clear sight, gaining on them, the people inside telling them to pull over. Percy turns a corner to try to lose them, he speeds down a steep hill. And in that instant, a black van hurdles at them, colliding with truck. It immediately slides in a curve on the asphalt, crashing down the hill, the windows shattering and the bodies thrown around inside like rag dolls, then slows to a stop, turned upside down, with smoke rising from the engine.
Heather opens her eyes, and at first, she sees nothing but white. As her eyes adjust, she is in a white room, with medical equipment around her, she could only guess where she was. But she could think about is where her friends were. She slowly sits up, in the hospital bed she was laying in. She is in her original clothes, but they were frayed, torn, and her scarf, in a pile of burned fabric on the table next to her. She slides to the floor, standing, but winces at the applied pressure coming from her right foot, she pushes away to pain and limps, pursuing her way to the hall. She looks down the hall for any signs of where her friends could be, then she hears Travis’s rough voice from afar, in a another room, she calls out to him, limping as fast as she can to the sound. Travis looks out of the room then embraces her. His eyes, cloudy, and wet. She has never seen him this upset before. “Where is…?” He looks down,and leads her into a room. Her eyes fall upon Eren bending over a broken body, she is weeping to herself, and Heather slowly approaches the bed. She then stares into the blue faced boy she has cared about for so long now, now he is never able to laugh again. Percy barely opens his eyes to see her, and is able to speak, softer than a whisper. “Hey Heather. Glad to see you. He coughs and a few tears roll down his damaged face, but continues to speak. “I’m...I’m sorry, for all of this, it’s all my fault.” Heather sits on his bed and gets close to him so he can hear her. “No, Percy. This is our fault, you were right and we should have helped you, be happier, be better. We’re sorry.” Percy smiles and says breathlessly,” Heather, you all were the happiness I was looking for, but I was too arrogant to see, but now I do.” Travis stands next to Heather, and Eren also gets closer. They all hold onto him. “We love you Percy.” Eren finally says, giving him her sweet smile. Percy looks at all of them. With his last words he breathes to them, “Thank you.” then closes his eyes.
The police released Heather and the others without charges. Which was the least of their problems. They all returned to Eren’s apartment and sat down with each other, mourning.
It was Thanksgiving day.
Months later, Travis and Heather together, and Travis going on without any police record, they continued their lives as it was, but, they were all together more. Eren pursued and became out of debt. The three continued to be happy, knowing Percy would have wanted that. And to never forget him. But to live a life Percy would want. Heather’s relationship with her parents was renewed when she realized that helping family is what she should do, despite what they have done in the past. And Travis, finally finding love, and is planning to propose to Heather on the day Percy passed away, the next year. And the next Thanksgiving that they spent together, was not preparing food, or decorating, or dealing with bills. They all appreciated each other as, best friends, and as family.