Choices || Red Band Society

Chapter 2

The rest of the morning was fairly uneventful, like a hospital usually is. The gang decided to stay in mine and Kara's room until there was news received about the new girl.

"Yo man, let's just go back to The Swamp. It's already like 2 o'clock and I'm starving." I could actually hear Dash's stomach grumble, an all too familiar sound that I did not miss the feeling of, whatsoever. Coma perk?

"Dash just calm down, we're gonna wait until she gets here." Ah, the blissful sound of Kara's voice like nails on a chalkboard. I'm starting to think that it's something no one can get used to. I'm guessing Dash just rolled his eyes and slouched back in his chair because after the sound of fabric moving on leather and then an audible sigh, the room went silent.

Silence can be scary, like the dark. People say how scared they are of the dark but it's not true. They're aren't scared of the dark itself but rather what's in the dark. And the same goes for silence. It's not the dullness or lack of conversion that scares them. It's really just the wondering that creeps up on them, the 'why' and the 'how' of the silence. The anticipation of what to come after the silence and the reasoning behind the sudden drop in the vivacious room. But what I think scares some people the most is finding the right thing to say during an awkward silence, the daring to speak but the fear of messing up.

"Why are we even waiting around anyways... What's so special about this chick? We already have a newbie," Leo's eyes darted across the room and landed on Jordi, "do we really need another one so soon?"

"Thank you?"

"No offense, Jordi. I'm just saying, why did we all just decide to sit here and wait until this apparently too-ill-to-function girl shows up? Why-"

"That'll be enough, Leo. I want to hear your complaining just as much as I wanna hear Nurse Sunshine over there talk about her latest found Pinterest recipe." I could recognize that voice anywhere, and despite the coldness in her tone, I was relieved Nurse Jackson broke the tension in the room.

Jordi spoke up, "So what's wrong with her?"

"Well, Jordi, as I'm seeing that you brats won't stop bugging me until I have 'gossip time at the well' with you all, I guess I'll explain a little. Her name is Skylar and she's sick, really sick-"

"Yeah no shit, healthy people don't come to a hospital just for kicks." Leo could be obnoxious at times, but he had a point. It aggravates me when people assume we can control our sickness as if we wanted to come here in the first place. I'd give anything to wake up and walk out the door and never look back.

"Well then, smarty, I guess I don't have to finish story time." And with that, her footsteps pounded out the door.

"Whatever, I'm out. I could go for some tacos right now." Dash trailed out of the room, Leo right behind him, calling out to us, "Yeah guys, I'm with Dash. Maybe I'll catch up later. Let me know if mystery girl shows her face anytime soon."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This is the best taco I have ever shoved down my throat." Dash was being a pig, as usual, scarfing down his taco like he hadn't eaten in days.

"It's hospital food, I can't imagine what shitty tacos you've had before this but they must've been real bad if you're declaring this taco the best."

"Hold that thought, Leo. Major babe, right to my left. Your right."

Leo swerved his head to the side to get a better look at the girl that Dash mentioned. It was quite difficult seeing as that even with Dash sitting down in a chair infront of him, Leo was still dramatically shorter than him. He tried his best to peer above Dash's head to get a better look, when he make some rather awkward eye contact with Dash's "major babe". Leo couldn't help but agree, she was indeed pretty attractive; wavy brown hair that flowed to her waist, curves in all the perfect places, and piercing green eyes. She was cuter than he originally suspected. Dash had a tendency to think anything with a pulse was gorgeous enough to lose his virginity over. But, this time, Dash was actually right.

"Leo take a picture it'll last longer, damn boy." The dark skinned boy shook his head and shoved his face back into his taco.

"Yeah.. She is a babe. What are the chances of her talking to a guy in a wheelchair without her sympathetic 'aw I see you're in a wheelchair so I'm gonna be extra nice to you' voice?" Leo had been down lately. In fact, I've noticed him being more on edge the last few months since Jordi and Kara came. At first, I suspected that he didn't like them very much but he was never rude to them except when he was joking around and he never told me during one of our "late night coma chats" that he didn't like them. So, I've still yet to figure out the cause of his moodiness.

"I don't know man, why don't you go find out? Twenty bucks says you can't even get her number."

"You know what, Dash? I'm actually gonna take you up on that offer." Leo rolled himself over to the girl as attractively as possible, which is hard to do when she sees you coming from 5 feet away and you still have to leisurely wheel yourself there. But, Leo made it work.

"Hey, wanna hand me a water from behind you?" The girl just looked at him, rather strangely.

"Sure.." Her eyes sparkled with curiosity but she kept her questions hidden. She handed him the water.

"Thanks. Could you hand me a Pepsi too?" Leo's mouth was beginning to curl into a smirk.

"Really? You couldn't have asked me that when I handed you the water?"

"Sorry, I just need another for my friend, over there." Leo casually nodded to Dash who was still eating tacos like they were the key to salvation.

"Fine. Here you go." She tossed the Pepsi down to him and started to turn away.

"Wait, one more thing," she stopped in her tracks, slightly annoyed, "your number would go nice with these drinks I think."

She didn't respond.

Oh no, why isn't she responding?

Silence. Just udder silence as she stared at him.

This was it, Leo would have to forget about his cancer for the time being because he was sure he would die of embarrassment.

"Okay, yeah.." Oh thank god, Leo could finally breathe again. Her face cracked a smile as if she never stared at him in the first place, as if Leo didn't make a fool of himself.

"Cool.. What's your name?"

The girl took a marker out from her bag and used her shiny teeth to rip the cap off. She took Leo's arm and began to scribble on it. Leo wasn't sure what was worse: the fact that she had to bend down to him like someone bends down to talk to a child or the fact that his face visibly turned twelve shades redder than it's natural pale hue. Either way, he was getting twenty bucks from Dash.

"I really have to go, sorry. But text me some time!" She didn't waste any time swishing her hips down the cafeteria and making her way into the long hallway.

"Wait-" Leo looked at his arm. (716) 890-5674 Skylar :)

Ayeeee. I'm so glad at least a couple of you are reading this haha it actually means a lot to me! I just wanna say thanks so much for reading and caring to comment and favorite! :) I update fairly quickly since I kind of just write at night every couple days or so. Buttt I'm really sorry about the narration in this chapter. It's had to figure out how to keep Charlie narrating when people aren't in his room, ya know? But I'm glad that you guys like him as the narrator! I just have to figure out how to keep making it work! :)