She Has Red Hair

Broken Bones and Fake Girlfriends

On the drive to the medical center I dwelled on what Raymond had done to break a few bones. He didn't have the car so he wasn't driving. The doctor said an accident; did he mean car accident? What kind of accident?

I lied to Blaine on the reason why I had to leave at nearly ten at night. I just said that my mom was in the phone. She wanted me to grab somethings for her before she came home. Blaine had offered to go but I declined.

While grabbing my stuff I tried not to seem rushed but it was hard. I ended up practically pushing Blaine out of the door. He fell on to a bean bag.

But to make a long story short, I finally got Blaine to go home and started driving to the medical center.

When I got there it wasn't busy like I thought it would be. Instead there were few cars in the parking lot.

"Raymond Jackson," I said, walking up to the desk. "Ma'am, visiting hours are over." I looked at her incredulous. Visiting hours are over?

"I just got a call saying to come down here."
"Are you family?"
"A girlfriend?"
No!
"Yes." If it gets me in, I wanted to add.

She looked at me, hesitating for a moment. Then shrugging, she went on to her computer and looked up his information.

"Azea Rikon?"
"Yes."
"Room 267 on the second floor and to the left."
"Thank you."
I hurried to the elevator and waited impatiently. People around me were trying to stare discreetly but I felt there eyes on me.

Finally the elevator doors opened and I stepped inside along with some others. It was packed with twelve people inside. I was pushed in a corner between a guy whose head nearly touched the ceiling and a girl in stiletto heels.

The ride seemed to take forever. It took me three minutes to finally realize that it wasn't moving. And everyone else seemed to realize too.

Why? Why is this happening to me?

Suddenly people started banging on the elevator doors and yelling. The woman in stiletto heels pushed towards the front of the elevator to join in the yelling.

I looked to see who was now beside me and found an old lady. Not to be offensive, but she looked like she should be in the hospital. Couldn't be a day younger than seventy.

As I was staring, her head turned and startled me. It was the old lady from earlier. What is she doing here?

She seemed to recognize me too because her eyes narrowed and her lips turned down.

"You," she seemed to growl. Remembering what she did to Blaine earlier, I started pushing forward in the crowd if people.

"Excuse me."
"Pardon me."
"Move out of the way."
I heard the old lady doing the same behind me and mentally cursed. I was going to get my butt kicked in a crowded elevator.

Thanks Blaine.

People glared at me as I pushed through them, but I didn't care. We went in circles, a couple times even switching the direction, and finally the elevator started to move. Whatever the people had done, it worked.

But just because the elevator was moving didn't mean the lady was done chasing me.

"Get back here," she said in a rough accent. Finally she grabbed ahold of the back of my shirt while people just stared.

"Mom!" the lady in stiletto heels finally yelled. She turned to face her daughter just as the elevator doors opened, leaving me with a chance to escape. I darted out of the elevator and made a sharp left, avoiding the crowd of people gathered.

Room 267 was vacant except for the bed on the farside of the room. There I found Raymond with his leg in a cast and hand in a wrap. The doctor was at the end of the bed, seeming to sleep standing up.

"What happened to you?" I walked over to his side. He opened his mouth to speak but the doctor beat him to it.

"From what he told me, he had been leaving his job and was on his phone. Not paying attention, he didn't see a car backing out until it backed over his leg."

I turned my attention back to Raymond and smacked his forehead.
"Ow! I'm injured here," he said, rubbing his forehead with his good hand.

"Sorry, Mom, I was seeing if Callum could pick me up from work."
"I'm assuming he said yes since you were out in the parking lot."

Raymond shook his head and I looked at him blankly.
"He said no. If he had said yes, I would have been inside and waiting for him. Instead, I was angrily texting him while starting to walk home. That's when the car backed over my leg."

Callum, you are getting a piece of my mind when I get back.

"You can take him home whenever. Just let me get the discharge papers." Then he turned to Raymond.
"You're lucky your girlfriend came to get you." Then he left.

Girlfriend? Raymond!

"You really told him I was your girlfriend?" He tried to shake his head no but his smile gave him away.

"Why?"
"I didn't want my brothers to come and get me. They would make jokes about this. And the doctor wouldn't let me call you unless I said you were my girlfriend."

Shaking my head, I sat on the side of the bed and talked to Raymond. We decided to save him from ridicule from his brothers a little longer. He would stay in my guest room and text his brothers an excuse.

An hour and a half later we arrived back at my house. Raymond was as slow as a snail.

"You know if you don't hurry up your brothers will be here. I'm pretty sure they heard the car pull up." He glared at me and slowly grabbed his crutches and set them down.

"If you don't hurry up I will haul you in the house myself," I threatened again.
"I would love to see you try."
"Don't test me. It has been a long day."

Giving up on the conversation, he finally got up and hobbled to the front door; nearly tripping on the stairs. I met him up there and ulocked the door.

Somehow—with my help—he got to the guest bedroom and fell on to the bed. I said goodnight and left the room. It was past midnight, luckily we had no school tomorrow.

I expected it. I don't know why I hoped it wouldn't happen. If it didn't happen it would have been too easy.

The pounding on the door started and my phone started ringing. Rolling over in my bed, I grabbed my phone and answered.

"Azea—" It was Callum. I made a disgusted sound and hung up. The laughing from outside could be heard upstairs.

My phone rang again.

"Hello?"
"It's Mike."
"What do you want?" I asked him.

"She didn't hang up on me," he said—presumably to Callum—on the other end. "Really, Azea?" Callum yelled.

"Is Raymond really staying at your house? Please tell me he's lying about staying in your room." My smile dropped.

I covered the receiver—even though I knew they would hear me anyways.

"Raymond!" I yelled loudly. There was cackling on the other end of the phone as well as in the guest room.

"Y'all can wait until morning," I said. Then I hung up the phone and turned it off.

I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

*Short chapter, but whatever. I had to get an update out. Maybe I'll fix it later on. Not edited at all.*