Who Are You?

Chapter 3

"She's nothing, why are you being nice to her?" "In case you haven't noticed, she saved me." "Yeah she saved you because she has to. I bet that scrub gets paid to do that shit." "Stop calling her a scrub." "What? She is a scrub, right girls?" They nodded. "She's total dweeb status, she doesn't have what it takes to be in high school." "Well she's made it this far." And like that, he walked away with his hands up. "What are you looking at scrub?"

I woke up the next morning, depressed and a bit angry. She hasn't come back yet and I don't think she will. I just had to accept it. "So what are you doing for your eighteenth birthday?" Mom asked, "I don't know. But I have to go to school. There's an assembly that's mandatory I guess and it cuts out first and second. I'll see you when I get home." Mom and dad were worried, I wasn't acting like myself since she left. I hated how she left but I'll deal with it, I guess.
"So she just up and left?" Fran asked, "that totally sucks." "She didn't up and leave, we fought, she insisted on leaving and she left." "But either way, she left." Fran punched her in the arm. "I'm just going to try and get through the day--" spoke too soon. "Decent clothes?" Georgia asked, "Georgia, not now." "Bud out. So, decent clothes? On a scale from one to ten, what's her scrub status?" "I'd say three, for today." They all laughed, I slapped my hands on the car door and leaned down. "I've had enough of you're constant torturing of my friends and I and it has to end. So either stop or you'll get a taste of your own medicine, and it won't be tasty." They laughed, "aww how cute, the scrub is finally standing up for herself." "At least I don't look like a red sock that was put in the pile of white trash." Cherry and Fran started laughing a bit as I stood there for a bit and walked away. "Geez, you're different." "Yeah, what happened?" Cherry asked, "standing up for myself to my sister yesterday may have caused me to be on a roll." I laughed. "We should get to that assembly." Blue ran up behind us and nudged us a bit.

"How many of you are driving?" "Shit it's one of those." Fran whispered. We all raised our hands. "And how many have you gotten into an accident?" I raised my hand, along with maybe half the senior class. Cherry also raised her hand. "You got into an accident?" Blue asked, "I'll tell you later." "Now will those people who raised their hand come to the stage." I sighed. "Look at your peers class of 2013, this is half of what could be you. Now, these people weren't lucky but they're luck is life. You can prevent this all together. How many of you on stage are still living with the aftermath?" I didn't raise my hand because I forgot all about it until now. "You down at the end." Me? "Why didn't you raise your hand?" "You're talking to me right?" I asked, "yes." I picked up the mic, "well, I didn't raise my hand because yes, it affected me for about a year or six months but I've gotten through it thanks to my friends and family. I've forgotten all about it till now." "Heartless!" I knew who shouted that, it was one of the Pinkies. "I'm not heartless, I still think about it every once and a while but sometimes you can't let it affect your life." "And that's precisely right but what if you could've prevented that?" He asked, "if I could've prevented that, I wouldn't've been in debt, same to the family. And I could've prevented injuries." "Would you mind sharing the story? Every person up here will get an opportunity to share if they want." I took a deep breath. "I was driving to Seymour with a friend of mine because we wanted to find an awesome ice cream place and my older brother said that Seymour has the best ice cream places cause it's a bit small and friendly. We also went hiking up the mountain that day, it was a blast. But after we got dinner and we were going home, this family in a mini-van I guess saw this deer in the road and they lost control. I didn't know what to do because I just got my license like a month before. My friend was covering her face and her body and suddenly, they crashed into us. The families car flipped over and mine went up the curb and hit a pole. I was knocked unconscious for about ten minutes till I tried to push my way out of the wrecked car, I saw the wrecked mini-van and car pieces everywhere. It was getting dark and I felt everything spin around me. My friend was knocked out cold and the only person who got out the mini-van was this little boy, crying for his mom and dad. A whole bunch of emergency vehicles came and it felt like a slow-motion movie. And that's also when I experienced my first panic attack." "What was the aftermath like?" Not a great question to ask someone, "I was in the hospital overnight and so was my friend. The bills were ridiculous. I got sued at one point but it was invalid because the accident wasn't my fault. I couldn't drive the car until it got fixed and even after, my sister had to drive me until I turned eighteen. And I had to go to therapy for a bit. I was diagnosed with PTSD and I had to take depression pills because I left marks on my arms. But after a while, I took charge of my life and I got better." "Any advice?" "Just be careful, I guess." He nodded. "Any other stories--" Cherry raised her hand, "yes, go ahead." "I was the friend in that story. I was the passenger." People gasped. "What was the aftermath for you like?" "I was in the hospital overnight like Amy said. And afterwards, we couldn't really speak to each other. It became very awkward for us to come up with a conversation besides the accident. I had to go to therapy as well but not as long as Amy. And I had to go to court as well." "Any payments?" "No, they told me I was the passenger and everything is the drivers fault." "That is a fact, who ever causes the accident or anything on the road, it's always the driver." "And we had to help out the father's family business for the summer and little in the fall, that wasn't so bad. And after we both go better, we actually had other conversations besides the accident." He nodded. "Anybody else?" One after another, girls and guys like us told their stories. I didn't feel so alone about this after. Some were pretty bad where their hand was crushed or they couldn't walk for a year. But they all go through it.
The assembly went on a little longer than they expected so we missed a bit of fourth period. "We're gonna go get some coffee, we'll be back." Fran, Blue, Agnes and I all left while Cherry and Rhea went to their medical class. Cherry wants to work with animals while Rhea wants to work in forensics field.
We were driving from Starbucks back to school when we got in some traffic. "this is weird, there's never traffic when we come this way." Fran said, "maybe it's one of the Pinkies blocking the road because they lost their pink lipstick." We all started laughing. "Actually, something seems suspicious, pullover." Blue said, "But we're gonna be late, genius. We all fifth period." "We have twenty minute, Father Time, lighten up." I pulled over and we got out of the car. "That's a convertible." "No shit Sherlock." She laughed, "shut up." "It's pink too." "You don't think-" "well, they are dumb enough to get into an accident after a car crash seminar." Fran shrugged. "Is that Brian up there?" I questioned, "why do you care?" Fran asked, "because, that's Georgia's boyfriend and I was just curious on why he was here." Brian looked over and he walked over. "What's going on?" "Just get back to the school. I'll tell you in music class, okay? Tell Mr. George that I'll be late." I was confused, "okay?" He walked back to the police officer as we walked into the car and slowly headed back to the school. I headed to music class as Fran, Agnes, and Blue went to go drop off Cherry and Rhea's coffee and head to class.
"Brian, you're late." "I told Amy to tell you I was coming late." "She did, doesn't mean I don't have to say you're late. I want your excuse at the end of class, for now, get into your group." He walked to his group as we were writing songs for a project. I started playing my guitar as a girl name Ellie started singing, our theme was personal. "You're the light inside my bracing night. And moonlight cold that gives a fright. I know it all too well, you give me hell and I'm the fire burning the tortured sight. You've followed me to the ends of the earth. And you're all of me, been attached on since birth. So if you have to go, I will stay. Sitting like a little child, singing at a play. I will never ever forget, all the things you've ever said. So please come back soon or else I will miss you." Then I overheard Brian's groups song, they had heartbreak. "It's all been fire and ice, it was never nice to hear your voice, but here's the truth, I will miss you and the constant noise. You were all I care about, but I also really want you out now. I don't ever wanna see you again. Cause it was fire and ice, it was never nice to have you around. But here's the truth, I will miss you being around. You were all I cared about but I also really want you out now. And take your love/hate rain with you. Take it with you."
"Hey, can we talk?" Brian walked over and asked. "Um yeah, we can use a break." "Okay." We walked to the window. "Number one, you're a great singer, why aren't you singing the lead?" He asked, "because that's how the teacher assigned it." "He knows you have a great voice." "I'm only good for harmony, as told by him. And it's fine, I like harmonizing and playing the guitar at the same time." I smiled. "And second, Georgia and her friends got into an accident. They were leaving the school and I was with them. Until Georgia and I got into a fight. She found out you 'rescued me' and she got pissed. I got pissed as well because she was calling you scrub again and she called you poor and I had it. We broke up officially and she kicked me out of the car. Of course she wasn't paying attention and she crashed her car into someone leaving as well. She panicked and went up the curb. I saw it all happen cause it wasn't too far away. Georgia and her friends got injured a bit badly but they'll be fine. If you ask me, they deserve it for calling you heartless." "Not as bad as what I called them." I laughed, "what did you say?" He asked, "I said they look like a red sock that's been put in a pile of white trash." He laughed really hard. "Yeah, they are." "Fran says she's a bottle of pepto bismol" I laughed. "But I think I saw that on my way down but I was driving fast because she's like, 'what are you looking at, scrub?' And I didn't want her to see me laughing." "She would care about that." I laughed. "I'm glad you're laughing again after what happened yesterday." "I'm just trying to get through the day. I had my weak point and now I'm fine." I smiled. "Amy, let's get back to work!" I rolled my eyes, "duty calls."