Obstacles

Chapter 17

(Abby's POV)

I tightly hugged Kora. I want to protect her from everything that hurt her. She's my best friend...I guess I should have been protecting her better in the first place. I walked back over to the small red car my mom let me borrow for the day and waved bye to Kora.

Once I was in the car I slammed the door shut and buckled up. I watched Kora enter her home. She looked...nervous...that's odd. I don't think I have ever seen her that nervous for anything except for when she is being bullied by that bitch, Tara. Once she shut the door, I backed out of her home's driveway.

With one hand on the wheel, I began to think about the cuts I saw on Kora's wrist. I successfully was able to hold in the tears from seeing how Kora hurt herself while Kora was in the car, but after she got out and I was down the road I ended up letting them all go. I've always been oversensitive when it comes to things like that. It just hurts so much to know she wouldn't come to us in her time of need.

"I can't believe she..." I wiped a tear from my eye. "She...cuts." The words I spoke hung in the air like venom. For her to have to do such a thing to herself is just saddening.

As I came to a stop light, I reached back for my purse. I pulled out my phone and then tossed my purse into the front passenger's seat. I rubbed my thumb on the currently blank screen and tried to decide whether or not I should tell anyone about what I saw.

"I can't just let this go. She needs help." I turned on my phone and then put it down on my lap so I could drive.

My mind raced with thoughts. "Why would she do this to herself? What has been causing her to do this? Was is only Tara? Why didn't she want us to know?" I kept asking myself outloud. As silly as it sounds, I'm kinda hoping that if I ask myself enough an answer will come to me.

I entered my families apartment building's parking lot entrance. I saw the man that operated the gate. His name is Sam. He knows my family well. In fact, he went to the same collage as my mother and father. (Which is where they met.)

I unrolled my window and forced a weak smile as I rolled up to the small gate, slowly decreasing speed until I came to a stop. "Hey Sam!"

Sam tipped his workers hat to me and grab his id scanner. "Hey Abby, how ya doing?" He let out a bright smile.  He walked out of the cramped looking stand and quickly approached the car.

"I've been better." I pulled my id card out of my dashboard and held it out to him.

His warm smile faded and he grew a concerned look. "I'm sorry to hear that, trouble with your family?" he grabbed the card and began to scan the keycode.

I looked down at my hands and said, "No...friends. I'm sorry, it's not my place to talk about this issue."

"It's fine. It's not my place to know anyways." He gave me my card. "Well, I hope everything turns out okay." He passed the key card back to me and I gratefully took it back wanting to end the conversation. "Thanks Sam."

He tipped his hat to me once more and turned around to head back to the gate operation stand. "Say hello to your parents for me!" Quickly, he made his way back inside the small stand and placed the heavy looking scanner back down into its white holder. Then he turned back to me.

"Don't worry, I will!" I rolled up the lightly tinted window. He tipped his hat to me once more revealing his balding head.

I drove through the car garage of the apartment complex and parked the car in its reserved parking spot. I took the card back out of my dash board and hung it off of my mirror to prove I live there and then turned the vehicle off.