Instead of Me

∆23∆

Annie took my keys out of her bag. "I still can't believe you're letting me drive your car," she said as we approached my pride and joy in the school parking lot.

"The only reason is because I'm not allowed to drive and there's no way I'm letting her sit in the driveway for weeks on end." I rubbed my forehead as the faintest headache pulsed through my skull. "She deserves better than that." I pat my car's hood as I made my way to the passenger side.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Better than being run into a mailbox?" she said accusingly. She opened the back door and threw her backpack and textbooks into the seat. "Do you want to just come to my house before the dance since your stuff is already there? You can take a nap in my room if you need one."

I agreed with her. "A nap would be wonderful."

She laughed as I had just spent the entire school day napping in the nurse's office.

"What?" I exclaimed. "The doctor said the brain heals the fastest when it's asleep. I'm only speeding up my recovery process."

Annie shook her head. "Whatever you say."

Heath had offered to take Annie and me to and from school each day, but I hyped up my love for my dumpy car and Annie agreed to drive it for me. For once, she chose me. Part of the reason, though, was because Heath always got to school early to help sell the newspaper, so Annie got to sleep in a little more by driving me.

As Annie pulled up to her house, I remembered that I forgot to bring my socks over for the dance. "I have to stop at my house real quick," I told her.

Annie jumped out of the car and noticed my dad sitting in the kitchen through the window. "No, whatever you forgot, I'm sure we can find a substitute for at my house from my dad or something."

Ever since that night she found me, Annie had become overbearingly protective. Most nights, she has me sleep at her house in her bed while she sleeps on the floor. I don't appreciate the sleeping arrangements. I told her every night that I could sleep on the couch, but she refused. She keeps me from ever entering my house. If I have to, she makes sure my dad is not home.

"Annie, I'll be fine," I reassured her. "Besides, I thought I told you that it didn't happen from my dad." Lying to her was hard, but it's what I had to do so that she wouldn't worry so much. Nevertheless, she's still careful as she has her suspicions.

We hauled all of our school stuff up into her room. "Do you have the stuff for your eye?" Annie asked me. I handed a bottle of an antibiotic to her. The doctors gave it to me as the swelling and bruising around my eye had only faintly gone down. I sat down on the edge of her bed and took my sunglasses off. She unscrewed the cap then started applying it to the skin around my eye. "The swelling has gone down tremendously even since this morning," Annie stated.

I was finally able to open my eye slightly. "You know, I can do this myself."

Annie gave me a look that told me she wanted to help and this was what she could do for me. "How's your headache?"

"It's definitely better, but I can still feel the blood pulsing up in my head."

She found naproxen in my backpack and popped the cap. "Here." She handed me a pill and her water bottle. "Are you sure you should be going to the dance tonight? It's going to be extremely loud."

I nodded. "I kind of have to now because I would feel bad for standing up Katherine." The headache was getting worse with each passing second.

Annie raised her eyebrows at me. "You asked her? That's good!" She tried to sound excited, but, to be honest, she sounded a bit disappointed and immediately changed the subject. "I can tell your head is bothering you," she said matter-of-factly.