Promise Me? *DISCONTINUED*

Chapter 11: Ocean Eyes

Later that night, when Miranda and Howard returned with Hazel, I had convinced Jeremy to talk to them more about how he was feeling and that, if it got heated again to get Hazel to text me and I'd come back without hesitation. 

He was a reluctant on that last part but I made sure to text Hazel after I left to let me know if it got intense again so that I could help Jeremy talk it out.

When I got to track around 7:25, Elena was there waiting for me, as I'd given her the head's up that I was coming and the hospital was nearby the track that we practiced at. She gave me a hug and then we started talking about all the normal things we used to talk about before the accident (like the middle aged woman who practiced with us high school students and occasionally had toilet paper caught in the waistband of her pants and always showed up with her hair blown out and her face full of makeup) which was comforting considering all anyone wanted to talk to me about at school was Jeremy. 

As we warmed up together, Elena eventually asked, "so how's Jeremy?"

My instinct was to snap, because that's what I did to the countless people who asked me about him at school, but I reminded myself that this was Elena; who was asking because she genuinely cared and wanted to know, "he's okay... there was a bit of a blowout when I showed up today but I think it's all good now. He's getting the bandages off tomorrow and they're talking about sending him home Friday" (it was currently Tuesday)

I could see her shock, "really?! How'd he take that?"

I sighed as we stretched out into a side lunge, "it's hard on him, I know that. I'm just trying to let him know that I'm here for him and that I'm not going anywhere. It's just so hard to see him go through all this knowing that I really can't do anything about it"

We switched to the other side and were facing away from each other so she waited until we switched again before she spoke, "you know what I think?"

I smirked at her, "there's no telling"

She shoved my shoulder, making me slightly lose my balance, "shut up I'm serious"

I regained my balance and deepened the stretch while she continued, "I think that even just by saying that and by being honest with him instead of sugar-coating things is more that enough. I know you think you aren't really able to help him because your're not a doctor or a miracle worker or whatever but" she paused as we switched to leg swings, "I think that you being open about what you're feeling about it and making him feel safe makes his mental state better and more stable, which is probably more beneficial to him right now than a doctor could be"

I took that in as we did forwards-backwards running to the other side of the track. Was it really that important to him? I thought back to the vulnerability in his voice when he told me to promise that I wouldn't give up on him and I realized that Elena was right.

We dropped the topic for the rest of warm up and instead talked about minuscule things like homework and stupid people at school and our conspiracy theories about two of the track coaches dating. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I made a mental note to buy her a booster juice after practice as payment. 

After warm up was finished,  we separated to our separate training groups; me to sprints and her to hurdles. Throughout the practice, it was like a window had been cracked open after weeks of being trapped in a closed room; everything felt like it was gonna be okay and I was able to focus on track and talk with a bunch of my friends in the sprinters group without worrying about Jeremy or feeling like I was gonna snap on anyone who asked me about him. 

At the end of practice, I was relieved to see that there was no texts from Hazel, aside from the "okay" she had sent me as a reply to my earlier message. Elena and I both got a strawberry sunshine drink from Booster Juice, which I paid for and she thanked me for immensely, then separated to our cars to drive home. As I got into the car and took a few sips of my drink, my phone started buzzing. Pulling it out, I noticed Hazel was calling. Fearfully, I slid my finger across the answer call button and said a hesitant, "hello?"