20 Reasons Why We Met

Reason #9: Oh Shoot

I can't believe it. I'm actually here.

I stood outside the white, minimalist building, and peered through the glass door to find myself meeting the gaze of an old and frail lady. She didn't look very kind or sweet for someone at the reception table. I took a deep breath, and mustered the courage to walk in. Once I pushed open the door, a rush of cold air kissed my face, and I walked over to the lady.

"Um...hi. I'm here to see Amelia?" I peaked at the business card to make sure I didn't get her name wrong.

"Right..." the lady typed furiously on her keyboard. The rapid clicking of her mouse built up the anxiety in me. "Alexa?" she pushed up her glasses and stared at me. I nodded my head slowly, and she handed me a white slip of paper with my name on it. "Go ahead, second door on the left," she muttered, before returning her attention to her computer screen.

Clutching onto the straps of my Kanken bag, I strolled over to her office, and opened the door. Once I walked in, Amelia lifted her head, and gave me a warm and encouraging smile. "Hey Alexa! I'm so glad you came. Have a seat," she said, before proceeding to open a drawer full of files and documents. I scanned the room, and laid my eyes on a orange bean bag. Guess I'll sit there then.

"Alright...Alexa. Your dad has told me so much about you. So I hear you're 16, and you play football for your school team? That's awesome. How about you tell me about your school life now?" that was Amelia's signal to get me to start talking.

"Oh, school's been fine. The grades are good, football's great. We won last season. Uh, I broke up with my boyfriend, that sucked. My brother has cancer, that just sucked  even more. I think I have depression, which is really, really terrible. But...I met a friend. He's super cool, and he's really helped me heal. I think I'm getting so much better thanks to him," I smiled at the thought of Alex. Amelia nodded her head approvingly, "I'm so glad to hear that you're doing better. In fact, I have a friend I'd like you to meet someday. He's your age, and I believe he goes to your school. I'm actually going to meet him at the hospital right after this. The silly boy got himself in an accident. Would you like to join me?" she asked kindly.

I nodded my head eagerly. Perhaps after meeting this friend, I could drop by Alex's room. 

________________________________________________________________________________

The morning started off great.

The hospital's breakfast is actually pretty good. The smell of toasted bread with melted cheese wafted into my nose, as the nurse pushed in my breakfast and set it up beside me. I noticed that there were two plates of the same dish on the tray. "Miss, I think you may have given me an extra serving?" The nurse smiled, and shook her head, "No, someone's joining you for breakfast!" As she left, I could hear the squeaky sound of wheels rolling against the cold, marble floor. It was Emma. She gave me a warm smile, as another nurse wheeled her beside her tray of food. 

"I thought it'd be nice to eat together. Breakfast can be so lonely when your only companions are the four walls that surround you," she chuckled, and dived into her meal. I did the same. We ate in quiet, but there was something about the crunching of the toast, and the sipping of warm milk that was so comforting. It felt, just right. 

Once our plates were empty, we sat there in the silence. Not the piercing kind, the kind that made you feel as though everything was going to be alright. 

"What's your story?" she asked out of the blue. I sat there in shock, confused by her question. "Like how I got injured?" I clarified. She shook her head vigorously, "No. What's your story? Who are you, Alex?" 

Her question threw me off quite a bit. But somehow, the words just came naturally to me. For the first time in my life, it felt like I didn't even think for a bit.

"I'm Alex Brey, 16. I'm in high school, my favourite class is Art, and English. I'm an only child, because my twin passed away from still birth. I have a problem: I think too much. I get so deep into my thoughts that I just disappear from the real world. I can't control my actions, and that winds me up in trouble. But recently, I met a girl. A girl who lit up my life. I remember that very moment when I saw her, I fell completely in love with her. She's not just a beautiful girl, she also has a beautiful heart. However, I know we can never be together, because my mental health will just be a burden for her. So, I remain her friend. It's not what I want, but as long as I get to be there beside her, nothing else matters. God, even her name is beautiful: A-" just before I could finish my sentence, Emma leans over and plants her lips on mine. I don't know what to do, I'm frozen still. She kisses me deeper, and I instinctively put my hands on her waist, ready to push her off. 

"Hey Alex!" I heard a familiar voice. Amelia.

I immediately push Emma off me, and she lands on her wheelchair with a thud. Flustered, I turn to look at Amelia, who's chucking at what she just saw. Embarrassed, I run my fingers through my hair, I wish I could tell her it was not what it looked like. 

"Hey, come meet my friend!" Amelia gestured to someone behind her. Curious, I strained my neck to see the stranger. The stranger took a step forward, her face stone-cold. 

Oh shoot.

It was Alexa.