Light As A Feather

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I sit straight up in bed, I look around and realize I'm still at Elly's house, in her bed, but where is she? The spot next to me is cold so she has been gone for a while. Maybe she is just getting some food. The sun is beginning to rise and rays of sunlight slip through the bedroom blinds. I feel great. There's no school and I plan to spend the day with my beautiful girl. Well, she isn't mine yet. I'm hoping she will break up with Darren today, especially after last night. I should feel bad about Elly cheating on Darren, but I don't. He treats her like trash, he doesn't deserve her faithfulness.

I get up and look out of the window to see if Elly's mom is back with the car. Nope, she's still gone. What could be so important that you steal your daughter's car and not show up for her birthday?

My stomach grumbles, I decide to go eat with Elly. Elly eats at the table in the dining room, she told me once that she eats there and pretends she has a normal life and family. As I'm getting dressed a weird feeling washes over me. It feels like anxiety. I don't know why I would possibly be feeling anxious. I push the feeling away; I have a gorgeous girl downstairs.

I jog downstairs, then decide to make a pit stop and relieve myself before going into the kitchen. The light is on in the bathroom so I knock first, no answer. I attempt to open the door, but something is blocking it. I push a little more and whatever was blocking it moves enough so that I can shimmy in. I look behind the door and my heart stops.

Elly is slumped on the floor, she's unconscious. "Elly? Elly, wake up! Are you okay? Elly, please?" I shake her, but she doesn't wake up. I tear my phone from my pocket and call 911.

"Hello 911 operator, what's your emergency?"

"My friend is passed out on the bathroom floor, I can't tell if she's breathing!" I shout into the phone.

"What's your location, sir?"

"9894 middle avenue, I'm scared. I don't know what's wrong!" I'm shouting through the phone at the operator.

"Try to calm down for me ok?" I don't respond but I do try to slow my breathing and be calm so I can help. "I need you to look around the room and look for any drugs or medications." Wait? Do they think she did this too herself, that she overdosed? I search the bathroom and find two pill bottles, I tell the lady on the phone what they say. I'm not familiar with the names but I think one is a muscle relaxer.

"Now I need you to see if she is breathing, put your ear to her mouth or nose. Can you hear or feel her breath?" I lower my head to her face. A warm breath caresses my cheek.

"She's breathing!" She's alive, but I'm so confused. Why would she do this? I thought she was happy, what did I do?

"She's alive then, that's good. Just stay with her, you need to stay with her until the EMT's get there." Just as she finishes, two EMT's burst in, twisting my ankle as they shove the door. I barely feel it; adrenaline is coursing through me. Elly's body starts to convulse in my arms.

"She's seizing!" One of the EMT's shout, an older man with skin like Elly's. The other, a girl, pushes me away from Elly. They start saying things I don't understand; they inject her with something. I back out of the bathroom to give them room.

A third EMT rushes in with a gurney. Elly has stopped seizing and they are lifting her limp body on the gurney. Seeing her like that, it breaks my heart into a million pieces. I run outside with them, but I trip on a rock in Elly's driveway. I fall forward and smash my face on more rocks.

"Oh shit," I hear one of the EMT's say as a get up. I can feel the blood all over my face, dripping on the ground.

"You need to be checked out, get in the back with me." I'm lifted in the back of the ambulance. Vision blurred by blood or a possible concussion, maybe even both. I try to reach for Elly's hand and miss.