Says, “Smile every minute of the day cuz you never know who’s falling in love with it.”
I turned around just in time to see him wink at me. I blushed under his gaze, but before I could turn away, he slowly leaned in towards me. I quickly shoved his face away. I have him the “WTF” look.
“What was that for?!”
“Dude. We just met okay? I’m not just gunna start kissing you!”
“Well…I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”
“It’s not your fault, I’m just not ready.”
“Ya. Well I’m not gunna nag you about it.”
“Okay. Thanks. Wanna go back to working on the project?”
“Sure.”
For the rest of the day we worked on finding information and putting the information into paragraphs. It was a little boring. More boring than I thought. It was finally time for me to leave so I walked home with the sun just going down. I unlocked to front door, and before my eyes, I saw Alyssa. On the ground. Looking all beat up. I rushed over to her, and yell.
“ALYSSA! WAKE UP!” She didn’t move. Not even a little. I looked down at her arms to see bruises running down from shoulders to her fingers. I grabbed my cellphone not bothering calling my parents cuz they were at this really important meeting. So instead I call Anthony. I knew he was working but this couldn’t wait. It took a few second before he would pick up.
“ANTHONY!!!”
“What’s up?”
“ALYSSA ‘S WHAT’S UP!!! SHE’S GOT BRUISES EVERYWHERE AND SHES NOT MOVING!!”
“I’ll go home now.”
He hung up before I could say anything else. I knelt down beside Alyssa and lifted her head on to my lap. Her short brown hair was wet from the warm sweat dripping down her face. I looked down at her. My eyes started to water up. The tears in my eyes just kept falling down. I was scared.
This made me remember when 2 years ago, Cindy and I were at school. Sitting on the swings, when all of a sudden she passed out. She lay on the ground with dust all over her face. I did the same thing to Cindy what I did to Alyssa. I lifted Cindy’s head and slowly lay it on my lap. I wiped the dust from her eyes. I waited until her parents came. They took her away with me left alone. That was the first night we found out that Cindy had cancer. That afternoon would be a day I would never forget.
“Amanda. Amanda?” The soft voice of Alyssa said.
I was so relieved.
“Alyssa! What happened?”
“I don’t remember. I just fell. But I didn’t trip.”
”Anthony’s coming home right now, and…”
Before I could finish, Alyssa went unconscious again. Where was Anthony? He was taking forever. The door flung open right after I had thought that.
“Sorry Amanda. There was traffic.”
“Okay! Hurry hurry hurry! Alyssa! Remember?!”
“OH RIGHT! I’ll get her in the car while you lock up okay?”
I grabbed my key and followed Anthony out the door. I sat in the back seat with Alyssa’s head rested on my shoulder. When we arrived at the hospital, the nurses hurried out and placed Alyssa on a gurney. Anthony called my parents and I just followed the nurses when finally I had to stop. They push Alyssa into a room. I stood there with my eyes looking straight at the door. No hesitation. Anthony finally came in putting his arms around me.
“She’s gunna be alright Amanda.”
“You think so?” With my voice cracking from the crying.
“I know so.”
We sat in the hospital for at least 30 minutes waiting for my parents to arrive. The doctor’s finally came out, taking my parents away to tell them the results. They walked back towards us with pale serious faces. It was silent for a while. But my dad finally said,
“Alyssa. Alyssa is okay.”
“So that good right? Then why….” I said without finishing.
“Yes it is. But there is bad news too. She has liver cancer.”
I could hear my mom sniffling behind my dad. I didn’t say anything. That night, my mom decided to stay in the hospital with Alyssa. So we drove back home and alone, my mom drove back to the hospital with the stuff she needed. I opened the front door of the house seeing Andrew, laying on the couch, watching tonight’s hockey game. Vancouver Canucks vs Chicago Blackhawks. Normally I love watching hockey, but today I just wasn’t in the mood.
“ANDREW! GET UP YOU RETARD!” I yell.
“Yo. Chill sis. I’m just watchin some hockey. That’s wussup.”
“I don’t care what’s “wussup” with you 'kay? Right now it’s Alyssa.”
He stood up like he just saw a giant chocolate bunny right in front of him ready to be eaten.
“What do you mean?”
“Dude. Alyssa has cancer. And you’re just watching some hockey? You don’t care do you.”
His mouth dropped open like he was going to starting taking bites out of the bunny. He wasn’t fat. In fact, he was really fit. He just really liked chocolate and can’t go to bed without eating a piece.
“WHAT!?! What do you mean I don’t care. No one ever told me.”
“Well. I wonder why. You’re always “busy” huh?”
“Well….”
He had nothing to say.
“Alyssa is gunna be alright. Right?”
“I don’t know.”
Andrew and I were never close. It’s always been like Alyssa and Andrew against me and Anthony. That was just life in this messed up world.
I rushed up to my room and slammed to door shut. I finished reading the email Cindy had sent me before she had died. Her parents were going to mail the “Box of Memories” to me! The Box of Memories, was a box that Cindy and I have had since we were 7. Every time we had fun somewhere, we would take a picture and put it in the box. I bet we had thousands of pictures in there. Ever since then we never stopped. It’s been 8 years went by and we still kept it up. We were now 15 and we still thought the box was amazing. It may sound childish, but to us, it would be something would be the evidence to our friendship, and we knew that. That’s why we still have it. I let Cindy keep the box, knowing that she would take more care of it than me. But now I’m going to have all the memories with me!
I read through the message and the box would arrive at my house on my birthday. April 25th. I read the last sentence of the email, and it said, “You don’t need to see a friend 24/7 to know that it will last forever.”
