Danny F. Morgans
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The first thing I saw was blood. Smeared all over my chest. I passed out.
-
I woke up again, the smell of antibiotics swimming in the air. Bright lights shone on my face and the low murmurs of doctors buzzed around the room. Where was I? How did I get here? I remember seeing a mop of brown air swishing through the night.
"Kayde." My voice cracked. One of the nurses whipped around. I could see her lips moving fast but I couldn't filter what she was saying. It all came out, jumbled up, mushed together into one big word. I saw my family sitting around me, heads in their hands. And I saw you, curled up in a ball, in a chair beside me, sleeping the night away. Or was it daytime? I looked outside a window and saw that it was raining. It blurred the outside world, making everything look dreamy. Pretty soon, everything started to fuzz up. I felt like I was trapped in a clear bottle of fizzy water. More people finally started to notice that I was awake. My dad had tears running down his face and my little brother, Jo had red, puffy eyes. Once they saw me awake, they started moving their lips, but no noise came out. I fell back into a big, black sleep and caught a glimpse of your big, blue sapphire eyes flutter open. I immediately regretted going back to sleep.
Kayde O. Matthews
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"Is he gonna be ok?"
"Yes."
"Will he live?'
"Yes."
"How bad is he?"
"GOD DAMMIT, HE'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT!" The doctor flung his pen across the wall and stomped out the room with a look of frustration and annoyance on his face. I heard you stifle a laugh.
You were wearing a white hospital dress. Your face was ashy and pimply. You were pale. You've never looked more beautiful.
"Danny." I breathed, lunging towards you. I enveloped hands around your neck and you quietly sneaked a kiss onto my cheek. I feel the red crawl onto my face. You smile and I laugh, feeling my stomach unclench. You kiss me again, this time on my cracked lips. And you do it again, more aggressively. Then we both kiss each other uncontrollably. Someone calls out your name but we ignore it. You tug at the hem of my shirt. They start screaming your name. I hear the desperation in their voice. I feel someone pry us apart but I fight them off and keep kissing you. Then I feel pain spread across my pain. Someone slapped me. I pull away to gasp for air and the stranger pushes me off of you.
"No!" I struggle to grasp your skin, your hair, anything part of you. The person kicks me and throws me out of the room like I'm a rag doll.
Danny F. Morgans
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My father paced the room. He rubbed his index fingers against his temples. "It's just a phase. He'll get over it. They're the hormones. He's not, he can't be..."
"Gay?" I interrupt. My arms are crossed and my eyebrows are knitted together, looking like a thin, hairy scarf. I feel my pulse quickening. He looks at me like I just spat at his feet.
"Never. Never. Say that." He is shaking.
"I. am. gay." I stick my nose up in the air. I feel confident. I feel proud. He opens his mouth like he's about to yell, but then clamps it shut. My dad quietly walks out the rom, leaving me and my stomach queasy. It would have been better if he just yelled. No yelling means he's thinking.. planning ... something.
