Her Life Of Maybes

Chapter Twenty Four

Over the next two weeks, the anxiety Trinity had over her impending graduation only increased. Julian noticed something was bugging her from the start, but Trinity was stubborn about keeping to herself.

She wasn’t going to ruin this day for anybody else.

Trinity was in her room getting ready to walk the stage and accept her diploma. Both Julian and Sky were at their own houses getting their things together. All three of them needed a little time for themselves before graduation to process the fact that they were done. They had made it.

Trinity, especially, had a hard time digesting that fact. She couldn’t believe she had made it this long. She had been determined to do it, but the fact that her body went along with her requests for once really surprised her.

The happiness she felt at finally graduating did nothing to dispel the awful feeling in her stomach. It was almost overwhelming at this point.

Something bad was going to happen.

On the drive to the school, Trinity stayed quiet. Her parents kept exchanging glances that Trinity pretended not to notice. They were worried for her. Both of them knew today was something she was proud of and she was acting like she wanted to be anywhere else but in the car on the way to the ceremony.

At the school, Trinity made sure her parents were situated before shrugging the graduation gown over her dress and heading over to the rest of the graduates. She kept her head low to avoid any of the stares from her classmates.

Trinity did not look good.

Julian and Sky would say that it wasn’t that bad, that she just looked sick, but Trinity knew better. She looked like death.

Her naturally sharp cheekbones were sticking out far more than they ever had before. Her skin had taken on a pasty color. Her hair, despite trying curl some volume into it, still looked limp dull. She hated it.

She didn’t feel pretty anymore. She didn’t feel like herself. All Trinity felt was sadness at what she knew was waiting right around the corner for her.

Trinity’s thoughts were cut short as arms wrapped around her figure. They were too tiny to be Julian’s so she turned her head with a weak smile on her lips.

“Hey, Sky.”

Sky frowned internally at her best friend. She didn’t look like the girl who had spent the last three months fighting to get to this point. She looked like a girl who had given up.

“Hey babe. Are you ready for this?!”

Trinity sighed. “Yeah. Ready for this to be over. “

Trinity’s words had a double meaning, one that both Sky and Julian, who was now behind Trinity, caught.

Julian threw Sky a worried look before wrapping his arms around both girls and gently lifting them up.

“Hey doll faces, stop talking, it’s time to go line up.”

Julian was one of the first graduates, so he was pretty far from Trinity. When he walked the stage, Trinity mustered up all the strength she had left in her body and screamed his name, cheering louder as his eyes found her and he blew a kiss.

Things started to pass quickly. Trinity felt like she was in a dream. She was there physically, but every other part of her seemed like it was somewhere else. She was three people away from the stage when the black started to tint the edges of her vision.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no,” she chanted quietly to herself. The students around her threw her questioning looks, but she ignored them, urging the line to hurry up.

Disorientation crawled through her as she stepped on stage.

Only a few steps left.

Trinity shook hands with the principal and accepted her fake diploma with no emotion.

Almost there.

But Trinity knew she wouldn’t make it when she noticed the first drop of that cherry color she had come to hate dotted the white paper rolled up in her hand.

Her vision went black for a few seconds before she felt herself falling.

Julian noticed something was wrong when Trinity’s steps onto the stage were shaky and unsure. When he heard the gasps of the people in the front row and saw the blood leaking steadily from her nose, he rushed out onto the stage, not giving a single thought to the rest of the ceremony.

Just as she fell, he caught her.

Her eyes were open, but Julian saw blankness in them. The blankness scared him.

“Trinity,” he called out softly.

She didn’t respond.

“Trinity,” he said louder. “Trinity, darling, wake up. Please, baby, wake up.”

His pleading started to get louder and more hysterical. He didn’t even realize Sky sitting next to him, her eyes crying into his shoulder.

His grip was fierce as he used his gown to try and get rid of the blood on her face, but it just kept coming. It wouldn’t stop.

Soon enough, a paramedic made his way onto the stage, roughly pushing Julian out of the way.

He moved back, throwing his arm around Sky. If it was for her comfort or his, he wasn’t sure, but either way it didn’t seem to be working.

Julian’s mouth began moving in a silent prayer to God. The doctor gave her more time. He couldn’t take her now, not yet. He would do anything to keep her.

Trinity’s parents were standing off to the side, watching the paramedics work on their lifeless daughter. Julian’s heart broke for them. Losing a kid is something no parent should have to experience.

All of them held their breath as the paramedic looked up and searched all of their faces.

“She’s breathing.”