Numb

Chapter 20

AN- Hallo everyone. Thanks for all the feedback I have been getting, I really appreciate it! Special thanks to @Spacexgay and @AmnaaA5373! Both of them made suggestions that will be incorporated into the storyline! Anyways, hopefully I will get another chapter out tonight!

Lauren's POV

I sit quietly while we wait for Katherine and Dani to come back. While I wait, I look around at the others in the waiting room. I see many scared people, sometimes a doctor walks up and they hug them, and sometimes they sit back down and cry again.

I watch as one boy, looking to be a little older than me, gets news that makes him clench his fists and walk outside the building. I am suddenly very curious about him, and I don't want to think about Lisa anymore, it just hurts me too much. I get up and follow him.

He walks around to the side of the building before taking out a pack of cigarettes. He proceeds to light one before leaning against the building and smoking. I walk a little closer, till I am about five feet behind him, and say, "Those things can give you cancer you know." Not the most intelligent thing I've ever said, but it just came out of my mouth.

He turns around quickly and scowls at me, "Whatever, Princess," he replies sarcastically, "What is a prissy thing like you doing out here?"

I scoff, and reply back in the same tone, "First, my name is Lauren, not Princess. Secondly, I saw you walk out here and got curious. You got a problem with that Buddy?"

He smirks, and says, "Huh, Princess got some fire then. The name is Ty. Want a smoke?"

I roll my eyes when he continues to call me Princess, and then look at him hesitantly when he offers me a cigarette. He seems to sense my hesitation because he suddenly says, "Really helps calm you down, besides, one smoke won't hurt you Lauren. You ain't chicken are you?"

I smile a little bit when he says my name instead of his stupid nickname, and because I don't want to be labeled as a coward, I step forward and accept the already lit cigarette. I cautiously raise it to my lips, and copy what he did. It tastes horrible, and I cough as the smoke blows in my face and throat. He gives me a challenging look, before nodding. "Give it a few minutes, you'll see what I mean." He says this confidently. I hesitantly raise it to my mouth a few more times. Then, this weird feeling came over me. I don't really know what it was, but it felt good. I relax a little more.

He notices me relaxing and smiles, "there you go. Nice isn't it." I nod and smile a little back at him.

"So, what brings you to this dump?" He says curiously, after taking a long drag.

I sigh before replying, "My sister, she tried to...she got hurt, she's in the ICU actually."

He nods, and then says, "My older brother got in a car wreck, he didn't make it. Idiot couldn't drive very good. Lucky he didn't kill someone. Didn't really know him all that well anyway, he lived with our mom, and I lived with our dad."

I look at him sadly, "Sorry for your loss. Are your parents divorced then?"

He waves a hand at my condolences, and then replies, "Yah, when I was six, and he was 10. Good riddance, they never got along too well anyways, always fighting and yelling."

I step a little closer, and nod sympathetically. "That sucks, how come your parents aren't here?"

He shrugs, "Mom's probably with one of her idiot boyfriends, Dad doesn't give a shit, he's at work. Whatever, I told them to donate his body to science or whatever, I didn't want to deal with a funeral."

I just nod, "How old are you anyway?"

"I'm gonna be 19 in a few months, you?" He replies, looking over at me.

"17, 18 in August." I reply.

"Heh, so how'd your sister get hurt then?" He asks curiously.

"She...she tried to k-kill herself. Don't know why."

He puts his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry that happened Lauren, I had a buddy that did that once, except he succeeded. I know it hurts like hell."

I nod distractedly, thinking about Lisa's face.

"Hey, you seem pretty cool. How about we keep in touch, yah?" His voice breaks me out of my reverie.

I nod and we switch phones, entering our numbers. He hands me back my phone and I give him his. "Well, I should probably get back in there. Talk to you later Ty." I say. He nods and replies, "Definitely Princess." He smirks. I roll my eyes and walk back into the hospital, sitting down to wait once again.