Reality

Chapter 3

I put on my high-waisted jeans and a cropped top that reads "You Can't Sit With Us". I'm about to exit the house and go to Starbucks, when my mom walks in, her face streaked with tears.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Your father, Catherine," she breaks
into sobs.

"What?" I ask again.

"He-He called me and... And he said.... He said he was going to fight for you and your sister," she says.

I stay still.

"He's going to fight for our custody...? And.. And take us away from you?"
"He thinks you're better off with him
and-" My mother begins.

"But that's not true!"

"He wants to see you girls."

"When?"

"He's on his way, Lily is getting ready,
and I see you are too."

"But I'm busy," I protest.

"It can't be more important than this Cathy, please. You need to talk to him."

I sigh. She's right.

"Okay let me just make a quick call."

She nods before she heads out.

I dial the number Ethan gave me.

"Hello?" Ethan asks.

"Hi"

"I'm just about to head out," he tells me.

"Ethan, I'm very sorry, but something came up, and I can't go."

"You're blowing me off?"

"I promise I will explain everything, but not over the phone-"

"It's okay." he says. Then he hangs up.

I'll worry about that later.
***

"Lily!" Dad says to her, opening his arms.

"Dad!!!" She shrieks, running to him.
Without a word I get in the the car as they do too.

Dad doesn't speak to me until he's already driving.
"Hello, Cathy."

His breath stinks of alcohol. I stare at him, wide-eyed.

"Stop the car." I tell him.

"Why? I only had two bottles. I'm okay"

Yeah, right. When dad drinks, it's never something minor, and he won't be okay.

The car lurched to the right, causing a car to honk at us. Dad just flipped him off.

"Where do you want to go? How about Chuck E. Cheese, Lily?" He says.

"Dad pull over!" I command.

"Catherine. Dear, you do not yell at me, understand?" His voice is hard now.

"Dad, please don't do this. Pull over. You're drunk!!!"

"Cathy what's going on?" Asks Lily, scared now.

I turn to look at her, and see she doesn't have her seatbelt on.

"Lily put on your seatbelt, now."
She fumbles with the strap.

"Here, I'll do it," says my father, taking his hands off the wheel.

That's when we crash.
***
I'm in a hospital, I must be. The walls around me are white, and I'm in a bed with blue sheets. My head is pounding, like a child plays with a drum. I try to sit up, but I can't move my legs, and there's a terrible cut on my arm, wrapped in white cloth.

After laying there staring at the ceiling, a nurse comes in to check on me.

"Hello, I'm glad you're awake," she says with a light smile.

"Where's my sister?" I ask. I didn't want to be rude, but if anything happened to her...

The nurse frowned. "The little girl, right?"

"Yeah," I say.

"I'm.. Sorry, but I'm not sure. Last I heard of her she was in the emergency room."

She places a glass of water on the
bedside table and exits.

Tears well up in my eyes. Oh Lily, please be okay.

I try to lift my arm, but a sharp pain stabs my chest.

Okay, I won't do that again.

The nurse comes back in the room.

"I checked on Lily, and...well, I'm sorry dear, but she's in a coma."