Blurred

Blurred: Chapter 2

I tapped my pencil and pursed my lips, waiting for math class to end. My advanced calc teacher droned on about... well, calc things. Most of which I didn't understand, of course. I doodled in my notebook, thinking about what I would talk to my mom and dad about when I was home. What about convincing them to let me go to a queen bee's party? Or giving me a bit of extra money to treat myself to a few new outfits?

In those few minutes, I actually felt quite tranquil, expecting everything to be normal when I got home. Mom to be rustling and banging around in the kitchen, cooking yet another terrible dinner for my father and I. Said father with his glasses perched low on his nose and browsing through the days' newspaper. I would go upstairs to my room and attempt at finishing my homework, topping the night off with dawdling off on the computer or something.

Boy, was I wrong. 

The bell rang, signaling the end of not only class, but the day. I grabbed my textbooks and stuffed them in my book bag, eager to get home. It was a Friday, which meant my parents and I would get to go out to eat at the new sub place down the block. 

After placing my things in my locker and gathering the weekend homework, I pressed my shoulder into the locker next to the wonderful Vanessa's. We were quite a contrast, with her tumbling curly black hair, hazel eyes and dusted freckles. She was curvy and maybe just a few pounds under the norm, but she's athletic. Wirh my pale skin, red hair, blue eyes and being rather heavy around the chest, we were opposite as the ends of a magnet.

"What was for homework again?" I grinned goofily as she spit the last of her gum and stuck it on the locker under hers.

Vanessa rolled her eyes and shut her locker. "Sweetie, we're in senior year. We're supposed to be working on college apps and careers. Unlike you, I just got accepted into NYU with my hard work while you've been asking what was for homework since the eigth grade."

I pursed my lips. I knew I had to get serious with college and all, but something was holding me back. For some reason, I felt like I wasn't going to get anywhere. Never in my life had I predicted what I was going to be when I grew up. Hastily, I changed the subject.

"You going to Cellary's party tomorrow night?"

Vanessa scoffed and strolled along with me to the front doors of the school. "Why would I? She'd probably kick us out and spurt some shit about apes and dogs. Hypocritical, if you ask me. Who names their kid after a vegetable?"

I walked by childishly swinging my feet in front of the other. "You're sassy today."

She shrugged. "Time of the month."

I nodded and rested a hand on the handle of a glass front door. "See you Monday."

________________________________________________________________

I'm a faggot, this is an edit point. Everything beyond this point is unedited, 12-5-12.

________________________________________________________________ 

"Is this Haley McCruff?" a gruff voice asked on the other end. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.  

"Uh, speaking," I stuttered.  

"Do your parents go by the name Julia and Christopher McCruff?" the voice asked hesitantly. 

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and leaned against the kitchen table.  

"Ah, yes. Can I ask who this is?" I asked warily. 

"This is Chief Marian, of the police department. I called to inform you that your parents are in unstable positions at the hospital right now." 

The word rang in my head. Hospital? How could this be? My parents are perfectly healthy, thank you very much. There was absolutely no way that they could be in the hospital. Even if they were, this had to be a mistake.  

"What?" I murmured into the receiver.  

The voice on the other end sighed slowly. "Please . . . come to the Grafts hospital immediately, Haley." 

The line went dead.

I rushed into the Grafts hospital waiting room, questions swimming in my mind as I approached the nurse at the front desk. "Uh . . . Julia and Christopher McCruff?" I asked her. She looked at me with regret. "I'm sorry, we aren't accepting visitors. They are unstable at the time, and it's at doctor's request." 

"What room," I snapped. 

"Two- oh- one" she said softly, "I'll inform you when you can visit."  

I nodded gently, in shock I trudged over to the only seat that was left in the small waiting room. Curling myself up into a ball on the chair, I put my head on my knees. How were they? What had happened? Were they okay? Were they murdered? Ran over? Attacked? Mugged? Cha- 

The nurse motioned for me to come to her. "You can visit." 

I pushed past her, into the very busy hallway. Sprinting down, I counted the room numbers: One Ninety Three, One Ninety Four . . . .  

Two Oh One. Nurses and doctors were leaving and entering the room so much, I was afraid the door would come straight off of its hinges. I went to the entrance, trying to enter. "Please," a nurse said, "This is a private room. The patients are too unstable to be-"I cut her off, pushing past her into the room.  

Mom lay turned over on her stomach, on a hospital bed stained with yellow and red. Anesthesia and blood. I ran over to her, too worried to think straight. My mom didn't deserve to be in this condition, let alone seen like this. Her long auburn hair that I inherited was singed and stained with blood. Her eyes were closed, and she was hooked up to an IV. Her long legs were bruised and broken, along with the rest of her body that was once beautiful.  

Tears streamed down my face as I turned to Dad, who was looking at me with sorrow. Thankfully, he only had second-degree burns covering a third of his strong body. "What happened?" I sobbed, over and over again. 

"Building fire. Julia . . . was inside. No, no, I'm okay. Don't you worry about me, sweetheart. I'm fine." He gave me a hoarse laugh. His eyes widened, looking behind me.  

I turned in terror, wondering what happened to my mother. Horror slapped my whole body, and I let out a strangled scream. 

A machine went beeping, and then a long Morris-code like dash came.