Formal Meeting

A Chapter by Rae

I had just walked into my favorite store, and I saw him--the third person from the nurse's office. When I had seen him in the nurse's office, he had been on his way back to class and I spoke to him for a moment or two. But now I had more time. Much more time.

"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"

"Uh, yeah, I think. Were you in the nurse's office last Thursday in the middle of second class?"

"Yeah! Man, that teacher in there was pretty beat. What do you think happened to him?"

I simply held up my fist in reply, and he knew what I meant from the bloody bandages. Well, this was a first: I didn't even know this guy's name, and had met him once. Now he was striking up a conversation with me at the mall? This day was pretty good so far.

"Ha! Nice! I can't stand that guy! So you seem pretty nice... What did he do that made you so mad?" He held up his hand for a high-five.

"Well... It's sort of a long story. It would be easier to just show you. Follow me?"

"Sure."

We found Kat and my mother in a jewelry store. Kat turned around and spotted me, said my name, ran over, and hugged me. Then she turned to the boy next to me and asked his name.

"I'm Nate. Nate Hess."

"Hi, Nate!" Then Kat hugged him too. He was shocked and just looked at me, so I made a motion signaling to hug her back. I whispered to him that she had been brain damaged on February 9th, 2005. After that, he absolutely loved her as though she were his sister. Later on, Nate explained to me that his sister had brain damage. He asked how Kat had gotten the brain damage, and I explained the whole thing in the middle of the food court. Then he told me that his sister nearly died in a similar car crash two weeks later and now has brain damage identical to Kat's. I had heard about the accident two weeks after Kat's and felt great pity for the family and victim. And that's how my best friend trio was formed. Coincidentally, Shannon had been at the mall that day too. We all met up, took pictures in a photo booth, and became a trio.

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