My Life: Congrats, You Lost Me

Chapter 14 - Not Just a Story

**August 4th**

"Happy Birthday, Becca," I yell excitedly as she comes out of her room. It was 9 o'clock so Allan and I had just got back from the music store, bringing her new clarinet. I had hid it in the kitchen so she wouldn't be able to find it before she needed to. Eliza comes walking out of the kitchen with 4 plates, 2 balanced on each arm. She sets them all down on the table. On the plates were pancakes, bacon, and a piece of toast for each of us. We all sit down as she hurries back into the kitchen to grab something she must have forgotten.

After a bit of conversation we all finish our breakfast and branch apart from the table. Becca retreats to her room again as Eliza hurries into the kitchen to clean up. I stand up and walk back to my room to change back into some more comfy clothes. I slip into a pair of short shorts that I had worn to bed the night before. I don't bother changing out of my button-up shirt before I walk back over and swing open my door. I walk out of my room, going through the living room to get to the bathroom.

I shut the door and lean against the counter, looking at myself in the mirror. I rest my canes against the wall and pick up my brush. I comb through my messy hair, trying to get all the knots out. I tie it back in a tight pony-tail and let my eyes wander across myself. I didn't look like as much of a mess as I had a month ago. I also wasn't in prison, which was good too. But I do have something even worse to face soon. My first day back to school, somewhere new, somewhere different.

I let out a shaky breath before I pick up my canes and walk out of the bathroom. I see Allan sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels with Becca. She was already 10, double digits! I sit between her and Allan as he stops switching the channels when he lands on what I'd assume that Becca wanted to watch, it was Animal Planet which is something only Becca was really interested in, out of everybody here. Allan nudges me in the arm and stands up off the couch, walking towards the hallway where our rooms are. Becca looks at me and giggles as I walk off to follow him.

I find him at the end of the hallway, just outside of his room. When I'm close to him he takes me by the hand and pulls me inside. "What is it, Allan," I ask. I let my canes lean against his bed as I stand there, looking him over.

"We need to talk about some things," he says. "I don't want anything to be misunderstood by either of us." I nod and he keeps on talking. "What happened last night - it shouldn't have, not yet, but- I just don't know."

"It shouldn't have happened last night, out there in the woods," I say. "I know that much. Don't you ask when I think it should happen. Because I won't tell you anything more than this. It happens when it happens, and when it does, it's going to be somewhere and sometime, that is better." He presses his lips together and nods.

"This was a bad idea, I don't even know what to say around you anymore."

"We're still friends just like before," I whisper. "You know that, right?"

"Just friends?"

"If that's what we need to happen for a while. Yes."

"Before we're friends can I do one thing?" My eyebrows furrow for a second before I realize what he meant. He pulls me against him and plants a kiss on my lips. I can't help but wrap my arms around his neck and melt into it. He pulls his lips away, but looks down at me, his eyes looking a bit sad. "My God I'm gonna miss that," he says shaking his head. His hands were still on the small of my back, but he lets them fall not long after he looks back at me. I untangle my fingers and pull my hands back down to my sides.

I smile a sad smile at him before pulling him against me, burying my face in his chest. "Friends can still hug, y'know." He laughs and wraps his arms around me in a bear hug. I let out a light laugh before he lets go. I grab my canes and walk back out of his room, turning my head to say, "Don't act weird anymore, ok?" He laughs and nods before sitting down on his bed. I shut his door behind me and walk out into the living room again.

Becca was still enthralled in her show until I sat down next to her and scared her a little bit. "So," I say plastering a smile on my face. "You ready to eat some cake?" She grins and runs into the kitchen. I walk in to find her tugging on Eliza's arm asking for her cake.

"You had to tell her, didn't you," she asks through a laugh. She pulls the cake off the counter and sets it back down on the kitchen table. "Allan," she yells. "Come eat some cake!" There is a sudden rush of pounding footsteps coming down the hall as he emerges from his room. We light the candles and sing 'Happy Birthday' for Becca as she impatiently stands there watching her cake. Once the candles are out and she gets her corner slice, she sits down and cuts right through it, eating a good bit of it in a single bite. The rest of us fill in around her as we eat our cake.

After we are all done Becca looks around and asks, "So where is my present Jessie? You said you got me something special this year."

"Yes, yes I did, Becks. It's right in here, but you have to wash your hands before you can see it." She runs off to the bathroom and is back out in about 30 seconds. She runs back to the table and covers her eyes. I walk into the kitchen and pull out the clarinet case, carrying it out to her. I click the buttons and let it come open as I hold it in front of her. "Okay, Becks, open your eyes."

She gasps and hurries to put it together. "You got me my own clarinet? I love it!" She laughs and plays a few notes on it before closing the case, and running off to her room with it. We all can't help but laugh at how excited she is. I did good with this year's gift, didn't I?

**August 10th**

"Come on, Becks, we gotta get you up early today so you don't die tomorrow," I say, faking utter excitement at the fact I'm getting up at 6 o'clock in the morning. She moans and rolls off the side of her bed, swinging her feet under herself. She follows me out of her room, wrapped in a blanket, and into the kitchen. I open the cabinets and pull out 2 bowls and a box of cereal. I dump some of it into each bowl and pull the milk out of the fridge. I fill the bowls with milk and put everything back away.

I carry our breakfast out to the table and see that Allan was stumbling his way out of his room. He walks into the kitchen and grabs a Poptart for himself before running into the dining room table. He curses under his breath and grabs his hip, right where he hit it. He sits down in the chair and we all groggily eat our food. I pick up mine and Becca's bowls and set them in the sink.

I have to say, I'm getting pretty good at walking with this stupid prosthetic. Maddie decided that I was ready to only use one cane to walk with. I walk back into my room and make sure to shut the door behind me. I sit down in front of the mirror above my desk. I look over my face and I'm sitting just where I can see almost all of me. I look myself over in the mirror and I can't help but stop when I get down to my leg.

I had never really looked at myself when I had it on, or at least never payed any attention to it. It reminded me of so many things I had read in books and stories. The robots, the other amputees in some of them. I never thought that something like that could happen to me. I always thought of amputees like how they were depicted in books and stuff. Like they were always these strong people who could lose a limb and keep on going, get their prosthetic and walk right out of the office walking fine. They could get right back to their life.

But this isn't a story. It's not a story, at least not anymore. This is my whole life, revolving around this ugly piece of scrap I have strapped to my stumpy little leg, if I can even call it that anymore. In everyone of those stories the authors left out one of the biggest details. They left out all the shit that people like me have to go through for this.

I need to tell my story. I need to let everybody know what it's really like to go through some of the shittiest things that I've went through. Then maybe, just maybe, they'll appreciate what they have.

I grab a pen off of my desk and pick up one of the notebooks that was supposed to be for my school. I just wrote, and wrote, and wrote. I wrote down every single detail of anything I thought was important. That notebook was my new diary. I wrote down every single date that anything happened that was worth talking about. If you're reading this now, it means I finished my story. I've finished all my chapters, I'm done with this part of my story, and it's time for me to move on. This, this right here, is the story. The story of My Life.

********Alright, so that's that, don't worry, the book is still going, I just thought I'd add that now, rather than later in an awkward spot. I still have many more ideas in store, just wait!********