Complicated

Chapter 13

Nikki's POV:

Lying on my bed, I stare at the white ceiling above me. Today was a pretty good day. I thought it was going to suck, but it didn't. I got some pretty good teachers (other than Mr. Y). I met this really nice girl in my math class, her name was Alyssa. And we got along pretty well. I had a slushy from the cafeteria with Chase. Overall it was a pretty good day.

Suddenly a picture of Chase popped into my head. 'No. No. No. I don't like him. He's just a guy. Just a guy that would probably break my heart like Jason did.' I scolded myself, grabbing my head and scrunching up my face. I tried hard to get him out of my head, but I just couldn't. The way he had smiled at me, it was irresistible. 'Shut up Nikki!' My brain yelled at me. 'Guys aren't trust worthy! Well, at least not it that way.'

Eventually I picked myself off my bed and headed downstairs. Maybe if I go for a walk then I'll be able to get him off my mind. I passed my mom in the kitchen.

"Mom?" I question her, pausing to stare at her. "What are you doing home so early?"

"Oh it's nothing. Something just came up at work and I got the rest of the day off." She replied in a monotone voice. My mom would never miss a day of work. I could tell something was up.

"Are you sure that's it?" I ask, walking up to her. She stayed silent for a moment.

"It's nothing. Trust me."

"If you say so." I said, realizing that what ever it was, she obviously didn't want to talk about it at the moment. "Just know that you can talk to me about anything. Anyways, do you want to come for a walk with me?"

"Sure." We said goodbye to Maddi and headed outside. The street was empty, yet it still felt like I was with my whole family. I had never spent quality time with my mother like this. Suddenly something happened. I wasn't quite sure why or how, but I was happy it did.

"So how's school so far? Did you meet anyone special?" My mom teased. That was the first real sentence my mom had said to me in years that wasn't about work. I smiled, turning to look at her.

"Mom stop it." I laughed. "I don't like anyone. Guys are stupid."

"You sound like your father." She said. I did sound like him. Growing up he would always tell me that boys were stupid and weird, that they were jerks. It was all in good fun, trying to stop me from getting a boyfriend. What I didn't realize back then though, was that it was all true. We chuckled and continued to walk forward.

•

•

20 minutes later we had decided to head back home. When we got there my mom got a call. She picked up her phone as I unlocked the front door.

"Hello? Yes. Mhm. Are you sure? Oh my god. Yes. We'll be there soon sir." She turned to me, grabbing my shoulder. Her eyes were wide, and her palms sweaty. "Get your sister. Now."

Not questioning why, I ran inside and pulled Maddy out the door. "I don't even have shoes on!" She screamed as we walked down the cement driveway towards the car. Our mom was already seated inside.

"Mom what's going on?" I asked, climbing in the passenger's seat with Maddi in the back. There was a shiny gleam over her eyebrows. She pulled out of the driveway.

"Your father. He's. He's. He's in the hospital." She responded, choking out the words.

"What happened?!"

"He was at work. A man showed up with a, gun. Seven people were wounded. Including him. He was shot in the chest. The doctors said he lost a lot of, blood, before they got to him. They don't know if he'll make it." You could tell that each sentence killed my mother, her hands gripping the wheel tighter every time.

My dad had always been with me, he was always there for me. And now there's a possibility that he won't be anymore. I felt a tear slide down my cheek. I didn't bother trying to explain it again to Maddi, I just turned towards the window and started to cry. The rest of the ride was silent, everyone was shaken by the news.

Once we reached the hospital we ran inside. My mom quickly explained to the lady at the desk who we were and asked which room he was in. After she told her, we ran down the hallway as quick as we could. We reached room 205 and walked inside.

My father was lying in a bed, covered in bandages. It pained me to see him like this, so helpless and vulnerable. As soon as he noticed us, he tried to sit up. The nurse beside him told him to lay back down, gently pushing his shoulder down. He laid back down, as we walked slowly over to the side of his bed. My mother kissed him on his forehead, leaving a smug of pink lipstick.

For some reason, I felt like it was my fault. There wasn't a good reason for it to be, but I blamed myself. It truly is the worst feeling to watch a loved one slowly die, knowing there's nothing you can do to help. I stared at him, not being able to find the words to say.

Suddenly I blurted it out. "I love you." I hugged him tight, being sure not to touch the part that the bullet was in. That's all I could say, and I know that's all I needed to say.

"I love you too." He said, hugging me back tightly. "Your my little girl, and I'm so proud of you. Everyday you amaze me. Your beautiful, and smart, and kind, and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. And I want you to know that if I don't make it out of this, I'll always be with you. I love you so much."

We couldn't stop crying. There was nothing else that could be said. I just continued to hug him. I didn't want it to end this way. He had so much to look forward to in life. So much that we were going to do together. I know that he was never really home, but that didn't matter. Because no matter what, he was still my father. And I loved him. 

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Author's Note:

This chapter's a real tear jerker, or at least for me. I was planning on doing this chapter for a while now, but I never knew that it was going to be this hard to write. My mom passed away when I was 6 from a car crash, and I feel like this brought back a lot of those memories. I don't think it helped that the whole time I was writing it I was listening to "Your Not Sorry" by Taylor Swift on repeat ;) . Anyways, aside from that, let me know how you guys like it so far, that is if there's anyone reading it to tell me. I hope your enjoying it. And Merry Christmas! Or Happy Hanukah! Whatever you celebrate!