I'm walking towards my classroom when I get a call from the hospital telling me my dad has been in an accident and they are treating him there, but that's all they said- no more details. I start pacing anxiously in the hallway, worried about my dad and not knowing what to do. I didn't bring my car and mom is stuck at work, so she can't come pick me up. I try calling Sam, but he doesn't pick up and I can't find him anywhere. I'm about to collapse from anguishment when Luke approaches me.
"Are you okay?" Luke asks worriedly.
"No," I answer quickly, tears threatening to come out.
"What's wrong?" he asks again.
"My dad has been in an accident and I don't know how I'm gonna get to the hospital. I don't have my car with me and I can't find Sam, and...." I'm unable to finish my sentence.
"Say no more, I'll take you, come on!" Luke offers to take me, taking my hand and leading me towards his car.
"Is my dad okay?" I ask desperately to the first nurse I find.
"Calm down, sweetie!! What's your father's name?" the nurse asks kindly.
"Edward. Edward Cole," I answer trembling. Luke takes my hand and squeezes it tight, trying to give me comfort and stopping my trembling.
"Your father is in room 305. He just got out of surgery," she tells me. "Come with me! I'll take you to see him."
I let go of Luke's hand and I take one look at him and I know he's telling me to go on. I follow the nurse to my dad's room.
"Thank God you're okay!" I exclaim as I run to my dad and hug him. "I was so scared." Tears start streaming down my face.
"Oh, baby, I'm fine. It was only a small car accident," my dad says.
How can he say it was a small car accident when his left eye is bandaged and his face and body is covered in bruises, and the nurse said he just got out of surgery, for Christ's sake! He has always been so positive and calm. "A small accident? Look at you!!"
"These are just some minor lacerations," he assures me. "I just had some shattered pieces of glass embedded near my left eye, that's all. The wonderful surgeon took it out, and my eye will be fine. God's looking over me."
"Thank God he is truly looking over you. I don't know what would I do without you," I tell him, tears streaming down my face like a cascade. I calm down a little and ask "how did you get into a car accident?"
"A blonde girl, just a couple years older than you in a red mustang, was speeding, I think she was street racing, and she ran the red light, and that's when she crashed into my car," he explains, lost in thought, remembering the brutal event. "She got out of the car to see if I was alive and then, she called 911 and drove off."
"Did this girl happen to be about 5'6 tall and like 140 pounds with blue eyes?" I ask him, hoping my intuition is wrong.
"Well, I was almost comatose, but yes, I think she was tall and definitely skinny," my dad answers. "Why?"
"Uhh.......Nothing!! I have to go," I tell him and kiss his forehead. "I'll be back soon, I promise."
"I don't want you missing school," my dad shouts before I'm out of the room.
"How's your dad?" Luke asks me truly concerned.
"He's covered in bruises, but overall he is fine, which is practically a miracle considering..." I answer.
"That's great," he says with a smile. "I called Jake and told him about your dad's accident, so he went to pick up your sister from daycare and left her at your mom's, he said your mom managed to get out of work early and that she has been calling you nonstop, but you haven't picked up. Jake's headed over here now."
"Thank you!" I thank him. "I have my phone in vibrate mode, I didn't feel it ring. I need to go home, can you take me?"
"Of course," he answers quickly with a smile.
"I'll call Jake from the car and let him know," I inform Luke.
Luke drops me off at home and I tell my mom all about my dad's accident. I explain to Lisa that dad will be okay and that she will be able to see him tomorrow. I take a quick bath and then, head out. I really, really hope my gut is wrong. Please God, let it be wrong! When I pull over in front of Sam's house, I see his red Mustang parked in the driveway. I'd never been to his house before, is as big as Sarah and Luke's. I walk over to his car and examine it carefully. I knew it! The front of the car is completely ruined, including the windshield. Anger pulse through my veins as I bang on the front door. A fairly young looking guy with black hair and a scarred face opens the door. I know him from somewhere, but I don't remember from where exactly.
"Howdy," the guy greets me, checking me out from head to toes. "What is a fine-ass girl like ya' doin' here?" His fake accent is familiar, and that's when it clicks me- he's the guy from the street race Sam took me to, the one Sam had a rage staring contest with.
"Marcus, who is it?" Lola asks as she walks towards the door. "What the hell? What are you doing here?"
"Where's your brother?" I ask her angrily.
"You can't be here," Lola tells me, panic written all over her face, which is a new one for her.
"Like hell, I can't! My dad's...."-I shout but get interrupted.
"What the fuck is going on?" Sam asks, heading towards the door too. I guess my shouting, isn't so subtle, but I don't give a shit; I need an explanation. "What the fuck are you doing here?" His eyes widen and his face goes pale, panic too, taking over his features when he sees me.
"I need to talk to you. You didn't answer my calls or texts," I tell him furiously.
"Oh, this is good," the Marcus guy says smirkingly.
"Shut up!" Sam tells him and then looks at me, "I've been occupied, but I was....."
"Sam, as much as I hate her, I don't want to see her dead. Take your damn girlfriend out of here." Lola tells him with a scared expression on her face. "Now!"
"Come on, I have to take you out of here," he tells me, grabbing my arm.
"No!" I exclaim firmly, yanking my arm away from his grip. "You need to listen."
"Not now, please..." he begs desperately. "You can't be here. Let's just go talk somewhere else."
"Are you deaf? Do you have a death wish? Solve your boyfriend drama later," Lola yells at me, then, turns to her brother, "take her away now."
He grabs my arm again, but it's already too late.
"What's with all this shouting?" a fit, big, tanned, bearded man with brown hair asks as he stands by the door next to Lola and Marcus. When he sees me, his expression softens and his lips curve into a smile. "Hello."
"Uhh..... Hi." I greet him.
"Dad, we were just leaving," Sam tells his father nervously. Sam's dad, huh? Not the way I imagined meeting him.
"Don't be silly" Sam's dad tells him. "Your friends are always welcomed and I would really like to meet such nice friends like this lovely girl right here... and besides we still haven't solved our little problem, so you can't go yet."
"She's actually his girlfriend," Marcus clarifies. Sam shoots him a death glare.
"Girlfriend? Why didn't you tell me you have such a beautiful girlfriend?" he asks Sam.
"You never asked," Sam simply responds.
"My name's Samuel. Lovely to meet you," Sam's dad says with a smile.
"I'm Amanda," I reply kindly. I feel Sam's body tense as I shake his father's hand.
"We haven't eaten yet, you're welcomed to join us," he offers kindly.
"Dad, it's late. She has to go home," Sam tells him. I got a feeling he's not eager for me to get to know his dad.
"Nonsense, she will eat with us and after that, you can take her home," Samuel says and Sam just lowers his head. We head in. I'm not going anywhere until I clear things out with Sam. "Sam, show her around while dinner's ready."
Sam leads me up the stairs, not saying anything. When I'm about to ask him about my dad's accident, Lola suddenly grabs me and pulls me to the inside of her bedroom. She whispers something to Sam before shutting the door. Her bedroom is twice the size of mine.
"Listen," Lola starts talking. "You're gonna walk past the guards like everything's fine, and when we get to Sam's room, you will climb down as fast as you can from his room's window and drive away. Never in your crappy life come here again or I will kill you myself, understood?"
"Why are you all acting like this?" I ask her, confused by all their sudden worried for my well being. "I'm not going anywhere until I talk with your brother."
"You can talk to him at school, now come," she leads me towards Sam's room.
We walk past the guards and I open Sam's bedroom door; Lola shuts it behind me. There is a girl crying in Sam's arms. When Sam hears the door shuts, he turns to look at us and I get a glimpse at the girl's face. "YOU!" I shout furiously. "You're gonna wish you were dead." I walk up to the girl and punch her in the face. She will need a doctor when I'm through with her.