Coconut Colada

Chapter 9

After barely any time at all we had arrived at the hospital. Nora seemed shook. I got out of the car, I could feel my tense muscles relaxing. I let my hands out of the fists and looked into the sky. The sun was brighter than my ego, (which is pretty bright). As I stretched I could feel a pair of eyes on me. So as anyone would I brushed my hair back in a hot way. I wanted to see her face.

Okay, despite my horrible life I was a pretty confident guy, but Nora made me feel even more confident.

"Are you going to just sit and pose in the sun or are you going to help me?" Nora was obviously enjoying the view. I smiled and shook my hair out of my face.

As we walked to the hospital I inhaled her sweet scent. It was like some sort of coconut perfume. As I held her I realized how gorgeous she really was. Nora's long, honey colored hair and curtain bangs had fallen out of the bun and her eyes were bright like diamonds. I wasn't sure how I was even talking to someone this attractive.

Most of the girls at my school only saw me as a careless guy, who was bad in school and had looser friends. I guess Nora didn't really know the true me yet. She would probably never want to see me again if she knew the things I associated with.

As we walked in Nora's face seemed disgusted. I wasn't sure why because the hospital seemed clean. Then my eyes trailed to the front desk. It was the lady who always worked it.

Her name was Doris and she always kept her face straight, almost mad looking. When I heard her voice, the fake enthusiasm almost made me barf. Despite her trying, the words just came out boring.

Nora and I sat in a pair of seats, strangely happy to be in a hospital waiting room together.

"They will probably make me wait in here while you get the x-rays done." I didn't want to scare her, but I had my friends take me to the hospital before and they weren't allowed in.

"No I have an idea." I liked where this was going. The only way they let people in is if you're family or dating- was she going to suggest we lie. Something about this made my heart leap. Would Nora lie just to have me with her?

She first suggested I pretend to be her brother. This kind of hurt me a little bit because I actually liked her and wanted to date her.

"If we are going to lie, we have to make it believable," Nora's face looked surprised when I held her hand in mine. A head of golden locks was now resting on my shoulder. Then I felt Nora jump. I could hear Lee's voice from just outside the door. And right before me was standing a large man.

The man, (who I assumed was Nora's father) looked mildly disgusted by my presence. I changed all that with a respectable handshake, one of the only useful things my dad taught me.

Nora's mother looked almost identical to her. She greeted me with a smile.

I told them I had to go, mostly because I needed to get home before my dad found his car gone.

On the way home I was happy to listen to my music. The guitar made me feel energetic and lively. As I reached forward to turn up the volume I noticed the tiny ziplock consisting two pills was still in my pocket. I wasn't sure if I still wanted to die. Nora seemed like she was worth living for, at least a while longer. Maybe I could keep the pills under my mattress in case I actually needed them. In the meantime one of my favorite songs was playing and I had the pills if I needed them anyway.

'Sleep with one eye open gripping you pillow tight. Exit: light, enter: light, take my hand we're off to never never land.'

Enter Sandman by Metallica just gave me a happy feeling. My dad used to always play it when I was younger, before he lost his job and made my mom work extra jobs for him. Fucking mind, no matter how positive I tried to think I always ended up thinking about the unfortunate events in my life. Why was I still blaming everything on them, it had been like this since I was like six.

Great, now I was home. I entered the house to my dad passed out on the couch. My mom was already sleeping in her bedroom. I didn't even really see my mother at all. She worked everyday from 3am till 9pm and at a few different jobs.

Most nights I was alone. I didn't really have anything to do so I would play guitar and get drunk on my roof. Most of the time I tried to fall off the roof and even intoxicated still managed to stay alive. With my luck I wouldn't even die if I actually fell.

I began to strum a familiar order of chords. The stars were actually beautiful. Times like this were peaceful and I cherished them. I imagined Nora sitting up here with me. I would serenade her with my guitar playing, then we would lean in for an amazing kiss.

I wasn't sure when I would see Nora again but I hoped it was soon. It couldn't be that far away as they weren't done emptying my neighbors house yet.

I should've gotten her phone number, but I still didn't have my phone fixed from when my father smashed it, the phone was only good for taking pictures.

Maybe I should get a job. Maybe I should start a family. Maybe I should live. Nora might have just saved my will to live.