Affliction

1

Annie's POV

There are several different kinds of pain.

One time I was little and I was learning how to ride my bike when I lost balance and fell off.

Sometimes when I'm walking around the coffee table, I stub my pinky toe so hard it's to the point im sure it's going to fall off.

One time in Demi's sleep, her arm flopped over really hard and hit my nose, so it broke.

Madison tried teaching me how to ride her penny board, but I slipped off and landed on my back.

Yeah, then there's that time Connor broke my heart. That one hurt.

Oh, remember a few months back when I broke my arm skiing on that family vacation? Oh, then when I accidentally overdosed?

See, there's all kinds of pain. Scrape pain, broken bone pain, broken heart pain, accidental pain, and mental pain.

Then there's waking up to the worst news of your life kind of pain.

Of course, just like last time, all I heard was machine beeping. That means I'm in a hospital and I'm alive. Feeling started spreading through my body, and I felt a lot of sharp burning pain in my leg, head, and ankle. My hand felt warmth, which meant someone was holding it.

Demi.

I tried quickening the waking up process as much as possible so I could tell her not to worry anymore because I'm indeed alive.

I got the strength to open my eyes, but all I saw at first was blurry white stuff. After blinking a few times, I could make out everything. Right now I thought that was a good thing. In a few moments, I'll realize I should've just stayed asleep.

Through the pain, I turned my head and who I saw I wasn't expecting.

"Marissa?" My voice was horse, but it came out.

Instead of her looking relieved, it was almost like me waking up didn't phase her. Something is definitely wrong.

"Hi, baby girl." She tried smiling, pushing my hair back.

Her eyes are bloodshot and puffy. It looks like she's fighting back tears right now.

"Where's mom?"

Her face crumpled as she took one hand away from my face and held it to her mouth.

"She's dead isn't she?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"Not yet." She whispered.

Not yet? What does she mean by that? Is she saying Demi is.. Demi is going to die? My mom is dying? I can't.. I can't live without my mom. It's a fact. I cannot do it. So, no. She's not dying because she can't.

"Take me to her." I demanded, trying to sit up.

She gently pushed me down. "I can't right now-"

"She can't die, Marissa!" I struggled to yell, "Take me to her!"

"Annie I can't!" She yelled back at me. "She's getting tests done. Plus you're not allowed to leave the bed yet."

Crying. I hate crying. It's something I haven't done in a while, but I can tell I'm going to be doing a lot of it.

Demi cannot die. She is my best friend..  She's my mom. Just imagining her dying... It's more than I can handle.

"Where's Wilmer?" I asked, almost petrified to know the answer. If he's dead too, there's no point of being here anymore.

"He.. He's in surgery right now." Marissa said, breathing in deeply to keep from crying.

"He's going to die, too. Isn't he?" I asked.

"He should be fine." She said, nodding like she's trying to convince herself she's right.

"What happened to them?" I asked.

"Let's start with you." She said, taking my hand again. "You broke your leg, fractured your ankle, concussion, and you have twenty six stitches across the top right of your forehead."

I reached my hand up to my head and touched stitches, sending a sharp pain within the cut.

"What happened to them?"

I could care less about myself. I'm trying my hardest to keep telling myself that there's no way Demi nor Wilmer could be dying. They're probably really hurt, but Marissa is exaggerating.

"Um," Marissa started to cry again, "We don't know what's wrong with Demi right now. She, uh, sh-she hasn't woke up."

"How long has it been?" I asked. "Sense the accident?"

"Ten hours."

"What's wrong with Wilmer?"

"We think he has blockage to his heart and severe head trauma but we don't know until he gets out."

"Is anyone else besides you here?"

"Dianna is with Demi and Wilmer's family is on their way."

I shut my eyes closed tight. Maybe if I keep them closed, I'll open them and Demi will be beside me. What on earth did I do to deserve to get my mother taken away from me? This isn't right. None of this is right.

"I'm just so happy you're okay." Marissa said, choking up.

I opened my eyes and shifted a little so she could lay down by me in bed.

"Did you think I was gonna die or something?"

"Annie, the police told Dianna that you all died." She said, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.

"What?"

"I had just got home from work and I was walking in the door when Dianna pulled in and got out.. She-Uh,-" Marissa shook her head. "I'll save the story for later you need to rest and not think about-"

"No." I said. "Please just tell me."

"She got out of the car and.. She fell onto her knees and just started sobbing. Sobbing isn't even the word for it- she was screaming crying, and heaving. It was the most awful thing I've ever experienced in my life." Marissa shook her head. She's been doing that a lot.

She continued, "So I ran over to her and she finally got out that all of you died in an accident. So, I did the same thing she did. Then, I got the courage to help her in the car and drive to the hospital where we found out none of you were dead. Of course we were more than relieved, but then we were pissed off and angry because someone told her you guys died."

"Oh." I said, my heart sinking. I feel terrible they had to go through that. I can't imagine the pain they felt especially if one of us died, let alone all of us.

I thought back to moments before the accident. We were singing, dancing, living. Not in a million years would I think the time that was basically perfect would get interrupted by a car slamming into us.

The car. Black. The black car hit us.

"What about the car that hit us?"

"You were right all along." Marissa said. "It was the black car you've been trying to tell us about. The bad part is that the person who usually is in control of the car, paid someone to hit you guys and he.. He passed away after telling the police someone made him do it."

I told Demi. I told Wilmer. I told Marissa. If Demi would have just believed me, this could have been prevented. All of it. If she would've stepped up and did something about the stalking, we wouldn't be here right now. Then again, I could've done something. But I would have done it behind Demi's back and that's something I don't want to do.

Isn't it crazy you can fall asleep with everything perfect and wake up to it being completely opposite?