Us In Red | Gini

One: Prologue

A/N: Some differences from the show:
- Gina is Kourtney's half-sister. Gina is not a transfer student.
- Although Gina was in the production of High School Musical, she never spoke much to Ricky or Nini throughout all of it.
- Gina and Kourtney both only live with their mom.
- Probably more, but I can't think of them right now.

I've always hated the smell of hospitals. They reek of a scent so prominent yet so hard to describe. After all, when I asked my moms what a hospital smells like when trying to describe it for a third-grade writing assignment, their minds drew blank, coming up with only one comparison: a hospital. Over time, I've pondered the appropriate words, and have come up with only a few non-concrete, painfully metaphorical phrases. Agony doused in so much medicine that it's numb. Chemicals washed over blood, diluting it but not actually cleaning anything up. The violent sting of tears eating the skin of every cracked heart sitting at bedside. It's a scent so strong it burns my nose, yet I can't get away from it, because there's a comfort in every breath, a promise that I will be free of the smell soon and never have to return.

The space is heavy. In this room of others, terror seeps from every body, coating the floor with a slick oil that I avoid by hugging my knees to my chest. I'm not the only one wishing to wake up. Her mother sits in the chair to the left of mine, eyes closed, gripping a rosary like a child to their mother's hand. Her sister would appear calm, aimlessly on her phone, trying to extract any source of interest to keep her mind off the reality, if not for her nails which are nearly bitten to nubs. I've been watching her chip at them subconsciously for the whole century we've been sitting here waiting for news, waiting for someone to say that the surgery was a success, and that we can put our prayers away for another far-off day of desperation.

Momma C is at work, but Momma D is here. She has her arm around me, rubbing my shoulder, and I let my choppy breaths drain out into her warmth, curling away from the ice around us.

Eventually, our waiting comes to an end as we see the doctor step into our frozen space. We all look up, eyes glazed with hope. But what he says is not what he's supposed to say, not what would release the weight from my lungs and let me breathe freely again.

"I'm sorry," sounds his somber voice. "Kourtney's gone into a coma."

A/N: This is just the prologue, so the rest of the chapters will not be this short, but I have to say I really love this prologue. I went into full poet mode in it, and I kind of love it. I will update with the first chapter soon. I love you all! Good night!