𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝗇𝗂𝗄𝖺 𝗆𝗎𝗁𝗅

XI. not joking, (i guess?)

february 24, 2021
storrs, connecticut

jayden rolled over in bed, rubbing her eyes to wake herself up. her phone rang loudly on the nightstand. she frowned and grabbed her phone, wanting to go back to sleep.

she answered the call, "hello?"

"is this jayden marie, daughter of matthew marie?"

she sat up in her bed, confused. "yes..."

"this is the saint vincent emergency hospital of worcester, massachusetts."

she pulled the phone away from her ear and put it on speaker, placing down on her bed. "is my dad okay? whats going on?"

"matthew has passed away. he was in a car accident around thirty minutes ago and died on site. i'm very sorry."

she let out a laugh, "what kind of fucked up joke is this?"

"ma'am, this is not a joke-"

"this is so fucked up, why are you lying about that!"
she clicked the hang up button, laying back into her bed again. considering the fact that it was only 5 a.m. and she didn't need to be up until 7, she lied back to get more sleep.

the second she closed her eyes, her phone rang. again. but this time it was her mother. she slapped her hand over her face, rolling onto her stomach and grabbed her phone.

"jayden, did the hospital call you about your dad?"
her stomach instantly dropped at those words and she shot out of bed

"that was real? i thought it was a joke."

"what! why would that be a joke?"

"fuck- i don't know!" she cried out, frantically tying her shoes up while pressing her phone between her ear and shoulder. "where do i go?"

"saint vincents. drive safe, please."

jayden hung up and sat on the floor, letting out a heavy sob. she curled into a ball, hugging her own shoulders. the girl wiped her tears off of her face, scolding herself for crying.

eventually, she got up off the floor and walked out the door, tripping over her feet and she went down the stairs. she steadied herself on the railing and bolted out of the building, unlocking her car and getting in.

the cars engine started and she stepped on the gas. after being on the road for twenty-five minutes, she finally let another tear fall and once they started they never stopped.

so when she got into the parking lot, her forehead lied against the steering wheel and she sobbed again. eventually she pulled herself together and walked into the building, reading signs to figure out where to go.

she walked into a waiting room and peeked around the corner, spotting her mom. "mum!"

the woman stood up and engulfed her in a hug, her head lying against her chest. "hey, baby."

jayden looked up at her mom, "is he actually dead?" she chocked out, holding onto her moms shirt. she nodded at her, pulling her back into a tight hug, then guiding her to a chair, "come sit down."