Everyone knows that person that is out of the ordinary. The type of person that makes sure every moment is special in a creative way. That person for me was Drew. He was my closest friend in high school. Someone I always wanted to be around and spend time with. If I had the time, I would be with him. Drew always knew how to put a smile on someone's face (especially mine). If I was upset, I knew he was the person to call. I always saw Drew as my best friend and nothing more. That slowly started to change as time went on. Drew was two years older than I was. He had to make decisions faster than I did. Decisions like where to after graduation and who to take to prom. We always joked about the "what if's" like if we dated or if we went to prom together; but never actually thought it would become a real thing.
It was a Saturday night and I was at home watching television when I received a text from Drew.
"Are you awake?"
"I wouldn't have responded if I was asleep." I laughed a little while I checked for spelling errors.
"No need to be hostile, Elle."
I waited to respond because this seemed serious. It made me nervous to receive that text from him. I finally gave in and responded with a "what's up." It must have been hours before he responded because I woke up to a phone call from him.
"I knew you weren't awake."
"Dude, it's 3 am. Why are you awake?"
"I'm awake because of you." That comment caused me to fall silent. I didn't know what to say. I just let him talk for a minute before I responded.
"I'm sorry. I have a lot on my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about if you slept over here and what would happen. I know we have slept in a bed together, but what if it was more? What if we actually slept and cuddled each other instead of us falling asleep super far apart at opposite ends of the bed like normal?"
I finally responded to him with a bunch of questions. There were so many thoughts in my head. Each thought made me feel more and more confused. The main question was "how does he feel about me?" We got off the phone with no questions answered. He could not answer any of my questions and I was even more confused than before. After an hour of lying in bed awake, I fell asleep with even more wonder in my head that before.
It was two weeks later when I finally saw him. I didn't actually see just him though. When I finally had an encounter with him, it was in front of the whole school... It was assembly day at our high school. Which means that Drew was in the assembly for robotics. The robotics team was showing off another robot that they built. This one had a sign taped to it. I tried reading it, but it was faced down to where no one could see the front. It was then I saw him walk up and take the microphone. My stomach dropped. I knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to ask someone to prom. The real question was who is he asking? He started to explain the process of building and the purpose of the robot. He then goes on to say something shocking.
"I know most of you are not listening to what the purpose of this robot is. So let me just cut to the chase."
He stopped for a second and controlled the robot to move the sign. I then saw the 4 letter word that I expected to see; what he said next was not expected.
"I need my best friend, Ellie, to stand up for me?"
I stood there frozen for a minute. I could not get up even though I wanted to so badly.
"Ellie," he was looking directly at me now. "Please stand up."
I stood up and looked at him while the whole school looked at me. He then asked the question that I did not have an answer to.
"Ellie Marie, will you please go to prom with me?"
I could feel the anxiety taking over. My body became stiff and even more tense than normal. Drew stood there looking at me from the gym floor with a nervous look on his face. I looked at the robot and then I looked at him. I started to wonder if this was a dream.
"Is this real," I thought. Drew started to walk over to me with the microphone. As he got closer and closer, I got more and more nervous.He was standing in front of me. I still did not have an answer for him. I knew in my heart that I had to give him an answer. I could not humiliate him in front of the whole school. When I looked up, he was staring at me with a smile on his face like always. In that moment all the nervousness and tension disappeared. My mind instantly knew what I wanted. I smiled back at him and shook my head "yes."
"SHE SAID YES!"
He screamed with excitement. Instantly, he gave me the biggest hug he has ever given me. I could see the excitement in his eyes and in his smile. After seeing that smile I knew I made the right choice. The assembly ended and I went to class like normal. Except I had almost every person I knew hug me and say "congratulations." I did not understand why I deserved a congratulations, but hearing it made me happy.
As time went on, we got closer and closer. Drew slowly became more than my best friend. We went on dates and saw each other more and more. I was practically never home. I stayed at Drew's as much as I could. We talked about prom constantly and how excited we are. So many plans are being made for just one night.
It was almost midnight when I had decided to go home on a Friday night. The sky was dark and it was cold outside. I was driving home in my beat up 98 Toyota 4runner. Drew lived exactly ten minutes from my house and it was a straight shot. I only had two turns and it was onto my street(or Drew's) and onto the main road. Driving was something that was easy for me. I had been driving for 2 years at that point and never pictured myself getting hurt while driving. Especially when there is no car in sight on the road. While stopped at a red light, I was fiddling with the radio. It turned green, I started to move forward and then I was hit. I don't remember much of the impact. I remember I was conscience, but I could not say a word. My body was in shock; but I could not move a muscle. I was rushed to the county hospital where my parents were both working. Both my parents came running, screaming my name. It was then when I heard his voice. He was scared and looked like he had been crying. He came to my side while I was on the gurney and grabbed my hand. My eyes looked directly at him and he looked back at me.
Hours had passed after the accident. Dozens of tests and scans were done to make sure I didn't have internal damage. He stayed with me throughout the whole process. My parents were in and out of the room all night. Doctors and nurses would come in every half hour to either discuss test results or to check my vitals. My parents had explained to me that I had been T-boned by a larger SUV that was being driven by a drunk driver going 90 in a 45 and that I am lucky to be alive. After a while Drew and I were finally alone.
"Ellie, are you okay?" he asked.
I hadn't tried to speak since I was brought into the hospital. My family wanted me to stay quiet and let them handle things.
"I.. I think so. How bad is my car?"
" Yeah, it's definitely totaled."
We laughed and smiled at each other. Drew held my hand throughout the whole conversation. We fell asleep after the doctors came in for the last time. Me first and then him. He had been holding my hand as we slept. The next morning I woke up to him laying next to me. It had to have been at 8 at the latest. I woke up confused. The adrenaline and shock from the impact had worn off and I was in pain. I pushed Drew off of me and he hit the floor and immediately woke up. He looked disoriented and irritated. I looked at him with a smile and forgot that I was even in excruciating pain. My mother walked in right as Drew was getting off the floor.
"Did she push you again," my mother asked.
"Yes ma'am, I think she is feeling feisty today."
I gave them both a death stare while they laughed at me. My mother went and found a nurse and managed to snag some meds for my pain. When she came back, she was slowly starting to pack up my things. I instantly knew that I was going home in the next few hours. The next few weeks went by in a blur. Either my parents or Drew took care of me while I was on bed rest. The doctor's wanted me on bedrest for at least a week just to be sure that I am 100% okay and I was okay with it. This meant I could have a Netflix marathon every day. Because of the accident, I could not go to prom. Which meant I stayed at home and watched movies in my fuzzy pajamas. Or so I thought... As soon as I got comfy on my couch, the doorbell rang. I raced to the door and opened it to find Drew dressed in dress clothes and holding flowers.
"Get dressed," He said. "We're going out." I thought about fighting it and giving excuses on why I shouldn't go but instead I went upstairs and got dressed. After minutes of deciding what to wear, I settled on my favorite dress and sandals. I made myself look somewhat presentable and walked back downstairs. During the drive, I contemplated on asking where we were going. Something told me that he wasn't going to give up the location of this date. After 20 minutes of driving we arrived at what looked like a mountain. He explained to me that this spot was his favorite spot in all of town.
"Why haven't I seen this place before," I asked.
"Because this is my spot. Now I want to share it with you."
I sat down on the grass and looked up at the sky. The stars were twinkling in the moonlight. It was a full moon. We sat in silence for awhile just looking up at the sky. I rested my head on his shoulder and relaxed more and more.
"I have something to say," He said. I pulled away and stared into his eyes.
"Ellie, I love you."
"You do?"
"Yes, I always have; I just didn't have the courage to tell you until now. Do you feel that way about me?"
"I think so. I mean this past month I have had a lot of mixed feelings and hearing how you feel about me has kind of cleared it all up."
"What are you saying, Elle?"
"I'm saying that I think I love you."
He leaned in and the next thing I knew his lips were touching mine. The chemistry and sparks were going off in my head. I could feel the connection between us. He pulled away and picked me up. He was squeezing me as hard as he could.
"Drew. Pain. Accident."
"Oh right, sorry." He had a goofy smile on his face. "I just can't help it Elle. I am so happy that this is all happening."
I stared at him with a smile. "Me too."
