Unbreakable

Chapter 15: Chasing Cars

Chapter 15: Chasing Cars.

KEENE

“Let’s go home now.” Kamie says to me. We’d been lying together on the floor in her bedroom for at least twenty minutes now.

“Kam, I don’t want to go home.”

“You don’t have a choice. Let’s just go now. Please?” She begs.

“Not right now.”

“Keene, it’s Sunday morning, it’s time to go. All of our stuff is packed. You are going.”

“And what if stay here, lying on this floor for the rest of my life?” I say. I felt as though someone had reached into my chest and destroyed my heart within a matter of seconds.

“Then I’ll lay here with you, and we’ll just forget the world.”

We just layed their silently, locking hands the entire time. She longingly stared at the ceiling.

“What’cha thinking about?” I ask, trying to keep my mind of my empty chest.

“Death.” She said.

“Good job not being morbid.” I joke.

“You know what the disturbing part of drowning was?” She asks, blowing off my joke. “I liked drowning. How dark and twisty is that?” She asks, looking at me this time.

“It’s not.” I reply. We locked eyes for a minute.

The emptyness in my chest killed me. Why did I feel so depressed? I hadn’t even seen my dad, I prayed that he didn’t look like a ghost cancer patient or anything yet. In a moment like this, I would’ve seeked my mom’s loving arms for comfort.

“Baby?” Kamie says, grasping my attention.

“Yeah?”

“I think it’s time to go now.” She says, standing up.

I stayed still. “Come on.” She offers me a hand.

“I can’t.” My chest burned.

“Keene Daniel Franklyn, get the hell off the floor!”She shouts.

“I can’t.” I repeat.

“Look, I hate to be the bad guy here, but you can’t just act like a cowardly little child and hide away from your problems! The world doesn’t work that way!” She says firmly.

“I cannot get up. I cannot imagine living in a world without my dad. I hate the whole damn world right now. So yeah, I can’t get up now.” I say sourly.

“Yeah, well, that feeling really never goes away.” She says gently.

“Now please, get the hell off the floor.” She begs quietly.

I slowly pull myself to my feet, she grabs my hand. I wrap my arm around her, keeping her soft hand in mine.

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We sat in the truck for hours. I couldn’t get out, we idoled in the driveway outside my house.

“Whenever you’re ready.” Kamie says.

“Ok.” I take a deep breath, and shakily get out of the truck and walk to the front door.

Kamie follows me.

Slowly, I open the door.

“Hello?” I say, my voice echoing in the hallways.

“Hey, bud!” My dad says running in, giving me a bear hug.

I looked at him curiously. He looked the same as before I’d left, if not even better.

“Hi, dad.” I say, almost wanting to cry.

His eyes still had the same friendly quality.

“I was thinking… you, me, and Quinna… roller skating.” He offers, obviously not seeing Kamie behind me.

Once I realized what was going on I almost sobbed.

Dad was in denial; denying the tumor, denying the sickness, denying death.

“What ever you want, we’ll do it.” I say, trying hugging him again.

He stops me. “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. This is not a sad time; this is a time for us to be happy. We’re gonna celebrate.” He tells me.

To make him happy, I smiled. I felt as though I was wearing a mask, hiding my disconsolateness.

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2 Months Later:

I hated myself for thinking like this, but, if he hasn’t died yet, maybe he’ll be ok… they said his radiation treatment was working just fine. Maybe I could be happy again… or so I thought.