Dear Nate {Dear #1}

Dear Nate

Here's my first chapter for this story! I really hope you like it!

Pleae give me feedback on this! This is to be my next self publish novel when it is done. Right now it's OLK, but after OLK is published i hope to have this almost done.

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Thank you!

-DANA

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NOT EDITED

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Word is Alison Collins is in the hospital. The car she was driving was T-boned by someone who ran a red light. She's in a coma.

♣

"Honey, did you hear the news?" My mom asks as I enter the house after practice. It is only us two. My father is in the army so I'm used to it only being my mom and I.

I set my baseball equipment by the front door. "What news?"

Mom turns off the television. A hand is placed gingerly on her chest, right where her heart is. Her head turns to me, shaking. "A classmate of yours, Alison Collins, is in a coma. Someone ran through a stoplight and T-boned her car."

Something inside me sunk. My stomach or my heart? I'm not sure, but this feeling that came over me is not pleasant in the least. "Will she be okay? Will she wake up?" All sorts of questions are running through my head at this moment.

My mom stands up and hugs me. "I'm not sure honey. Her family is not letting anything slip. I'm so sorry, honey."

I don't know why she's apologizing to me. Alison and I aren't friends, just people in the same grade that have one class together. I pass her in the hallway every day. Some people don't know her, they act like she's invisible. I notice her. She's always at her locker in the morning, her head held low as she gets books from her locker; like she doesn't want anyone to notice she's there. I notice though.

One day, after school, I'm walking to my locker when I notice Alison at hers. She has on some jeans and a simple, plain tee shirt. She's loading books into her backpack when someone runs into her. The guy's name is Jack. He's too busy talking to his friend to notice Alison there, innocently putting books in her bag. All Jack did is apologize. He didn't even lean down to help her pick up her books. So I did. I quicken my pace and kneel down beside Alison as she reaches for a history book. I smile at her when she lifts her head. She has a shocked expression in her eyes as she loads the history book in her bag. I pick up her math book and hand it to her.

"Jack is an idiot," I say, smiling as Alison carefully, almost hesitantly, takes the math book from my hand.

She smiles at me, "Thank you, Nate."

We both stand and go our separate ways. That is the first time I talked to Alison, but it wasn't the last. We didn't talk like we are friends, but when we did talk we have short conversations. Usually I would hold the door open for her or pick up her pencil if it fell from her hand; nothing to write home about.

Even though we are nice towards each other, both of us never went the extra mile to get to know the other one. We are just two people who talk once in a while, but as my mom kept bringing up Alison at dinner, the uneasiness in my stomach increased. Alison Collins is just the quiet girl in my class, the girl who I find myself sneaking glances at during class sometimes, and the girl who quietly snuck up and caught my interest. So hearing she is now in a coma doesn't feel real. Like I'm expecting my alarm to blast the radio any minute to tell me it's time for school. The alarm never came and I was stuck with the reality that Alison Collins is really in a coma.

Mom lets me go straight to my room after dinner. I collapse on my bed and open my laptop. I go on Alison's social network site and see all these 'get better soon' posts on her wall. I scoff. Half of these people never once talked to Alison when she was in school. I find myself scrolling up her page to look at her profile picture. Her bright smile greets me, her eyes shining with happiness in her picture. How can this girl, out of everyone this could happen to, be the one to get into a car accident that causes her to go into a coma. When I refresh the page there are about ten more posts saying how their prayers are going out to Alison and how they hope everything is alright. Of course it's not alright, I think angrily. I close my laptop in annoyance.

♣

In school the next day when I pass Alison's locker it doesn't feel right; she isn't there-she is always there. There are cards taped on her locker. As I walk down the hall I see her brother, Josh, at his locker. His locker is three down from mine. As I open my own I see people come up to him to say their apologies. Josh says thanks, but seems a little peeved once they leave. I want to say anything, but I think I will wait a while. Once he is less stressed and irritated.

As I walk into my first class I sit next to Scott. "Did you hear about Alison Collins?"

I nod, "Yes. Who hasn't?"

"I can't believe that would happen," Scott says sadly. "She is a nice girl."

I look over at him. "You barely know her," I deadpan.

"Neither do you," he shoots back. He is right. I may have talked to Alison, but I have never asked about anything personal.

All the students pile into the gymnasium after the teachers take attendance for first period. The principal talks about Alison and her accident. He says how we shouldn't worry too much because Alison is a strong girl and will pull through. How does he know? I think.

As the day goes on I get irritated when people talk about Alison like they know her. They don't. They never tried to get to know her, but neither did Alison try to get to know them. She liked being in the background. A girl starts crying in my sixth period class, saying how she can't believe a girl she knows is in a coma. Once again, she doesn't know her. She didn't even know of her before the accident.

I am more than relieved when the school day comes to a close. As I am walking out to my car I see Josh. "Josh," I shout before running up to him.

He turns, confused as to why I would want to talk to him. "Hey Nate," he says politely.

"Hey," I say. "I just wanted to give my best to Alison. I know you have been bombarded all day about her, but I hope she wakes up and gets better."

"Yeah, me too," he says dejectedly.

"Um, how is she doing?"

Josh shrugs his shoulders. "The same I guess. She's still in a coma."

I nod, but don't say anything.

"I should go," Josh says. "I'm going to see her."

"Okay, if you need anything I can help."

Josh nods, "Thanks, Nate. Alison was right."

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. Josh gets into his car before I ask, "What do you mean by Alison was right?"

Josh smiles softly, "Just that, she said you were selfless." Josh shuts his car door before starting it up and driving away.

I'm selfless? I repeat to myself.

No. I'm not, Alison. I thought. Because if I was I wouldn't be so determined in getting my way considering you, Alison. My way is getting you, Alison, to wake up.