In An Instant

Chapter 6: Nothing

It was the first day of school, and sadly I was alone. I knew Bri would be back in a few days, but she wasn't here now. I tried to focus on my new class schedule, and all of the other madness that went along with the first day of school, but it was still hard. Between everyone asking me about Kaden, and everyone's surprise that Trey and I were sorta kinda dating, I was worn out by lunch.

I had been dreading eating alone, but was now thankful I didn't have to talk to anyone as I headed toward the lunch room. However, once I got my tray and was in line, a soothing voice interrupted my welcomed loneliness.

"Hey," Trey said, surprising me when he leaned down and kissed my cheek. "You look nice, but then again, you usually do."

"Thanks, so do you."

He did look pretty nice today, in a pair of grey shorts, which had a white stripe down the side, and a white Tennessee Vols shirt. His hair had been cut, but was still long enough on top to look a bit messy. His eyes were an even brighter green than usual, which I assumed was because they were rimmed with redness, which he'd said was from allergies.

Halfway through lunch, Dawson joined us, as well as a few of their other friends. It felt strange to be sitting at a table full of boys, with me being the only girl, so I tried to stay quiet and listen to their banter instead of making my presence very known. It's always been easier for me to blend into a crowd rather than stand out, and I liked it that way.

The next few days came and went the exact same way until Bri finally came back. The only bad thing about having her back was that it was harder to blend in, since she tended to stand out. With her around, I was forced to stand out by default.

They'd finally moved Kaden out of ICU and into a room, where he'd still be strictly monitored, but we could go see him whenever we wanted, which was a good thing; better than good, actually. The sad part was that he'd be leaving soon to go to a rehabilitation center, but they did have an amazing amputee program, which would not only help with his physical rehabilitation, but the mental part of it, as well.

The last night I'd spent at the hospital, before school started back, he'd been asleep every time visiting hours rolled around, so I never really got to talk to him. As I stood by his bed, staring at his broken body, which was all we were really able to do, I found myself reaching down to hold his fingers, like I'd done before, only to be reminded that they weren't there anymore.

After school today, Bri and I went back down to see him, and luckily, he was wide awake. It was the first time I'd seen him awake, able to focus his eyes on me and speak coherently, since the accident. I was excited at first, but that quickly changed.

Unlike before, when he'd asked for me, it was like he didn't want me there at all. He would barely even look at me. Even when Bri would make some random joke, he'd just stare at the TV, never smiling.

"Are you... do you... need anything?" I asked uncomfortably, but he shook his head, never looking at me.

I'd started to ask if he was hurting, which was a stupid question. Of course he was hurting. Then I started to ask if he needed more pain medicine, but assumed if he did he'd ask for it. I ended up just leaning back in my chair and staring at the TV with him, not really noticing what was even on.

"So, have you heard from Brooke?" Bri asked, causing me to give her sideways look. When he shook his head again, Bri shook her head. "Bitch."

"Bri," I scolded, even though I thought the same thing.

"I don't care, really," Kaden said. "To be honest, it's probably best that she just stays away." His voice was low, hoarse, and rugged, probably from days of having that tube down his throat. Even so, it was music to my ears. "Where did you say Mom went?"