UNEDITED
Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.
Those are the words that Justin McCallister has been repeating in his mind since the day he was diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumour that's been causing partial...
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Adelaide
A week passes and I don't see Justin. That's mainly because of family Christmas parties, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, but there are still those days in between where I have nothing to do but think.
Today is an example.
I can't stop thinking about how Justin hasn't bothered to text or call me. I'm so desperate that I even tried calling Helene to get through to him. We talked for five minutes, but Helene told me that Justin couldn't talk at that specific moment. When I said thanks and hung up, I chucked my phone against a pillow and began to cry all over again.
It's hard to think something so good between us is gone within the blink of an eye. He clearly doesn't want to speak to me, and every time I think about this, I replay that day in the hospital over and over again.
It's the twenty-ninth of December and all the snow has melted, so I've decided I'm going to distract myself by going for a hike on one of the trails behind my house.
After changing into leggings, runners, and a warm sweater, and collecting my headphones and iPhone, I head downstairs.
"Where are you going, Addie?"
I freeze, my hand inches from the handle of the front door. Crap. I had been planning on going alone. I turn around, shoulders slumping in defeat, and see Dad leaning against the wall.
I shrug. "Going for a hike. I...I need to get out and do something."
That something may have included attempting to call Justin again. I need to know how he's doing. If he misses me like I miss him. I need to ask him if we can talk.
Dad grabs his sporty winter jacket from a nearby hook. "I'll come with you."
"And so will I," Mom says, stepping out of the kitchen with a thermos full of...I don't know what's in there, but she must catch me staring at it because she tells me it's hot chocolate.
"I don't know," I say, trying to sound casual. I hold up my phone and headphones. "I kind of wanted to listen to music."
Dad walks over and takes both electronics from me, setting them down on the bench adjacent to the front door. "Why listen to music when you can listen to the outdoors?"
I want to stomp my foot like a three-year-old. Can he not clue in? I want to be alone with my thoughts. Even if it isn't a good thing for me to be doing. Every time I do, my heart hurts. I miss Justin so much and the fact that he has epilepsy doesn't change what I think about him. I know Justin for who he is. I refuse to judge him for having to battle something like that. I mean, what the heck is the difference between someone who has cancer and someone who has epilepsy? I get that one is more severe than the other. But why do people push away the people who have epilepsy and pull the ones who have cancer closer? It's ridiculous.
I almost ask about leaving Jake and Alex behind, but they're fourteen. Also, they slept over at Uncle Hart and Aunty Elle's house last night so they could hang out with Jaymes. That option is quickly pulled from my grasp.
