Deep Asleep

Chapter 18 : Conversation

The sun was high in the sky; the redhead was sitting on the pavement, her skateboard under her right foot that she was making roll from right to left. She didn't go back to the hospital, feeling too guilty about Jane. She was sure she made things worse, Jane didn't need that, but Max managed to do it, because that was who she was! Damn, maybe her mother was not wrong when she told her she was a failure. The young girl was joined by her friend, Will, who sat next to her.

- "Hey, what are you doing here?" Max asked.

- "Nothing special. I was walking Chester and I saw you, so I decided to see how you were," Will said. "What are you doing?"

- "Trying not to kill my mom, like usual."

- "What happened?"

- "Well, three days ago, I asked her how it is to fall in love, and she just told me that I was too ugly and too dumb to find love so, I stopped talking to her since. She didn't notice."

- "Hard days."

- "Yeah. And you? How were your vacation?"

- "Oh, it was cool. You're falling in love?"

- "I don't know..." Max shyly said.

- "Do I know them?"

- "Not that much."

- "It's the girl in the coma?" Will asked.

- "How did you know!?"

- "She is the only person you met this summer."

- "...Do you think it's stupid?"

- "Love is not stupid."

- "But I don't even know her! We barely talked, she barely cares about me, she yells at me all the time, and...I'm sure I killed her..."

- "What!?"

- "She didn't do her reeducation, and I was already angry because of my mom, so I provoked her, but she fell from her bed and she hit her back! God, Will, do you think she is definitively paralyzed?" Max asked with a worried tone.

- "Um...If she was paralyzed because of you, you would have a lawyer at your door accusing you of attempting murder," Will joked.

Max lightly chuckled before playfully pushing him.

- "You should talk to her."

- "No, I won't go back in there. She certainly hates me now. And it's summer, I won't spend my last summer before the adult life confined in a hospital."

- "You're sure? I mean, you seem sad about it."

- "Yeah, I am..."

- "It's the first time I've seen you like that about someone. You can't ignore your feelings for her, she certainly won't stay here forever."

- "Why do you say that?" Max said, frowning.

- "I mean, she just woke up of a coma, she has defects, she needs lots of reeducation, it's long, it will last months if not years, and it's not in our small hospital that she will progress the more; she will probably go in a center created for that, far from here. You're sure you don't want to see her again before it happens?"

Max never thought about it. It became so much a habit that she didn't see further than that. For her, she would visit her every day until Jane would feel better, and then they would walk around together, go to cinema, eat burgers, or just lay down together. Damn, she was so in love, it was obvious now! But maybe if Jane went away, her feelings would follow, and everything would be solved. Or it would become worse. It would certainly become worse.

- "You're still there?" Will asked.

- "Yeah, still lost..."

- "How is she?"

- "Jane? She is annoying, most of the time, but she is funny too, she has a cute smile," Max said, a smile growing on her face with blush on her cheeks.

She felt Will's eyes on her and stopped smiling.

- "Don't mock me..."

- "I'm not, I think it's cute."

- "If you tell the others, I kill you."

- "I won't take that risk," he chuckled.

- "Yeah, don't!" Max giggled. "I've begun to learn how to play chess."

- "Really? Just for her?"

- "I guess."

- "How is it?"

- "Too hard for my small brain!"

- "No, don't say that, learning alone is complicated and a bit annoying if it's not really your thing."

- "Or I'm too stupid for this!"

- "No, not true! You wanna play against me?"

- "Really? You play chess?"

- "I'm a nerd, I obviously play chess!" Will joked.

- "You're sure you wanna play against me?"

- "Don't be stupid, I would love to! And my mom will be happy to see you."

- "Okay, cool, let's go then!"

The young boy stood and helped his friend to do the same. Max followed Will, still thinking about Jane and wondering how she was. No, she needed to forget about that and to keep living. Jane was hating her anyway.