It was the first day of Erin Richard’s junior year at King High School. In her first 2 years at King she quickly became one of the best athletes in her class. She played on the varsity volleyball, basketball, and soccer teams since she was a freshman.
“Hey Erin!” shouted Lindsey, who is her teammate in both volleyball and basketball.
“Hey” she replied.
“So I walked into our first official volleyball practice and you weren’t there.”
“And your point Lindsey”
“WHY weren’t you there? Hell WHY HAVEN’T you been there at all??” Lindsey practically shouted, quickly gaining the attention of everyone in the hallway.
“Because…I ca…I can’t” she whispered on the brink of tears.
“Oh that’s the biggest bunch of bull I’ve EVER hear! Of course you can play; you’re like the best player on our team for cryin’ out loud! So really tell me why…”
“I haven’t been cleared for any physical activity yet. Hopefully by basketball I’ll be able to play, but now I just can’t.”
“What’s wrong? You hate the coach? Our teammates? Me? Yep that’s the reason right there! You hate me!” she said as she pretended to cry.
“You’re so stupid sometimes you know that right?” Erin said laughing.
“But seriously though…Are…YOU…ok? What happened this summer?” Lindsey said seriously.
~*Warning Bell Rings*~
“What lunch do you have?”
“First.”
“I’ll explain it to you then, k?”
“Meet me by Old Oakey”
“Alright” Erin said rolling her eyes, she hates that tree.
~* Late bell rings*~
“Shit I’m late for class!!” Erin shouted to herself as she ran cross campus to her class.
‘What a way to start the day...’ she thought ‘great. Just Great’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Later at Lunch ~
“Alright spill. What went down while I was on foreign soil?” Lindsey interrogated the very second she saw Erin.
“Well hi to you too. Jeez no how’s your day been so far?”
“I want you to tell me before you think of some excuse as to not tell me.” Lindsey said bluntly.
“I don’t come up with excuses!”
“Umm yea you do…But ANYWAYS tell me about your summer?”
“My soccer team made it to state, but we lost in the semis. Summer school PE sucked major ass. I nearly died in a car accident. Basketball was pretty good. JV coach held practice one day and we spent like half of it in outside doing nothing cos it was so fucking hot! I spent 2 weeks in the hospital. Missed that volleyball camp we usually go to. Yep that’s bout it.” Erin said in one breath.
“YOU WERE WHAT?????”
“How was your summer?” Erin said smiling.
“OH NO DON’T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT CHANGING THE SUBJECT! Now rewind and explain again.” She demanded.
“Explain what?” *Gives confused look*
“About the car accident, hospital, nearly dying…”
“You know how over the summer we always go to the scrimmages up at the university and get in some basketball games?”
“Yea what does that have to do with it?”
“Well our third game ran real late we didn’t get out till about 11pm. My parents didn’t go, shocking I know, cos they had some ‘adult thing’ to do. I got dropped off her close to midnight cos we stopped to get food on the way back…”
“What does that have to do with anything?? And your parents didn’t go, wow that’s a first!”
“Let me finish for cryin out loud! I know really, but they really blame themselves for what happened. ANYWAYS, I picked up my car and was driving home. I was going through that intersection over by Safeway and some stupid ass fucking drunk driver hits me.”
Lindsey grabs her in a huge hug, and asks “Oh my god, you ok? Was the asshole hurt at all?”
“No he wasn’t. Hell I don’t even know who he is. I’m ok now though, well sort of.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t play any sport, dance or real physical activity for awhile because I guess my heart just isn’t up for it. My parents and doctor told me that I nearly died on the way to the hospital cos my heart stopped, and that I was fortunate that they got it started again. But…”
“Well that’s good cos I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t around! But? But what? ”
“…it stopped again once I got to the hospital.” As Erin started to cry Lindsey pulled her into a tight hug. “They almost couldn’t get it started again. I almost died, Linds. I spent 2 weeks in the hospital just so they could monitor my heart and really make sure that I would be alright. I think they said it was under a lot of stress or something like that.”
“Wow…I’m so glad that you’re alright!”
“Me too. My parents blame themselves for it though, and they don’t want me driving even though I was being safe that night. They only want me to be in a car with them and no one else. That’s how bad it is. Hell even my own Aunt can’t drive me to the mall or to wherever!”
“Really?”
“Yea they keep saying that if they should never have went to the thing that night, but my games instead. I hope I get cleared in time for conditioning.”
“Yea I know it wouldn’t be basketball without you!! I’m barely surviving volleyball now! Imagine me going through 2 seasons with out my partner in crime! AGH! The horror, the horror!” * Both girls laugh*
“I’m sure you’re doing fine! Just remember…”
“To stay low to the ground, but not too low. I know I know!”
~* Bell rings to signal lunch is over *~
“Well Erin I guess I’ll see you later. I got practice after school.”
“Ok. Call me after or whenever you can.”
“Okie Doke Artichoke! I’m really glad you’re ok”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Some swearing but not much...Thanks for the reviews so far!
