Chapter 1
The accident happened a year ago today, on June 7, 2016 my father got in the crash. Today, the sun is shining and it glimmers off the dewy grass, not matching my mood whatsoever. I wake up as usual and stick to the routine, brush my knotted brown hair, pick out my clothes at the last minute, and wait for the phone call. The one telling me that my father has finally woken up, but deep down knowing that day may never come. Lost in my thoughts I barely hear the phone ring. When I rush to pick it up I hear my best friend Leah on the other end. "Lou, are you coming? I've been waiting for you for ten minutes now, we're going to miss the bus!" She says. As always, Leah's keeping me on track. She's the friend everyone sees as perfect. Perfect blonde hair, perfect family, perfect life. I'm the one people hardly see at all. Brown hair, brown eyes and nose usually buried in a book. It's okay though because we balance each other out. "Sorry, I'm on my way right now." I say, sticking a waffle in my mouth. I spot her at the bus stop talking to some guy, which isn't unusual for her. She's had plenty of dates and could have anyone she wants. I on the other hand, am 17 and have only ever gotten close to a first kiss. It ended up going haywire and I was left alone on the park bench. Boys. "Lou, hellooo!!! Are you in there?" Leah says tapping me in the forehead. "Oh sorry, what?" I reply, still thinking about how embarrassing that was. "I was asking if you made up your mind on whether or not your going to the dance?" Leah asked me in a pleading tone. "The dance? The one that's in three months? Why are you even thinking about that, it's so far away." I answer. "Because. We need to find you a date! Duh." Leah says, like it will be sooo easy. "Haha, you're funny. I doubt a guys going to want to go with me." I said. It's not necessarily because of my looks, it's just been hard for me after my dads accident and all, to open up to people. I've sort of shut out the world but I'm lucky to have Leah there for me. Again as I'm standing there thinking about all sorts of things, I hear a horn being honked and then I'm in someone's arms.
Chapter 2
Before I know it I'm looking at a guy, probably 6ft tall holding on to me. He has brown hair and blue eyes that look amazing in the sun. Not that I was paying attention, but he's definitely muscular and we'll leave it at that. "You okay there?" I realize he's talking to me. "Uh, yeah I'm fine, just didn't see that car coming." I reply. Wow that made me sound blind. How smooth am I, right? "Are you sure" he says, "do you need to sit down?" At that moment I realize I have tears in my eyes. It must have been because I was thinking about what happened to my dad. Crap. "No, really I'm fine. Thank you." I say, wiping the tears from my eyes. "I'm Will." He says with a slight smile. "Nice to meet you, I'm Lou." Right then I realize I'm still in his arms. My face turning bright red must make him realize too, because he lets me go. "Well, I should go. Thanks again, see you around." I tell him. "Yeah, no problem, I'll save your life anytime. See you around." He replies with a small grin. Then I'm getting pulled onto the bus by Leah.
Chapter 3
"Okay, spill. Who was that!" She says excitedly as she's hitting my arm. "What do you mean?" I reply playing dumb. "That guy you were talking to. You know, the one who totally liked you?" Leah answers like it was extremely obvious, not. "Oh my gosh Leah! He did not and he just pulled me out of the way from a car." I say getting slightly annoyed with all her questions. "You say that like it's no big deal. That could have gone really badly, but it's also super romantic!" Leah responds showing the concern in her voice. "Ok, lets change the subject." I tell her, hoping she will understand. "Ok," she says, "how's your dad doing?" "Never mind. How about we just don't talk for awhile?" I ask. That's the thing about Leah. She understands that I sometimes just want to think, which is one of the reasons we're such good friends. For the rest of the bus ride we're silent. Leah texts away and I think about Will. After going to my locker and getting my stuff, I head to my AP History class. There sitting right behind my spot is, you guessed it, Will. Aren't I so lucky? Not. Out of all the people. Awkwardly I take my seat and don't say a word. Class starts and the teacher lectures us on the Civil War, which I already know all about. So as usual I zone out. When I'm thinking about my dad, a small piece of paper appears on my desk. I open it up. -Hi Lou- I turn around to find Will grinning. He remembered my name? I write back, -Hi Will-. Then toss the note back. A couple seconds later it reappears. -Is this boring or what?- He writes. -Ya think? So you're new?- I reply and toss the note back. The note comes back again.
-Yup- He responds. Ok then. Pretty blunt answer. That's the end of note writing for me. The bell rings and I hurry out of class embarrassed. Before anyone talks to me I rush to the bathroom. Just another day in Paradise.
Chapter 4
After staying in the bathroom for a good ten minutes, I head back out to my locker. When I get there I realize a set of numbers on the outside. -920-286-4378- Okay, weird right? I quickly gather my things and stuff the note in my pocket. As the day goes on I can't stop thinking about the note. Finally, the last bell rings. I haven't seen Will at all after AP History so we either have no other classes together or he's avoiding me. Probably the second one. I decide I'd rather walk home instead of taking the bus and possibly running into him, because, well we know how that would go. When I get to my small, pale, yellow house the sadness of missing my dad returns. It wasn't always like this. We used to live in a really nice place until the accident and my dad could no longer work. My mom had to take up three jobs so I hardly ever see her anymore. When I glance up I see moving trucks down the road. I can't believe someone actually bought the Rockefeller's house! That thing needs a lot of work. The windows are broken and the faded gray paint is pealing off. I've never been inside but I doubt it's anything pretty. I take one last glance and head inside.
Chapter 5
I go up to my room and plop everything down in the corner. I have nothing to do tonight because Leah went on a date with some random guy which leaves me alone. I contemplate whether or not I should text the number, I decide, why not? -Who is this?- Lou. A couple seconds later I get a response. -Wow, I'm surprised you don't remember me.- W. I read the text twice when it finally clicks. Could it be? No, Will? I text back -Will?-. If it isn't him this is going to be embarrassing! Another response comes in. -You guessed it. Where were you after class?- W. Crap, I can't say I was going to the bathroom. Umm. I reply, -I had to get to my next class early.- That sounds good, short and sweet. -Oh ok, I was hoping I could talk to you more.- W. He wanted to talk to me more? Where is Leah when I need her!
-Oh, well there's always tomorrow.- I responded. Does that sound desperate? Oh well. I hit send. I wait and nothing comes through. Oh. My. Gosh. This is why I have only like one friend! Well I tried. I throw my phone down and doze off. When I wake up it's 12:30 at night. I check my phone and there's still zero texts. Whoo Hoo. There is a missed call though and it's from the hospital.
Chapter 6
I call back the number right away. "Hello, this is Lou Elle, I was recently contacted and was wondering if everything was ok?" I ask. "Ah yes. Lou we were calling to inform you about your father, David. His heart rate dropped dramatically earlier but he's stable now. Maybe you would like to come see him?" Said the person on the other line, but I was already out the door. I climbed into my red Jetta and sped there, not even taking time to park and rush inside. I hear someone telling me where the room is, but he's been in the hospital so long, I know it by heart. I could walk this place blindfolded. As I'm rushing into my fathers room I swear I see Will, but it can't be him, he's new and I would've seen him here before. As I enter my dads room I see him lying on the grungy bed. There's still multiple tubes coming from his arms, head, and chest and he looks even more pale than when I last saw him. "Hi dad." I say. Even though he can't talk to me, I still believe that he is listening. "So I met this boy at school but I kinda blew it. His name is Will but he hasn't talked to me very much, so I think he's out of the picture." When I talk to him, I act like nothing happened to help make things a little more normal. We were really close. I sit with him for another hour before leaving. My eyes are bloodshot from all the crying and I'm extremely tired. I head home, close my eyes and almost immediately fall asleep.
Chapter 7
The next morning I wake up around noon. I end up missing school but don't even care, I feel like doing nothing today. I take a long shower and brush my teeth. Then throw on a clean pair of sweats and a T-Shirt before heading down stairs. I plop down on the couch and eat my cereal when the doorbell rings. When I go to answer it theirs a man standing outside holding what looks like cookies. "Hi, I'm Lou." I say. "Hi. We're your new neighbors from just down the road. I'm Steven and this is my son William." He replies. You've got to be kidding me. Sure enough, Will is standing there with wide eyes, which like mine, are also bloodshot. I'm so happy I have on my ducky sweats! Not. "We've met." I respond embarrassed and wanting to crawl under a rock. "Oh, that's great! Maybe you could show Will around the neighborhood sometime. The move has been hard for him." David responds with a sad look in his eyes. "Ummm, sure, I guess." I tell him, secretly jumping for joy. "Well we better be going. Oh I almost forgot, these are for you." Will's dad said as he hands me a plate of cookies. "Thank you, they look delicious!" I reply, even though they look slightly burnt. "Bye!" I end the conversation a little too enthusiastically. David waves but Will doesn't even turn around. Whatever, I can be that way too.
Chapter 8
I spend most of the day watching The Simpsons marathon and doze off here and there. I have multiple texts from Leah, but I don't feel like talking today. I'll explain everything tomorrow. Finally at eleven at night I drag myself up the stairs to my room. After awhile I can't fall asleep so I crawl out onto the roof outside my window. I love it there. It's the place I go to think about the good things, like what my life was like before, well, you know. I had lots of friends, Kim, Andy, Kylie, Nicole, and of course Leah. After my dad got in the crash they didn't know how to treat me and faded away. Leah stood by my side though. She helped me realize all the good things I did have. First of all a great best friend, a family who loved me no matter what, and a roof over my head. We used to talk about all that on my little slice of paradise, but haven't in quite awhile. I must doze off because I wake up to sun in my eyes. When I check my phone I see the time is 5:48 in the morning, time to get ready for school. As soon as I step out the door I see Leah on my front step. "Hi, I figured something was up since you weren't answering my texts sooo, talk." She said. "It was my dad. His heart rate dropped last night but he's stable now. I went to go see him. I just wasn't in the mood to talk." I respond as I kick at a stone. "I'm so sorry, Lou. You can talk to me anytime you know." She replied as she pulled me into a hug. "About that... Guess who lives next door." I say. Leah looks at me quizzically. "Will!" I blurt out, not being able to contain myself any longer. "Oh. My. Gosh. How do you know?" She excitedly asks. "He and his dad stopped by to introduce themselves." I respond with a huge smile on my face. "Oh yeah, his dad also asked me to show Will around!" "What?! That's great Lou! Someone's got a crush." She draws out the word as she says it. I playfully punch her in the arm but can't stop the smile that spreads across my face.
Chapter 9
When I get to school and head to AP History class Will is sitting on the opposite side of the room. Great. At the end of class I have to talk to him to set up a time for the town tour. When the bell rings I eagerly walk over to him. "Hi" I say, "I was wondering when you wanted me to show you around." He looks up at me with an annoyed look. "I don't need showing around." He responds. Fine, if he wants to be a jerk so will I. "Well your dad said you do, so I'll see you after school at four." I shoot back. "Fine." He says. I walk out of the room without another word. The day seems to zip by because all I'm thinking about is seeing Will after school. When the day ends I rush home and check to make sure I look ok. It probably won't matter anyway though, because he doesn't seem to notice or care. It's four o'clock and there's no sign of Will. At four thirty I give up. I am so done with this kid. I change into my nice sweats just in case and throw in a pizza. After eating I head to my room and text Leah about how he didn't show. After no response I close my eyes and dream. I wake up again at 11 and head out on my roof with a blanket. I lie down and look at the stars. Around a half hour later I hear a shuffling below me. Footsteps, definitely footsteps. I freeze and lie super still until a figure appears beside me. "Lou is that you?" A voice says. I know that voice. Will. "No, I'm just a random stranger lying on top of some house. Yes it's Lou," I angrily reply. He stands me up and now decides to talk? "Jeez, somebody isn't acting very welcoming." He responds with a teasing tone. "Says the one who didn't show up and has been acting like a complete jerk." I say, through gritted teeth. "Yeah, that's what I came up here to talk about" he says, "I seen you come up here last night so I figured maybe you'd be here again. I had some stuff come up after school." I stare him down. "What stuff?" He stares back. "Nothing you need to know. I'm outta here." Not this again. "Wait, I'm sorry, it's just you haven't been the nicest so I just thought..." He cuts me off. "It's okay, I know, I'm the one who should be apologizing. There's just been some family issues going on and I kinda closed myself off." He says, I could swear I seen a tear, but it is dark out so it probably was nothing. "I know what that's like." I mumble. "What?" He asks. "Nothing." I quickly respond, not believing I said that out loud. "Well, I better get going." He says as he gets up. I never even realized he sat next to me. "See you tomorrow?" He asks with a small grin. "Definitely." I respond with a smile. I watch him run home and then crawl back inside and fall asleep thinking of Will.
Chapter 10
When I wake up this morning, I'm giddy from last nights talk with Will and I'm also happy it's Friday. I decide to walk to school this morning because it so nice outside. Behind me I hear someone shouting my name. I turn around to see Will. "Hi, mind if I walk with you?" He asks. "Yes! I mean sure, I guess." I respond, too excitedly. After some awkward silence he finally talks. "So, tell me about you." He says. Crap, there's no way I'm talking about my dad. "Umm, I'm 17 and I have a goldfish named Stan." I reply, lying about the goldfish part. I have no idea why I said that. It's literally the lamest pet ever. "Haha, ok. What about your family?" He asks. Trying hard to change the subject I ask him the same question. Will goes super quiet. "I've gotta go." He responds. "Wait, stop doing that! You can't just walk away every time I ask you a question!" I yell. He's definitely hiding something. "Watch me." He angrily replies and then walks away. I decide that Will is definitely a jerk. Every time I try to carry on a conversation with him he gets mad. Whatever. During school I only see Will once, but he completely ignores me. To make things worse I end up getting a detention for falling asleep in class until 5:30. Whoo Hoo. Bye the time I leave school, it's getting dark and I have to walk home. Around ten minutes in it feels like I'm being followed but I tell myself it's nothing. Just as I turn around to check, I feel somebody grab onto me. Before I know it I'm on the ground, gasping for air. There is a man who is missing teeth and looks as though he hasn't showered in weeks on top of me. I claw at his hands on my neck but the world around me is already going dark. Suddenly the weight of him is lifted and I hear a loud crack. Then I'm being helped to me feet. "Are you okay?" It's Will. I can't talk very well because my throat still hurts from the man who was choking me. All I can do is shake my head no. My head hurts from when he slammed me down. I try not to, but start to cry anyway. "Here, let's get you home." Will says and pulls me into a hug. The world around me is still fuzzy, but not from the fall.
Chapter 11
When Will gets me home he turns around to leave. I feel disappointed, but he was just helping me out. It didn't mean anything. "Thanks." I say, my voice hoarse. He spins around and walks over to me. I swear he's going to kiss me, but he wouldn't do that. He doesn't like me. Instead he starts to say, "Do you really want to know about me? You don't understand how hard these last few years have been!" He's yelling now. "My mom died three years ago. It's been horrible." He says with tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Will." I say, but he cuts me off. "Don't, my dads best friend helped us through it, but got in an accident a little while ago. We moved here to help support him. It's been hard." He says, trying not to cry. Without thinking I reach out and hug him. "I never see my parents anymore. My dad has some medical issues so my mom needed to take up three jobs." I say into Will's chest. I don't want to go into detail on my dad. It was all too much. This time Will hugs me and rests his chin on my head. I love this feeling, knowing I have somebody who can understand what it's like to be broken. With him here, it's not so bad.
Chapter 12
Will left around an hour after he brought me home. It was nice to have someone to talk to. I wake up early this morning and decide to go on a run. My dad and I used to do this together every Saturday at 6 a.m. Once I'm dressed I head out the door. It's a beautiful morning and the air is crisp and fresh. I forgot how much I loved doing this. I go around the block and through the tiny trail that winds through the street. It's filled with trees that are now turning colors, a sign fall is coming. When I get back I pop a strudel in the toaster and turn on the TV. Just as I'm about to sit down the doorbell rings. I open it to find Will standing their looking amazing, like always. "Hi," I say. "You can come in if you want." He does. "Hi," he replies, "I was wondering if you wanted to do something today. That is, if you don't have plans." He asks. Trying to contain myself I say, "I'm free to go somewhere." "Great! I'll pick you up at 7 tonight." He responds. "Ok, I'll see you then!" I tell him. As soon as he's out of sight, I rush to call Leah. This is an emergency.
Chapter 13
"Hello?" I ask. "Oh, hey Lou." She responds. "No time for talking. You need to come over ASAP! Will asked me on a date and I need you to help me get ready." I say, talking super fast. "OMG! Ok I'm on my way right now. Go Lou!" She excitedly replies. I wait for around fifteen minutes when I hear a nock on the door. Standing outside is Leah with multiple bags in her arms. "Ok, I brought everything we'll need to get you ready." She says. Laughing, I pull her up the stairs. "Let's do this!" I respond. The first thing she pulls out is a pink dress with flowers on it. "Umm yeah, no way. That's not really me, like at all." I tell her, with a disgusted look on my face. "What about this one?" She asks. It's a pale, white skirt paired with a tank top. "We're getting closer, but still to fancy." I tell her. "Ok, I think you'll like this last one." Leah tells me. She reaches into the bag and grabs a pair of skinny jeans with a black T-Shirt and burgundy scarf. "Ooo, I almost forgot." She says and pulls out a pair of brown, lace up boots. "Yes! This is definitely me, I love it! Thanks Leah. You are the greatest friend ever." I excitedly tell her. I slip on the outfit and apply a little bit of mascara and lipstick. I usually only wear makeup on special occasions and dates, so not often. Leah puts my hair into a perfect bun and when I look at myself in the mirror I'm surprised. I look like myself, but there's a brightness in my eyes that I don't usually see. "Wow. You look hot!" Leah says, admiring her work. "Haha, ok. I think it's time for you to go. Thank you so much! I'll tell you how it went when I get back." I reply. I give her a quick hug and she steps out the door. Now, I nervously wait for Will. At 6:58, the doorbell rings.
Chapter 14
I take a quick glance in the mirror and then open the door. Will is standing there in jeans and a red, button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, looking amazing. "Wow, you look beautiful," he says. "Thanks, but this is what I usually wear," I reply blushing. "I know, you're always this pretty, since this is a date I can finally say it," he responds with a wink. "Well, you look nice too. I'm loving the rolled up sleeves by the way," I tell him. It's so easy talking with him, like we've known each other forever. "Sooo, where are we going?" I ask him. "That's for me to know and you to find out," he tells me with a grin. Before I know it Will is taking my hand and leading me to his truck. I try to calm myself down, but when I'm with him, all I feel is electricity. After we're buckled in, Will blindfolds me. Blindfolds! Leah is going to die when I tell her this. "Ok, you just sit tight. We'll be there in around 15 minutes," he tells me. "Ok, I don't get the blindfold though. Why can't I see where we're going?" I ask excitedly. "Because, where's the fun in that?" He replies. Even though I can't see him, I know he has a grin on his face. After talking the whole way Will stops the truck. He comes over to help me out and takes off my blindfold. When I open my eyes I see that we're standing in front of a water tower. "After you." Will says. I look at him questioningly and then start to climb the tower. I love heights and have ever since I was little. There's just something about them. It's like I can escape reality for awhile and just live above it all in my own, little world. When I get to the top balcony area, I can't believe my eyes.
Chapter 15
There's a blanket spread out with all different kinds of food. Chocolate strawberries, sandwiches, and tons of different candy. "Oh my gosh." I say, speechless. I hear Will behind me. "Do you like it?" He asks with anticipation in his voice. "I love it Will!" I respond thinking I might cry. No one has ever done something so nice for me. Tonight is not a night for crying, so I just hug Will super tight. He picks me up and spins me around. "Should we sit?" He asks. I do and can not stop smiling. After we enjoy the meal Will prepared, we watch the sunset. "This is so beautiful." I tell him, with wonder in my voice. "I know," he responds, not looking at the sunset, but at me. It would be the perfect moment for him to kiss me right now, but he doesn't. In a way I'm glad, because it would be so predictable. I want him to catch me off guard and make the moment unexpected. Instead, he wraps his arms around me and we sit in silence. When it is finally dark out, we climb down and talk for awhile about both nothing and everything. At midnight Will drops me off at home. "I had a great time! Talk to you tomorrow," he tells me happily. "Me too and I definitely will," I reply, hearing the giddiness in my voice. He walks me to the door and hugs me as he says goodbye. He then drives away and pulls into his house. I can not wait to call Leah in the morning!
Chapter 16
When I wake up, I'm drenched in sweat and when I look at the clock it's 3am. It was another dream about my dad in the crash. I get them often, each time they're a little different. Sometimes I'm with him when it happens and other times it's just us getting the phone call. It sucks. I get up, pour a glass of water and then head back to bed. After I lay there and can't fall asleep, I head out to the roof. It's beautiful tonight, there are more stars than usual and it is warm out. As I'm watching the sky for shooting stars I hear a voice. "Lou, are you up there?" It's Will. How did he know I was awake? "Yeah, come on up." I tell him. A few seconds later he's sitting by me and I feel wide awake. "Hey," he says. "Hi, how did you know I would be up here?" I ask him, glad I still have the makeup on so I don't look too gross. "Well, I was already up and I seen your light turn on, so I figured I'd come see if you were here." He tells me, sounding slightly embarrassed. "Oh, well, here I am. Why were you up?" I ask him. "Bad dream about my mom. You?" He asks with sadness in his voice. "Bad dream." I reply. Neither of us says anything else. We sit there for awhile until I ask him something. "What happened to your mom?" I know I shouldn't push him, but I really want to know. "Can we not talk about this?" He tells me, his tone short and angry. "Jeez, sorry, I was just wondering." I tell him, annoyed. Without another word he climbs down. Not this again. I follow him. "Will, I'm sorry, I didn't me to push you." I say, not wanting him to leave again. He doesn't say anything and keeps walking. "Ok, fine, I won't talk to you anymore." I say sadly and start to walk away. It always ends like this, boys always leave but I have no clue why. All of a sudden someone is grabbing my arm and spinning me around pulling me towards them. Before I know it, he leans down and kisses me. "I should've done that a long time ago," he says. "Don't ever think I want you to stop talking to me, Lou. I don't know what I would do without you." He whispers, as he pulls me into a hug. "Ok, I don't know what I would do without you either," I respond, with happiness in my voice. He softly kisses me again and it's perfect and unexpected. This day couldn't get any better. Thanks to Will, my life doesn't seem so lonely anymore.
Chapter 17
Morning seems to come very quickly and I'm counting the hours until I can go on another date with Will. Before getting ready, I grab my phone and call Leah. It doesn't even ring once before she picks up. "Details!" Leah squeals from the other end of the phone. I know she's probably jumping up and down right now, she really gets into this stuff. "Ok, so first he picked me up and blindfolded me!" I tell Leah while the smile on my face grows bigger the more I remember. "Oh my gosh, he blindfolded you? How romantic!" Leah answers
Chapter 18- This Is Love
I get out of the shower and put on a pair of sweats to cover up my wound and one of Will's T-Shirts. My eyes catch a glimpse of me in the mirror and let's just say I don't look good. Who really would look good after getting in a fight though? There are purple lines around my throat from where he grabbed me and the side of my head is severely bruised. I sigh as I grab my crutches, open the door and leave the bathroom feeling embarrassed at what Will must think of me. That is until I see his face and burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" He asks and I try to speak but no words come out.
"Y-your." I wheeze, my sides hurting from laughing so hard.
"My what?" He looks confused and I fall on the bed clutching my stomach.
"You've got a little something right there- well everywhere." I tell him, still giggling.
He walks over to the mirror and examines his face and I see a grin forming, but he quickly covers it up.
"Looks like someone had a little fun with a Sharpie marker I see." He says trying to sound angry.
"Yeah, that my friend, is why you don't sleep when I'm around." I wink at him and he growls.
"I'm going to get you back for that one nerd." He tells me and I squeal.
"No! You wouldn't get revenge on a girl who's hurt, would you?"
His smile falls slightly, "no I guess I wouldn't, but you better watch out when you're better!" He says, laying down next to me.
His arm goes around my waist and I'm pulled closer to him. I turn my head towards him and bury my face in his neck and he kisses the top of my head.
"Goodnight nerd, love you," he tells me and then his eyes go wide, "I- uh- I mean..."
"Will," I whisper making him shiver and I smile. I like having this effect on him, "it's okay. I love you too."
His expression goes from panicked to grinning from ear to ear. I lean up and kiss him, putting all the love I have into it. He kisses me back the same way and my body doesn't feel electricity, it feels fire. His arms go around both sides of me and cage me in while he deepens the kiss until his leg gently grazes my wound and I wince.
"Shit, Lou. I'm sorry." He says rubbing his neck.
"It's alright, but this is going to suck." I reply disappointed.
"Don't worry, we're going to get through this together. Now let's get some sleep, okay?" I nod my head and he lays back down, pulling me close.
I watch the clock for awhile and say a silent pray on how thankful I am to be alive before drifting off to sleep.
The next five days go surprisingly fast with Will and Leah keeping me company. It's Sunday and I can finally leave my bed if I stay on crutches. I shower and try to get dressed in semi-decent clothes picking my nicest Adidas sweats and a Nike T-Shirt. Leah picks me up at 11 and we head to the mall.
"How are you doing?" She asks me and gestures to my leg.
"Umm, ok I guess. It definitely is painful but with the pills they give me I can manage. I a happier note, what color dress do you want to get?" I enthusiastically ask her and she grins as we get in the car.
"Well I'm thinking about like a mint blue or something. Definitely something strapless, I want to let everyone get a load of this!" She chuckles, gesturing to herself.
I roll my eyes, "blue would definitely look great on you, especially with your eyes."
"I know," she says and winks at me, "what are you thinking for your dress?"
"Well, I'm not exactly sure yet. Something that covers up this." I tell her and gesture to my leg.
"You'll look good in anything Lou. You have an amazing body."
"Ahh, thanks?" I say making her laugh.
We get to the mall and pull into the parking lot. Plus side to having an injury: you get to park close to the stores. There are only two prom stores in the mall; Starstruck and O'neils. After going to Starstruck and having no luck we head to O'neils. Leah picks out a lace, mint green, strapless dress and my eye lands on a velvet, emerald green one sleeved dress that I know is perfect.
I head to the dressing room with Leah and we try them on. I look into the mirror and immediately fall in love with the dress.
"Leah I've got it on are you ready?" I ask her my voice giddy.
"Yup. Okay on thee we'll open our doors and show each other. One. Two. Three!" She shouts and we swing open our doors.
"Oh my gosh, Leah! You look amazing in that, that is the one!" I exclaim and she squeals.
"I like it a lot too, and Lou you look beautiful. I feel bad for Will, that dress is going to make him drop dead." She snaps her fingers and I laugh.
We go back in to change and then pay for our dresses. On the way out Leah trips on one of the clothing racks falling right into a guy who's about our age.
"Well hello there love." He says in a British accent. Did I mention he's extremely hot?
Leah turns to me and mouths "oh my god! He's British."
"I know!" I mouth back and pretend to look at clothes while she works her magic.
After talking to him for a good ten minutes Leah saunters over to me.
"Guess who's got a new contact in her phone and a date on Tuesday? This girl!" She whoops as we walk out of the store.
"You are so lucky, Leah. He's hot and British, what more could a girl ask for? What was his name anyways?" I ask her internally squealing.
"I know! If that boy wouldn't have gave me his number I would have begged for it and his name is Michael." She tells me and then squeals.
"Ooo.. I totally ship Lam. I suck at ship names but I don't care, you too would look great together." I say and she rolls her eyes but ends up breaking into a huge smile.
She pulls into my driveway and helps me up to my room. When we get there she pulls out my dress and hangs it in my closet.
"Alrighty, I'm going to get going. My mom wants me to go out to dinner with her and her boss tonight. Hooray!" She states sarcastically and I chuckle.
"Okay, I'm going to take a nap. Shopping really tires a girl out." I yawn and Leah slowly shuts my door. Today was a good day and I can not wait until Prom!Chapter 19- Promposals
The past few weeks leading up to Prom actually went way quicker than I expected. Leah and Michael have been seeing a lot more of each other and Michael finally asked her if she wanted to be his girlfriend. Leah has never really been one to have boyfriends because she hasn't ever had a true connection. Its usually just a one night thing between her and a guy. I know, I know, how are two complete opposite girls best friends? Honestly, I don't have an answer she's just always been there for me and is an overall wonderful person. Anyways... we've done a couple of things together as couples, Will and I with Michael and Leah which has been lots of fun.
Prom is now only two days away and I honestly can not contain my excitement. As you've probably guessed, I've never been to a dance before. It's not like I didn't want to go, I've just never had a reason too. If course the first dance I go to I'll have to attend on crutches, but as long as I'm with Will and having fun I don't care. My phone buzzing snaps me out of my thoughts and I look to see a text from an unknown number.
-Hey Lou, this is Michael.-
I have no idea why he's texting me, but I'm about to find out.
-Hi, what do you need.-
He responds fairly quickly which is a good thing because I hate slow texters.
-Okay, so don't tell Leah, but I'm going to ask her to Prom tonight and I need you to help me set up.-
Oh my gosh this is so exciting! Leah's been dying for him to ask her. I quickly type a response!
-Yayyy!!! She's going to be so excited, where are we meeting and can I bring Will too?-
The reason I asked if Will could come is because of the whole Zach incident. I don't think Michael would ever do something like that, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
-We can meet at the pond behind my house at 6:30, Leah will be there at 7:30. My address is 137 EastView Road, also, Will can come too. See ya then.-
I let out a squeal of excitement and call Will quickly, telling him the plan. He agrees and is going to come to my house at 6:00. I hobble over to my room and quickly take a shower before dressing in my favorite sweats and T-Shirt. It's already noon and I don't feel like doing anything and even if I wanted to do something I couldn't. I turn on the TV to The Simpsons and plop down on my bed. A commercial comes on TV so I pull out my phone and start reading my favorite book, The Way It Goes on Wattpad. It ends with a major plot twist and I finish it in two hours.
At 2:00 my stomach decides to sound like a whales mating call so I head down stairs, eat a sandwich, and then take a nap. It's 5:30 when I wake up and I rush to get ready. Since I still can't wear anything tight on my legs some baggy purple sweats have to do with a fitted, black Tee. My hair gets thrown into a messy bun and I apply some mascara and lip gloss and still have 15 minutes to spare. Man I'm good.
I open my closet door in search of some comfy shoes when a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist.
"What the-" I yelp and stand frozen feeling his breath on my ear making me shiver.
"Are you cold or you just can't help yourself around all of this." Will whispers in my ear and I try to contain the grin forming on my lips. It's obviously the second one but I am not about to admit that.
I turn around in his arms and widen my eyes at him. "It's definitely the first one," lie, "I mean it's freezing in here!"
"Sure it is nerd. Sure it is." He smirks and I roll my eyes. "We've still got a half an hour before we have to meet Michael, what do you wanna do till' then?" He says wiggling his eyebrows at me.
"Hmm, we could play a board game, watch TV, sleep." I tease knowing what he really meant.
"Haha very funny, but I can think of something better." Before I can answer with a sarcastic remark his lips are on mine and I forget about everything and it's just Will and I.
My crutches slip out of my hand, but Will supports me by holding me up. I wrap my arms around his neck so that I can deepen the kiss and he lifts my feet off the ground. Hesitantly I pull away to check the clock.
"6:20! We better get going." I tell him and he presses another quick kiss to my lips which really makes me not want to leave.
"Alright, let's get going then." He sighs and reaches down to pick up my crutches but doesn't give them to me.
"Ahh, I kinda need those..."
"No you don't." He replies with a smirk.
What do you-" before he can finish I'm swept of my feet and being carried bridal style.
"Put me down!" I screech banging on his chest which makes him laugh as he carries me down the stairs with ease and sets me down in his truck.
I honestly miss being that close to him and I frown.
"What's the matter nerd? Do you miss all of this?" He teases and I playfully elbow his shoulder.
"No." Yes.
We drive with the windows down and the radio on until we finally get to Michaels house. A small gasp escapes me when I see where he lives. There's a water fountain in front of the house with planters of roses all around. It literally looks like a hotel and is lit up like it's on display. The house sits by itself and when we ring the doorbell Michael invites us inside.
"Thanks for coming today mates. Let's go out back and start setting up." His British accent is fading a little, but is definitely noticeable.
Will takes my hand and we follow Michael out back where there is a giant pool with a hot tub branching off the side.
"Alright so I want to make this special because she's a very special girl. I was thinking that we could have dinner outside and then I would ask her." Michael says looking nervous.
"That sounds like a great idea, how are you going to ask her?" I question, growing more excited by the second.
"Well I know how much she loves shoes so I made a sign that says "you're my number one shoe-in for Prom" and I have a box of new heals to match her dress."
"Yay! That's absolutely perfect for Leah. She's going to love it!" I exclaim and clap my hands together.
We start setting up the white lights and hanging up some lanterns while Michael puts the table cloth down and starts bringing out the food when the doorbell rings.
"Okay, that's her. Thank you guys so much for helping me, you're some of my favorite mates here so far. Now, bye!" He states and I chuckle.
"Okay, okay, we'll leave now. Good luck!" I quickly tell him grabbing Will's hand and my crutches limping away.
"Use the back door!" He shouts and we scurry the other direction, getting to the door right when we hear Leah come in.
"I hope everything goes well." I whisper to Will who nods his head, putting a finger to his leaps.
"What, it's not like they can here us." I quip and Will covers my mouth with his hand making me giggle. My giggling turns into full on laughter and Will stands staring at me and I grow serious.
"What?" I ask him, my laughter subsiding.
"I'm just so lucky I still have you." He replies and I grab his hand and kiss him. He pushes my back against the wall and I hear a squeal. Leah.
"He must have asked her!" I exclaim and we start to here kissing noises.
"Alright we should probably let them be now before we see something we'll regret." Will tells me and we quickly leave his house and get in the car.
He drops me off at my house and helps me upstairs. We watch a couple of movies and by watch movies I mean make out and after I go to change into my pajamas. I come out to find Will sleeping and I lay down next to him and feel his arms wrap around me, pulling me close. This has been a good day, which I definitely needed.
Chapter 20- A Night To Remember
The sun beams through my window and I wake up feeling giddy. Today is Prom! Leah is coming over at 1:00 and we're going to hang out for a little while before getting ready. The boys are picking us up at 6:00 and then we all are going to eat. Since that dance starts at 8:00 we're going to go to Michael's house until 9:00 so we aren't too early.
I know you're all probably wondering how Leah's Promposal went, but don't worry she loved it. Apparently there wasn't much talking afterwards and I wasn't that interested in what exactly they did after so I left it at that. She was super excited though and I'm glad someone appreciates her so much.
Groggily, I drag myself out of bed and into the shower to get ready. When I'm finished I stare at the dress hanging in my closet and get butterflies in my stomach all over again. Even though my first Prom will be spent on crutches, I'll be with the guy I love.
Since I've got like an hour to kill I decide to go downstairs and bake my favorite double chocolate chip cookies. One bite of those things and it's like your tasting heaven. Just as they are ready to come out of the oven Leah walks into the kitchen.
"Mmm... double chocolate chip cookies, my favorite!" She says reaching for a cookie but I slap her hand away.
"Umm... I think you mean my favorite and these are too hot for eating." I gesture to the cookies and raise my eyebrow at her.
"Fine. No need to hit me." She mutters rubbing her arm and I chuckle.
"Are you ready for Prom?" I excitedly ask her and she raises an eyebrow at me.
"Well someone's excited and I actually want to go. I think it will be more fun now that Michael asked me." She replies and I see a smile creep on to her face.
"Wow, I'm offended. Didn't you think it would be fun with me?" I bat my eyelashes at her, pretending to look hurt.
"You know what I mean. I'm just excited to have a date, especially a hot one!" She exclaims and I laugh.
"So what do you wanna do before we get ready?" I ask her and right away we both pick our favorite game.
"Kiss, Kill, Marry Celebrity Edition!" We both shout at the same time and end up in a laughing fit. It's Leah's turn first so I come up with three names for her to choose from.
"Okay your choices are, Theo James, Liam Hemsworth, and Josh Hutcherson. Who do you pick for the categories." I ask her knowing right away who I would pick since I'm in love with Liam Hemsworth.
"Umm... I'm going to kill Josh Hutcherson, marry Liam Hemsworth and kiss Theo James, even though there's way more that I would do to him." She remarks and I throw a pillow at her head to which she just simply rolls her eyes in response.
"Okay, your turn. The options are Dylan O'Brien, Dave Franco, and Liam Hemsworth."
"Okay so I'm going to marry Liam because he's absolutely perfect, kiss Dylan because he's a cutie and kill Dave. He's good too, but the decision had to be made." I tell Leah making her laugh.
We play the game until we practically run out of celebrities and it's almost 3:00 so we head up to my room to get ready. Before doing anything we apply green tea mask to our face and soak our nails for 15 minutes to prep. After this we clean off the mask and paint our nails, starting on makeup once they're dry.
I've had a lot of free time on my hands lately which led to me watching lots of makeup tutorials. I know exactly how I'm going to do it for tonight. I apply mascara, blush and go with an evening eyeshadow look before putting on some lip gloss. Leah goes for a dark makeup look all around; dark eyes, lips, etc. After we finish our makeup I add some soft curls in my hair and put in a hair pin on the side. Leah puts hers up in a bun and once we finish it's 5:30 so we put our dresses on.
As usual the boys are early and the doorbell rings right after we finish.
"Do I look okay?" I ask Leah, nervous since it's my first dance."
"Girl, you look hot! What about me?" She asks looking jittery.
"Leah, you look amazing all the time but you look stunning tonight," I tell her and her eyes sparkle, "now, let's show the boys how lucky they are to have us!"
Leah goes to the door and swings it open and when she does the only thing I see is Will.
"You look- wow, I mean- ugh, screw it." He mutters and walks over to me pressing a passionate kiss to my lips.
I'm caught off guard at first, but once I realize what's going on I start to kiss him back. We probably wouldn't have stopped if it wasn't for Leah clearing her throat. Slowly, we pull away and Leah looks at us, her eyes shining with amusement.
"Save that for later lover boy, it's time to go eat!" She exclaims and I grab my crutches as Leah and Michael head out the door.
"Lou, you look absolutely beautiful and I couldn't be more happy to call you my girlfriend. Remember how Leah said to save that for later? Well, I definitely plan too." He says with a wink and my face turns crimson. Even though we're dating I still get embarrassed in front of him.
"Thank You, you're not to shabby looking yourself. We even match." I reply placing a light kiss on his lips and smirk as I pull away.
Finally, we head out the door and all of us pile into Wills truck.
"So where do we want to go to eat?" I ask practically bouncing in my seat.
"Well all the fancy places are probably booked for tonight and they're way overrated." Leah replies and we all kid our head in agreement.
A slow smile spreads across Michael's face. "Ya know, I hear all these people talking about this so called McDonalds, but I've never been there. What do you say we go there and get some potato sticks?" He suggests and we all burst out laughing.
"Did you just say potato sticks?" I choke out still laughing my head off.
"What do you mean? That's what they are." Michael states making me laugh harder.
"Babe, they're called French Fries here and yes, we can go get some." She explains and Michael starts to chuckle.
"McDonalds it is then!" Will exclaims and we begin the drive.
Once we arrive at McDonalds everyone orders there food and Michael gets his "potato sticks" while we all order Big Macs and soda. It's way more fun than going to a fancy restaurant where you can't act goofy. Even though we get some weird looks, most people compliment our dresses.
It's only 8:00 when we finish eating so the dance just started. We all get back in the truck and head to Michael's place before foe a little while. He unlocks the door and we all plop down in the living room, making ourselves at home.
"So, anyone got any game ideas?" Will asks and my face breaks into a huge grin.
"Well, I figured we would have this dilemma so I got us a little something." I tell them reaching into my bag.
"Oh my god, Cards Against Humanity!" Leah squeals clapping her hands together.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's play!" Will says and I Deal out the cards.
We play four rounds before looking at the clock only to realize that it's already 9:15.
"Oh, we better get going so we have some time to get our dance on!" Michael says pumping his fists in the air. He looks like a freakin' Abercrombie model.
Once we arrive at the school the pulsating music and lights bring a smile to my face and we haven't even gone inside. The boys hold the door for us as we go inside and pay the 10 dollar entrance fee. Plus to having a boyfriend: free stuff. Immediately excitement courses through my body. The music is so loud you can feel the floor vibrating and the lights are all different colors; red, blue, yellow and also strobe. They're handing out free necklaces which is also pretty cool.
"Ooo... lets go get pictures!" Leah shouts over the music and we all follow her to the photo booth.
First we take a couple of group ones, some serious but most of them we're just acting stupid. Michael and Leah take some alone and when the pictures come out I see a glimpse of them making out in them. I give Leah the look when they come out and she just rolls her eyes and smiles. Will and I go in after them and prepare ourselves for pictures.
"Okay let's do a few serious ones first." I tell him and he nods his head in approval.
After we take one normal picture Will leans down and whispers in my ear, "this pictures would look better with that dress off nerd."
I gasp and hit him on the arm but end up laughing anyways. "Shut up and take the picture." I scold even though I'm still smiling.
"Make me." He replies and that's all I need. I place my lips on his and put all my love for him into the kiss. He responds immediately and it isn't until we finally pull away when I remember we're still in the photo booth. Whoops.
We leave to meet up with Leah and Michael to dance which is pretty hard to do with crutches when our song comes on. We share a look and he pulls me into him. Even though most people are acting goofy, we're slow dancing. Will puts his hands on my waist, supporting me so I don't need my crutches and I put my arms around his neck, playing with the back of his tie.
"I love you." He says with sincerity in his eyes.
"I love you too, Will." I answer back and lay my head on his chest while he puts his chin on my head.
The night is going absolutely perfect and I couldn't have asked for a better Prom, or so I thought.Chapter 21- A Not So Perfect Day
I can't believe it's already 11:40 p.m and that the dance is almost over. We are all in line dancing to the Cha Cha Slide when I feel my phone vibrate. Without anyone seeing me, I slip outside and answer it.
"Hello?" I ask not recognizing the caller ID.
"Hi, is this Lou Elle?" The person on the other line has a familiar voice.
"This is she. How can I help you?"
"Well, we are calling regarding your father," her words make my heart beat rapidly and I feel the all to familiar anxiety stirring, "he's been slipping in and out of his coma."
"W-what do you mean?" I respond clutching the phone to my ear.
"We're saying that your father has woken up, Lou. We suggest you come see him be cause we aren't sure how long it will last." The nurse tells me and my heart leaps out of my chest.
"I'm on my way right now." I say into the phone but then remember we took Michael's car.
Quickly, I hang up and signal for a taxi. Luckily the hospital is only ten minutes from school so I should make it there fast enough. He drops me off at the hospital and without checking in I hobble straight into my fathers room and see that his eyes are open. My mother is standing in the room with tears in her eyes. Our eyes meet and she hugs me then leaves the room.
"Daddy!" I gasp and run over to him, not sure if I should hug him or not in case he's in pain.
"Lou, come here, give me a hug." His voice is raspy and he's very pale but I hug him with all my might.
"You're awake, h-how are you awake?" I ask him, a tear of joy rolling down my cheek.
"I don't know sweetheart, but I don't want to talk about me. I want to talk about every single thing that's happened while I was... away." He tells me and I lie down on the bed with him.
"Well, do you want the bad news or the good news first?" I ask him not sure where to start.
"Hmm... How about you start with the reason why you're on crutches." He states and I frown.
"Wellll... I maybe, kinda sorta got... shot?" I squeak out and my dads eyes look like golf balls.
"You what?!" He exclaims and I proceed to tell him the whole story between Brittany, Zach and I. By the end of the story my dad is fuming and he wraps his arms around me.
"Listen, if anyone ever lays a finger on you again I will walk out of this hospital and kick their ass." My dad growls making me chuckle.
"Dad, for one you can barely and two, it won't happen again. I'm pretty sure something like that is a one time thing."
His face softens and he asks me another question, "so tell me about this boy who you said saved your life."
"He's actually my boyfriend and is really great, dad. I mean, he's incredibly sweet, a gentleman, has a sense of humor, and is an overall wonderful person." I tell him and my dad smiles at me.
"Well, he's got to be good for something if he saved your life. What's this boys name?"
"His name is Will." I reply and see something flicker in my dads eyes which he covers up quickly as he yawns.
"Well he sounds like a great guy. How about we get some sleep, and we'll talk some more tomorrow?" He asks me and I nod my head enjoying our time together.
"I want you to know that I love you so much Dad. I'll never stop loving you no matter what and you are the best dad a girl could ever ask for. I love you to the moon and back." I tell him and tears start to form in my eyes.
"Thank You sweetheart. I love you so much too and I want you to know that whatever happens I'll always be with you. Every time you feel the wind on your face, see rainbows, hear birds chirping, I'll be with you, always. I'm so incredibly proud of you and the young woman you've become. Never give up Lou, things will get hard but there will always be people who love you." He tells me and I see tears brimming his eyes as he kisses my forehead.
"I love you." I whisper.
"I love you too. Oh, I also want to give you these," He replies and I take the envelopes from his hands, "If anything happens to me, I've written these letters for the important moments of your life."
"Thank You daddy, goodnight." I reply and soon after we stop talking both of us fall asleep.
There is a light shining on my face and it takes me a moment to remember where I am. My dad woke up, I'm with him in the hospital. When I glance at the clock I see it's six in the morning.
"Good morning dad." I say smiling but he doesn't answer.
"Dad." I say shaking him slightly but there is still no answer.
"Daddy!" I cry, by his eyes remain closed and he doesn't move. I put my head to his chest and listen for a heartbeat but can't hear anything.
"Nurse, I need a nurse!" I scream and push the little red call for help button.
Within minutes there are multiple nurses and doctors in the room. One pulls out a stethoscope and places it over my dads heart.
"Bring in the defibrillators, quickly." The doctor orders and they try three times to wake my father up.
"Is he going to make it?" I wail and the Nurse I seen last time envelops me in a hug.
"Darling," she says in a Southern accent, "we believe your father- we think- he passed away in his sleep."
Immediately the tears pour out and I look at my dad's lifeless body. He's pale and doesn't look anything like the dad I know.
"He can't be dead!" I scream and tears blur my vision. "Daddy, wake up, please wake up." My pleas do nothing and it hits me that my father is dead.
I'll never see him again, never hear his faint snoring, have a Christmas or Birthday with him, he's actually dead. It seems like such a harsh word but right now I feel like a statue unable to move.
"Honey, it'll be all right, we're going to get through this." My mother is behind me and she pulls me into a hug.
"Mommy." I sob and she cries into my shoulder.
All of a sudden I feel nauseous and limp over to the toilet emptying my stomach into it. I crumple to the floor and my mom sits beside me. After about an hour the coroner comes and takes my father away, which makes me cry even harder, which I didn't think was possible. My mother and I decide to leave since there's no point in staying anymore. I grab the letters and stuff them in my purse and we take her car home.
On my way to my room I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I look like hell and feel like it too. Stripping out of my prom dress I put on baggy sweats and one of my dads T-Shirts and crawl under the covers. For some reason I can't help but think the reason my dad woke up was to say goodbye. At least I got to have one last conversation with him. How could the best night of my life have turned so quickly to the worst?
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