Free Fall

Chapter Seven

\\ Tanner Zagarino as Cole Loughner //

~Erick~

She remembered.

After five weeks, her memory finally came back to her, and in one quick moment.

I'll never forget the look on her face as she relived all that she had went through, the way she lost the color to her eyes and her face paled. Poor Kelsey thought it was all her fault, but Karen assured her any word could have triggered her memory to return.

Kelsey hasn't come back.

My uncle hasn't let me visit Kendall. He said they are keeping her asleep for awhile, only letting her be awake for a few moments out of the day, still too groggy to fully remember anything. I sit on the floor outside of her room, staring at the smooth white paint on the walls. Every day. Until my uncle forces me to go home, where I just lay on my bed and look at her Facebook page, with her beautiful face and smile with Charlie in most of her pictures.

One night my phone buzzes on my nightstand and I pick it up, seeing Kelsey's name pop up on the screen. If it were any other person, I would have not answered.

"Hey, Kels."

"Is she any better?" Kelsey asked, her voice still at its normal whisper.

I shut my laptop and set it on the nightstand before laying on my back and staring at the ceiling.

"I don't think she'll ever be better. But physically she is still healthy."

Kelsey didn't say anything, and I sat in silence listening to the crackle of her end.

"When will we be allowed to visit her?"

I sighed. ''Not for awhile."

*****

"Erick?"

I looked up from staring at my notebook in Bio Chemistry at Claire Eberhart, a pretty girl with silky blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I dated her last year for eight months, before I found out she was cheating on me with Jake Loveless
, the captain of the football team. She hasn't once talked to me since then.

I raised my eyebrow expectantly.

"Why do you have so much interest in Kendall?" She didn't say it in a hateful way like everyone else did, she seemed truly curious.

I thought about it for a minute. "There's something about her eyes."

Claire cocked an eyebrow. "Her eyes?"

"Eyes don't breath. I know that. But hers look breathless." I looked back over at her and she didn't look convinced. So I continued.

"You'll know. You'll know the feeling. How you feel insane and time passes so slowly when your not with them. How they dominate your thoughts and you can almost feel them with you. How when things are going well that they just drive you insane, but seeing them makes it all go away. Most of all, you'll know they mean everything to you, and nothing can change that. I feel like everything in my life has led me to her. My choices, my heartbreaks, regrets. Everything. My past seems worth it. Because if I had done one thing differently, I could have a totally different mindset and never have met the real her. And if only she knew how much all those little moments matter to me."

Claire seemed stunned. She blinked a few times before staring at the beige surface of her desk. "She's one lucky girl, then."

I glanced over at her and she smiled sadly at me. "I'm sorry for how I treated you, Erick-"

I shook my head. "No worries."

"No, listen, I was dumb to make the choices I did, and I have absolutely no excuse but I miss you, Erick. No guy in this world treats a girl better than you do, and any girl would be extremely lucky to have you."

"And I'm going to treat Kendall even better."

"What if she doesn't want to date you?"

Oh.

I never thought of that.

I didn't answer and she sighed. "Kendall is going to be in the hospital for a lot longer. Can't we just try this, one more time?"

I looked over at her and laughed. "Claire, you treated me like a toy."

"And I'm truly sorry-"

"Claire, Erick, save the talking for after class, please." Mr. Connor glared at us over his rectangular glasses and I went back to studying my notes, ignoring Claire for the rest of the class.

****

"Bro, I saw you talking to Claire in bio Chem!"

I flinched as Cole slapped my back before spinning his locker combination. I went back to retrieving folders I needed.

Cole glanced over at me when I didn't say anything. "Are you going to try to get her back, man?"

I shut my locker, a little louder than I intended, and shook my head. "Never."

"Come on."

I stared at him, shocked. "She cheated on me with Stout."

Cole shrugged. "Last year, and they only made out. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Wow. "Unlike you Cole, I would rather not be treated like dirt and taken as a joke."

Cole stopped fishing in his locker and turned on his heel to stare me in the eye. Cole was about the same height as me, 6'2, but he had a more muscular build to him. I've never had a reason to be scared of him, since he's been my best bud since fifth grade. But even now, as he glared at me with a clenched jaw, I stood my ground. I could feel people staring at us and heard whispers, but I just shook my head and started to walk away.

"Hey, Erick." Cole called.

I stopped but didn't turn around.

"Don't sit with us at lunch anymore."