Still Believe

Chapter 17: A Year Gone By, A Stranger I Once Knew

It's been almost a year since then. Am I blind? Yes. Am I still in school? Yes. Am I graduating? I don't know.

No, I don't regret the mistakes I made this year. You could say I will in the future, but I don't think about the future anymore. I don't even think about Alana, who I was or who I can be. Because I don't care right now.

Why, you may ask? Because I went blind. I started getting bullied for it. Please explain to me how this could happen to me right as I was getting better! I'm sorry, but it bothers me.

I moved out of Alana's house, because if I didn't think about Alana I didn't have a reason to stay in her house. I couldn't move back in with James's sister because I lost her too. I couldn't move back home, but really I had no choice so I did. Jason still lives at home, but he's gone a lot. I think he goes back to his bridge. I've lived at home for a while now, probably around the anniversary of Wesley's death. My dad was released from jail because he didn't stay there long. I was failing math and I ignored Alana's phone calls.

"Leslie Fell to the principal's office." the loud speaker said.

"Ooohhhh." everyone cooed. I rolled my eyes and got up and went to the office. I went back to the principal's office.

"Close the door." he said. I closed it and sat down.

"What do you want?" I asked. By now, I had gotten used to walking without seeing that I didn't even need help getting places much anymore.

"Your teacher said you have a lot of cuts and bruises on your arms. What are they from?" he asked.

"Please, like she knows anything."

"She's been your teacher since you first came here, hasn't she? I think she would know you by now."

"If you really want to know, sometimes I get abused. But it's no big deal."

"I think it is." he said, picking up his phone. "We'll get you help, Leslie. has your dad been in jail before for any reason?"

"Wait, don't call anyone!" I said, really scared. He put down the phone.

"Has your dad been to jail before for any reason?"

I thought about it. "Yes. My dad is Chris Fell."

--

It all happened, and then it was gone.

Everything.

It turns out, the school didn't know that my dad was Chris Fell because when we enrolled I put my mom's name on the papers.

And Chris Fell, is a criminal.

They arrested him, for I don't know how long, but a long time, a really long time. They took away the house, and everything in it. They said I could go to an orphanage, or if I had any relatives or friends I could stay with I could do that. I told them I'd just stay with a friend, and they didn't ask anything else.

But don't think I'm gonna go crawling back to Alana. No, she doesn't care anymore. Yeah she calls but I don't answer. She doesn't care....right?

That night that they took everything, I walked along. It was April, so it was still cold. I had nothing. They didn't let me keep anything. I thought about who I could stay with.

James? No, we stopped talking.

Mom? No.....I couldn't.

The only person I could think of besides Alana was Jason.

I smiled, because I hadn't seen him in a while. And I didn't want him going back to our house and no one be there.

He told me once where his bridge was, so I walked to it. Even though I was blind I could still walk places. Like even though James had his arm amputated, he could still write and drive. It's like nothing even happened.

I got there to see Jason sitting under the bridge, staring out at the sky. I walked over, and he jumped up and grabbed his flashlight. But then he saw me. "Leslie?"

"Hi." I said, sitting down on another rock. He sat down on his rock. "Do you mind if I stay here with you?"

"No, but I thought you were staying at home?"

"Dad's in jail. They said he's gonna be there for a long time. They took everything....I have nothing left."

"Oh my gosh Leslie I'm so sorry." he said. "At least now he can't hurt us."

"Yeah, but now I have nowhere else to go."

"Now you know how I feel."

"Jason, you were always welcome at Alana's house."

"Why did you move out anyway?"

"I moved on. I thought there was no reason why I should live there if I didn't think about Alana."

"Leslie, you had it going for a while." he said.

"What do you mean?"

"You had a good life ahead of you for a while.....when we saw each other again....I felt like I had part of my life back. And I saw a change in you, Leslie. I didn't accept it because I knew I wasn't going to change. But seeing you change made me want to change. I couldn't lose you, so I came back. Leslie, you've changed me. You changed yourself but I guess now you gave up because you thought you were a lost cause. You're not, Leslie. You weren't a lost cause. You had everything going for you, then you gave up."

"I didn't give up. I stopped trying when there was no use to."

"Leslie, you had a family that cared."

"I have you."

"Maybe but you need a family. I'll be okay. Go back to Alana's house because I know you ignored her calls and I know she misses you."

"Jason, what do you know?"

"I know enough to know that yeah, I made mistakes. But I don't hide from them because I can fix them, and so can you."

"Then why don't you fix them with me?"

"Because I'm a lost cause."

"No you're not."

"Go live with Alana, Leslie. You have a life there, and you don't have one with me."

"Alana is a stranger that I once knew, Jason. I'd be lucky if she even remembered me."

--

Jason let me stay with him, but only if I thought about moving back in with Alana. I thought about what he said. It's all true, but I made up my mind.

A year has gone by. Things have changed. Alana is a stranger I once knew. I'd be lucky if she even remembered me.