Chapter Three
..:Rachel:..
I pushed the blankets away and crawled out of bed disgusted by Aaron sprawled out, hogging most of the covers. I couldn’t help but laugh at the expression he had when he slept. It was somewhere between a smirk and a frown but his mouth was hanging open. It was hilarious, yet very yummy at the same time. Remembering yesterday and him throwing the pillow at my face, I grabbed a pillow off the floor and threw it towards him with as much force as I could muster.
“What the—” he stammered as he shot up, the blankets falling off his torso exposing his chest.
Morning sunshine,” I chuckle skipping off, grabbing my toothbrush out of my backpack and walking to the bathroom. I didn't really want to use the bathroom because it was disgusting, but I had no other option at the moment. We were on the run away from our old lives. We needed a fresh start somewhere we could live on our own, happy and together. My heart leapt at the thought of living together, a happy little family. Of course, that couldn't happen because Aaron didn't think of me the way I thought of him.
“It’s not even sunny outside yet,” he grumbled looking over at the clock. I peeked out of the door with my toothbrush still in my mouth to see what he was complaining about. I couldn't help that I wanted to get out of this place as early as I could. As soon as I saw the pillow being flung back towards me, I jumped out of the way as it smashed into a crappy picture hanging on the wall.
“Oops, oh well. It actually looks better than that ugly ass picture,” I said going back to the bathroom to finish getting ready. My blonde hair was all over the place as I desperately tried to flatten the loose curls that fell just past my shoulders. It was no use. My bed head was out of control and we didn’t have enough time for us to both get ready.
My heart went out to Mrs. Jameson for putting up with Aaron and I for so long, but I had no remorse for leaving the way we did. I couldn't stand it if I were to be separated from Aaron. My whole life, he was there. He was my rock.
“Earth to Rachel,” Aaron shoved me against the bathroom vanity. I had been running the toothbrush over my teeth in small circles for more than two minutes. I had been too lost in my day dream to realize he was peeing while I was standing right next to him!
“Gah, could you be any grosser?” I complained putting my hand up to shield my delicate eyes from his immaturity.
“Oh, you know you love me,” he taunted as he walked out of the bathroom, breathing lightly against the back of my neck, causing goose bumps to rise all over my skin.
“As if,” I scoffed dropping the toothbrush from my hand. I focused on slowing the beating of my heart while he packed the rest of our stuff back into the backpacks. I couldn't help but drool at the way he flaunted his body. I caught myself staring as he pulled his shirt over his head. It wasn't like I hadn't seen him almost naked, he sure had seen me full out nude, but I couldn't help but stop and stare. Get it together Rachel! I chided myself.
I had to slam the door close in order to finish getting ready. I heard him say some comment about me not being able to focus when he was in the room. I rolled my eyes and started picking up our belongings from the bathroom.
One of the perks of staying in a hotel was the free continental breakfast. I dug into my food. Surprisingly, it was amazing. The bacon was cooked just right and Aaron had made me an omelet with ham and cheese in it. I must say, I was impressed. He made seemingly good food.
We gave the room key back to the attendant at the desk and left, our stomachs as full as we could get them. We didn't know when our next meal would be so we might as well of made use of the free food. My mind soon started to drift to where we would go, what we would do to survive, how would we afford to sleep and eat. I didn't want to be homeless forever.
“Are you okay?” he asked, breaking me from my daydream.
“Yea, I am fine. I think I just ate too much,” I quickly lied patting my stomach for added effect. He seemed to accept my lies. I chuckled on the inside.
The sun wasn’t quite up yet when we first started walking therefore; it was still a bit cold. I squeezed my arms around my shoulders to keep warm.
Aaron was the one who broke the silence I was content having.
“Why so feisty in bed last night Rachel? I mean I'm sure you enjoyed every bit of being in bed with me,” he said jokingly. We slept together in the same bed on several occasions, why was he teasing me about last night? Was it going to be different now we were on our own without any adults to see us or tell us that we can’t do what every teenager does?
I was sure he could see me blush, thinking about doing inappropriate things to him. He wouldn't leave it alone and I started to get flustered with him. I knew he wouldn't want me the way I needed him, so I practically begged him to drop the subject. When he wouldn’t, I decided to shove him into the wall. It didn't work out like planned. He shoved me, not purposefully as hard as he did, but since I was on the outside of the sidewalk, I stumbled into the street.
Before I could catch my balance and move out of the street, the headlights blinded me and I couldn’t help but scream.
It was all too familiar. Visions of that crash that killed my parents flashed into my head. Time felt as if it stood still. The tires squealed but the car didn’t slow down. I clamped my eyes shut not wanting to see my inevitable fate. The driver was going fifty or sixty miles per hour. No way would I make it.
I was knocked out of the way by a hard blow to my body. Before I could realize whom my savior was, I heard it. The thud and crack of a windshield as a body hit it echoed through the air.
“Watch where you going,” screamed the taxi driver not slowing down to help or see if whoever knocked me out of the way was okay. As I regained my composure I stood up making sure I hadn’t broken anything. After a quick check, everything seemed okay as I turned around to yell at Aaron for almost killing me.
To my horror, Aaron was lying in a discombobulated lump in the middle of the street. He had pushed me out of the way of the oncoming car. It was his body slamming into the hood of the taxi that I heard, he had risked himself to save me. My heart fell to my feet. Aaron had saved me, but he was the one who was hurt. For a second I wanted it to be me lying there. How come he did that?
“Oh, Aaron,” I screamed as I ran over to him. “Aaron, come on you have to be alive. Please Aaron, don’t be dead!” I started to sob pulling him up to me trying to wake him up. I shook his body but he was unresponsive. I couldn’t lose him I couldn’t live without him.
Over the last twelve years, he had been there for me. No way was I going to let him die on me now.
When I became a woman, he was there to buy me whatI needed. After I had my first crush, he taught me how to flirt. I slumped down next to him and a crowd was gathering but no one was doing anything.
“Someone help me!” I screamed, pulling Aaron tightly to my body. I wanted it to be me. I wanted to die. I couldn't live without him.
An older looking woman, looking to be in her 60's about stood beside me trying to ask me what was wrong, but it was a wonder she even understood what I was saying. I could understand only mumbling and sobs.
“He pushed me onto the street…a car was going to hit me…he pushed me out of the way,” I managed to say through sobs. “He's all I've got!”
“Let’s get you out of the street,” she said pulling out her cell phone and calling 911. She put her other arm around my waist and helped me too my feet. I didn’t want to leave him but she insisted.
“Thank you, I don’t have a phone,” I said wiping my tears. I may have hated Aaron at times, but he’s was like the brother I never had. I felt as if he were more than a brother. He was my everything, the person of my fantasies, and my best friend.
Our lives together flashed before my eyes as they put him onto the gurney, everything we had been through, every foster care, relationship, school change, everything seemed so far away now.
The wails of the sirens stuck with me bringing back terrific images. I couldn’t walk nor talk and my legs felt like jelly beneath me. I collapsed on the sidewalk as the paramedic walked over and asked if I were okay. I nodded through my hysteria and she told him to check me out because I smashed into the ground pretty hard. I shook my head that I was fine. I just needed my Aaron!
The elderly woman who had called the ambulance sat with me, comforting me. The small circles she was rubbing on my back allowed me to slow my heart rate but the tears kept streaming from my eyes.
When they whisked him away to the hospital, the old woman was very friendly and offered to drive me to the hospital.
“Darling, do you need to call your parents?” she asked and I didn’t know what to tell her.
“We don’t have parents. We are in foster care. We have nowhere else to go.” Her big eyes and silver hair made me want to give her a hug. We drove to the hospital in silence, mostly because my mind was racing over what I would do about Aaron. I couldn’t lose him.
As I began to cry again, she pulled into the hospital driveway. The ambulance was already unloaded and I hurried to emergency to be with Aaron. I rushed through the doors and immediately to the front desk.
“I’m here with Aaron Michaels. I need to know if he is okay,” I told her out of breath.
“I am sorry but no one but his parents can be with him. He is in intensive care.” My heart plummeted.
“But—” she cut me off with her hand. I was going to slap her if she didn’t let me see him.
“I’m sorry, no one but family allowed,” she stood up and walked away. The old woman walked over to the desk.
“Excuse me; I am Aaron Michaels’ grandmother. I would like an update on him!” she demanded slamming her fist on the desk. Sure enough, the clerk reluctantly began to tell her what was wrong with him. Everything went mute as she explained that he had a severe concussion and internal bleeding which made him fall unconscious. He didn’t have any broken bones but his wrist was strained from pushing me. Go figure he didn’t get hurt by the car as much as pushing me out of the way.
The doctor said he could be out for as long as it took his body to wake itself up. He said no longer than a week or two. My eyes bugged out of my head. A week or two? I couldn’t wait that long to know if he was all right. I couldn’t go anywhere without him. I didn’t have enough money to pay for the bills.
A smile spread as she ushered us into the ICU room. He looked like shit in all honesty but he was alive.
“Darling would you like me to stay with you?” asked the old woman.
“Yes please,” I replied slinking into the chair directly next to his bed.
She walked over to him and ran her fingers along his forehead.
“What a good guy you have here looking over you,” she told me pulling his sheet up some more.
“I know that. I’m Rachel by the way. Thank you so much for doing this.” I didn’t know what I could do to repay her but I was willing to try.
“No problem. Did you say you had nowhere else to go?” she asked. Great, she was going to send me back to foster care. I gulped and shook my head in agreement.
“Well, I have a whole cottage to myself. You can stay there. It’s the least you can do until your friend here is better.” My eyes lit up.
She was going to let me stay at her house?
She didn’t even know me.
Would she change her mind when she found out why we had ran away?
Would she judge us like all the rest of them?
“Thank you, miss,” I replied.
“You can call me Gran,” she said walking over and hugging me. Usually I would pull away, but it felt so nice to be held at a time like this. I hugged her back.
“Thank you Gran,” I smiled looking down and grabbing Aaron’s good hand, squeezing it lightly.