A Friend's Love

Chapter One: Part Two: Just a Dream...?

They told me once I woke up that I had passed out. I didn't remember passing out. I'd never passed out before. All I remembered was screaming (was it mine?) and the hands, pulling at me, picking me up. And then, it had all gone black.

Now I was here, in a hospital bed. A doctor told me I'd gone into shock. I didn't listen as he explained the details of it all. I didn't care. I just wanted to see Tessa. I wanted to hear her say this had all been just a dream. Surely that's all it could have been, right? A dream... a horrifying nightmare. This had just been a dream... I knew it. It couldn't be real...

But when I asked where Tessa was, the faces surrounding me told a different story. They were scared. Why were they scared? I didn't understand. I didn't want to understand. This couldn't be real. There was no way this could be happening. I wouldn't let it.

"No." I said the word as firmly as I could. It felt like I was talking to 1st graders who didn't understand how one plus one equaled two. "No. It was just a dream. Tessa is perfectly fine. You're gonna take me to see her and she'll tell you. She'll tell you all it was just a horrible dream. That's it. Just let me talk to Tessa. You'll see."

I was sure. I was sure this wasn't real. I just knew she would come out of nowhere and yell "Just kidding!" and it would all be some cruel joke. I just knew this couldn't be real.

And yet... there was a part of me that thought that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't a dream. What if... what if Tessa was gone? Was that even possible?

They wouldn't answer me. None of them would answer me. I looked each person in the eyes, one by one. The doctor, the nurse, my mom... Nothing. And then I looked at my dad. I knew he'd tell me the truth. And... I wanted the truth, right? Wait... what if the truth was bad? Maybe I should look away...

But before I could, I saw it. One simple motion... one simple nod, changed my world forever. I could see it in his eyes. It was true. My nightmare, the nightmare, was true. But there was one thing I had to know. One thing that would decide if everything was okay... or not. Was Tessa alive? She had to be... right? The mere thought of her being... dead... made my head spin. But then again... I remembered how hard the truck had hit Tessa's car... how I'd been amazed at how easily the car was just crushed. Could she have survived that?

"Is she... she's still... is Tessa...alive?"

My words came out jumbled, almost too mumbled to be understood. But they knew. They knew what I was trying to ask. They knew what I wanted to know. But the only person with enough guts to tell me was my dad. One look at him and I'd know. But did I want to know? Should I look?

Before I could decide, I felt a warm, strong hand on my shoulder. When I looked up, I saw my dad. And I saw the truth before I wanted to. I saw the truth even before those dreaded words...

"Amy, Tessa's dead."

'You have to have rain before you can have a rainbow...

...but who knows how long the rain will last?'

- Alyssa <3