Chapter 6

A Chapter by Chris Parker

Robin would be here any minute. Dad was away on business and right now I was scurrying around the house picking up liquor bottles and shot glasses. I was dressed in my favorite jeans and a simple low-cut red t-shirt., my hair stick straight and still shiny from the iron. Light make-up covered my now fading bruises and my scarred arms covered. The dirty silver Mazda pulled up in front of the house and out walked Robin. His blonde hair was across his forehead, just waiting to be pushed aside, and he was wearing the same green t-shirt he had on the night I met him. Unlocking the door he embraced me, pulling me tightly in his capable arms. I breathed in his scent, chocolate Axe and stale French fries, a scent I was starting to adore. Picking me up he swung me around, placing me on my feet when he was done. He smiled wide, like a goofy dog you’d see in a cartoon on a Saturday morning, though his eyes stayed emotionless. Pulling his chiseled, freckled face close to mine I kissed him lightly on the nose. “I love you Aphrodite.” A wide smile spread across my face and I leaned in for another kiss. Suddenly he picked me up! All 120 pounds of me was off the floor and suddenly on the couch. Leaning against a throw pillow I deepened the kiss. His teeth moved to my ear, his hands around my bum. We where soon lying flat our shirts discarded, and even in the chilly November weather I was hot. Our evening was intensifying, our tongues rolling and surging together. We where broken apart by the sound of my phone belting out “Falls Apart” by Thousand Foot Krutch, Callie’s ringtone. I pushed Robin off of me, he groaned in irritation. “Hey! What’s up?” I was out of breath, face flushed, and skin crawling with goosebumps. “I need you to come down to the hospital. I’m………….dying.” I dropped my cell, it clanked to the cold hard wood floor. The time had finally come. It was Callie’s last curtain call and I was scared for my life.

I rounded the corner into the ICU. Callie was the second door on the right and closest to the nurses station. When I walked in Callie was laying in her bed asleep, her hair gone and her body looked tiny and frail. The sight was breathtaking, my knees weakened and tears sprang to my eyes. “Callie?” I didn’t believe it was her. My best friend had thick curly hair and she had never looked frail, weak, and sickly. I walked timidly to her bed where I picked up her cold hand and pressed it to my chest, when I nurse walked in telling me I had five minutes until visiting hours where over. So I bowed my head and cried.

That night I could barley feel as dad hit me. Just a stinging whisper across my face and rusted rain falling from me. A thorn branch crossing my arm and a strong wind knocking me around. Numb was the only emotion I felt as I crawled into bed a picture of Callie and I clutched to my chest. Remembering a time when Callie was healthy and strong, and not a single bruise covered my face and arms.

Callie was doing much better the next day and Robin and I stood around her. Her hand in mine, she was weak and just holding her head up was a challenge. Earlier this morning, when Callie had kicked me out so she could talk to Robin, I had been stopped by Callie’s doctor. The heart-stopping news tore me in two. She had literally less then a week before the cancer would completely over take her. The chemo was no longer working. When I told her the news the smile faded from her face and her eyes moistened. Now we stood here watching her sleep until the nurse came I and took Callie to chemotherapy.

After a silent ride to my house Robin glared at me. “I’m so sorry.” The words where like a stab in the gut. When somebody dies the last thing you want to hear is I’m sorry. The agony you feel can’t be healed by those in insignificant words and the pain won’t ebb. I was so tired of the word. Slamming the door to Robin’s ratty car I swiftly walked to the door. Erupting like a watery volcano, lava flowed in crocked lines down my face. I plopped down on the ugly paisley couch , hunched over and let the lava flow.

prev chapter