~~~Selena's POV~~~
It's been several weeks since the accident, James still hasn't filled me in on what happened and my mother refuses to talk about it, so I'm guessing it must be pretty bad for everyone to just muster up the courage to conveniently forget about whatever happened. My doctor. Yes the hot one, has had several checkups with me in the past couple of weeks making sure I'm recovering and everything is healing like it's supposed to, so far everything is going good and no I haven't thrown myself down any stairs or accidentally fell out a window to wind up seeing him again, turns out he became my regular doctor for my injuries so now when I schedule a new appointment at the hospital I come in to see him unless for some reason he is away then it goes to someone else who is good in that specific field, since he's the closest doctor in the area that deals with my type of injuries my mother forces me to go to him, I actually understand I wouldn't travel over 200 miles out of my way just to go see another doctor in the same profession when the one here has the same degrees the other one does.
On the downside I haven't been able to remember the accident, I have dreamed of just seconds before the car hit me I can see the flash of lights and hear the honking of a horn but then I always wake up. It's rather odd in my opinion I should be able to remember but my doctor carries on about how it's a ongoing process into recovery and blah blah blah I really don't hear a word he says after recovery, I'm usually too busy gawking at his eccentric features.
My doctor was a little concerned about my flashback the other day, I was carrying dishes from the dishwasher and putting them into the cabinets since they were clean then I heard a horn honk and I flashed back to the accident, all I could see was headlights and the sound of the dish I was holding breaking on the ground snapped me out of it my mother came rushing to the kitchen immediately, I reluctantly told her what happened and as I had predicted she called my doctor and scheduled me an appointment for that same day, just a couple of hours later and I was being drove to the doctors again I tried to talk my mom out of it but she was persistent on making sure everything was okay. And that's exactly the reason I didn't want to tell her what had happened.
Upon arriving at the doctors office Dr. Sanders my doctor was out of town that day so they had another doctor give me a check up, he shined a flashlight in my eyes on more than one occasion; actually as soon as I told him what happened he whipped out his flashlight and shined it in my eyes so fast I almost got whiplash, I had half a mind to grab his flashlight and shine it in his eyes because even after he had finished my checkup and was telling my mother what had happened, he still had his flashlight on and talking with it waving around and he was waving it in my general direction, he finally realized what he was doing and blushed a bright shade of tomato red then turned the flashlight off and stuck it back into his pocket. He said and I quote "You could have post traumatic stress it sure seems like it." Then he mumbled something about a concussion and a few other things that it could be making me face-palm myself because clearly he didn't know exactly what it was, then a few minutes later he wrote it off as just a phase I could be going through because of the accident, I frowned and walked out of the room not wanting to hear what my substitute doctor had to say.
I get my stupid leg cast off tomorrow so I wont have to walk on these god forsaken crutches, how the heck do people walk with these! I get it taken off after school thankfully. The first time I actually tried without the help of James carrying me without even giving me a chance, I fell over more than twenty times before I ended up walking more than one step with the crutches, I even threw them down once out of anger and attempted to just limp to my destination a few days after I got signed out of the hospital I had to go back and I hopped in until the nurse lectured me for twenty minutes maybe more about how I could damage the nerves in my foot or something like that she kept changing the subject so it seemed to me like she way lying. By the end of the first week I had tried crawling without crutches of course, limping, hopping, wheel-charing myself around which resulted in me almost falling down a flight of stairs further damaging myself, just about everything I could think of I have tried to get me away from these accident prone crutches, James teases me and takes and moves them when he doesn't get his way like the other day he wanted a slice of my pizza and I refused and he got up with my crutches saying "I guess you aren't going to be going into the house anytime soon" I lasted a good hour until I gave up and gave him my last piece of pizza. That little shit blackmailed me...
My days have consisted of staying in bed catching up on my seasons that I've been too busy or too tired to actually watch, I've finally gotten caught up with The Vampire Diaries, Into The Badlands, and Empire. Everything else is making me wait until next year which my other shows don't air until either February or during or at the end of my summer. I couldn't bare the thought of having to wait so long, and the messed up part is most of the series i'm into left on a cliffhanger so I wont know whether my favorite person in the series dies or if they finally confess their feelings for each other.
James comes over several times a week this is my last week at school until we take our final exams in each class which is on Friday, and the teachers try to cram several different things into our heads before we go off for Christmas break. I should have my facd buried into my math book right now but instead I'm reading John Greens book Paper Towns. Today is only Wednesday and I'm confident that I can get caught up in the work I need to turn in for math class before break on Friday. We only have a half day and I might not even go. It's currently 5:36 and I'm bored out of my mind, I picked up the book I was reading and got temporarily lost in the lives of Quentin Jacobsen and Margo Roth, I unfolded the mark I had put on the page because I was too lazy to go find a slip of paper and use it as a bookmark.
I suddenly smelt the intoxicating smell of smoke, I looked at my page and realized I wasn't reading anything that had fire in it panicking I folded the page I was currently reading, threw the book behind me somewhere and began frantically running through the house making sure nothing was on fire. After checking nearly every room I walked back into my room, cautiously picked up my book, glanced around the room in a 260 angle not even bothering to look fully around my room and got lost once again in the world of my book which was Quentin and Margo. A cold breeze blew through my room making me shudder from the sudden drop in temperature, I picked up the remote to my little heater and pressed the on button and then kicked it up to a toasty 73 degrees. I continued reading my book then the sudden realization dawned on me, I literally should've punched myself for how foolish I was being! I once again marked my page, sat my book down, then got up from the comfort of my slightly warm bed.
Turning around to face my balcony doors I noticed they were not only unlocked but also open to reveal the chilly December air and the now visible to see bare trees naked because of the loss of the leaves. Well, thankfully it wasn't snowing. I walked towards my balcony doors, and reached my hand out to close them but a masculine baritone voice stopped me.
"It took you long enough to figure it out," I jumped back a bit then peered out onto the balcony to find my annoying best friend and to my disadvantage neighbor James smoking a cigarette on my balcony with a smirk plastered on his face.
I counted to ten in my mind before I managed to reply. But apparently not even counting to ten was long enough for me not to throw a bit of a tantrum. I should've counted to a higher number like twenty, maybe one hundred, or a million because that's long enough for me not to throw his ass over the balcony for scaring the living daylights out of me not once, not twice, but three times! Three freaking times!!
Frowning I shouted "what in sam hell are you doing on my balcony at my house smoking a cigarette at night time?" the rant went on and his eyes got a little bigger, probably out of boredom from listening to my long ass rant. I eventually stopped my rant, huffed out a breath and frowned at him.
He took a puff of his cancer stick, blew out the smoke towards my direction then replied "I wanted to stop by," I shot him a glare.
"You seen me at school less than six hours ago, and it you wanted to stop by and say hi you could've at least picked the humane way of doing it and ringing the damn doorbell instead of climbing all the way up here, scaring me three times while you were here including making me thing the house was on fire because of your death stick. Frankly, I should throw you over the banister right now just to save myself the trouble of further yelling at you." I snapped.
"You should, but you wont" he replied cooly.
"Your right," I smirked
"See you do love me!" He exclaimed before pulling me into a hug, holding out his cigarette away from me so he didn't catch my hair on fire.
I laughed "No it's because I'd like to get some sleep tonight, If i threw you off here you'd land on the pavement down there and cause a mess. You'd either die or be severely injured and I'd rather sleep then have to hear ambulance and police sirens plus lights shining through my window all while they were scraping you off the pavement." I smiled and he frowned.
I then pointed at his cigarette and frowned. "Want a hit?" He asked smiling and raising up his eyebrows in a suggestive manor. After him pushing and pressuring me to take a hit I decided to. Worst mistake ever!
He outstretched his left hand with the lit cigarette between his index and middle finger, I reluctantly took it out of his grasp, put it to my lips and inhaled. I choked on the smoke which I accidentally swallowed. Gasped for air. Wheezed. Searched for my water. Gave up and considered vomiting. Headed to the banister, threw my head over and coughed some more deathly sounding coughs. All the while James was rolling on the balcony laughing his ass off. Pissed off I clutched the cigarette in my hand, put it out on the banister, crushed it a bit, turned to stare at James' confused face then flicked it over my shoulder with a smirk plastered on my face.
His mouth dropped at my action, and he got up from the floor and rushed over to the banister to try and find his lost cigarette. When he turned back around the look on his face was priceless, he was frowning and sending me death glares he mumbled what I'm pretty sure was death threats under his breath. I chuckled a little bit at all of it. He'd probably try to tickle me to death if it weren't for me still having my cast and him being afraid of hurting me.
He leaned against the banister and looked out at the stars, it was close to being a full moon and it looked eerie outside, like something out of a vampire or werewolf movie, fog was creeping in on the ground and the clouds were clouding around the moon. The trees were barely visible in the moonlight, you could only see them when the wind blew and the branches swayed causing the branches to look like nothing but a creepy shadow. I loved it! I stood there mesmerized by the beauty of the night. James turned towards me after he broke his gaze away from the scenery.
"I'm going to take you to see my dad after you get your cast taken off." He said, glancing my way to see my reaction.
"Why would you do that?" I questioned.
"So he can meet my best friend, he's convinced I still run with my old crowd." He replied with a half hearted shrug as if he was brushing the thought of his old friends off his shoulders. I didn't know what happened with him and his old friends, I had always seen them hanging out at lunch during school before he got sent off. I guess they went their separate ways. I never learned why though.
"Okay, If it makes you happy I will come with you but not the day I get my cast taken off I'd like to finish reading my books before you drag me off on another adventure." I smiled thinking of all the crazy things we've been thought, it's crazy to think about it now; it seemed like forever ago.
He didn't reply to that he just chuckled which earned him a questionable glance from me. "What are you laughing at?" I asked knowing it's probably something stupid or perverted knowing him, needless to say I'd probably regret asking but hey curiosity killed the cat.
"It's funny just a few minutes ago you were threatening to throw me off the balcony and end my life and now we're being calm glancing out at the stars and acting like we use to." He sent me a smile which curved up from the left side of his face it was a smile that almost reached his eyes.
"I wouldn't be too sure I might still be plotting your death" I joked sending him a slight punch in the arm.
"Nah you love me too much," He stuck his tongue out at me like a kid in a grocery store when you make faces at them.
"More like love my driveway being it's normal color and not blood stained," I mumbled, looking over at him to see if he heard me my assumption was correct when he huffed and stuck his nose up to the sky like the snooty stuck up preps that go to our school, that's exactly how they act. I giggled a little at the sight of him attempting to look stuck up.
"Hey Selena will you-" His question was cut off by the knock on my door, my mom entered holding her hand against the phone so whoever was on the other line couldn't hear us talking.
"Their calling here again." My mom whispered to me, James shot me a questionable look as if to say who? I turned back around to him and held up my index finger to symbolize that I needed a minute alone, he nodded seeming to understand, I took the phone from my moms hands and left her in my room with James. I stepped out into the hallway and down the steps out of ear range hopping on one crutch the whole way.
"Hello?" I spoke into the phone. There was no reply, I spoke again into the phone a little louder there was the sound of static and then the clicking sound signaling the line went dead and either they hung up or lost service. I stared down at the phone and hit redial, calling the number back.
"Message mab-42 the number you have dialed is no longer in service, if you feel you have reached this message in error please check the the number and dial again."
"That's weird" I mumbled to myself clearing the number from the screen and heading back upstairs. I didn't even get but three steps before the phone rang again.
"Hello?" I answered, again no answer. I looked at the number and noticed this time it was from a blocked number.
"Who the he-" I was cut off by the sound of the other line hanging up on me once again. Now I was getting furious. I left the phone on the table next to me and waited, sure enough just a few minutes later it rang again, before I picked it up I checked and it did say unknown caller like it had said just a few minutes before. I immediately pressed the answer button then before the other line even had a chance to breathe I told them what for.
"Before you hang up listen really close, I will not answer the phone again for your pathetic attempts to what scare me? Whatever it is you have to say you better speak now because in a few seconds I'm hanging up and not picking up the phone from this number anymore, neither is my mom. So who is this and why the hell are you so persistent on calling me repeatedly, saying nothing then hanging up?" I was seething, I knew eventually someone would come looking for me as to why it had taken me so long on the phone. There was a huff of defeat on the other line and I smiled in satisfaction thinking I had won the little war that was randomly starting, I suspected a prank call from someone at school but little did I know how wrong I really was. Whoever it was mumbled something then hung up, they tried calling the house phone again repeatedly but I didn't answer it, I placed the phone on the table in the living room and went back upstairs to my room.
I walked to mom and tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention she turned around with a concerned look on her face, "If a blocked number or that number that called me a few minutes ago calls again don't answer the phone just let them leave a message." She didn't ask any questions she just gave me a questionable look, told me okay then she told James she'd talk to him later and that it was nice seeing him then she walked downstairs.
"What was that about?" James asked me crossing his arms.
"It was just some prank call from some bored teenagers, it's nothing." I replied with a smile hoping to not only convince him but to also convince myself, my stomach was in knots every time I heard the phone ring downstairs I had a bad feeling about this, but hopefully I'm wrong about it and it's actually nothing to worry about.
The rest of my day consisted of avoiding the phone and questionable glances from mom I knew she was suspicious as to why I was getting these random calls that I wouldn't answer honestly I wish I knew the reason behind it too, James insisted on staying a little while longer he is currently bringing me a box of tissues from downstairs, turns out the book I started reading ended up being sad so now I'm perched over the box crying my eyes out because the main character died, the main character which oh so happens to be the one her best friend is in love with. The rest of the book contained trying to figure out how exactly she died and the friend was blaming himself. I marked my place in the book and sat it down on my bookshelf which has so many books I'd be a graduate from college by the time I finished them all.
Every month my mom decides to buy me a few more books to add to my collection she finds them at this place down town called Ollie's which is a great deal a book that would cost you twenty dollars originally costs you four tops on certain books at Ollie's and books I have wanted but she can't find there she goes to books a million which is a book store with tons of best seller books and those which are less popular.
I headed downstairs searching for James because he's been gone for a while and found him asleep on the couch it was almost midnight and I have to get my cast off tomorrow. I grabbed the fluffy wolf blanket we keep downstairs for guests and laid it on him so he wouldn't get cold. Then I walked into the kitchen to find mom flooded in paperwork, where she's a lawyer she doesn't get many hours that she's not on a case of one of her clients. She also helps out her friend with his cases even though she's not really supposed to she does it anyway, they would make a great team if she'd ever go into the force.
"What case are you working on now?" I asked, pulling up a chair to the kitchen table and glancing over sea of paperwork that just so happened to be scattered across the table.
"Well remember Mr. lancaster he's with the FBI?"
"Of course I remember him he's the one who's done all the drug busts in the past couple of months what about him?" I asked getting up to get a cup of hot chocolate.
"Well he's noticed some more gang activity downtown a bunch of shootouts nobody has been seriously hurt yet just a few injured and those who are injured aren't talking about it, they're writing it off as a freak accident they were just in the 'wrong place at the wrong time' and of course all he can do is search for eye witnesses and talk to each of them to try to get more information, after that's done he's always at a dead end."
"So what does this have to do with you mom?"
"He's having me write out all the crimes that's been committed so far," She said jotting down on a piece of notebook paper. "I already have breaking and entering, soliciting drugs to minors, attempted murder, malicious wounding, and several others and nobody has caught them yet, Lancaster has informed me that when he brings the culprits to justice I will be going against Mr. Blackwall the high society lawyer who's been rumored to be dirty."
Mr. Blackwall has been rumored to take more than the amount he's supposed to get for representing his clients not only does he seem to represent a lot of gang members and drug dealers but he's been accused of taking drugs from them but it has never been proved, mom has been stressed out in trying to help her friend with the case he's working on and also reading up on the crimes they've committed so far. But no witness will talk they all say they haven't seen anything, which a lot of people are finding it hard to believe.
"Tell your friend to get ahold of that big shot detective you talk to all the time and check the cameras in the surrounding area." I grabbed a map she had laid out from her friends case and highlighted the areas that had a bunch of camera views from various angles. With luck she'll help catch whoever is causing all the trouble.
I finished my cup of hot chocolate then told mom if she was still here she had to wake James up around the time her alarm goes off so he could go home and get ready for school, then I headed upstairs. I put my crutches on the left side of the bed and set my alarm. I was going to miss a class or two at school maybe even the whole day it just depends what they want me to do, It wouldn't be too hard to make up christmas break is just around the corner for us.
I hobbled my way into the bathroom and put my hair up in a bun then placed my plastic bag I have to use while I'm in the shower on my leg so my cast doesn't get wet. Then I walked into my bedroom, set my alarm turned out the light and crawled into bed. Before I fell asleep I heard the phone ringing and my mom muttering obscenities then clicking the ignore button. The queasy feeling in my stomach still hadn't settled by the time I fell asleep. Little did I know things were going to start changing, if only I knew then what I know now.
~~~~Author's Note~~~~
Whew that was a long chapter over 4,000 words. I hope to write a long chapter from now on in the rest of the book :)