Kie
After sitting and waiting for so long, I begin to pace back and forth in the hallway outside of Sarah's room. I walk to the door and lift my hand to knock, ignoring JJ's comments of concern.
"Hey, um, John B.?" I speak quietly into the door, following my knocks. I hear shuffling on the other side of the door and few second later, I am met with a bloodshot John B.
"Yeah, what's up, Kie?" He says and tries to sound tough, but I know him too good to believe his act.
"I was just wondering if I could come sit in here with her and maybe give you a little break or something."
"Oh um, yeah- yeah that's good. You sure you're okay in here by yourself?" It's sweet how much he cares.
"I'll be okay. Plus, I'm not really alone, I've got Sarah." The boy shoots me a sad, close-mouthed smile before walking away and shutting the door behind him. I can hear him and JJ talk for a minute or two once he's in the hall.
I turn back towards Sarah and brush the hair off of her sweat-lined forehead. I trace her features with my fingers and lay myself down in the open spot next to her in the bed. I roll over so that we're face to face and intertwine one of my hands with hers.
"It'll all work out, Sarah. I promise. We'll get back home, and- and we'll get Wheeze safe, and we'll do everything we've missed being able to do- all of the normal teenager things. I'll let you paint my nails and we can bake cookies and watch all of your favorite movies. Just, please, Sarah, please wake up." I feel my eyelids getting heavy and for the first time I start to think about how long its been since I've truly slept. I realize that it's not worth fighting the sleep, and slowly drift away- peacefully next to Sarah.
JJ
It's been while since Kie switched out with John B., and though I know there isn't truly anything to worry about, Pope tells me he thinks J should go in there and check on everything. After a bit of protesting, I agree and walk into the room after a few quite knocks. I'm expecting to find Kie silently sitting beside the bed, watching Sarah, but that's not the case. I find the two girls, foreheads together, asleep in the bed. I would wake Kie up and take her out of the room to let John B. back in, but she looks too peaceful- the most peaceful she's looked in a long time. After a minute or two of watching her breathe, and examining her beauty, I leave the room; carefully shutting the door.
"Everything alright in there?" Cleo asks, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Oh, uh, yeah. Kie's, uh- she's actually sleeping next to Sarah. I was gonna wake her up but I know she could use some rest too."
"I think so too. She totally hasn't been herself lately." Pope chimes in. "You alright, JB?"
This obviously catches the boy off guard, since he's been out of it since Sarah collapsed. "What?" His head snaps up. "Oh, yeah I guess. I'm worried, of course, but- you know."
There's a moment of silence, then I think I hear some shifting coming from the room.
Sarah
My eyes slowly flutter open, and I am met by the face of my best friend: Kie. I stare at her for a minute while coming to my senses, then begin to take in my surroundings. It doesn't take long before I realize I have no idea where I am or how I got here. I feel bad waking her up, because I know how tough the past few days have been for her, but I place a hand on her cheek.
"Kie?" I whisper once, then again- the second time a bit louder. It takes her a second to wake up, but when she does, she smiles and lets out a relieved sigh.
"Oh my Go- Sarah, thank God." She says between breaths. Kie pulls my head to her chest, closing me in a tight hug.
I speak again as she lets go. "What the hell happened?" Small things are coming back to me, but I'm definitely still out of it. Disregarding my question, she frantically gets out of the bed and rushes across the room, sprinting out of the door.
The door closes most of the way, but I can still hear what's being said on the other side.
"She's awake guys. Like, actually." As soon as the words leave the girl's mouth, John B. rushes into the room- my boy. I sit up a little, propping myself up on the pillow I was previously sleeping on.
"Hi." I say, a small, sleepy smile creeping onto my face.
"Hi." The same smile showing on his face as well. He walks over to me and holds my head in his hands. We stare at each other for a while, eyes full of stars. His face brings back memories of the day before, and I suddenly feel tears burning in my eyes.
"Hey, hey, hey- you're okay, you're alright." His eyes fill with worry.
"My dad- he- it was supposed to be me but he-"
He rushes me into a hug before I can say anything else, placing kisses on the top of my head. The boy rocks back and fourth, before letting go and placing a long kiss on my lips. Once he's completely let go, it doesn't take a second before JJ quickly steps to the front of the room and engulfs me in a hug. He's become like a brother to me through everything the two of us have been through.
Pope and Cleo, who I note are holding hands, send me loving smiles before Kie speaks up. "Let's get home you guys." My tears have since stopped, and now I'm just staring blankly, my mind in a continuous loop. "Let's get home."
hey hey hey! author's notes are fun, right? pls pls pls vote and comment and share and everything it helps sm more than you know
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what now? | outerbanks
Teen Fiction"it's over, sarah. the chase is over." "mhm." "hey, what's up?" "nothing, it's just- it's never really over, you know? i can't help but wonder, what now?" enjoy, lovebugs xoxo
