cool With A "K". PART 3 (Chapter 5)

Chris was staring to look better and Jamie kept looking at him like that. I knew she liked him, and I hoped I wouldn't be the one that had to break it to her.....

It was weird, she would just stare and stare with that weird, dreamy look in her eyes. The thought was kind of weird to me that someone would have a crush on Chris. I had never really thought about it, but I suppose he's pretty cute for having been hit by a truck two months ago. Geez, she stared at him like that so much, I didn't want what happened to Alice to happen to Jamie. Too late.

It was almost summer now and it turns out Jamie didn't know that Chris was my brother until she asked Alice if I had a crush on him (yuck! No way!) . Alice fought back a grin and said, "Uh, no, Jamie. Um.... he's her brother." Jamie's face turned a little red and she said "Oh....." I pretended I couldn't hear them and grinned.

It was Monday, it was time for Chris and I to get on the bus. He wasn't in our usual meeting spot. I searched the school. There he was, holding a pen, staring at the sign-up sheet for the musical. I walked up to him, "Chris," I said gently. He didn't look at me. What to say next.......? "You can sign up if you want to, Dad can't stop you from being who you are." Chris swallowed. his eyes started to moisten. I put my hand on his shoulder, he let me. "You see-" I began, but Chris cut me off. "Dad disapproves of me. You know how he is. He is so damn homophobic and that doesn't work when his own son is-" he stopped. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly when he realized what he had just said to me. I opened my mouth but couldn't say anything. My grip on his shoulder tightened slightly, I knew how hard this was for him, especially at his age. "He doesn't love me...." Chris whispered. He wiped his nose and blinked back already falling tears and he wouldn't look at me. I couldn't blame him, poor Chris must have been so embarrassed, he looked so helpless. I wrapped my arms around him in a hug. Almost to my surprise, he hugged me back. He sniffed and shuddered as a sob came out. "It's who you are Chris," I said, "Don't let others tell you what you can and can't be." Geez, talk about cheesy! But I think I was getting somewhere..... We broke apart and Chris wiped his nose again. "Come on," I said, "we're going to miss our bus." Chris managed a laugh and we walked to the bus. My arm around Chris's shoulders, I glanced behind me and couldn't help but chuckle. There, was Jamie, standing about 34 yards away, her mouth wide open, her cheeks the color of ripe radishes, her eyes wide with surprise. I gave her a "don't worry about it" look and me and Chris walked to the bus.

On Friday, I walked by the theater where the musical sign-up sheet was posted. I walked by it when something caught my eye; I looked at it and smiled. Chris Harper. Chris had signed up for the musical.

END OF PART 3

cool With A "K". PART 3 (Chapter 4)

It was May now. It was lunchtime and I saw that girl from before, Jamie! She was talking to another girl. I went up to them. "Hi Jamie!" I said, hoping I didn't look upset, after all, Chris just got out of the hospital a month ago. Jamie and the other girl stopped talking. Jamie's friend eyed me, as if she was thinking who is this freak? Where they a part of the cool kids? Was I not supposed to be talking to her? What would she say? What if I was embarrassing her? I started to back off when Jamie smiled back and said "Oh, hi!" What should I say? "Uh, hey, do you want to sit with me and my friends?" Jamie smiled, "Sure! But can I invite my friend over too?"

"Sure that's totally fine!" Am I being to enthusiastic? I thought.

"Okay, me and my freind Crystal will be right there after we get our lunches." Jamie smiled again. At that, I turned and walked to my table. I heard Jamie's friend, Crystal, behind me say to Jamie, "Why is she talking to you? is she your freind or something?"

"Why? are you jealous?" Jamie said.

"No. I'm just asking....."

All of a sudden, I felt kind of bad. Was it the right thing for me to do, inviting her to sit with us? Well, Jamie is really nice, but, did she even like me?

After a few minutes, Jamie and Crystal sat down at our table. Crystal was eyeing all of us, as if she didn't trust us. Jamie was taking in everything, trying to memorize our faces. Then, her eyes fell on Chris. The awkwardness melted away from her face, her eyes lit up, Jamie cocked her head to the side slightly. Uh oh. "Uh- Chris! This is Jamie, my new friend and her friend....."

"Crystal." She said.

"Yeah, Jamie and Crystal!" I announced. Chris smiled warmly, "Hello."

"Hi....." Jamie said, almost dreamily. Uh oh again. Was she......? I couldn't help but snort. Mouse almost laughed out loud. Jamie looked confused. I motioned for them to sit down and they did. We talked for a while and soon enough Leo bounded over to the table and flopped down next to Mouse. "'Bout time!" Mouse said, and with that, we continued eating.

cool With A "K". PART 3 (Chapter 3)

Now, I really couldn't think. My head clouded with awful visions of Chris in the ambulance, all that blood, I remembered him saying No Ange, it's not your fault, never think that.... Oh god, my little brother........ Me, Mom, and Dad were in the ER waiting room. Mom was crying into Dad's jacket, his arms around her. Dad had a glassy look in his grey-green eyes. He almost looked confused, as if he wasn't used to feeling emotional pain. My eyes filled with tears again, I guess my tear glands felt like I needed new ones to cover up the layer of salt water on my cheeks. This was hell. My brother was in the ER, the too-bright lights, the nauseating chemical smell, the horrible, horrible fear that Chris........

I started sobbing. Mom and Dad looked up from their own huddle of despair and sucked me into a deep, sobbing, sad hug. "C-Chris....." a shuddered. "I know," Mom said.

A nurse came in, holding a clipboard. She had an awful, grim look on her face. We all looked at her expectantly. "Follow me." She said. We did as we were told. She lead us down a hall of too-bright lights, the horrible chemical smell, open doors to rooms with visitors, wires, IV lines galore, crying families, empty beds. She opened a door to one room. I stared, horrified, at Chris. He looked pretty bad, he had a bandage on his head that would have been soaked in blood if the Nurse hadn't just changed it. He had stitches in his head and his left arm was in a sling. The doctor said that Chris had dislocated his left shoulder, had a concussion, broke two ribs, and had an open wound on the side of his head, so he had to have stitches, but, he was alive, and that was what mattered. I sat down in the chair next to his bed. I bit my lip, my eyes filling with tears. I put my hand in his and cried. I felt a hand on mine that was holding Chris's. I looked up, Chris! He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at me. He smiled weakly. "Chris....." my voice cracked. Then, I remembered. Word spew time kids! "Oh god Chris! I am so sorry! Oh god! If I hadn't been daydreaming, if I hadn't walked right into the street! Oh god, Chris it's all my fault!" He put a hand up to stop me. Suddenly, I remembered what he said in the ambulance; "No Ange, it's not your fault, never think that.... " I got all choked up again. "It's not your fault, Ange." He said, smiling again. "Oh Chris!" I wailed. "I'm so sor-" I stopped myself and bit my lip again. I nodded that I understood.

Chris got out of the hospital a week and a half later. He started going to school after about a month after he got out of the hospital. Yep. Concussions can do that to you.

cool With A "K". PART 3 (Chapter 2)

I couldn't BELIEVE those stupid thugs from the football team would call Chris that! No one can push my brother around like that! Oh, I HATE THEM!!!!! God, those STUPID IDIOTS!!!! Oh, I will get back at them, I will!!!

My brain was filled with incoherent, angry thoughts, I was oblivious to the world around me. I couldn't think, I could see, I couldn't hear. All of a sudden, one voice echoed through my mind, Chris. He was screaming my name. What? I thought. I turned around. Chris's blue-green eyes were full of tears. He screamed my name again, "Angela!!!!" what? i thought. I turned. My eyes widened as I saw what he was screaming about. My mind went blank. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion as it happened. My mind filled with pure fear at the thought that I had been so careless, the thought that I had been stupid enough the walk right into the street, the thought that there was a huge truck coming towards me. I saw the headlights, I saw Chris, I felt Chris's hand's push my side, I saw and felt the pavement as I hit it, and I saw Chris and the truck connect..... and then it all went black.

TO BE CONTINUED

Cool With A "K". PART 3 (Chapter 1)

......... chris...... chris, no..... I'll be okay..... don't worry..... no.... NO!!!!! I screamed. I bolted straight upright. Where was I? That...... smell. Oh no, I knew where I was.........