Internet Friends // Matthew Espinosa

Chapter 9

I woke up at, like, 4 am because I fell asleep at 7.

"Is she awake?" I hear someone whisper. Hayes.

"No, she's not." Another voice. Cameron.

"Ready, guys? I have the camera going." Taylor says.

"Ready." Matt whispers.

I hear footsteps walking toward the bed. I feel a slap across my face and things being smeared around my face. I sit up, quickly.

"GUYS," I laugh. "SERIOUSLY. It's 4am."

"LOVE YOU, NIC!"

I walk into the bathroom and wash my face.

"Do you think it's safe to go get food right now?" Carter asks.

"Maybe." JJ replies. "Should we?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry as fu-" Taylor stops. "Right."

"Go ahead." I say. I had told Taylor that sometimes I hate when people curse.

"Fuck." He finishes.

We drive to McDonalds and get food.

But, then Cameron turns the music up a little too high. He takes his hands off the wheel for a second and a half. It's enough.

Cameron loses control of the wheel and we all get thrown to one side of the car, then forward.

Not again. I think.

The car crashes and we fall back. My foot gets stuck between seats and I feel a sharp pain and hit my head on the window.

And darkness takes over.

I wake up in a white room. It's so familiar, it's the hospital. I feel my leg being elevated and my head being iced.

"Oh, Ms. Canniff?" A doctor asks me.

I nod slowly.

"Dr. Lancaster." He shakes my hand. "If you have any questions about your casts of your sling-"

"What happened?" I ask. "Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting."

"No, it's fine. Basically, what happened was Cameron was driving and he lost control. Your foot got stuck between Taylor and Aaron's seats and you were pushed to the side of the car and you hit your head." He motions someone into the room. "Ri?"

"Nic! Are you okay?" Riley's eyes are red and puffy, she's been crying.

"I'm fine, I think." I say, looking at the doctor.

"You're fine, a minor concussion and crutches for 8 weeks." He smiles and walks out.

"You're okay?" She asks again.

I nod.

"Is she awake?" I hear someone ask Dr. Lancaster outside the door.

"Yes, she's with her sister, wait a few minutes."

"Ri, why were you crying so much?" I ask.

She closes her eyes. "Mom... I just don't want to lose anything else."

"Ri, I'm staying on this earth for a loooong time." I hug her.

"You want me to let whoever that is in?" She points to the door.

"Yeah."

She opens the door. Cameron walks in. He has his head wrapped and his arm in a sling.

"I'm so sorry, Nic." Is all he says. He's been crying, too.