1 week later
I walk up the school steps, with backpack and crutches at hand. What would have only been 4 steps any other day, felt like 4 miles today. 1 could hear the whispers emanating through the crowd, not needing to hear the words to know what they are saying. I kept seeing people staring at me, even when they thought that I wasn’t looking. Feeling the stares on my back as well, I glared at the next person that was staring at me, which happened to be an unfortunate freshman. After always being treated like an outcast, it would have been riveting getting so much attention, but not today. Fuming, I heave a deep sigh; I walk halfway up the steps and have to stop momentarily, already winded.
Why do they have to have so many steps anyway? I mean, jeez. I thought, exasperated. I just hobble on, pretending not to care that everyone is talking about me.
I reflect on the past week, spring break. Some spring break it had been, I thought to myself as I kept going up the stairs, one at a time so I don’t fall and hurt myself; between hospital trips, everyone’s sympathy, and the thing I dreaded the most, his funeral. My heart dropped down to my stomach and a huge lump forms in my throat, and I’m determined not to cry at the memories. I can recall waking up in the hospital, light flooding through the windows, to I figured it was morning. Mom was sleeping in a chair by the window. She looked as if she hadn’t slept in weeks with her bedraggled clothes, her uncombed hair and her face completely devoid of makeup. She never goes out in public until she’s put her make-up on, with her hair perfectly coiffed, and no wrinkles in her clothing. As soon as I remembered this fact, I was scared to death by what I saw.
“Mom?” I say, startled by how weak my voice is. I see her eyes flutter open.
“O-Olivia?” she asks. Her eyes are puffy and red-rimmed, had she been crying?
“Of course it’s me Mom.” I said. Mom comes up to me, pulling me into a big hug.
“Oh Olivia! Thank God you are okay, when Caroline called saying you had been in an accident, I was prepared for the worst.” She said wailing, squeezing me even tighter.
“Mom, I’m fine, completely okay. Fit as a fiddle.” I attempt to reassure her, but it’s a false hope, I had absolutely no clue what had happened. How long had it been? Where was Jared? How bad did I look? I noticed that there was a vanity across from my bed, but it was completely covered up, so I knew I must have looked terrible. I spotted the cast on my leg, and I felt my face and found a bunch of scabs forming, with a huge one on my cheek (to my utter annoyance).
“Ahh, Sleeping Beauty has returned to us.” The doctor said walking into the room, smiling as soon as he sees that I am awake. My father and siblings followed him in, looking as weary as Mom. Dad looks worse for wear, Caroline looks like she hadn’t gotten a bit of sleep, and Jeremy was looking around with anxiety, but as soon as he sees me, his entire face lights up.
“Liv!” Jeremy exclaims, running to give me a hug.
“Hey, little man.” I say patting his hair.
I look around at my family, from Dad to Jeremy, and see the concern and love emanating from them; I am truly home here (well, if home had sterilizing equipment and IV drips).
“How bad is it doctor?” My father asks.
“She’s received major factors to her right leg, a minor concussion, but besides that it looks like a bunch of cuts and bruises. She’s going to be fine with plenty of bed rest.” The doctor says with a smile. Everyone went silent for a minute.
“So, where’s Jar--?” I begin to say when my throat catches and it hits me.
He’s gone, forever.
Dead.
Everyone looks at me with major pity and sympathy. My parents pull me to them as I begin to cry. My heart felt like a huge hole had been punched in it, my stomach hurt, I felt alone. Empty.
After another few days of being in the hospital for my leg and for my concussion (the doctor wanted to make a last minute check on it), I was let loose. Thank God, I thought to myself. I was so ready to get out of there; I could have jumped out the window of my first floor room. Just the smell of that place, the smell of blood and sanitizer, gives me the heebie jeebies. The fact that I had to stay in there day and night for 4 days straight just had me going insane. I was about ready to eat the pillow or throw the TV remote at someone by the time they let me out. The medicine the doctor prescribed helped my leg, but it really couldn’t help the huge hole left in my heart. At least I had pain medications and pudding to dull my pain for a little while.
When I finally got home, there was a little banner up that said Welcome Home Olivia! with a bunch of little flowers and such on it. There was also a cake, which Caroline served, and I realized that it was my favorite kind of cake too. Ice cream cake, yum! There were little brown and pink streamers going from wall to wall, and it all looked great. We sat down to a dinner of my favorite food, chicken alfredo with linguine, green beans, and bread from Panera. Although the party was so nice everything seemed sort of forced, like everyone’s smiles when I finally got through the door. Nobody made conversation with one another, forks clanged against plates, and everyone looked at me as if the littlest thing might send me to pieces. It was quite absurd if you asked me, but still, my family and everybody else knew that everything wasn’t all well and good with me. I’m happy that they respected that, as I took care of my own dish and retreated to my room, well, I had Caroline help me hop up the stairs to my room. I plopped down on my bed and looked at the canopy of my four-poster bed that I have had since I was 12. My parents had asked if I wanted to change it, but I said no. Whereas my room changed color, from the bright blue it was when I was twelve to the lavender and brown colors it was now, and my wardrobe changed (now there was a walk-in closet), the four-poster bed remained. It was a little piece of what was left of my childhood, a little piece of my old life, and I liked that fact. I laid back and took in the smell of the sweet pea and jasmine laundry detergent my mom used, realizing that she must have cleaned my room while I was gone. It was at this time that I realize that Caroline is still at the door.
“I forgot how big this room was.” She said, walking around my room, looking at my old photos of Paris, my posters of Rome and Harry Potter. “It felt so empty while you were gone.” she said with a smile. But I know something else is on her mind.
“Caroline, if you have anything to say, spit it out, it’s not going to hurt me.” I said, trying to sound reassuring.
“I don’t know. I’m just a little worried about you; everyone is. If you need someone to talk to, you can talk to me about anything. You know that right?” she said
“Yes and thank you. Tell Mom and Dad thank you for the cake, it was delicious. I kind of want to be alone for a little while.” I said, forcing a smile. She didn’t look all that convinced, and I wasn’t surprised. Caroline was the one person who, no matter how I acted in front of everyone else, could see right through me, could tell if something was wrong of if I wanted to talk, and I loved that about my sister.
“All right,” she said, shutting the door quietly, not pressing any further.
I look back at everything that has happened; I realize it’s hard for me to remember the crash itself. Looking back on it, all I could remember were glimpses, of the deer on the road, of the tree, and of Jared, and the tears started to sting my eyes. I start silently sobbing, and finally fall asleep.
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Hello everyone! When I first wrote this story, it was broken up into chapters, but for the sake of dragging it out, i'm making it into parts :)
I hope that you guys like it so far! Feel free to comment, vote, fan my page, bake me a cake (not really) etc.
Can we try and get around 50 reads and 15 votes for this story so far?? :)
Have a lovely evening!
-Emily
