A Harsh Reality | ✓

Chapter 13

Noah

I wrapped my arm around Jessica's waist as we walked down the hallway towards her locker. I'm sure Jessica was thinking that we were a thing, like every single girl I walked through the halls or talked with, but she was wrong, like every single one of those girls. Aubrey was waiting for her. Crap.

"Um, excuse me?" she asked flipping her blonde hair and staring daggers at Jessica, "What the heck is going on here?"

"What do you think?" Jessica replied rolling her eyes. Woah, I thought they were supposed to be friends or something.

"I think," Aubrey started, "That you have forgotten wha-" I couldn't hear them anymore as I backed away quickly from them. I didn't want to get caught in the middle of a girl fight, so I went to my own locker to fetch my books. I had freaking History again, so I went inside the classroom and sank in next to Amanda, who was obviously listening to music on her headphones.

Things had been a little awkward since Sunday when she asked about Zoey. I didn't like talking about her, but I had a feeling that I could trust Amanda if I told her. I looked at her concentrated face as she looked down at her drawing and back up at the photo she was sketching. I tapped her shoulder and waited for her to react since she was inside her own world.

"What?" she snapped as she placed her headphones around her neck.

"Woah, calm down," I replied, "I just wanted to say that the drawing is really good."

"Thanks, I guess," she shrugged and pulled on her headphones above her head once more. She started sketching again before groaning in frustration, ripping the paper from the sketchbook and crushing it in her hands. She left the paper on the desk's side that was near me, so I silently grabbed it and opened it. The drawing was exactly like the photo next to her. It was the ocean with a beautiful shade of blue and white sand. A trail of footsteps was leading from a pair of pink flip flops to a girl standing with her feet buried in the water and sand. I tapped her again. She groaned again and took off her headphones.

"Are you ever going to let me draw in peace?" she asked, "Or are you going to keep tapping my shoulder?" Her eyes glanced down to my hands with the paper. "And what are you doing with my drawing?"

"I just picked it up and wanted to know why you are throwing it away," I explained.

"Because, one," she started as she counted on her fingers, "It's horribly drawn. Two, I messed up the girl again. Scratch that, I messed up the whole drawing. And three, the pencil itself is horrible, I had to sharpen it like ten times before being able to start." That's when Mr. Smith entered the class and looked at Amanda reproachfully. She took off her headphones from around her neck and put them inside her backpack.

Amanda turned towards me and snatched the wrinkled drawing from my hands. I spotted a long cut across her left cheek when she turned around to put the piece of paper inside her bag. The wound was recent since it was a fresh scar.

"What happened to you?" I asked and pointed towards her cheek.

"What?" she asked and then touched her cheek, "Oh, that. I fell on top of... the... um... I got cut with the... with my bracelet!" She pointed to her wrist, were a sharp silver bracelet was resting on her skin.

"Okay..."

"All right, settle down," Mr. Smith announced, "Let's start the class." Amanda went quiet after that.

* & *

After I got home, I was still thinking about the cut on Amanda's cheek. She was just mumbling stuff when I asked her about it, and I think it was pretty obvious she was lying. Maybe she got hurt during gymnastics and was ashamed of it? But I thought it wasn't that since Amanda isn't really the kind of person to be ashamed of something or someone. I shrugged it off and concentrated in my Chemistry homework. I should really stop trying to understand Amanda, it was practically impossible.

As soon as I finished my homework, I heard Zoey shout from her room.

"Noah?"

"Yeah?" I replied standing up and walking to her bedroom.

"Can we go to the park?" she asked, "Please?" I looked at the time.

"Fine," I said, "But put on your warm clothes."

"It's hot outside!" Zoey winced, "Do I really have to put on my winter clothes?"

"Last time I let you go without your coat on, not really a good idea."

"Ugh, fine." After a few minutes, she was standing next to the front door, hat, coat, pants, and sweater on. She didn't need the wheelchair anymore, her legs had received energy and now could support her small amount of weight.

"Let's go," Zoey said opening the door. We walked downstairs towards the lobby. I wasn't going to take her in my motorcycle where she would have had an even bigger risk of getting sick, so we were taking the bus.

She hopped on right before me, I paid for the tickets and went to sit down next to her. Zoey looked out the window with amazement at everything, and I couldn't blame her. She hadn't been outside for months, except for the occasional trip to the hospital, and going to the park for the second time in a week was extraordinary for her.

We climbed off the bus as soon as it stopped in front of the bus stop in the park. I watched as Zoey ran towards the swings, her thin body looked as if it was about to be blown away by the small amount of breeze.

"Don't run!" I shouted at her not wanting for her to waste her energy, but it was pointless she continued running towards the empty, rusty metal swings. She sat down abruptly and gasped for air. I ran quickly to her with worry displayed on my face.

"I told you not to run," I reproached her, "Are you okay?"

"Yes-" Zoey replied in between gasps, "I just need-" She breathed heavily. "Some air."

"Maybe we should head back..."

"No!" she jumped, "I'm fine, see?" I chuckled and went behind her to push her into the air. She giggled as she went higher and higher away from the floor. This were the kind of moments I enjoyed having with Zoey, those moments when we forgot about her being ill, about our mother and the world. We were the only ones alive for a while. We didn't have a problem at all. I smiled despite myself and watched Zoey giggle in the air. My mind went back to Amanda, who had been here when we came earlier in the week, in her shiny, red Ford Mustang. Even from a distance, I was able to see the smile on her face as she looked at Zoey.

I grinned as Zoey laughed while she went even higher into the sky. She jumped off, earning a scowl from me, but she knew I couldn't stay angry at her for long, no matter what. She ran to the slide as I thought in amazement how she might have been the only eleven-year-old girl that still enjoyed sliding down the smallest of slides or climbing to the top of the shortest monkey bars. As she glided down into the sand patch just below the slide, I looked at the curb in which Amanda had been with her brother's car. I was glad she hadn't asked about Zoey when we had been talking a few days ago, just if she was my sister. I sighed and smiled as Zoey grinned and waved at me from the top of the monkey bars.

* & *

It was now Thursday. The day had flown by, and before I knew it, I was outside the school climbing on top of my motorcycle. As I was placing my helmet on my head, I was stopped by someone shouting my name. I turned around and found Amanda walking towards me, backpack slung over her shoulder and her long brown hair flying with the wind.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

"Mind giving me a ride again?" she said, "Hailey left thinking I would ride with Tyler, but he had to meet up with someone and thought I would be going home with Hailey, so basically I'm stuck here."

"Sure." I handed her the black helmet she had already used and finally pulled mine over my head. "Ready?" I asked.

"Yeah," Amanda replied. I made the engine roar and we were gone in the blink of an eye. I already knew where her house was, so I drove without even asking where I should turn. Every time I went faster, her grip would tighten around my waist, as if she was afraid to fall and be blown away by the wind. I smirked despite myself as I thought about Amanda's fear.