Bright Lights and Rainy Nights

s e v e n

After the successful conversation with my brother, I was feeling very warm and bubbly inside. The news that I would be going back to school tomorrow was just the cherry on top. My friends were happy for me too, but their happiness for me did not compare to my happiness that I would finally be able to go to lessons and take tests, to listen to two-hour long lectures that were music to my ears. Part of me was feeling guilty that I was leaving Rosalie in this state, but my joy for being able to go back to the normal routine was overpowering it. When my mom showed up and was signing the release papers, I said my temporary goodbyes to my friends.

"Bye guys! I visit you this weekend, ok! I'll miss seeing you people every day, but I'll visit you often." I told them, with a tinge of sadness in my voice as I hugged each of them strongly.

"H-have a great t-time at-t school! I kn-know h-how excited y-you are."

"Thanks Sandra! I just want to let y'all know that these past few months have been some of the best in my life."

"That means so much. We'll miss seeing your smile, Emilia." Albert whispered to me. Our situations were so similar, and we understood each other so well. I hugged them again, waved, and departed with my mom with a spring in my step.

***

I stared at the grand buildings in front of me. My eyes were feasting upon the beauty of it like I had not seen it in years. I walked up and pushed open the doors to be met with a series of calls from other students. I didn't let them affect me, as I did, but it was easier now. I did notice that as the day progressed there were fewer comments then before, and they weren't the same type. I was focusing on Richard, and how he seemed to be lacking in that controlling vibe that was engulfing him before. It didn't seem like he was the cause for the teasing, but then again, bullies are like that. They make others do their bidding and look innocent and perfect in front of everyone else.

The rest of the week was like that. I got many people saying it was nice to see me back, and that was heartwarming. The teachers were surprised that I was so confident with the topics we were studying, because I had missed five or so months of school. I just responded with a simple, "I tried my hardest to keep up with my tutor so when I did come back, I was ready." They all answered with a smile and a nod.

When the weekend came, I was looking forward to seeing my friends and telling them all about my week. The moment I stepped into the rehab facility, I noticed something was off. The usual glow that was emitted off of the building was not present, and in place of the happiness there was a dark poison that was engulfing the people.

"Hello Ms. Tracey. I've come to see Rosalie, Gemma, Fabio, Sandra, and Albert. Are they available?" I asked her, brushing off the strange sensation flowing through me.

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. Go in." The enthusiasm that Tracey normally laces into her words was missing, making her speech seem blocking and intimidating.

As soon as I walked into the main room, I heard people start whispering to each other. Wondering what was going on, I walked up to the table in the center, the one where we normally sat. The first thing that came into my vision was Sandra. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face was blotched and misshapen. Gemma and Fabio were sitting there with their eyes unfocused but with hot, fresh tears rolling down their cheeks like rivers. Albert's eyes were shimmering like the ocean when I looked to him.

"What happened? Why are you guys crying?" On the sound of my voice, they just turned away, looking at Rosalie's empty plush chair. The tears fell heavily now.

I heard a cracked voice from behind me say a name. I turned. "Rosalie." The old man croaked again. Realization hit me like brick wall. The puzzle clicked into place, but the picture was not a happy one.

She was gone. Another strand of happiness lost. Another reason for living left us. "When? How?" My voice was cracking into a pile of jumbled words and tears. "She can't be dead! She can't!"

Another voice from behind me explained, "This morning. Pneumonia. Died with a wish for your happiness and family."

"No. I was going to be there with her, next to her until we grew old. She's alive and going to live a nice, long, l-" My knees gave out and spots started to blur my vision.

"She's dead! She's not coming back! Can't you see we're all grieving! None of us wanted this to happen!" Fabio screamed and me, but more to the heavens to bring our friend back.

The pain in my heart overtook me, and my vision went dark, just like it did six months ago.

***

Another day at school. Another test to take before I could go back home and hide in my room, staring at my photos and my memories before falling asleep.

During Professor Mazer's lecture about the correct use of the Braces in coding, I started to think about how it was my fault that Rosalie's dying wish was for me. If I had worked harder to get my family back together before, I could've spent more time with Rosalie, we could've noticed her illness before it got that bad, and her wish could've been spent on something more meaningful to her.

My focus snapped back up to the board as a packet was slipped under my arm. "You have sixty minutes to complete the questions and the code. You may begin now." The thick voice of Professor Mazer rang out, echoing through the auditorium. The sound of paper being flipped over on polished wooden desks filled my ears. I glanced down at my own, realizing I had a small knowledge on the correct use of Braces.

Desperately, I tried to guess my way through most of the questions, but for the code, I just completely skipped using the Braces and hoped I did the rest of the code right. I noticed I was the first one to turn my test in, when I usually take the most time out of the whole class on a test. Professor Mazer looked at me with surprise etched into her face as she glanced up from the worksheet she was grading. "Done already, I see. Ms. Cooper, are you sure that you took all the time that you need? You still have thirty minutes left."

"Yes. I'm sure." I impatiently told her, trying to get out of the view of my classmates and the embarrassment of turning my test in first.

"Alright Ms. Cooper, if you say so." She gave my test a skeptical look as I walked away. I probably would get a bad score on that quiz, then Richard would make fun of me for not paying attention in class.

Unfortunately, I was right. I got a seventy-six percent. Richard got a hundred, as I thought he would. As I stared at the list, I saw a guy I didn't know stand beside me. "Miss perfect got a C, ay. Even I got a better score than that!" He scoffed and turned to leave.

"What's your name?" I asked him, hoping to know how much he beat me by.

"Like I'll tell you that. I'm not stupid, unlike you." He scoffed again, then ran off to his friend who were calling him.

"Georgie. Hmm." I faced back to the list, sadly chuckling how I found out his name by his friend. I saw a George Jackson right above of my name. This time I was the one who scoffed. He had received a seventy-six-point five percent on his quiz. Like he was that much smarter than me.

As I walked home, to my displeasure, the news I had gotten a C on my test spread like wildfire. I got many people walking next to me, only to insult my recent score. To check no one was going to insult me again, I glanced at the sidewalk behind me to find a large group of kids and then Richard. To my relief, the stampede of kids was heading in the opposite direction, so they weren't the problem. Then, there was Richard. The main source of the issues. I started to jog to the neighborhood next to mine, hoping to lose him. My stamina being much lower than I was used to was hindering my progress in losing the boy behind me. I darted into some bushes at the entrance to the neighborhood and held still. My new plan of action was to wait it out.

I saw a pair of Adidas sneakers pass my bush, then rounded the corner, leaving my line of impaired vision from behind this bush. I rocked back until I was sitting on my bum with my legs pressed against my chest. I pulled out my iPhone and called my mom to come pick me up. I had little hope that she would come, and I felt so silly that here I was, hiding behind a bush from a bully. How pathetic was I. My phone rang for a few minutes before it switched to her voicemail. I knew it would be hours before she looked at her voicemails, calls, and texts, so it would be no use. I sighed and decided that since Richard was gone, I could just brave it out and walk home quickly.

Really, anything was better than squatting behind a bush.