When It All Changed

Chapter thirteen

"Amira, the doctors said you might be able to hear us, so I just... I miss you. It's weird, huh? I barely knew you for two weeks and I already got attached. Fuck. Well, you are probably wondering what is going on so I'll fill you in. After I asked you to be my girlfriend and me and Bash went outside, we talked a bit. He told me that he doesn't think it's a good idea for me to date you, but he wouldn't give me an explanation. Honestly, I thought he saw you doing something weird at night or... I don't know. Thing is, I didn't think he liked you. The thought didn't even cross my mind to be honest. It's a good thing I like showing up early, isn't it? Otherwise.... What he almost did to you... I'm so sorry I wasn't there sooner. I should have been there, I should have protected you... I should have at least noticed something about his behavior, you know? It doesn't matter. Doc says that you might wake up in the next couple of days, but we all need you now. After I, pretty much beat up Bash. Your mom came, and she called your dad before calling the police. I thought that was pretty weird, until I saw what your dad did to Bash. It was pretty impressive, as illegal as it was. Your dad basically threw Bash out of the window. He isn't dead, he is just in pain. Your old man is fine. Nobody believes Bash that a military man threw him out the window. Your parents went to grab some change of clothes. Your mom has been sleeping here the whole week, your dad hasn't been sleeping at all. Maya comes after school, after collecting your homework and making sure you're not too far behind on things. Allison and Hailey, Edina and Diana did the occasional visits. And me... I come and go basically. Skip school when I can, whenever your mother doesn't yell at me. I brought the twins here, seeing as that Artemis took a liking to you. She didn't want to go home. Come on Amira, I've been coming here and talking to you every day, give me a sign that you can hear me, please."

I do hear you! It felt like I was tied down, every thing was so heavy and I didn't have the strength to move. I need to move, I need to move now. I put all my energy in one simple move and I did it. I squeezed his hand, before falling right back to sleep.

I woke up feeling a lot better, I was able to open my eyes. Everything was blurry for a bit before it cleared up. My mom was sitting next to me, fussing about how unclean the bed was to no one in particular. She was so busy she didn't even notice me waking up, but someone did, dad. He rushed to my side, gathering mom's attention who came as well. My dad was crying, happy tears I hope. "Are you okay? Are you in pain? Do I need to call the doctor? Water, you probably need water." A cup was instantly at my lips and I drank as much as I could. I looked back at my mom and dad and at the moment everything felt okay. "Hi, I'm fine. But you should probably call the doctor." A sort of laugh escaped my mouth, but my throat was sore and it just came out weird. At that moment, Maya came in, chatting up with Ares. They both froze at the door when they saw me. "Do you see what I see?" Maya turned her head to Ares, but she didn't remove her eyes from mine. Ares breathed out a lame yeah and that was all it took for Maya to practically jump me. She was screaming in my ear und I resisted the urge to cover them, instead I hugged her as tight as I could. She leaned back and watched me for a second before hugging me again.

"Amira?" His voice was sweet and gentle and it sounded like how I imagine a wounded puppy would talk. Maya stepped away and he was suddenly in her place, not wasting a second before kissing me. "I missed you so much." He uttered those words in between kisses, before my dad finally broke us apart. "So... You threw Bash out the window?" Yes, that was my first question. Everyone laughed before my dad leaned forward and kissed my hand. "I'd throw anyone in a volcano five times if they hurt you." He wasn't looking at me, his gaze was focused on Ares. "I'd happily let you, sir." I rolled my eyes at the two, glad to see that Ares isn't as threatened from dad as most people.

"Amira...." My mom looked at me with pity in her eyes and I knew what she was going to ask. "Mom, don't. Not now. I'll start with everything tomorrow, but for today, I just want to be with the people I love." And I was, Ares called my friends from school and they all gathered around me in the evening. Everyone I love was there, even the twins. Those two were simply adorable and it didn't take long for Hailey to beg Ares to adopt them, she adores kids. Ares stayed by my side the whole time. He held my hand and occasionally kissed it, glancing at me to see if I noticed.

It was at that moment that it all changed. It was at that moment that I realized something. I realized how much I affected people. I know I can be a rather insecure person, I know that all of them care about me. But I never realized how much, in this moment, I finally realized my worth. I was going to start living to the maximum now, and that doesn't mean partying and cutting class. It meant being happy, I don't need anything other than the people I love and love me back to achieve that. As for me and Ares... well, that is a story for another time.