onenightsavage

aswewait

I woke up, surprised that I had even slept at all.

Alicia was propped up in the bed, being spoon fed some soup by a nurse.

She made faces like it hurt to eat.

After two more spoonfuls, she turned away.

"Honey, your mother is coming. Don't you want her to hear good things? It would help her to hear your voice" The nurse said.

She exhaled sharply and it looked like it pained her.

The nurse handed her a bucket and she threw up more than the soup.

The nurse helped Alicia wipe her face and then put a flashlight in her eyes and made her follow her finger.

Then she got a new bag of what they said were electrolytes.

She laid back quietly and closed her eyes.

"Alicia" I called out.

She didn't even flinch, but her heart started to beat faster on the monitor.

I got up and walked towards her, grabbing her hand.

She pulled away slowly.

"Look at me, please" I stared down at her and touched her face. "I'm sorry for everything"

Her whole face scrunched up and she bit her lip really hard before she started crying.

I got in the bed with her and pulled her up against me.

She buried her face into my chest and sobbed.

"I should have listened to you and I didn't. As much as you feel like it's your fault, it isn't. He's manipulating you, Alicia and I'm sorry that you have to deal with it"

I kissed her forehead.

-

When I got home, they were sitting in front of the tv, talking shit to each other and eating my food.

I went upstairs and changed my shirt before joining them.

"How was it?" Salim asked.

I shrugged. "She didn't want to look at me and she didn't talk. I apologized and then she cried. I got in the bed with her and she cried on me. I left when her parents came"

"Did you say bye? Ain't she getting discharged?"

"Yeah. I said bye when I left."

"No, like goodbye. They packed up her apartment yesterday. I heard it from somebody today."

"Huh?! Who you heard that from?" I stood up.

"I don't know them. Somebody on her hallway. They said that they packed up the girls room that the boy tried to kill himself in"

"So she leaving school?"

"Most likely. I don't know where she live."

I didn't know either.

-

A few days later
Alicia

"Blueberry for me. Chocolate for this one" My dad undid my braids to play in my hair.

I breathed slowly against his chest.

We were laying on the couch.

Ever since I got back home, him or my mother had been holding me.

It has been very comforting and I was sleeping well by my own standards.

My dad laughed. "I remember when your mother shaved your head bald right before your first birthday because your hair wasn't growing in even."

"That and the fact that Ali couldn't stop pulling her hair out." My mother said, coming back and sitting with us.

She put the plate down and I felt my stomach churn.

When I looked at her, she was already looking at me.

"I promise that you don't have to eat the whole thing" She told me and picked up the plate to start cutting it up for me.

My dad sat us both up and I slid in-between them.

"You are so strong" My mother said and kissed my face while passing me the plate.

I needed to hear that.

-