Chapter 18: Chapter Eighteen

Started With a Lie – Chapter Eighteen

Silence.

I find that pretty rare for such a crowded hallway, but it is. Everyone is dead silent and they’re all staring at me. The speakers are quiet, turned off after calling my name. It’s like everyone has been expecting me to get in trouble. And now it’s finally happened.

“Get into class!” one of the cranky elderly teachers yells, wondering what the commotion is in the hallway. “Detention for anyone who’s still lingering around in thirty seconds!”

That’s all that’s needed for everyone to resume what he or she was doing before. It was like I had hit play on my remote control for a movie—my own movie. The hallway quickly went back to shouts and hollers as people shoved everyone—like a bloody world war—to move. I get shoved and I almost stumble to the ground.

And then I remember the office is on the opposite wing. As nervous as I am about my calling to the office, trying to go backwards into the moving crowd of high school students is just the same as trying to walk back up a waterfall.

I groan. Today is not my day.

After I somehow survive making it through all the corridors, I take a deep breath when I stand in front of the door that reads Principal Appleton. Suddenly the door seems to be so dark and towering. Knowing I can’t just stand out here much longer, I slowly twist the doorknob and open the door. Principal Appleton sits in all his old-man-deceiving-act and I sit before him.

“Um, you wanted to see me, Mr. Appleton?” I squeak. This is all so nerve-wracking. What have I done in the past weeks? I don’t think I broke any rules—well, I might of punched Peter, but I doubt anyone would rat on me.

Principal Appleton pushes his glasses, which are falling off of his almost non-existent nose, and then folds his hands in front of him. “This is very hard for me to do—”

“Am I in trouble? I swear, I didn’t mean to punch him that hard.”

“No, you’re not—punch who?” he asks, speculating me. His wrinkled forehead creases, getting my attention on his completely white-as-snow hair and beard. He could be mistaken for Santa Claus, I swear.

“Oh, never mind,” I say, taking that he doesn’t know about the whole Peter incident yet. I put on a small smile. “Why was I called here, Mr. Appleton?”

Mr. Appleton frowns—what a surprise. He squeezes his hands tighter and his face becomes blank. And then I think, Shit shit shit. Am I going to get suspended? “It’s really hard for me to say this considering you’re a good kid and all,” he starts, “but there’s been an accident.”

“An accident?” I repeat. And then my mind just swirls. An accident. It’s like when Dad died all over again. Please don’t let it be Mom. Please. I repeat this mantra over and over and over. “W-Who?”

*            *               *           *              *               *           *

Immediately, I rush to the hospital. I park my car in the parking lot as fast as I can even though my car is completely diagonally parked against the cars around it but I don’t care. The police could give me a fucking parking ticket and I wouldn’t care. Not now.

Not when my mother was in the ER.

The automatic doors slide open and I rush through to the desk. There is a redheaded nurse there, typing away on her computer. I don’t hesitate when I ask, “Where is my mother?”

She looks up into my eyes and says kindly, “Could you please give me your mother’s name, sweetie?”

I give her the name and she tells me that she was logged into the ER an hour ago and she’s in surgery. I wait in one of the cold, hard plastic chairs outside with my hand clamped over my phone and tears smeared all over my face. My lip is bleeding from biting too much. My other hand’s nails are disappearing as I chew them down.

Mom can’t die. She can’t. She won’t. What would I do without her? How could I ever live? I don’t want to become an orphan. I don’t want to lose both my parents. I’ve already lost so much.

I will be alone.

Suck it up, I say to myself. I unlock my phone and call Mark. I need to tell someone and Mark’s been a good friend so far. I can trust him. He picks up on the second ring.

“Hello?” he says.

I bite my nails. “Mark?”

“Ivory?” Mark asks. “I’m sorry but I’m really busy at work right now. I would love to call you later for a cup of coffee, okay? How does that—”

“My mom…she’s in the ER,” I say.

“What?” he asks. I fill him in on how apparently she got into a car accident because she fell asleep on the highway. Her body was in over-drive from exhaustion and just gave out. Unfortunately, her car went spiraling off the road but it only hit a tree instead of other cars. Regret floods in my veins. I should have done something. I could’ve saved her. I knew she was really tired and was working too hard. I knew, but I didn’t stop her.

If she dies, it’ll be my fault.

“I’ll be right there,” Mark says before hanging up. I’m thankful for such a good friend like Mark.

While I wait, I chew my nails all the way down and text Candy—who’s probably in class—before I get a coffee from the hospital cafeteria. I head back up and drink it down before putting my face in my hands. The stress is killing me. Why is it taking so long? If it weren’t serious, it wouldn’t take this long. It’s been over several hours.

A pair of black leather shoes appears in my vision. I wonder why Mark took so long but as long as he’s here, I’m happy.

“Mark, thanks so much for coming,” I say before looking up. My jaw drops. I stand up, confused and angry at the same time. “Lee?”

He hugs me. “I’m so sorry. Is your mom okay?”

I push him away. “Don’t touch me.” I stand back. He’s hurt but I don’t really give a damn. “What’re you doing here?”

Lee’s in his usual suit, his hair messed up and bags under his eyes. His eyes are bloodshot red. He has a sheepish look on his face. “I heard about your Mom being in the ER, so I came.”

“Who told you?” I demand. It couldn’t have been Mark. Last time I checked they weren’t the best of friends.

“Nobody told me,” he replies. “I had been following your mother because I thought you were with her since you didn’t take your car today. Then, she got into the accident and I had to sign all the medical bills and talk with the doctors but now I’m here. Are—”

“You were following me?!” I yell. “For how long? Why were you following me?! And the only reason I didn’t take my car was because my friend drove me today!” I shove him in the chest. “How dare you keep your men watching me?”

I’m aware we’re causing a horrific scene in a busy hospital but my anger is over the roof and I can’t hold it in.

“I can explain,” Lee says, trying to block my hand from hitting him. “I was just worried since the last time we talked and just wanted to make sure you were okay. Please understand, Ivory. I didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t.” I give him a glare. “Don’t even talk. And don’t you dare ever show yourself in front of me again. I wish I never met you.” Maybe it was a bit over the line but my brain was clouded by anger and stress.

Now, Lee looks angry. “Well it was your fucking fault! You’re the one who even caused us to meet. I wish you were never in my life!” He is really angry. He even swore. Maybe I hit a cord. I went too far, but he did too.

More tears flood down my face. As angry as I am, words still hurt. Especially coming from Lee. And he knows it because his eyes soften. “Ivory, I didn’t mean—”

“Ivory!” Mark calls. Behind Lee, he’s in an expensive looking suit. He’s still in his work clothes. Mark’s head turns to Lee and I and he looks confused.

I take this opportunity to push past Lee and run into Mark’s arms. I sob endlessly into his shoulder, ruining the fabric, but he still wraps his arms around my waist. I cry and cry. Mark rubs circles in my back, trying to calm me down. Maybe I wouldn’t be crying so much if it weren’t for Lee being here. I would’ve shed a few tears before Mark and I talked but Lee’s words were in my mind as well as my mother’s life at risk.

“Shh,” Mark says softly. “It’s okay, Ivory.” He pulls me back and he smells like mint. His thumbs wipe away my tears. “You’re okay. It’s fine.” He puts an arm around my shoulder and walks me back to the plastic chairs where Lee is standing with a blank expression—a complete poker face.

I hope I’m giving him hell. He deserves it.

Lee realizes he’s staring at me so he snaps out of it and coughs, bringing a fist to his lips. He whispers, “I’ll go get something to eat.” After he leaves, I take a deep breath.

“Why is Lee here?” Mark asks through gritted teeth.

I could tell him that Lee was being a total bastard by invading my privacy and stalking me. I could tell Mark that he was treating me like a five-year-old who couldn’t handle herself but I resort to, “I don’t know.”

Mark doesn’t ask me or push me further. He just rubs my shoulder up and down until my breathing is slow and even. “How long has it been?”

“Almost three hours.”

“Sorry I got here late. It was hard getting out in the middle of a meeting,” Mark says, his eyes hoping I forgive him.

“It’s fine. As long as you’re here,” I say. In fact, I’d be fine if he came ten hours late—as long as he came sooner or later. I give him a small smile and rest my head on his shoulder. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”

He pushes his lips together. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.” So he’s not sure either. Mark takes my left hand into his right. He holds it tight like he’s going to lose me even though it’s my mother who’s about to lose her life.

“Thanks for being here for me,” I say, squeezing his hand back. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Mark mumbles something to himself but I don’t catch on. “What?”

He looks down at me. “Nothing.” Mark grins a little. “You look tired. Get some rest. Sleep on my shoulder. I’ll be here the entire time and I’ll wake you if anything happens, okay?”

“I shouldn’t sleep. What if my mom wants to see me? I’ll be dozing off,” I protest, biting my lip.

“I promise to wake you up if anything new is happening. Rest assured, okay?” Mark says. “You don’t want to be out of energy when they let you see her.”

“If she makes it,” I whisper, tears threatening to spill.

Mark shakes his head. “Don’t worry so much. I’m sure it’s fine.” He pushes my head back into his shoulder. “Now, rest, okay? For me?”

“Fine,” I say, snuggling up to him even though I actually feel like the stress will kill me if I don’t relax for a while. Mark is my rock. I’d be so overstressed and wound up without him. I mumble a thank you to him before I drift off.

*                  *                 *                *             *             *                *

Hours later, Mark shrugs me awake.

I slowly open my crusted eyes. I rub them as I sit up straight, my eyes adjusting to the fluorescent lights of the hospital. Lee is sitting across on a plastic chair, his eyes focused on me before trailing down to my hand, which is still linked with Mark’s. I pull my sweaty hand out of Mark’s, feeling sorry that he had to hold it for so long. I think I even drooled on his shoulder.

Real classy, I think.

“You awake, Ivory?” Mark asks, a small smile on his face. He doesn’t smirk much unlike the guy sitting across from me. I don’t even want to think of his name.

I nod. “What’s happening?”

Mark nods over to the doctor next to me dressed in a white lab coat, a blue mask under his chin. How did I not notice him standing there? He’s holding a clipboard, going through papers on it.

“Is my mother okay, doctor?” I ask frantically as I stand up. The doctor is the same height as me and his lab-coat has Chung sewn on his arm.

He’s frowning.

It’s bad news. I know it is. Why isn’t he talking? Did my mother…pass away? I rub away tears. It’s embarrassing to be crying in front of the doctor like this, but I can’t help it. My mother’s dead or something.

Doctor Chung scratches his chin before speaking. “Your mother is fine—well, she’s alive.” I tug onto the hope. “Thankfully, her important organs weren’t injured. But, bones were ruined. Her leg bones and her arm bone were fractured—some even broken—but they will heal. Her ribs are broken as well. We stitched up all her cuts. She’s fine—”

“Thank you so much, Doctor Chung!” I exclaim, tears of joys replacing my tears of sadness. Mom is fine. She made it. She’s alive.

He gives me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, Ivory, but I wasn’t finished.” What else is there to say? She’s alive! “Your mother is fine physically.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“What I mean is that your mother is still lost in her mental state,” Doctor Chung says. “She hasn’t regained consciousness. We don’t know if she will. She took a big blow to the head that might of caused internal bleeding. We have fixed everything we can but we can’t tell if she will awaken.”

My world goes spiraling down in just two seconds. I take a seat down where Mark rubs my back. Mom is in a coma.

“What does this mean? Will she ever wake up?” I ask. “Does this mean her brain’s dead but her body isn’t?”

Doctor Chung puts a hand on my shoulder. “We don’t know, Ivory. We will keep your mother in the hospital and run more tests to learn anything else we can, but as of right now, we don’t know when she will awaken. It’s kind of an inward battle with herself. She’s on her own.”

I rest my head on Mark’s shoulder. I go numb. I think Doctor Chung tells me some side effects and how I can’t see her until tomorrow if I want a better chance of Mom waking up.

I press my knees up to my chest and rock back and forth in my chair. Doctor Chung eventually leaves and it’s only Mark, Lee, and me. My mind blocks out everything. I can’t hear what Mark’s saying when his lips move. I can’t see Lee getting up to pat my shoulder. After several attempts, they stop too.

At some point I fall asleep again, my body refusing everything.

*               *                  *                   *               *                *

I updated finally! Thanks to all the wonderful support and messages from everyone, I decided to upload today instead of tomorrow. This is an unusually longer/dramatic chapter than usual because everyone's kind words really motivated me. Not to mention hitting 3 million reads and 3k fans.

Keep up the work, and I'll keep up mine!

xxx.

P.S: OMFG. HAYDEN'S SO HOT. And hope y'all have a good Easter! c:

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