The Lonely Hour

Chapter 1

I woke up with strips of light running across my face. I roll over onto my side trying to escape the sun.
   "Carson?" I hear my mom shout from down stairs. "You're going to be late if you don't get going soon." With a belated effort I drag my stiff body out of the soft, purple sheets and walk across the room to my bathroom. The wood board creak underneath my bare feet.
    I walk into my bathroom and look at my reflection. My pail skin is slightly red from sleep, my short hair tousled, and neck aching. I reach across the sink and grab my pill bottles. After emptying 5 different pills into my hand and filling a cup up with water, i take my morning pills. I give myself one last look before running cold water over my face a couple times to rid the sleepy effects. After brushing my teeth and hair I walk over to my lightly wooden dresser and grab a pair of dark jeans and a warm grey hoodie, along with a black beanie and some black tennis shoes. I grab my keys and make my way down stairs and towards the front door, grabbing my keys in the process.
    "Are you not going to eat any breakfast?" My mom chirps from the kitchen. I slowly turn to face her from the front door and stuff my hands in my pocket.
    "I'm...uh....not really that h-hungry", I really was not all that hungry. I felt sick actually. But I was not going to fret. I just wanted to get this stupid doctor's appointment over with. My friend Jamie and I were going bowling this afternoon. Unless I can make up some lie to get out of it. Fingers crossed.
    "Oh-okay. Um, well when you get back I'll make you something", my mom added in a smile. "Let me know how things go." I return a fake smile but I'm almost certain it looked more along the lines of a painful frown. Sheesh, I'm depressing. I turn on my heels and pull my cold hands out of my pocket and open the door. A blast of thin, cold air almost knocks my beanie off.
     Once in my jeep I turn the wind shield wipers on and knock off some snow that's gathered there. My car roars to life and I pull out of our drive way. Our driveway is really lengthy and bumpy. We sort of live out in a woodsy area away from the city. Our house was a simple 1 story house with an "upstairs" but it was more like an attic. That attic was my room. It had large windows on all 4 walls and a pointed ceiling. Our house was wide and pretty, but not huge. We could not afford a huge house because of all our medical bills...Well, all my medical bills. My mom would never admit it but frankly I knew the truth.
     I look out at a snowy road and let out a loud sigh. Snow. In June. We live near Anchorage, Alaska so you can count on loads of snow year round. Anchorage is a large city in the southern most part of Alaska and we live right outside in a little paper town called Palmer. So the hour drive to my doctor wasn't what you'd consider fun.
     Seeing the usually blank back roads that lead to the city filled with cars sparked an interest in me. My tires slid to stand still traffic. I check the time, 8:09. My appointment is at 9:30 and I still have 45 minutes drive left so I'm not too worried.
     After a few minutes pass I see a black Chevy flipped on its side, broken glass scattered the snow beside the disheveled truck and cop lights lit the scene. As I slowly come to pass the wreck I make out the little details of the car wreck and remember my car wreck when I was 17. Just last winter. My hand that wasn't steering the car shakily reached back and grazed the thick scar tissue that ran down my neck. The cold play-dough-like skin made my stomach turn at the memory of waking up from being dead. My grip tightened on the steering wheel and I snatched my wondering hand back to the wheel as I passed the wreck. I looked out my drivers window observing the wreck when I snatched my head forward to see a stopped car. I stomp on my breaks and my wheels come to a screeching halt. I get jerked forward and instantly look out the window to the sideways car and the people who's attention had now landed on me.
     I didn't look at the car in front of me.
     I didn't look to see whether I had caused a wreck myself
     I didn't look at the police man coming to my car to check if I was drunk
     I simply directed my attention to a thin figure less than 30 feet away from me. I looked at her thin blonde hair that ran to her shoulder blades which were shaking vigorously. Whether the weather or her fear was the cause, I don't know. But she turned her head to look at me with the most painful look. I'll never forget the pain in her blue eyes. Eye brows knitted together on her forehead, tears running down her red cheeks, a jacket was wrapped tightly around her arms, and her hands squeezed around her torso like it was the only thing holding her together-
    Tap tap tap.... "Miss?!- Miss are you okay?" I pull myself out of my daze and make eye contact with the source of tapping. A police man was trying to get my attention, obviously to get an explanation of my irresponsible driving. I roll down my window and clear my throat while glancing back at the beautiful girl who's heart was clearly breaking. Seeing her hurting physically made my throat feel dry and my eyes water.
    "I-I uh I'm sorry I was just...", another second of my attention being on the girl before I really snapped out of it. "I lost control for a second I'm okay".
   "Ma'am do we need to call someone else to drive? Are you under the influence?" The worried police man's eyebrows raised causing his forehead to wrinkle.
    "No! No I'm okay, I'm fine really. I just am going to the doctor and I'm going to be late so-so if you don't mind..." He pulls away from the window. I go to give the mysterious girl one last glance but she was walking towards a boy taller than her. She leaned into his side and he just glanced at her. Not putting an arm around her for comfort. Just a simple emotionless glance. I roll up the window but I can't help but feel a slight loss. I put on my emotionless, care free mask, and roll ahead; getting out of the way of the other agitated drivers and make my way to town.
    After a long drive to town I pull in and shut my car off. Once in the building I pull my beanie from my head and sign the check-in-paper. "Good Morning Carson how are you today?". Yes, the counter lady and I are on first name basis because she literally sees me 5-7 times a month.
    "I'm fine" I give a fake smile, "my migraines are getting worse so here I am...again." She lets out a small laugh and I take a seat. I run a hand through my short, boy cut hair. Pushing it back and leaning into my seat.
    I close my eyes and try to focus on staying awake when I hear a bell go off, meaning the front door opened. I don't bother looking. Just then I hear a deep male voice speaking to Mrs. Johnson, the lady at the front desk, saying something along the lines of a car wreck and being "brought by ambulance", I look over my shoulder and see the all too familiar girl walking behind the gurney. On the gurney that's being pushed by two paramedics is a middle aged woman who's bleeding from her head.
    The blonde girl makes her way and sits directly in front of me. Along with the tall boy who sits to the left of her. I look at her and take in details of her face and body but she looks directly at her crossed hands in her lap. A part of her blonde hair falls in her face and she pushes it behind her ear. I let out a small breath and she looks up. I quickly look away.
    I didn't realize her- boyfriend - saw the entire ordeal go down until he cleared his throat and rolled his eyes.... psh, douche bag.
    The girl sniffles and looks over to the boy and I over hear her whisper, "do you think she'll be okay?" Her small voice made me go numb. I felt the need to reach out and stroke her hand and tell her everything's going to be completely okay, but my thoughts are interrupted by a sharp remark coming from the boy.
     "Oh would you stop freaking crying Lesley? You're being ridiculous. Honestly just be quiet for ten minutes." He looks away with anger and crosses his arms. My mouth hangs open slightly at his words. The girl - Lesley - looks away, letting a single tear fall from her eye. I, too, look away with pure disgust. How could he be mean to someone as delicate as her? He gets a devious smirk and looks down at her;
     "I'm going to the car. How about you come with?" She scoffs at his insensible words and shakes her head. I almost laugh at this. He deserved to be punched in the nuts. Really? At such a time he's going to try to get lucky? Next thing I know he grabs ahold of her arm and snatches it up towards him. While curling his lip and bearing his teeth he leans in and snarls, "it wasn't a question".
     Out of no where I hear a voice yell, "don't touch her like that!" It takes me a few seconds of pure silence to realize I had stood and been the one to shout the words that sounded like they were poisonous. He storms out after a string of profanities and I am left with the breath-taking girl in a silent waiting room.
     She slowly looks at me, mouth agape. I go to apologize. What for? I was protecting her. Maybe because my yelling may have frightened her? I take a breath to say something when I hear my name being called from behind me. I turn quickly, grab my beanie, and rush into the back. But not before sending one more look to the wide eyed blonde,

Lesley.

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Thank you for reading. I'm updating every Wednesday or so. Maybe more often. ❤️