Life's Little Teardrops

8. The Radioactivity of a Sad Situation

Deedee squinted to see the screen and Blaine just looked puzzled. Once Deedee could read the message she seemed to look startled.

"Stella Collins." She said grabbing for the phone that I swapped out of reach.

"What do I say?" I asked.

Stella Collins was the most popular girl at our middle school and had always been nice to everyone. Her and Deedee had been friends, and I had maintained a non-friend but non-enemy type conversation. Blaine looked unfazed by my statement and I felt the need to add some details. "Stella Collins was the most popular, nicest, sportiest girl at my school and was Deedee's friend." I said looking at the typed letters. "So what should I say?" I continued.

Deedee looked at me. "Well what does it even say?"

I stared at the screen. "'Tell Deedee to txt me.'" I said showing her the message screen and raising my eyebrows.

"Oh." She said taking out her iPod and typing on the couch.

I looked at Blaine and we walked to the couch. Me and Blaine finished the movie, by then Deedee had finished txting her and was banging around in her room. I went to see what she was doing and Blaine followed standing just outside her bedroom doorway as if coming in might be too awkward.

I sat on Deedee's bed as she continued shoving hoodies, ammunition, and snacks into a backpack. "We're leaving." She said slinging the backpack over one shoulder.

Blaine looked annoyed. "We just got here and we're already leaving?" He leaned against the wall. Deedee walked past him to the hallway patting his chest which was just taller than hers."Calm down we'll be back. We'll settle down soon." She said smiling sarcastically, I could tell he found this reassuring. Knowing that a badass like Deedee had faith in safety.

I walked past him and gave him a sort-of smile. He nodded and I could tell he'd be fine.

As we got in the car Blaine didn't hesitate to turn on the radio and I hummed along to Kanye West's 'Bound 2'. Deedee turned it down and began talking. "I should tell you, most of our class is there from what I can tell but some of them are infected so it's highly dangerous to go near them."

I could tell that she was holding back.

"Is Trinity there?" I asked. I hoped the answer would be no.

Deedee gazed out the window and nodded. I could tell she was just a little sad or something like it.

I knew why, with out hesitation.

"She's sick isn't she?" I asked hearing my voice go hollow like it did when I was about to cry.

Deedee stopped the car, in the middle of the rode on a warm spring day. She put her hand over her eyes and I saw a teardrop from behind it.

Blaine knew of Trinity, her blond hair which she curled so often and all of the blond jokes she got. Even though she was the smartest in our grade. How she read at the speed of light and only listened to Alternative music. And knew every word to 'Counting Stars' By OneRepublic. I had told him all about her aswell as all my friends.

At this moment he leaned over from the passenger seat and put his hand on her arm and wiped away one of the tears that were falling from her eyes. The eyes that shined brighter than the sun on most days. He put her hands on the wheel and started driving again.

I looked around in the backpack I brought for my notebook. I found it and uncapped a pen from the side pocket.

A saddened day can't ease your pain if your smile is gone and the days are too long. When someone could be seeing their last dawn, and you know it's too wrong. And when the strong begin to cry. Remember how high the trees can grow and how much you really know. Because in a saddened world there isn't room for two sad girls.

So put on a face and save your place in the sad world. Because Life's Little Teardrops can make your heart stop if the world is too sad or you get too mad. One day you'll be back and able to cry but by then you won't be sad, you'll be back in the world of happy girls. If it even still exists by then.

I click the pen and put it back in my bag slipping on the red sunglasses.

And we keep driving. Like one of the best people in the world isn't dying because of some dumb thing that hasn't been cured or even been treated successfully.

Like the world won't eventually be gone. Like eventually we won't all die, either from the infection or from age.

Blaine brushes a lock of hair out of her face and turns up the music.

He looks at me with eyes of concern. I nod to let him know I'm fine even though I know I'm worse than sad. The girl I used to chat all day with in class, discuss the newest books, and walk laps with in PE, was lying in a room with a blood infection that would eventually kill her.

If no one stopped it.

The radio played 'Radioactive' by Imagine Dragons and that's what this situation was.

It was deadly and sad with a tension that made it a as depressing as it could be.

She loved this song. It was her song.

And everyone knew it.

It would always be her song.

That was the one thing the infection wouldn't change.