high school [ jeff atkins ]

[ 10 ]

10; without you

jeff sat in the hospital waiting area rose lying in his lap asleep, he hadn't left her side ever since the moment at the formal she told him ryan had gotten hit by a car. the accident had happened over a day ago and neither of them had changed from their outfits from the winter formal and the both of them were beyond tired. lanie had tried to convince jeff to go home and get some rest, that he didn't need to be there, but he refused saying her wanted to be there to support not only rose but all of them. his eyes were screwed shut as he slept uncomfortably on the plastic chair, his left hand tangled in amongst her dark brown strands and his right laying upon her waist. alice had taken many photos of the two, finding their position quite cute and knew that rose would want photos and memories of that day. despite the day being absolutely horrible, rose would want to remember it because she likes to remember everything, it was another one of her weird habits. she liked seeing photos to remember things, she's always liked taking photos and seeing them.

"jeff," alice whispered as she shook the younger boy's shoulder gently, "jeff wake up."

groaning, jeff fluttered his eyes open and untangled his left hand from her hair and rubbed his sore neck. blinking multiple times, jeff tried to get his eyes to adjust to the bright lights of the hospital.

"jeff i think it's time you leave," alice mumbled in a scared tone as she bounced her right leg up and down repeatedly, "rose will understand."

"why?" jeff said in a hoarse and tired tone, his right hand rubbing rose's waist, "did ryan wake up yet?"

"our father will be here any minute, you should leave now," alice gulped, jeff only just realizing the actual fear in her tone. why would she be afraid of her father? why would she worry about jeff meeting him?

"so?" jeff shrugged, not seeing the big point in it all.

"you don't get it jeff, he's scary," alice mumbled, not trying to wake rose and not trying to let lanie hear what she was talking about with jeff, "why else would i come home once a every other week a year? why else would i leave in the first place? he's really scary jeff and he'll make you feel uncomfortable, he's not someone you want to meet."

"has he hurt you alice?" jeff suddenly asked, "has he hurt any of you?"

"hurt? last time he was home he almost killed ryan by locking him in the closet because ryan didn't want to go play soccer with him," alice explained, "last time i was home and he was home at the same time he slammed rose's head on the table and threw a chair at me. he's not someone rose would want to introduce you to."

suddenly though, the elevator door almost twenty feet away from them chimed and out stepped a tall and burly man with features similar to ryan and the same shaped eyes as rose. jeff instantly thought he was the man alice was talking about, he was the father alice wanted jeff to avoid for that day. he then felt alice grip onto jeff's bicep do tightly that her nails could rip the fabric of his shirt, which kind of confirmed to jeff that the man was in fact the park siblings father. the man stopped right in front of lanie and tapped her shoulder to wake the girl in her late thirties up. jeff had his eyes trained on him and watched his every move, he watched as lanie shot up and out of her chair to wrap her arms around her husband's neck and sobbed about how their little boy deserved better.