Brad

The accident

Midge p.o.v

After my parents died nothing felt the same. Well. It did but all I felt was pain. It replaced everything, comfort, happiness, compassion and even love. You have to understand, I needed to make everyone else feel the pain, to try and make it go away or at least share it. My only option was Grace. I know it was wrong but I couldn't control myself.

It may seem that it's just spite but I've always liked Brad. I don't know if it is his good looks or the fact that so many girls like him, including my ex-best friend. Maybe he could help me...feel again. This is why when I heard of his accident I was the first one there.

Grace p.o.v

My world stopped spinning and fell of its axis. I didn't hear anything else summer said. I left her, running to my locker and out the school gate. My heart in my throat all the way to Saint John's Hospital.

When I got there, I ran in and asked for Brad Rivers and the nurse pointed me to the waiting room. His parents were there and his mum was in tears on the seat, his dads arm wrapped around her. It was a comforting sight especially as I knew about their impending divorce. Brad had been torn up about it.

I went straight them. When they felt a shadow fall over them, they looked up simultaneously. Once Brad's mother recognised me, she broke away from her husband and embraced me instead crying into my shoulder. After a while we broke apart and she went back to sitting. I sat on the chair beside her and asked the dreaded question through my own impending tears, 'what happened?'

It was a swimming accident. He got kicked in the head during practise and then banged it against the side of a wall. He stayed under for about 30 seconds before someone found him and pulled him to the surface. It was a terrible accident. They were awaiting the tests results. Just then I heard a small sniff and I turned to spot Midge sitting in a chair in the corner, her eyes were red and puffy, like she'd been crying.

For a moment I wanted to go to her. Her foetal position on the chair reminded me of the days before her parents funeral and how she used to curl up to me and ask, why? Over and over again. I very nearly reached out but then caught the empty look in her eyes and withdrew my hand.

'Rivers?' we all looked up to see a doctor standing looking down at us. A poor image I can only imagine. We all stood up and looked at his carefully neutral face as he explained the situation. The doctor said that he is yet to wake up from his drug induced sleep and he suffered a serious blow that may result in side effects like amnesia and dizzy spells but he would get better soon.