started with a lie ➳ raura revised

Chapter Thirty-Six

Is it weird to take pictures of yourself in your spanking brand new prom dress in a hospital next to your comatose mother?

Because that's exactly what I've been doing for the past ten minutes.

"Okay, Mom, ready?" I say. I lean into her and hold up my phone and cross my eyes as I take the picture. My mother's face is solemn and unconscious but somehow it makes the photo more funnier. If anyone sees me, they'll think I'm crazy. I am.

I look over the photos and laugh. There's one of me pretending to be in a coma next to my mom, normal smiling ones, eye rolling ones, tongue-out ones, rocking out ones, and more. I seem to be having more fun with this than I thought. This is a whole new side of dark humor. Mom's unresponsive but I feel like my excitedness for prom has given me happiness for this entire day and I don't want to ruin it.

I'm on the edge of her hospital bed and leaning in to take another first class selfie when the door is clicked open and I sit up. Only, I'm wearing a floor length dress and heels so I trip over the ends of my dress and fall butt-first to the floor.

"Jesus!" I yell as I rub my rear, trying to sit up. I really hope it's just some nurse instead of Doctor Choi or something. He'd never take me seriously again.

But it's not.

A man walks in and I almost don't recognize him. Dark hair and a slowly growing beard and light but sad eyes. He's in black pants and a gray office shirt, holding a bunch of flowers in his hand.

"Zac?" I say, standing up completely. "Is that you?"

To say he looks surprised would be an understatement. His eyes are wide and his jaw to the floor. "Uh," he replies, finding his voice, "Yeah, it's me."

He seems so different. I can't place why but he just does. His eyes are different, his walk, or maybe it's because he's grown facial hair. I can't tell.

"You look good," I say. Why does it feel like we haven't seen each other in forever? It's only been a couple weeks—two or three at most. But our conversation is polite and our stances tense. I don't like it. I feel like a stranger to him.

Zac smiles and then laughs. "Yeah? Funny because you're the one in a floor sweeping dress." He looks up and his eyes dance across my body and a slow blush crosses his cheeks. He looks away. "I mean, you look gorgeous."

I look away too. This is way too awkward for my taste. "Thanks...I'm heading to prom."

"Prom?" He won't look me in the eyes. "That's cool."

"What about you? Why are you visiting my mother?" I say, curiously. I mean he hasn't contacted me for a while now. He just ran off the morning after my birthday. After I told him Ross's the only one for me. I understand but we were friends before he had feelings for me. He was that one guy that I could laugh along with in awkward situations and now we're the awkward situation.

He runs a hand through his hair and steals a glance at me before looking away. "Madam Jong wanted me to drop o some flowers since she couldn't make it."

I was wondering how Mom's vases of flowers were being changed every day. Madam Jong still believes that my mother is her daughter-in-law. The thought sends a sick feeling to my stomach. Maybe because a part of me realizes it might be true. But it can't be.

"Oh, cool," I say. We're using the word 'cool' too much. "Do you come often instead of her?" Why am I making stupid conversation? This is Zac!

"Not really," he replies. He walks beside me to where Mom's vases are perched near her bedside table. He takes out the wilting flowers that are there and puts in the daisies he's brought. Mark looks worn down, like he has to wire himself up every morning. A quiet but thick silence settles over us.