don't forget about me | ethan cutkosky

|8|

Taryn-

It's almost five in the morning and I'm wide awake at Brooke's house. She fell asleep on the floor and I'm still sitting with my foot up on the table because, hey! There's a big ass cut on the bottom of my foot and I can't walk. 

I had to turn off my phone to stop the spam of messages coming from my family or else my phone would have died. 

I wish I had a power button. I wish all humans did. Then we could just turn off whenever things got bad, or turn off someone we didn't like. Of course you could turn back on again but unfortunately some people wouldn't. They would stay turned off forever.

"Hey, you still awake?" Brooke's groggy morning voice asked, pulling herself up off the floor and sitting down in front of me with a first aid kit. 

"Yeah," I nodded. "I fell asleep for a bit but I woke up an hour ago and couldn't fall back to sleep."

Just as I finished my sentence, more rubbing alcohol was poured on a cloth and held to the cut on the bottom of my foot, forcing me to grab the arms of the chair and hiss in pain. 

"Well, it looks a little better, it finally stopped bleeding!" She smiled, applying a cream to it. "I'm gonna wrap some new bandages around it then I'm gonna make up some breakfast. I hope you like day old nachos!"

"I can take us out for breakfast. We can catch up. Let's go to that small restaurant up the road, they open early."

I always keep fifty dollars in my phone case for emergencies and this is definitely one. I'm not fond of soggy, cold, day old nachos or going home to eat anything. 

"Okay. I'll go grab us some clean clothes." Brooke said, disappearing upstairs and returning a few minutes later with clothes. 

"I got changed upstairs, do you want me to leave the room or do you need help?" She asked. 

I took the black shorts and grey tee shirt and told her I could manage myself. 

After what seemed like hours, I emerged from the bathroom in clean clothes, brushed teeth and my hair in a clean pony tail with my phone and money in hand. 

Brooke helped me out the door and we walked up the sidewalk, arm in arm. I couldn't put much pressure on my foot so whenever I had to lean on it, I would lean and put my weight onto Brooke which she held up no problem. 

The sun was just beginning to come up, making the sky a mixture of blues, oranges, and pinks. 

"Brooke?" I asked. "Why did you help me?"

She looked at me with raised eyebrows, "Why wouldn't I help you? You're my best friend."

"I thought you were still mad at me... You know, since what happened at school. Which I'm really sorry about. I over-reacted way too much and I honestly thought that I lost you."

"I'm sorry too. It's in the past now so let's just forget it ever happened okay?" Brooke smiled as she held the door open for me. 

The restaurant only had a few people at the tables, some old and enjoying a meal with the love of their lives, and some shoving food in their faces before going to work. 

We chose a booth by the window and sat down across from each other and picked up the menus on the table and chatted about whatever came across our minds. 

After our order was taken, Brooke piped up. 

"I've been meaning to ask you.. You and Tanner?" She winked, lightly kicking my knee under the table.

I smiled at the thought of my boyfriend. I couldn't help but feel sad, knowing I had to wait another week or so to see him again. But when I do, I'm going to give him the biggest hug ever.