The Boy Who Broke My Leg

Chapter 13

"You didn't have to come",I tell Alistair as we walk towards the sliding doors of the hospital.

"No no I did. I gave you the cast. I have to be present when they take it off. It's the finale to the story line."

I bit my lip as we head inside. Was it going to be the end of our story line? I can't deny that I've thought about it a lot. If Alistair was only friends with me because of guilt over my leg,  he wouldn't have any incentive to hang out with me anymore. I tell myself that this can't be the case, that we've spent way too much time and have so much fun together that it can't just magically cut off when my leg is out of this cast. But the doubtful side of my mind still whispers it to me. 

"What's wrong?" Alistair asks when we sit down on the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the lobby and wait for my name to be called. "You look nervous."

"I'm not nervous. I'm happy to finally get this thing off. Especially when it looks like this." We both stare at the weird brown splotches on my case from last night's shark bite dye. 

"What's the first thing you're going to do when your leg is free again?" Alistair asks.

I purse my lips in thought. "I don't know. Wear black skinny jeans and set up a fire to burn all these ugly sweat pants first off."

"It's going to be so weird with you having two legs again. I've only really known you with a broken leg", Alistair muses and the anxious side of my brain sings 'this could be the end'. I've become so used to having him in my life so quickly. He's one of my best friends now. If just that. Of course he's just that. Just my best friend who gives me his jackets and buys me ice cream and slow dances with me. It's all for the leg, it has to be. 

..//..//..//..//

"Careful!" 

Alistair catches my arm before I face plant off the curb onto the street.

"Why do I keep falling", I whine, as I right myself.

"You're just getting your real balance back after you've gotten used to balancing with the weight on your leg. Calm down", he replies, but he doesn't let go of my arm.

My cast is officially off my leg and my pale shriveled up leg is free. I nearly gagged when the doctor lifted the cast off. I really wish Alistair wasn't in the room but he just grinned at my disgust.

"You're in a good mood", I observe.

"First day not swarmed with guilt in two months", he says with a shrug.

"You can't be serious? I've been telling you since the start that I was never mad at you." We reach the car and I turn around to face him.

"I know. The initial heavy guilt wore off after a few days but whenever I looked at you and remembered how you couldn't run or drive or do all the things you wanted to it made me feel terrible again."

"I had no idea", I say as I look at him sadly. 

"Don't give me that look", Alistair says and suddenly he picks me and starts spinning me around. "We're free!"

I gasp as I wrap my arms around his neck. "Alistair put me down!" I cry, but I'm laughing.

He puts me down but doesn't take his hands off my waist. I don't unwrap my hands from around his neck either. We're in the same position as the dance. And suddenly I know. I know that nothing is going to change between us. That nothing between us was related to my leg. And I'm terrified what I feel towards him isn't just friendship. I've never really liked a guy after middle school, and I have no idea if that's what this is, but I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm relying on this boy for my happiness too much. 

This all passes through my brain in the matter of a few seconds and I untangle myself from Alistair's loose grasp and step back, not looking at his face. What is happening to me?

"You wanna go get some food or something to celebrate?" Alistair asks and he's looking at me confused, unsure to why I'm suddenly quiet.

I push my thoughts to the back of my mind and smile. "Are you asking me on a date?" It's the same line that he used at the dance but somehow, with my previous thoughts, it feels different. I reach for the car door handle, already prepared for his sarcastic reply.

"I don't know, would you like it to be?"

I freeze and whip my head around to look at him. What did he say? "What did you say?"

"I sais", he enunciates clearly, like he's speaking to a child, "Would you like it to be a date?" He's not smirking like he does when it's a joke. 

I just stare at him wide eyed like he's crazy. What the hell am I doing?

"Hey you wanna drive?" Alistair asks, like he's unaware that my mind is grappling to even formulate a single word response. "It's been two months you've probably been waiting to." 

He tosses me the keys probably because he assumes that since my eyes are trained on him, I'm foreseeing his movements, but my brain is just trying to process what's happening and I don't move to catch them till they're half a foot away from my face.

I hastily take a step back, forget the difference in balance between my feet, trip,and very gracefully land on my ass.

"Holy crap, I'm so sorry." Alistair is hauling me back to my feet as I groan and rub my sore behind. "Totally forgot about the newfound balance thing. It's like as soon as one injury is over with I just trigger another one."

"No,no I wasn't paying attention it's not your fault", I mutter. 

I wait for him to broach the date topic again but he just opens the passenger door for me, probably correctly assuming I'm not capable of operating a moving vehicle yet. "I have a very important question for you."

I hold by breath again.

"How do you feel about Taco Bell?"

I blink, unsure if I'm relieved or just even more confused. Taco Bell was fast food. Taco Bell was friend food.

"I put Taco Bell below Mint Chocolate chip ice cream but above Mint Kit Kats", I reply.

"Taco Bell it is then. Your chariot awaits you." He dramatically gestures to the passenger seat and I get in.I'll overthink later. Right now the only decision I have to make is between tacos, burritoes, nachos and quesadillas.