Amelia had everything- family, friends, a promising future- the sky was the limit. But just like that everything was taken from her. One moment she's planning her high school graduation party the next she's laying on a therapist's couch. It was as i...
That awful memory almost made me want to laugh. Because here I was in the same situation at a really inconvenient time.
I lifted my head up from my chest to see Elijah rushing over to us with my graduation cap in his hand. I must have really hauled my ass out of that room since I didn't even notice I was missing it.
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"Amelia, what happened? What's wrong," he asked frantically. His hand cupped my face searching for the answer. "You're burning up."
"I'm trying to get her out of this thing," Aralyn told him. "The fucking zipper is stuck."
Elijah looked down for a moment to think. A second passed and before I knew anything, I felt him turn me away to place my hands on the wall in front of me.
"Hold on," he ordered. His hands gripped the top of the gown where the zipper was stuck. In one swift yank, Elijah tore apart the gown right down the center. He then pushed it down my shoulders till I was able to pull the rest of it off.
I turned around to find Aralyn's eyes bugging out her head. I, myself, was certainly not expecting him to do that. But boy was I glad he did.
I headed straight into his arms where he held me tightly against his chest. My body temperature was already returning back to its normal level.
"Is that better?" Nodding my head, I firmly planted my feet to keep from swaying. With the immediate rush of oxygen my lungs were lacking, everything felt hazy. His arms tightened around my waist when he felt me slipping.
"I want to go home," I murmured. I didn't care how immature I sounded. In about twenty-five minutes the entire auditorium was going to be flooding the hallways. The last thing anyone needed to see was me standing in a ripped up graduation gown with makeup rolling down my face.
I stepped back to pick up what was left of the gown. My feet stumbled only once, instantly Elijah's hands flew out to steady me.
"Take her home," Aralyn insisted. "Amelia, I have to go find Seth to let him know that everything's okay."
She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. A cruel feeling of remorse seeped into my chest like a newly sharpened dagger. I had taken a special day for Aralyn and made it about myself. A day that was meant to commend her for all the hard work she had done. All those long bitter nights pooling over her books. All those hours she stayed up late trying to finish her papers. All for nothing. It was as if I had chewed up the last four years of her life and spit them out at her feet.
How could I be so self-centered?
My voice was muffled. "I'm sorry."
She glanced back at me, unfazed by my apparent displeasure. Her brows creased together, eyes glinting with fidelity.
"When are you going to see that you're not alone?" she questioned. "I'll always be right here." How many more panic attacks did I have to experience in order to fully comprehend that she would forever be at my side. Forever shackled to a lost cause. Not willing to budge. I answered in a low enough tone only for her to hear.
