Trace

Chapter 13

        Anne is sick. So sick, she bailed out on the party she was oh-so-excited to attend since last week. I have only just hung up the phone with her- as she had to go because she started hacking rather forcefully and insisted she could no longer breathe. I told her that I would pray for her health to improve before the weekend, and I disappointedly flopped down onto my bed.

           The last time I saw Harry was three days ago. Dinner at his flat was a blast and I will be seeing him tomorrow... the night of the party. Mum came home two days ago with a sad report that my aunt was only getting worse. She told me that she would be visiting her house over the weekend and when I offered to tag along to help out, my mother hugged and thanked me, but said it was better if I were to stay here. I felt terrible seeing my mother like this. She looked so exhausted when she arrived back home, and went straight to her room for a well deserved rest. She left for fourteen hours after that, then took a shower and came down to talk to me. We caught up on a few things and I only left her bits and pieces of Harry... I was afraid that if I were to share anything more with her, my fairytale would have a rude awakening and I would wake up from an everlong dream.

     Right now, however, I plan to make a trip to Ayla's so we can catch up on a few things, as well. I brush my teeth and braid my hair to the right side, letting it lay across my shoulder. I grab my phone and purse, kiss my mum on the cheek as I head down the stairs, and walk out of the door.

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   "She must be really sick...she even stopped talking to Toby! She won't reply to any of his texts and calls..." Ayla sighs, spinning around on her stool in the bedroom.

   "Yeah...it does seem kind of strange, because she talks to us, still," I point out.

I am on Ayla's bed, sitting with my leg's crossed and a large purple pillow in my lap. It has weird jewels on it, and I subconsiously pull at them and wrap the string around my finger.

      "Do you think she'll be better by the time of the party?" asks Ayla.

"Doubt it."

  We spend the rest of our time talking and laughing, and my gushing about Harry. After that, we watch Inception and are both equally confused and frazzled by the ending. I listen to Ayla swoon over Leonardo DiCaprio, and I find myself agreeing with her.

    "It's getting late, I'm gonna head back, now," I tell her.

We say our goodbyes and I start for the short walk home, in the birth of the summer's night. I walk, and find myself enjoying my life at the moment. It isn't the first time I have felt this satisfied with my life in the past two weeks. I cross the street and am so caught up in my thoughts that I do not realise the dark blue truck coming at me at full speed down the road.