The Monitor Masquerade

Level 32

GraceKelli's POV

The air outside chilly, but it felt warmer than in the hospital. I pulled the sleeves of my sweater into my fists. I looked at the concrete and at the cars in the parking lot. There were a lot there, but not enough to fill up the hospital. 

"Kelli can we please talk?"

My dad had pushed me out of the lobby so that I wouldn't cause a scene. "Why do you even want to talk to me?"

"Because you're my daughter and I love you, not matter how much you try and push me away." I didn't say anything. "Why don't you want me to see Jason?"

"Because you put him in here. You're the reason he isn't getting any better!"

"Kelli we both know that's not true. We both know that Jason is very sick."

For the first time since we came outside I looked at my dad. He was looking at the ground too. I had to admit he looked beat, and his hair was starting to gray a little. "That's the first time you've said that." I whispered, unsure if he heard me.

"I've said it since he was a kid." He took a long breath. "It's hard when you are a young couple who doesn't know how to handle things. I don't know what I'm suppose to do with him or you. You can read all you want on it but when it happens you just freeze. I know how my father raised me and that's all I'm going off of."

"Usually parents try and figure it out together."

"You stop that talking right now."

"It's true. They stay together for the kids' sake."

"Is that what you wanted? You're mother and I to be unhappy your whole lives?" I didn't say anything. "I did some things I'm not proud of but this was a mutual choice to separate. It wasn't like I just up and left you three. I still want to be a part of your lives."

"But you did cheat on mom with a younger woman."

"Kelli I said I was sorry for that a million times."

"Do you really think mom wanted you leave?? Are you that dense? She loved you!"

"I know that. But sometimes love isn't enough to keep people together." I wanted to say something else but my throat was burning. A sign that more tears were coming. "Sometimes you can love someone, and not be in love with them. I love your mother and would do anything for her, but we aren't in love and we hadn't been for a long time."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have too."

So we sat there in silence for a couple of minutes. It felt like hours. We watched the cars pass by and listened to the door behind us open and close as people came in and out of the lobby. My mom had called my dad to come see Jason so he left. I didn't have the energy to fight him. I just sat down on the curb and kept watching the road. A moment later I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"They said he's doing really good. They are going to keep him over night to just monitor but we can take him home tomorrow." My mom sat beside me. "You know Taylor looks like a lost puppy in there. He just keeps looking over at you."

I smiled a little. "Do you think Jason needs to be admitted?"

There was a long pause. "This was the first time he actually did anything, We're going to see how he feels when he wakes up. I think we're going to just have to keep an eye on him. I'm going to be working home for the next couple of months so I'll always be there."

"I can stay on the weekends. So you can have time off."

"Kelli-"

"No I'm serious you need rest too."

"What about Taylor? And Anya? And all your friends in there? Aren't they going to miss hanging out with you?"

"Anya can always just come over."

"And the others?"

"They went their whole lives without seeing me, I'm sure they wouldn't care."

"Kelli?"

I turned around to see Taylor holding a bag of chips.

Shit.

"I'll leave you two alone. Someone has to keep Anya away from killing Andy." She kissed the top of my head and left.

"I didn't mean-"

"I love you."

"I know-"

"Kelli I am in love with you. I had a crush on you since we played Ammo together that first time. I have been thinking about you all the time since then. I mean all the time. Amber hates you because she knows that I would talk about you all the time to her. It as dick move on my end but I couldn't help it."

"I'm sorry." I looked towards the ground.

"Kelli I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

"What?"

"If you pushed me away I'm pretty sure I would go insane. More inane than Lady Macbeth."

I smiled a little. "How Romeo of you."

"If the shoe fits." He sat down next to me and handed me a bog of Doritos. I didn't realize how hungry I was until now. "Woah there, I can drive through somewhere and get you something if you want?"

"I just feel hopeless."

"What?"

"That's why I said that. I didn't mean it I just-" I felt my heart start to speed up.

"Hey look at me." I looked over to Taylor. He was so handsome. His eyes looked darker than normal. 

"What?" I whispered. I didn't want to do anything to break this moment. Without breaking eye contact he popped a chip into his mouth. "Did you just use your handsomeness to steal a chip from me?!"

"Yes I did."

"Fuck off." I shoved him away. He just bear hugged me and kissed my temple. "Thank you for the chips."

"Of course. Are you feeling less anxious?" 

"I guess. I don't know I'm just not thinking about it now."

Taylor's eyes lit up. "Do you want to talk about something else?"

"Kind of yeah."

"Go to homecoming with me." I think my eyes popped out of my head. "I mean, I wanted to ask you with flowers and candy and like, decorate your room or something crazy but...I think this works too." His smile was so genuine.

"I didn't think you were going to ask me."

"Why on earth would you think that? I'm your boyfriend?"

"Yeah I just assumed we'd go together. Like I'd text you that morning and ask where you wanted to eat."

Taylor looked stunned. "Okay well what color tie should I wear?"

"I don't-what? What does that matter?"

"Don't you want us to match?"

"I don't care...do you care?"

"No, it's just normally what people do."

"Oh."

"You are something else GraceKelli." He smiled and placed a soft kiss on my lips.

"I could say the same for you Prince." 

We sat there smiling like idiots.