"Come on Annie!" Lauren shouted as she ran and took my hand. "I've got to show you something!"
Lauren's sweaty hand was against my palm and she ran in front of me, her blond hair racing in the wind. She was her third grade self, and so was I. My brown short hair was racing in the wind as I tried to keep up with her.
We raced to the big park, and she stopped at a big oak tree.
"What are we doing?" I asked, panting.
"You'll see," those were her favorite words to say, and it always bugged me when she did say it. Lauren took out a pack of pink post it notes, and two pens. "We're going to make a wish tree."
"A wish tree?" I repeated. She wrote something on the post it and got up from where she was sitting. "Yes, a wish tree. You write a bunch of wishes on these post-its, and stick them on the tree."
She sounded excited like it was something big, so I took a post-it and the extra pen. "I wish that I will go into the fourth grade next year," I said as I wrote it down and stood up to put it on the tree.
"That's so BORING," She exaggerated. "It should be something bigger!" She grabbed another piece and wrote something down. She then stuck it onto the tree. I looked up to read the note.
"You want a boyfriend?" I looked at her, disgusted. She giggled hysterically.
"I didn't write that silly! Wake up!" she said. I looked at her confused. She did write that. I looked back at the note, but I couldn't see it anymore. It was blurry. So was the tree. I turned to Lauren. Her whole body was twisted, like a reflection in the water, but someone had thrown a rock in it, so it was messed up with ripples. "Wake up!" she repeated.
*****
"Is she awake?" someone whispered. My vision was blurred, and I felt like I was being suffocated I tried to reach out and heard someone laughing. A boy.
"Annie?" the voice that laughed said.
I groaned and finally my vision was stable. Brandon stood next to me.
"What the-" I looked down and realized I was now lying in a medical bed, at a hospital. "What happened?" I yawned.
"You kind of fainted in the waiting area," He said, scratching the back of his head.
"Why are we here?" I asked. I searched my memory of before the vision of Lauren and I. Sadness struck me at the exact moment. I rememberd. I immeiatley began to cry, like a little kid. I couldn't believe I was, especially in front of Brandon.
He rubbed my back awkwardly, not really understanding how to comfort me, especially since he just met me yesterday. It felt weird, so I backed away from him, not caring how he felt. His arm fell to his side, and he put them into his pockets, realizing he couldn't comfort me.
I tried to control my breathing, and let my hands fall to my legs. I looked over to Brandon. His pale blue eyes helpless. His brown hair was a little messed up, like he ran his hands through it one too many times. He watched me, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Sorry that I was the first person he became friends with. Sorry that my life was so messed up, and sorry that I was rude to him for pulling away while he was the only one here to comfort me.
His waist was close enough to me, so I pulled him in for a hug. I'm sure he was not expecting this, so he took a second to process what was happening. After he did, he put his own arms around me, and I began to cry softly. It was weird that I barely knew him, but it felt like we could have been friends for years.
It took me about a half an hour to try and stop crying. I finally felt really dehyderated. My head was dizzy too, and I could feel my eyes- they were puffy from crying. My mouth was dry, and I could barely control my breahing.
"Do you feel better?" Brandon asked looking at me. I half nodded. He turned around to get a glass of water that was on the table. There was a stain of my tears on the back of his shirt, and I half I laughed, but it died out quick because of the situation we were in. He handed me the glass and I thanked him.
After a few minutes of silence, Brandon looked down. "She left a note for you," he said quietly.
I gulped down the water so I didn't have to reply so quickly, I still was thinking about what I was going to say. "Oh," was all that came out after.
He walked to the tray where the water was. He picked up a fragile letter, and handed it to me. He looked at me while I stared at the letter, then sitting down on the edge of the bed. I was still staring down at the letter. I didn't know if I should open it there, or wait until I was alone.
Brandon changed the subject. "Your parents were called."
"How long was I out?" I asked.
"It's been around four hours."
"And you stayed here the entire time?" I asked again.
He nodded. "Nothing else to do."
I laughed and sipped the water quietly. I didn't know what my parents thought of this, or anyone else. How was the principal going to tell everyone? How was I going to get through my life without my best friend? I didn't know what to do.
"Do you ever feel like your out of place? Like your in the wrong scene in a movie? That's how I feel now. How could this happen?" I asked confused and dazed.
He just stared at the flowers across the room, stone silent. He sat on the side of my bed and broke the silence. "When I was younger, I lost my sister. And we ended up never finding her."
I turned to him. "I'm so sorry," It was a lame simpathetic "sorry". He shrugged.
"Ever since then, I've felt like I've been out of place. Up until now. Until I met you. I know, that sounds cheesy, but it's true. I've been the outcast for a while, so when I moved schools, I decided that I would at least try to make friends with someone. And I did."
I smiled at him. It felt like I really knew him. LIke I've known him all my life.
"Annie Layne?" We looked up to a doctor. she smiled. "Are you doing okay?" I nod.
"I should get going," I heard Brandon say as he stood up. I really didn't want him to leave, but I didn't want to sound naggy. We said our goodbyes. I was now the only one in the room.
I really did not feel like opening the letter, but I knew I had to. I stared down at it. The corners pointy, and the envelope read my name. My name. That was written by Lauren. I trace the outer part of the envelope and finally turn it over, and began ripping the top. The white paper peeked out, folded two times. I unfolded it carefully, and looked at the letters scribbled on it.
Dear Annie,
I am not dead.
