Remember My Story

010

"It's been a while.."

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."

-George Bernard Shaw

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Josie POV

         I was staring at raindrops. I watched as they raced each other down the window. It was actually very calming and relaxing. A loud scream breaks through the peace and I sit up. I ran towards the sound and ended up in front of room 58. I knock on the door and I hear the screaming continue. The door opens to reveal a very panicked Penelope. "Come in. Please help I don't know how to help her." She steps back and motions for me to come in.

      I walk into their room and I immediately find the source of screaming. Hope's laying on the floor. She writhes in pain and she's screaming for her mom. She looked broken. She was broken. After a while, she stopped screaming and just laid on the floor, exhausted. I watched worriedly about what was going on in her mind. I looked at Penelope who was staring at Hope. She was biting her nails and I reached out and pulled her hand away from her mouth. "It'll ruin your nails." She nods absentmindedly. 

     My attention goes back to Hope as she suddenly stands up. Her moves are choppy and staggered. She goes over to her nightstand and opens the chore and pulls out a pocket knife. My heart drops as I realize what she wants to do. She opens it and stares at it. I slowly walk over to her to stop her but I'm too late. Before I can stop her she drives the knife into her thigh. I watched in shock and horror as she repeats the action. She pulled it out and held it above her thigh. She started moving towards her thigh and that's when I snapped out of my trance. 

     I quickly catch her hand to stop her. I feel her head tense up and she starts trying to force the blade down. "Hope, stop." I squeezed her hand and the blade slipped out of her grip. It clattered against the wooden floor as it landed on the floor. I look back to Hope who's staring at her thigh where she wounded herself. Blood poured out of the wound but it stopped quickly when she started healing. The wound closed and the only thing that could be seen was a little pink mark. Her shorts were stained with blood and there was a puddle of blood on the floor around Hope.

     "Why can't death be easy. Why can't I just forget you, mom?" Hope's voice breaks the silence. Her voice cracks as she talks and my heart breaks for her. I need to do something, so I do. I wrap my arms around her and I pull her close to me."Look at me. Look at me, Hope." She slowly brings her gaze to meet mine. I think of the things that my mom said to me when I was grieving for my bio-mom. "Grief is like the ocean, it comes in waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim. Sometimes we can't let go of the things that make us sad, because those were also the things that made us happy."

      I watch in amazement as she closes her eyes and her breathing starts to steady. She hugs me back and looks at me. "Thank you, Jo." I don't say anything but I nod and pull away. We make eye contact and we stare into each other's eyes. Her eyes are so hypnotizing. I could look into them all day. I see her gaze move behind me and the moment is gone. I feel irritated for I wanted the moment to last forever. 

      My thoughts are broken by Hope. "Ahem." I look back up at Hope. "So Josie. Penelope, and I both realized that we have feelings for you. So we were erm wondering if you wanted to be our girlfriend." My jaw goes slack and I stare at her with wide eyes. I cough and compose myself. "Like, all three of us? Like a poly relationship?" They look at each other and they both answer with, "Yeah." I nod and look down. "So, are we like girlfriends now?" I ask shyly. "If you want to," Penelope says. "Yes." The word flies out of my mouth before I can stop it.