Life's Fear

Chapter Forty-Six

"You don't want to go home just yet, do you?" Jason asked me.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Blair!" Max called out, striding past Jason and I on the way to the girls' changing room. One of these days, I thought to myself, grinning at her as she even waved goodbye to Jason, I'll memorise what extra curriculum sports she had and when. She has been doing them since freshman year, I think, though naturally the days have varied with each year.

"Of course not. We are still on for seeing Scarlett, aren't we?" I asked, closing my locker softly as I turned back to him.

"Yeah, yeah, I was just making sure you weren't required home or anything."

I shook my head as we began ambling towards the exit. "No, I already told Mum I was visiting Scarlett with you and she said just don't be late home. I don't think Dad could take it if I was late home. If he didn't already know, this would be concrete evidence because I've never had dinner at Max's house on a school night. They don't eat until about nine when her mum gets home from work. My mum said she'd leave some dinner for me for when we got back. If she must tell Dad why I was late, it was because Max and I were studying for a pop quiz tomorrow."

He raised his eyebrows at me as he snaked his arm around my shoulder. I might have been inadvertently bumping into his chest with every step we concurrently took, but that didn't bother either of us. People didn't seem to notice us, so we could do whatever the hell we desired. We could have had sex buck naked on the floor right here in the corridor and people would simply just side-step us without even glancing down at us on the floor.

"Well, Scarlett can't wait to see you again." He kissed the top of my head as we made it outside into the parking lot.

It was a little bit trickier weaving in and out of cars today, although this may have been because I am simply not accustomed to doing it when I have a sibling fetch me. On the other hand, Jason never seemed to be swerving as much to elude oncoming cars as much as we currently were, and I think at that point we were forced to just hold hands because it was too difficult manoeuvring awkwardly with his arm around my shoulder.

As soon as we got to the hospital, the HOSPITAL sign seemed all too familiar now. Glimpsing over my shoulder, I instantly spotted the hill with the picnic benches. I sighed momentarily before slipping between two nurses who seemed to be avidly gossiping about a patient with a "hunk of a boyfriend". I didn't give them a second thought as I stepped past them, though it wasn't until a second later ginger filled my noise, and I realised they were carrying Starbucks drinks.

"I brought a visitor," Jason announced, emerging into Scarlett's room with a broad grin plastered on his lips. Honestly, in the almost-three hours we were there, I don't think he lost that smile once. Granted, it may have had its moments where it was in danger of perishing, but just at the last second, it seemed to grow wider than previously. It was amazing to witness that on Jason.

Reaching her arms out as soon as I came in view, I realised she wanted to hug me. Tentatively, I leaned in, not wanting to put too much weight on her chest that would make it harder for her to breathe, but then she brought me closer anyway. Taken aback primarily, I didn't respond until a fraction of a second later. She seemed so naïve when I pulled back and she had an innocent smile on her face. Her roots were showing now in her hair, however, I noticed.

"How are you?" I asked her as Jason brought round two chairs for us to sit in, side by side.

"I'm bored," she said at once, earning a chuckle off Jason. "I went outside today and even made it around the parking lot with the nurse. She said she was happy to see, and I quote, "contentment" in me on our walk. She thinks soon I might be able to have unsupervised walks soon. Sometimes though they use the time to just talk to you and ask you how you're feeling and if there's anything they could do like contact Mum and get her to bring me a magazine or something."