She looked over at her cousin and sighed quietly. The other girl looked so
content and happy. How could she not? She had her family, her friends,
and her life, all at her fingertips. There she sat, twirling a long strand
of blonde hair around her perfectly polished finger, not a care in the
world. She was gazing out the window with a faraway look on her face,
probably thinking about some guy she had a crush on or how much fun it was
going to be to have an older sister. Life was so unfair. This fourteen
year old girl was sitting next to her, perfectly content with her whole
life, and here she sat, just one year older, her whole life having just
been torn to shreds.
Riley pulled her backpack into her lap, withdrawing more pictures from within its dark pockets. She ran her finger over a picture of her with a teenage boy. He was standing behind her, his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. They were both smiling, he with his blue eyes sparkling and his shaggy blonde hair falling into his face, she with her green eyes gazing at his profile and her brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail.
"Who's that?" Lizzie had turned from her window and was now looking intently at the photograph in Riley's hand. "He's cute."
Riley smiled slightly. She placed the picture into Lizzie's outstretched hand, "Dimitri. He's my boyfriend."
Turning in her seat in the front, Jo leaned back and took the picture from Lizzie. She inspected it, and smiled. "You two look very happy."
"We are. We've been going out since the beginning of seventh grade, so our three year anniversary is in like a month." Riley looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers around themselves. "Only I'm not going to be with him this year."
Riley looked out the front window as a black truck approached them in the opposite lane. Her entire body tensed and her eyes widened. "Watch out," she whispered and clamped her eyes tightly shut. Lizzie looked over at her upon hearing her fervent whisper and noticed how rigid her cousin was sitting.
"Riley? Are you ok? Riley?" Lizzie shook her shoulder in an attempt to get her attention, but Riley was lost in her memories.
~~~
She was struggling to open her eyes; they felt like they were super-glued shut. She shook her head from side to side, immediately regretting it. Her head felt like it had split open, the pain was so intense. Finally managing to open her eyes, she clamped them shut again. The lights in the room caused her head to hurt even more.
A cool hand caressed her forehead and a soothing voice entered her ears, "Sshhh. You're okay. The lights are dimmer now; open your eyes." Riley slowly opened her eyes again, trying to focus on the source of that calm voice. A woman in all white, a nurse, was standing above her, still smoothing her hair. "Where am I?"
The woman smiled kindly, white teeth gleaming in between her red lips. "You're in the hospital, sweetie. You were in a car accident."
"Yeah. With my......"
~~~
"MOM! DAD!" Riley cried out. She wrenched her eyes open to the sight of her aunt and uncle's concerned faces. Sam had pulled the car over to the side of the road at Lizzie's urgent cries to Riley.
She turned quickly to the side of the car and threw her body over Lizzie's to open the car door. Climbing over Lizzie and practically falling out of the vehicle, she landed on her hands and knees, vomiting onto the dusty ground. She barely noticed Jo and Lizzie rushing to her side, Jo holding her hair back and Lizzie rubbing her back. Having finished emptying her stomach, she started sobbing, her entire body shaking. Jo gathered her into her arms, hugging her tightly and trying to calm her down, while Lizzie looked on in astonishment, one hand over her mouth. Sam stood behind Lizzie, one hand on her shoulder, and Matt stood to one side of her, kicking the dirt, not knowing what to do.
Riley sat in Jo's arms, crying and coughing, for about fifteen minutes, before slowly calming down. She pulled out of Jo's embrace, wiping her face with the palm of her hand. She stood slowly, unsteadily looking into the concerned faces of her aunt, uncle and cousins. Turning her head and refusing to look at them again, she climbed back into the car, sitting with her head in her hands.
The McGuires looked at each other uncertainly before piling back into the car to finish the drive home. When they finally reached their house, Riley looked up for the first time in the hour long drive. Climbing out of the car and looking at the house that was her new home, tears started streaming down her face again. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her tear stained face to look at the owner. Lizzie smiled sympathetically and gave her a quick squeeze. "C'mon. I'll show you your room."
Riley pulled her backpack into her lap, withdrawing more pictures from within its dark pockets. She ran her finger over a picture of her with a teenage boy. He was standing behind her, his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. They were both smiling, he with his blue eyes sparkling and his shaggy blonde hair falling into his face, she with her green eyes gazing at his profile and her brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail.
"Who's that?" Lizzie had turned from her window and was now looking intently at the photograph in Riley's hand. "He's cute."
Riley smiled slightly. She placed the picture into Lizzie's outstretched hand, "Dimitri. He's my boyfriend."
Turning in her seat in the front, Jo leaned back and took the picture from Lizzie. She inspected it, and smiled. "You two look very happy."
"We are. We've been going out since the beginning of seventh grade, so our three year anniversary is in like a month." Riley looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers around themselves. "Only I'm not going to be with him this year."
Riley looked out the front window as a black truck approached them in the opposite lane. Her entire body tensed and her eyes widened. "Watch out," she whispered and clamped her eyes tightly shut. Lizzie looked over at her upon hearing her fervent whisper and noticed how rigid her cousin was sitting.
"Riley? Are you ok? Riley?" Lizzie shook her shoulder in an attempt to get her attention, but Riley was lost in her memories.
~~~
She was struggling to open her eyes; they felt like they were super-glued shut. She shook her head from side to side, immediately regretting it. Her head felt like it had split open, the pain was so intense. Finally managing to open her eyes, she clamped them shut again. The lights in the room caused her head to hurt even more.
A cool hand caressed her forehead and a soothing voice entered her ears, "Sshhh. You're okay. The lights are dimmer now; open your eyes." Riley slowly opened her eyes again, trying to focus on the source of that calm voice. A woman in all white, a nurse, was standing above her, still smoothing her hair. "Where am I?"
The woman smiled kindly, white teeth gleaming in between her red lips. "You're in the hospital, sweetie. You were in a car accident."
"Yeah. With my......"
~~~
"MOM! DAD!" Riley cried out. She wrenched her eyes open to the sight of her aunt and uncle's concerned faces. Sam had pulled the car over to the side of the road at Lizzie's urgent cries to Riley.
She turned quickly to the side of the car and threw her body over Lizzie's to open the car door. Climbing over Lizzie and practically falling out of the vehicle, she landed on her hands and knees, vomiting onto the dusty ground. She barely noticed Jo and Lizzie rushing to her side, Jo holding her hair back and Lizzie rubbing her back. Having finished emptying her stomach, she started sobbing, her entire body shaking. Jo gathered her into her arms, hugging her tightly and trying to calm her down, while Lizzie looked on in astonishment, one hand over her mouth. Sam stood behind Lizzie, one hand on her shoulder, and Matt stood to one side of her, kicking the dirt, not knowing what to do.
Riley sat in Jo's arms, crying and coughing, for about fifteen minutes, before slowly calming down. She pulled out of Jo's embrace, wiping her face with the palm of her hand. She stood slowly, unsteadily looking into the concerned faces of her aunt, uncle and cousins. Turning her head and refusing to look at them again, she climbed back into the car, sitting with her head in her hands.
The McGuires looked at each other uncertainly before piling back into the car to finish the drive home. When they finally reached their house, Riley looked up for the first time in the hour long drive. Climbing out of the car and looking at the house that was her new home, tears started streaming down her face again. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her tear stained face to look at the owner. Lizzie smiled sympathetically and gave her a quick squeeze. "C'mon. I'll show you your room."