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Mithila.
I got into my car, turned the key, and backed out of my driveway, almost crashing into the dustbin. A curse left my mouth and I turned around to make sure it didn't fall over, before speeding off. I opened the in-built and put in the hospital location, my eyes darting back and forth between the turns and curves; 10 hours and 23 minutes. Without stops. I sigh again, before following the directions.
It's gonna be a long ride.
-
I stopped at a McDonald's halfway, getting myself the 20 chicken nugget pack, and fed myself with one hand, driving with the other. Accidentally taking one big bite, which I thought I could swallow, got stuck in my throat, making me choke on it, my eyes watering as I cough violently.
Holy Sh*t
I wash the nugget down with a huge sip of sprite, and sighed, swerving a car that almost crashed into mine. Pulling up into the side of the road, I opened the sunroof of my car, and turned the car off, taking my nuggets and sprite with me and sitting on the roof of my car. I watch as the stars twinkle above me, and the cars honk and run beside mine, which was still as ever.
I got looks from the onlookers, but who can blame them? It's not every day they see a girl in sweatpants and a hoodie, scarfing down chicken nuggets on the roof of her car. My phone rang from inside the car, the boring iPhone ringtone loudly ringing through the air. Jesus, why is it so loud? I retreat back inside, leaving my food on the roof with intentions of going back up, and look at the caller; Mom's hospital.
"Hello?" I answer, balancing the phone between my shoulder and ear, before reaching up for my sprite.
"Good evening, ma'am, your mother wished to speak with you." Her voice was monotonous as if she had been forced to sit at the reception for long hours, with a low wage.
"Mithila? Where are you?" my mom's voice rang through the phone, dripping with desperation and worry. "Mom...I'm going to Utah for a while. A friend of mine was in an emergency." I cleared my throat, forcing myself to say the word 'friend'.
Amyra was more than a friend to me. Calling her a friend seemed wrong, almost derogatory. It's been almost three years since I last properly talked to Amyra. Three years, since she basically said she didn't need me anymore. Since she called me a coward. and despite all of this, I liked her. Maybe, I still do. Seeing her in the hospital was sort of like a wake-up call. I didn't even know if Amyra liked me as much as I liked her, yet here I was, ditching my own parents to go after her. Why was I doing this?
My mom said something I didn't understand, but I hummed along anyway, wanting to end the call and go back to eating my nuggets. "Mom, I'm driving right now. I'll call you in some time, okay? I love you."
I ended the call, and threw my phone into the backseat, climbing back up to the roof, my cup of sprite in hand. I take a long sip and wince when the way too bubbly drink slides down my throat. I lay down on the roof, looking up at the stars. Watching as they twinkle once, twice, before getting covered by the clouds.
I'm dumb.
-
I don't remember the time, but here I was, sitting in the waiting room, waiting for a nurse to come out and tell me what's going on. And just then, a nurse walked in, her red heels clicking on the floor, and tapping away on her phone. She paused for a second, squinted her eyes at the phone, used her really long nails to zoom in on something, before looking up, "Is anyone here for Amyra Malik?"
I look around before reluctantly raising my hand, at the same time another person did; "I'm the brother." The nurse nodded, before looking at me, as if she expected me to confirm who I was to her. Who was I to her?
"I'm...a friend," I say.
"Come with me."
I don't wanna go in.
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