Coping With Clarity

Chapter Nineteen

A.N: Brace yourselves. I'm so sorry.

The tears in her eyes remind her of meeting little Joey King sobbing into her sleeve, alone, in the hallway of ward thirteen.

~

Selena hadn’t really expected the summer storm. Heavy rain in her hair highlighted by the crashing thunder, tuning out any music she listened to. She willingly left her sun-damaged bike to weather the last of it. In truth the storm brought forth happiness in her. Lingering warmth of the memory of the morning after she’d spent with Demi. That first morning.

Her smile didn’t falter, like an old friend. Her mind makes her believe that every hospital attendant turned to her just to give a grin of their own at her. A circle of flashing teeth and scrunching noses.

Maybe it was because summer had finally begun, or would do in a matter of days. Or that she had slipped on the lightweight decorative robes that she would walk into graduation wearing, as valedictorian (a title too long and too unbelievable for Selena to fully appreciate yet), in two days. A sea of shimmering blue, a school of girls and boys waiting to be handed the piece of paper that made up for four years worth of early mornings, grumbling teachers and late homework. Selena felt lucky to only be there for less than a year.

It could be that.

Selena’s finger brushed the braille on the elevator numbers, taking her time to skim each mysterious sentence before finding the right one. She’s pressed it enough for the raised dots to fit into callouses on her tips- even before she started seeing Demi.

It could also be excitement and flirting danger of handing in her yearbook photographs to editor: Miranda Cosgrave. But it was probably more to the fact she’d giggled when Miranda had blushed darkly over the pictures pressed protectively into her arms; Selena asking her to just go with it. Come graduation day there would be nothing left to hide.

Selena’s eyes meet the light that ‘pings’ on to signal arrival to floor, home to Demi, David and her mom.

Air conditioning hits her, cooling the small drops of rain on her cheek. Each wet iota will make its journey downwards, eventually ensnared by her oversized jumper or the floor. Luckily the green wool was absorbent - so this time her rainy day appearance wouldn’t spoil the room.

The jumper reaches her knees and leggings cover whatever comes next. The thin fabric flexes as Selena strides more purposely to ward thirteen. All because of the precious cargo threatening to slice into her hand, as it protected the message it conveyed.

That was the reason for the thousand dollar grin, still present, parting the crowds.

Selena gripped the laminated card, the clean-cut edges of the handwrittengraduation invitation pressed harder. She didn’t care. Bleeding from pure happiness seemed like a worthy enough reason. However she loosened the grip. It might have been a good reason but she still needed Demi to actually be able to read the cursive font declaring her as Selena’s guest.

Selena doesn’t mind settling for the red indentations the card leaves on her palm instead.

The heavy ward doors were already wide open and pinned back, as if someone had known she was coming- even if she had enjoyed the strength gained from having to push the weight of them open everyday.

Selena glanced ahead to Demi’s door. The blinds were closed on her window, bar the gap being held down by a pair of slender fingers. Selena suppressed a blush hinted with a blissful sigh, knowing that Demi was standing by the window, waiting. The gap disappeared as soon as Selena had found it. Giggling at Demi’s lack of subtly, she shuffled forward towards the handle of the door, almost feeling the way it melded into her hand, until she jerked away at a sudden cry.