Glass Houses Shouldn't Throw Stones

Chapter Nineteen

"Penny." I knocked on the door. "It's 9:30 and your mom is most likely worried." I peered in and saw the couple playing cards.

"Look Ror." Adelias tried but I gave him a stern look. As much as I felt bad, I was no punching bag.

"Let's go Penny." I reminded her. I watched her thin limbs collect her pink purse and phone from the table. She kissed Adelias on the cheek and I felt wrong watching. This was theirs and books were mine. "Meet me at the car."

"Aurora!" Penny ran after me. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing Penny. Why don't we get you home before your mom worries too much?" As soon as I entered the car, I turned the radio so loud that she couldn't speak to me about my issues. I settled into the song and rubbed my eyes at every red light. I was beyond exhausted.

"Here we are. Have a nice night Penny." I grinned at her, happy that today was over.

"You too." I watched her disappear into the hazy mist.

I adjusted from park to drive and waited at the red light. I wanted to go home and sleep. I was really drowsy, but I couldn't sleep in my car. Luckily, there were no highways or crowded streets to deal with.

"Keep awake Aurora." I blasted energy-workout music to keep myself going. The fear of my dad being mad at me was greater than that of dying and crashing. I halted at a red light. Perhaps a little too long, because the car behind my honked. I instantaneously shifted forward and drove. Little did I know, an SUV truck was speeding by the same way.

I felt glass pierce my ribs and I held my arms to my vital organs. I caught the face of the other driver and couldn't comprehend how astonished he looked. But, his eyes were blank. Blank like he was drunk and waiting for the world to end. The windshield shattered onto my head, but I prayed my hair would protect my head.

"Please, please, please." I whispered, but it seemed too late. My body ached and my tiredness was taking me over. Sirens blared in the background, but all I felt was my beautiful red car above me, destroying me, plunging me deep into the ground. Blood stained my vision as my tanned arms cracked above me, when I felt my head go limp. I prayed to God as I did every night.

"Thank you for family, friends, life, liberty, shelter, justice. Thank you for my lovely dogs, my 100 on the Chemistry quiz, my parents, my brothers. If I never get the chance, tell Adelias it's all right. Maybe I'll never change the world." Those were my last thoughts as blood filled my mouth.

Unspecified Time Later:

My eyes felt heavy. My head throbbed. It hurt to breathe in and out, but I taught myself slowly; how to breathe. I gingerly sucked in air through my mouth and pressed my lips together. They felt chapped. I hated having chapped lips. The aroma of Adelias' room filled my nostrils. My lungs slowly began to refill air.

I suddenly became aware of a pinching on the bridge of my nose. I couldn't feel anything else but warmth on my hands. Tiny drops of water were on my cheeks. I wanted to brush them away, but I couldn't lift my hands. They were locked down.

Cautiously, I opened one eye and then the other. I became aware of much thirst. I lifted my fingers, one two. Two three. Three four. Five one. I tested all of them, but I could see casts atop them. My poor nails, I giggled to myself. But, it hurt. I shut them again. I didn't want to see. I didn't want this to be real.

What must have been hours later, I opened my eyes again. Dr.D wavered over me.

"I'm your ICU doctor and that's your trauma surgeon." She pointed to someone, but I was staring at the colors swirl in her green eyes. She teetered back and forth on her heels. Or maybe I was dizzy. "Another therapist and children's doctor will be in soon. We monitored everything while you woke up before. What do you recall Aurora?"