When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Tho’ your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone
- Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel
Prologue
Howie was jolted awake by the ringing of the phone from the nightstand on the other side of his bed.
“Can you get that, Krys?” he mumbled, disoriented. When he got no reply, he groaned and reached over to turn on the lamp that sat on his nightstand. Dim light flooded the room.
Rolling over, Howie saw that Krystle was not in bed. I guess I hurt her feelings, he thought guiltily. But then again, she deserved it. She couldn’t really expect me to be happy with her. Not after what she did.
Meanwhile, the phone kept ringing, and Howie, growing annoyed with its persistence, quickly crawled over and grabbed the phone from the nightstand on Krystle’s side of the bed. This better not be fan, he thought irritably.
“Hello?” Howie asked groggily, rubbing his bleary eyes as he held the phone to his ear.
“Howie!” came Bianca’s voice, shrill and trembling.
Howie was immediately alert. Something was wrong; he could tell by her tone of voice. “Bean? What’s wrong?”
It’s probably nothing, he tried to assure himself. She and AJ just probably had another fight. He rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed. He had no patience to deal with AJ right now, not after what he had just found out. But deep down, he knew it was more than just a spat between AJ and Bianca. Bianca’s reply confirmed it.
“It’s AJ!” Bianca sobbed into the phone. “Oh, Howie, he’s… he’s dead!”
***
Author's Chapter Notes:
This is one of my older stories, written in 2002. It was inspired by “The Kissed By an Angel Trilogy” by Elizabeth Chandler, three of my absolute favorite books. If you like “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” you’ll LOVE her series.
