Rarity (6 page)

Chapter 9

After school Mom took me to the hospital to get my stitches removed
,  we stopped by the ICU to check on Meg.  The stitches were no picnic to get out but the doctor who stitched me up did a great job.  I already looked better than Jay looked.  He could keep his vitamin E since I didn’t seem to need it.  Meg’s mom was reading a book in the chair by the window.  “Hey Mrs’. Taylor.”  Meg’s mom rose and hugged my mom and I.  “Any changes?”

“Actually, she squeezed my hand earlier when I told her I loved her,”  Mrs. Taylor got teary eyed.  “They say that’s a great sign.”

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear this,”  I remarked, I needed Meg to pull through.

“I’m here to take you for an adult break and get some coffee while Brogen spends some time with Meg.”  Mom and  Mrs. Taylor went their way for a snack and some adult time.

“So Meg, I’m not gonna’ lie, you look terrible.  But a little makeup and a proper shower would  take you back to the first class dame you were before the accident.  Anyway, I went back to school today. Same drama, different day.  Ooh, there is something new... Jay kissed me.  Just an innocent kiss, I think he was glad to see me alive.  I’m trying not to overthink it.”  I paused and moved closer to her side.  “They had a picture in the paper of the wreck and it looked bad.  Guess we’re lucky we both survived it.  Anyway, you need to get better.  School sucks without you and I miss my you.  You can do it Meg, just keep fighting.”  I snuggled up near the foot of the bed, careful not to move or touch Meg, grabbed a Glamour magazine, and read her some of the articles and quizzes.   Mom and Mrs. Taylor came back and Mrs. Taylor looked so much more relaxed.  Mom and her amazing psychologist skills had a way at easing people and calming them.  She amazed me.  Mom gave me a little wink.

“I’m so grateful you girls came to visit.  Do come again.“  I hugged Mrs. Taylor and kissed Meg on the head.

As we headed to the car Mom said, “You’re a pretty awesome kid.  Glad you’re mine.”

“That’s pretty funny Mom, because I was just thinking the same...I am pretty amazing.”  We both laughed.  “Actually, I thought the same about you.  You are amazing at calming people.”  She gave me a side hug.  “Do you think Meg’s gonna’ be ok?”

“It’s looking pretty good, she’s definitely headed in the right direction.  Let’s head home for some dinner.”

We ate a light dinner of grilled chicken breast and a tossed salad and laughed and joked about odd things that happened in my younger years.  I felt so much lighter than I had prior to the accident.  Energies and emotions of others weren’t getting in like they used to.  I actually felt “normal”.  After helping with the dishes I watched a sitcom with my mom before heading to my room. 

That night I lay awake.  When I closed my eyes, I saw Jay at my locker and the intense look in his eyes, his sudden kiss.  There was a connection between us.  Tomorrow I’d hear more about him and understand him better.  Hopefully his parents were not serial killers that were locked up for a killing spree and he was sent away to learn the trade from his aunt and uncle.  Soren seemed nice and so did Jay, but I hadn’t a clue what he doing was here at Stanton.  Questions and thoughts swirled around in my head and I fell asleep in the sea of questions.

First period Algebra was kind of exciting.  Not the Algebra part, but the Jay part.  I kept checking my peripheral vision and seeing him looking my way.  Twice I looked up and caught him dead on staring at me.  But instead of trying to hide it, he smiled.  That made me laugh because most guys would try to be more coy but Jay seemed happy to get caught.  What was his deal?  Becca was in the next row over glaring at us but I had survived a car crash, a survivor, and was not going to let her get in my head.

I actually was on time to lunch and looked around for Jay but did not see him.  I went through the lunch line and grabbed a hotdog and chips.  While heading to my table I peeked out the window and saw Jay sitting out at the picnic table we occupied yesterday.  Soren was talking with him at the table.  I went out and said hi to them.  “Anyway, see ya’ after school Jay.”  “Later Brogen.”

“See ya’ Soren.”  I sat down across from Jay.  Today was warmer so I didn’t need his body heat to warm me.  “So...I’m all ears.  What chain of events has led you to the lovely Stanton High?”  Jay smiled at me.

“Sure you wanna’ hear this?  You might cry.”  He’s teasing.  Why would I cry?

“Yeah, I’m curious...and I’m a big girl.”

“Well, I grew up in a happy home in a town not too far from here.  My parents both worked and made good money.  I never wanted for anything.  We lived in a nice house with a huge backyard.  I always had an easy time making friends so I always had a playmate around when I was young.  Mom was a lawyer and Dad was a drug sales rep.”  So far everything sounded great.  He paused and pushed around his food and took a sip of his Coke.  I just stared at him and read his energy.  He was really struggling with this next part.  I reached out my hand and held his hand in mine to let him know I was there to support him.  “My mom died suddenly three years ago from an aneurysm.  She was just 39 years old.  My dad did his best to be a single parent while grieving his wife.  I’m not sure he grieved enough.  A year later he would come home and lose himself in a bottle of Jack.  I tried helping him, but it usually ended badly and I would just make sure he ended up in his bed to sleep it off.”

“Oh my God, I am so sorry.”  I would have never imagined that Jay’s mom died.

“So last summer he must have stopped off at a bar on his way home from work.  He was so plastered and I was so pissed that he drove drunk.  I dumped his booze down the drain and he punched me in the face.  Split my cheek open.  The next day, when my dad was sober, he saw what he had done to me.  He promised me he would be a better dad and was going to go into rehab.  So Soren’s parents offered to let me live with them till my dad got clean.”  Jay looked at me and must have seen the tear forming in my eye.  “I told you, you might cry.”  I snickered and nodded.

“Boy, I just don’t get it.  I mean, you have been through more than most kids our age and yet there is this amazing positive energy coming from you.  People are drawn to you.  You’re so charismatic.  You don’t let that awful stuff taint you.  It’s amazing.”

“And there goes my hat size.  Thank you for inflating my head.”  He laughed. “Thanks for the compliment, but this is just who I am, I don’t know how to be any different.”

“Well, I am truly sorry you have had to go through all of that.  Sounds like your dad’s turning things around and hopefully he will appreciate the son he has and be there for him.  Your mom died really young.  Does your family have heart problems or was her’s random?”

“Her death was a shock to the family.  No one had died young like her - we all tend to live into our 80’s.”

“It must have been hard to lose your mom.”

“It was, it is.  I miss her all the time.”  Jay sat up a little straighter and I could feel his energy change.  “Anyway, that’s my story.  It’s not a secret but please don’t broadcast it to everyone.”

“No worries, thanks for sharing it with me.  I feel like I got a huge piece of the Jay puzzle handed to me.”

“Jay puzzle huh?  Not much to figure out here,” he laughed.

“I beg to differ.”  The bell rang.  “Time to finish this day. Thanks for confiding in me.”  Jay and I headed inside to dump our trays.  I made a pitstop in the restroom before heading to my locker.  That was a heavy piece of info Jay dropped on me.   When I was washing my hands, the bathroom door opened and in walked Becca and two of her Blondesquad friends.

“Ahh Brogen, I’ve been wanting to have a little chat with you,”  Becca said in her sing-song voice.

“Oh yeah?  Are you disappointed that I didn’t move out of state or whatever the heck that rumor was you were spreading?”  I snapped.

“OOoo, snippy snippy.  Did that accident jar something loose in that head of yours?  I’m wanting to talk about you and Jay.  Was I wrong to read your hints that Jay and I had the green light to get together?  Because this little lunch date you two have shared, doesn’t fly with me”

“You don’t own him.  Apparently you’re too shallow for him to get interested in.  You’ve flung your hair, boosted your boobs, shook your butt and yet he still seems to gravitate toward me.  Guess Jay cares a little more about what’s inside than some stupid, superficial Blondezilla.”  

I stormed past her, slamming the restroom door behind me.   Somewhere in the middle of my next class I ran through the bathroom interaction in my head.  I would have never been able to stand up to someone like Becca at the beginning of the year.  I was much more empowered.  Maybe that accident had changed something inside of me.  I wasn’t going to hide or cower in the corner anymore.

The day dragged on and I finally was able to visit Meg.  To my surprise she was awake!  “Did I just miss Prince Charming?  True love’s kiss to awaken you?”  Meg smiled so genuinely at me that I warmed head to toe.  I squeezed her hand and rubbed her head.  “Seriously, when did you wake up?”

“A couple of hours ago.  I feel like barf though,”  I laughed.  Her mom excused herself so we could catch-up.  I took in the room, which had the same monitors I had, a few cards, and 20 new stuffed animals for Meg to add to her hoarding collection.  I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.  Whoever married Meg had better allow at least half of her stuffed animals in the house or they’d never make it.

“Well, you’ll get better.  You really had me scared.”

“I’m so sorry I got us in that accident.  Are you ok?”  I couldn’t believe Meg was apologizing. 

“Hold up - that accident was in NO way your fault.  We were broadsided by a drunk driver.  Actually, it was the same drunk who hit the dog that attacked Jay and I.  He didn’t survive the crash.”

“No shit.”  I just nodded.  “We could have died.  Why didn’t they lock that guy away?”  Meg was getting upset.

“I know, they went light on him when he hit the dog.  Maybe they will reevaluate how they punish drunk drivers after knowing what happened to us,” I added.  “Let’s not think about that right now.  You need to stay calm and heal enough to get out of this joint.”

“Brogen, are you all the way ok?  I’ll feel sick if there’s permanent damage.”

I laughed, “Well, the answer to that question depends on who you ask.  Meg, I’m good.  I am almost done with my 2 week break from PE and I will start running again this weekend.  My stitches are out and it healed nicely.  And I grew a pair...stood up to Becca today in the restroom at school.”

“Spill it.  I’ve been down for the count for a few weeks and am desperate to play catch up on my favorite lifetime drama.”  I giggled and then recounted the events that occurred after the accident between Jay, Becca, and myself.  “Ok, I’m so going to kick butt and get out of here.  I need to see this drama with my own eyes.  So are you and Jay an item now?  I mean you kissed…”

“I’m pretty sure that kiss was not a ‘I wanna’ love you forever and make you my wife’ kiss.  It was a ‘Phew!  Thought you were dead’ kiss.”  Meg laughed. 

“Like I said, I gotta’ see it with my own eyes.  You seem different, way better.  Maybe you should be thanking me for risking your life and helping you ‘grow a pair’,”  Meg suggested.

“I’m just glad we are both ok.  So when are they going to do the graft?”

“It’s done.  When I began improving they decided to do it while I was still unconscious.  I think I’m stuck here just for the rest of the week if it continues to heal well.”

“Well, I promise I will visit and keep you informed of the high school drama unfolding at Stanton.” 

“You better.  Love you Brogen.”  I squeezed her hand.  Meg’s mom returned.

“Did I come back too early?” Mrs. Taylor asked.

“No, I need to head home and work on homework.  Good luck tomorrow Meg.  Love you,” and I bent over and kissed her forehead.  “Night Mrs. Taylor.”

I drove home from the hospital and wanted to spend time with my mom.  Thankfully she didn’t have any patients tonight.  When I got home, I opened the door to the house and the delicious smells of dinner filled my nose.  “Either I am beyond hungry or you made a world class meal tonight.  Either way, I can’t wait to eat.”  Mom gave me a smile and plated the food.  “Need any help?”