The Great Awakening

Mason stared at Mia for a few seconds before the fuzziness of his conscience cleared. He’d met her a few times through Kevin; she was, after all, his best friend. Besides that she was sort of a mystery. Kevin didn’t talk about her much and no one in the group asked questions. She was always his. The one girl no one was allowed to touch because Kevin wouldn’t allow it and everyone assumed she wasn’t interested in another snowboarder. Especially not now; not after what happened.

Mason couldn’t help but notice how pretty she was. And selfless, too, that she’d spend every minute of her time cramped in the hospital instead of being a part of the outside world. Mia was admirable; her devotion to and love for Kevin didn’t appear to know any bounds. As much as Mason and the rest of the group would’ve loved to call themselves Kevin’s best friend, there was virtually no competition and they knew that. Mia wasn’t boastful when it came to her relationship with Kevin which made it hundreds of times harder to dislike her and, just as equally, a hundred times easier to like her.

Despite his admiration for her, Mason knew better. There were certain lines within a friendship that just weren’t allowed to be crossed and Mia was the biggest of them all. He was sure that he was close enough to Kevin that Kevin would know his intentions were gold but it was a risk that Mason wasn’t willing to take. Their group of friends meant everything in the world to him and if just one friendship was ruined everything would go downhill. He didn’t want to be the one to do that.

“Are you here to see Kevin?” Mia asked quietly. She was awkwardly pulling on the sleeve of her sweater. The pair were standing in the hallway of the hospital but it felt like they were the only ones there.

Mason nodded. “Apparently they moved his room and decided not to tell anyone-”

“It’s the one right there,” Mia explained as she pointed to Kevin’s room.

“Thanks.” Mason began walking in the direction of Kevin’s room but stopped once he realized she wasn’t following him. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, I was going to get something to eat while he was asleep.”

Mason nodded but didn’t make a further attempt to talk to her. Mia was aware of how awkward their conversation had become. Mason was always the loud, obnoxious one who never failed to make you laugh. He hadn’t a care in the world but snowboarding and the people he loved. You’d never catch him without a smile and he was an optimist to the highest degree. In short, Mia was none of those things which she desperately desired to be.

The two split paths as Mia watched him disappear into the darkness of Kevin’s room. She’d never been particularly close with Mason but she always thought he was the most accepting of her. Kevin’s friends (though they were very nice and welcoming) were Kevin’s friends. The few times she’d met them she felt as if they simply tolerated her. No one really engaged her in conversation except for Mason, who’d asked her a ton of questions as soon as he realized who she was. Mia was infamous within the circle of friends. No thanks to Kevin, of course, who only spoke highly of her whenever he actually brought her up.

The cafeteria was empty for nine in the morning. Most mornings it would be packed and the pancakes were cold by the time Mia was able to pay for her meal. The tables were lonely and the aroma of fresh, warm meals filled her nose. Mia made her way through the queue line quickly and found a table underneath a large window. The sunlight streaming in provided a kind warmth and she reveled in it, having been stuck in a cold, dark hospital room for most of her days.

She began cutting her pancakes into tiny pieces--a habit Kevin had poked fun of her for many times. The thought brought a tiny smile to her face. Moments like those made her sacrifice much more worth it. Even under such circumstances there was still warmth and happiness in the world.

“Is this seat taken?”

Mia coughed a bit as she choked on her food. Once she regained her composure she shook her head and turned bright red as she realized Mason was sitting across from her. She didn’t want him to see her eating--another quirk of hers that had stuck with her from her childhood.

“Sorry about that,” she said quietly and began fiddling with her fork.

“You apologize a lot,” Mason replied. He studied her closely and came to the conclusion that he had no idea how she and Kevin were friends. They didn’t appear to be anything alike.

“I... Uh, yeah, I guess I do.”

Mason sensed her uncomfortableness and changed the subject. “Kevin seems to be doing better.”

Mia’s mood perked right up at the possibility of discussing her best friend. “A lot better, actually. The doctors think he could be walking on his own by the end of February.”

He nodded and looked around the cafeteria. It was lonely and just as cold as the rest of the hospital. The entire building was cooled down to a mere seventy degrees which didn’t provide much warmth in the midst of winter. He should’ve been used to it, seeing as he was a professional snowboarder, but he figured hospitals should have a more welcoming effect. He wondered how Mia could stand to stay in such a place for so long without going mad. And, if she was going mad, how she stood staying there so long.

“Don’t you hate it here?” He asked her once she finally began eating her food again.

“Why would I hate it?”

“I don’t know. I mean, it’s boring. It’s cold and there’s nothing to do. The food must taste like shit and there’s no one here to talk to.”

“It’s not that bad,” Mia defended.

Mason could tell she wasn’t happy but she was too stubborn and proud to admit it. She felt like she was doing everyone a favor by being the one to stay with Kevin; almost like it was an obligation. But Kevin wouldn’t have wanted her to be there if it meant being unhappy and that was one thing Mason knew for sure. Though the way her eyes lit up when she’d talk about Kevin was undeniable. He couldn’t imagine the battle going on between her head and her heart. And, in a sense, he understood why she wanted to be the one to stay with Kevin. It took a load off everyone else’s shoulders but it always came back to her and stuck like glue.

Mia was the one helping everyone and getting nothing in return.
Mason was the one who wanted to change that.