The Other Side of the Tracks

Chapter Three

      Chapter Three

    Meadow

    “Let’s test this out,” Grayson calls, quickly walking backwards. He’s slowly moving further and further away from me on the sidewalk, the wind blowing his hair away from his eyes. “Ready?”

      His sudden purchase is silly to me, but nonetheless fun. Nodding, I smile. “Ready.”

      Grayson uses his pale hands to create a wall around his mouth as he leans into the walkie talkie. I can barely see it at this distance but I know it’s there. A few seconds go by before static starts to break through my walkie talkie speaker in my mittens.

      “Your hat is on the ground. Repeat, your hat is on the ground. Over.”

      I can feel my forehead crease as confusion sweeps its way across my face. Thinking Grayson is playing a trick on me by talking in a soldier-type voice, I reach up with my free glove and pat my head. My mouth opens slightly in surprise as my mitten finds nothing but my hair blowing in the breeze.

      “What?” I mumble, turning in a slow circle. Sure enough, behind me on the ground sits my red hat. Beside it slush threatens to ruin its cleanliness so I quickly scoop it up off the ground.

      “Hat has been retrieved. Repeat, hat has been retrieved. Over.”

      Giggling, I put it back on my head and bring the walkie talkie to my lips. “Grayson is ridiculous. Repeat, Grayson is ridiculous.”

      “Your message didn’t quite come in. Over.”

       I repeat what I say and Grayson continues to say that he couldn’t hear me right. Rolling my eyes, I speak for the third time.

      “You’re silly!” I practically yell into the device. Even from this distance, I can see Grayson grin when my words are received.

      “I can’t hear you unless you say over. Over.”

      “I’m going to smack you!” I laugh into my hand.

      “Meadow, you didn’t-“

      I cut Grayson off and start running towards him, calling to him out loud and through the walkie talking at the same time.

      “Over! Over, over, over, over, over, over!”

      Grayson starts laughing and running away from me down the sidewalk. He knows he’s faster than me but never lets me lose so that I don’t have to chase him far.

      “What was that, Meadow? You weren’t very clear.”

      As soon as his voice appears in my hand I start running faster, narrowing my eyes in determination. As frustrating as this is, I can’t help but laugh. Days like this with Grayson are always the best. We’re doing nothing but we’re having an amazing time doing it.

      I follow him along the side walk, ignoring how out of breath I feel already. Doing my best not to slow down, I try to run faster, not wanting Grayson to get away. Only a few minutes pass until we’re entering the field behind my house. For now it’s empty, only used by children in the summer to sit in until the park goes in next year.

      “You didn’t say over!” I scream to him, just realizing it now. I bet Grayson is smirking, smug with what he’s doing.

      “I can’t hear you.”

      Suddenly I slow down, my heart pounding in my chest. It feels nothing like what I’ve felt before. I’m stopped before I realize it, clutching my skin as if I can grab onto and hold my heart itself.

      “Grayson,” I gasp, unable to get enough air into my lungs. “Wait.”

      He doesn’t hear me and doesn’t look back as I start to bend over, the ground wavering in front of me. I try to straighten out and hope that I’m just overreacting, but I can’t. In fact, I can’t do anything.

      It feels like there’s something alive inside me that is trying to get out. It’s throwing itself against my chest, trying to escape and there’s nothing I can do. My whole body feels frozen except for my hand, that’s desperately trying to get through my skin.

      “Meadow?”

      Grayson’s voice sounds too distant, like he’s across the whole field and through a thick fog, making me unable to hear him. I can’t see him or anything either. Everything looks like there’s a screen of gray in front of my eyes, preventing me from using my senses.

      Suddenly, as if someone were talking to me inside my head, an explanation flashes. What if the doctors were wrong? What if I’m dying now, only days after my last visit? What if they didn’t know that I couldn’t run? What if right now, this is me ending my life with so many things left unfinished?

      “Meadow!” Grayson’s voice sounds closer now, yet still too far away. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it sound like this before. It’s like he’s angry, yelling at me, but also so upset mixed into that one word.

      I want to tell him that I love him but though I move my lips, barely feeling them brush together to form words, no sound comes from my throat.

      I don’t know whether I feel myself hit the ground first or Grayson.