once broken, now fixed | m.c & l.h

the diner by the boat docks

michael

Calum, he looks so weak and exhausted.
Flat on the ground, helmet off, blood dry on his face.
They keep pouring water over his face, but he won't open his eyes.
He won't even respond.
Ashton is furious and having an anxious breakdown.
He's shouting at Calum's coach, ready to run down to the field.
Luke is watching quietly, patiently, with tears in his eyes.
I am a mix, shouting, crying, getting violent.
Then he sits up so suddenly, coughing up water and blood.

Our team loses, the other team cheats. Calum insists that he is okay.
We make the decision to go to Ashton's house.
We haven't seen Anne Marie in quite awhile.
Ashton brings us in for a group hug.
He breaks into tears.

"Thank you guys for caring so much."

Ashton's mum is kind, she is also very sick.
She loves us all and Ashton says she wants to see us again.
They are counting the days until she passes, she's down to little time.
We're taking her out for dinner, screw the party.

"What is her favorite place to eat?"

I ask while we walk along to Ashton's stepdad's station wagon.

"She loves the diner, down by the boat docks."

Calum speaks up, he loves talking about Ashton's mum.
He claims she's like the mother he never had.
We all tear up from that.
Ashton presses a lingering kiss to Calum's bruised cheek.

We climb into the vehicle, Ashton driving, Calum passenger.
Luke and I take the back seat, he stares out the window as we drive
Going to Ashton's house is always a delight, it's beautiful.
We have only been here two times, but it already feels like a second home.
We arrive, it's a little past eight o'clock, Ashton's stepdad isn't home.

"Mum? I brought my friends here, wanted to see you again."

Here comes Anne Marie, bright hazel eyes, straight blonde hair.
She smiles wide when she notices us, then she comes over to the door.
She kisses my cheek, then Luke's, then Calum, and lastly, Ashton's.

"We could've came to see you, you didn't have to climb out of bed."

Calum protests, but she shakes her head.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. How was the game boys?"

Ashton chuckles and grabs Calum by his waist and kisses his cheek.

"We lost, Calum's a bit embarassed, but he shouldn't be when he did the best."

We all laugh, Anne too, and then we enter the livingroom.
The diner is open until eleven since it's a Friday night.
We decide to hang out for a couple of minutes before leaving.

"Hey mum, how would you feel about taking a ride somewhere?"
"That would be lovely."
"Well let's get you to the car."

We drive in Anne's car, Ashton and her sit in the front seats.
Luke and Calum, they occupy the middle seats.
I sit in the back.
Luke stays quiet the entire hour long ride.
Calum and Ashton sing whatever song plays on the radio.
I sit in the back alone with a bitter smile on my face.

We arrive at the diner, a full lot of cars, this diner is the fanciest out of them all.
The burgers here are rated five stars, the rest of their popular dishes given four and a half.
Anne loves fish and chips.
We learn this from Calum who orders for himself, Ashton, and Anne.
Luke holds my hand under the table, his eyes flicker down to the menu, I already know what he would like.
He loves ribs and fries, with a vanilla shake.
I don't order anything.

Everyone is joyful the rest of the night, we stay until closing time.
A chef comes out of the kitchen to beg us to go home.
Ashton tells him off and we continue with our meals and conversations.
Luke doesn't finish so I put his fries into the styrofoam box.
I pour his milkshake into a to-go cup, and grab an extra straw so we can share.
I haven't seen everybody this happy in awhile.
Anne even talks about it the whole ride home.

We decide to spend the night at Ashton's house, Luke and I take the couch in the family room.
He is on top of me, his head in the crook of my neck.
I listen to his precious soft breaths and the steady beat of his heart.

"Goodnight."

Still no response back.

--