River's p.o.v
"Lily?" I stammered again. I can't believe my aunt is on the other end of the phone.
"I've missed you." She says sadly.
She cared for me for a few months after it happened. I was a wreck. An awful child. I was dragging her down with me and I only realised this a year after she was almost drowned.
So, I left. I let her go. She needed space. She is 27 and doing a law degree and she was at Uni when she had to look after me and I was ruining her life. She never went out, never socialised. Her boyfriend of 2 years left her because she never saw him any more and never went out with him. I literally destroyed her relationship with him, and I saw that she truly loved him.
That was the final straw for me. I couldn't destroy her life any more. I had a shattered life and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially not her. She is a colourful, jolly beautiful woman with long ginger red hair and a figure any girl would die for. She had every thing. And I couldn't take it away from her. It was too cruel. So I left.
"I miss you too Lily." I say, laughing slightly through my silent tears.
" How is everything? Are you still in the house..."
I take a sharp intake of breath and quickly say, "Yes."
" Oh. You should move River, that house..."
"I know about the house. I'm not moving. I won't." I reply, cutting off the conversation and topic.
" Okay." She sighs. "Hows school?"
I'm glad she's moved on to a perkier, more normal subject. It makes me feel as if this is just an average call from a relative. Not something that has been waiting, quietly in the background.
" Oh good. Its ending soon so I'll be handing in my A-Level DT piece soon, me and my partner have almost finished."
I remember then about Shadow. I need to finish that project. That will involve talking. He just....
" Partner? What are they like?"
I don't want to talk about this. Shadow is definitely not something that needs talking about.
"He's nice...." I say, hoping to stray off the subject.
" He? Its a guy? What's he like? Is he a hottie?" She burbles in her happy voice.
" He is nice. Just nice. Not much to talk about." I bluntly reply.
"Oooo? Do I hear romance?"
I pause thinking. Do I think of him romantically? Is he even my friend any more? He doesn't to want to talk to me. He said he couldn't trust me. But I trusted him....
" You're pausing! What is it? Tell me River!" Lily says down the phone.
"Its nothing. Honestly. I don't even think we are friends." I mumble.
" Fine! Fine!" She says sounding exasperated with my evasiveness. "So how is your friend? Bea wasn't it? Such a sweet girl." She says.
I freeze. I can feel tears prickling in my eyes. I open my mouth to respond but nothing happens.
"River? What's wrong? Did you two fall out or something. But you were best friends!"
"And we still are best friends." I manage to find my voice.
"Then what happened? Is she okay?" I can hear the worry in her voice.
"No. She's not alright...She's in a coma." I manage to whisper out.
