Status: dead in the water.
The Great Awakening
seven
Mason had gone two weeks without seeing Mia. Sure, they spoke through the internet and text messages, but it was only while Kevin was asleep or off at therapy. He constantly asked to see her. It got to the point where he didn’t care if it was only for five minutes, as long as they were able to have a face-to-face conversation. But Mia turned him down every time, citing some reason that was essentially meaningless to Mason because he knew it was bullshit. While it was true that he didn’t know Mia as well as Kevin did, she wasn’t exactly the best liar he’d ever come across.
What bothered Mason the most is that he didn’t know why. For all he knew, Mia thought he was the biggest creep she’d ever met and she had a horrible time with him during their day out. He suspected he would’ve told her if he felt that way, though. She didn’t. He expected it, almost waited for it in a way, but she never came out and told him such things. Whenever he’d ask if he was doing too much or coming on too strong she’d always say no. Part of him wondered if that was because she was just too nice to tell him the truth and she was lying to keep from hurting his feelings.
So he backed off for a few days. He figured that if she was telling the truth she’d wonder where he’d gone. She hadn’t texted him, though, and his final e-mail had remained unanswered. A few days after their day in the city, Mason returned home to Mammoth Lakes, California, meaning he couldn’t just stop by the hospital to ask her what was going on. He’d originally gone to Salt Lake City to see Kevin; getting closer to Mia was just an added bonus. It definitely wasn’t his intention and he thought he’d been doing a good thing by getting her out of the place, but judging by the way she was pushing him away, she didn’t feel the same.
Mia, on the other hand, felt worse than she ever had. Kevin’s therapy began decreasing, meaning they had more time to spend together. His family was in and out of the hospital so she wasn’t his main focus anymore. In short, he didn’t need her by his side every second of the day. After being the only one there for so long she felt neglected. It was ironic, then, that she was pushing away the only person who was paying her any attention.
Deep down she knew the reasons for ignoring Mason were more serious than just taking out on him what Kevin was doing to her. Every time her best friend would see her smiling over a text message Mason had sent her he’d make some smart remark. It was obvious that Kevin disapproved. Why, Mia didn’t know. He hadn’t said anything outright, like why he thought they shouldn’t be together or why he was making such snide comments. As much as she wanted to ask, she wanted to maintain the peace between them much more.
Kevin had just left for his morning bout of therapy when Mia’s phone began to vibrate from her pocket. She dug it out and scrolled through her messages until she stopped on the only one that remained unread.
From: Mason (Mobile)
Sent: 02/03/10 @ 9:35a
I miss you.
Three little words was all it took for Mia to start smiling like she’d gone mad. It’d been so long since she’d done so that it felt foreign, almost like she was doing something wrong. Immediately, she began racking her brain for the perfect reply but she fell short. She wanted to send him something more meaningful than “I miss you, too” because he deserved it. After being brushed aside for so long, she was sure he didn’t expect a reply at all.
I’m sorry.
Once Mia hit the ‘send’ button, she let out a long sigh. It felt good to be talking to him again, even though one text message back and forth could hardly constitute as a conversation. Regardless, she knew it’d make Mason happy, and that’s what mattered the most to her.
A few moments later her phone vibrated again.
From: Mason (Mobile)
Sent: 02/03/10 @ 9:41a
Did I do something?
Mia began typing a detailed response but stopped immediately upon realizing that Kevin would be done his session at 9:45. Since he’d been getting better his sessions began growing shorter. Even though she could’ve made up a lie about how she was texting someone other than Mason, she didn’t want to risk it. It wasn’t like Kevin forbade her from speaking to him, either, she just hated having to deal with his attitude.
When she saw him round the corner in his wheelchair, all she typed was Kevin before hitting the send button. She hoped he’d have enough sense to put the pieces together and not text her again. But their four text conversation left her dissatisfied. She wanted more. It was almost like Mason was her only connection with the outside world even though she could get up and leave the hospital any time she wanted to. Well, figuratively she was stuck there without any means of escape.
Kevin’s nurse helped him back into his bed before flashing Mia a friendly smile and leaving the room. When the nurse, or anyone else, was in the room it was free of tension. When they left, however, it was so thick it nearly suffocated her. That’s exactly what happened when she was left alone with Kevin that morning. Her phone was vibrating again and Kevin sent her a questioning glance.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
“It’s an email,” Mia lied.
Kevin laughed, obviously not buying the lie Mia gave him so quickly. “Right.”
“Why do you care who I’m talking to anyway?”
The question was out of character for Mia. It was rare that she ever stood up for herself, let alone gave Kevin even a sliver of attitude. Both Mia and Kevin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise simultaneously, both shocked that the words came out of her mouth with such dignity.
“What makes you think I care?”
“You give me an attitude every time I talk to Mason-”
Kevin cut her off. “Maybe you shouldn’t talk to him then.”
“Again, why do you care?”
It was obvious Mia was getting angry. Her face began to redden, she’d stood up from her seat beside Kevin’s bed, and her voice adopted a bitter tone. It was like she’d been waiting patiently for Kevin to say the wrong thing so she could unleash every negative emotion she’d felt towards him since the beginning of their friendship.
“Because the last thing I need is you screwing all of my friends!”
Mia gasped audibly but Kevin looked indifferent to what he’d just said. Somewhere inside of her she knew he was just stressed, that he never would’ve said something like that if he was in his right state of mind. But it didn’t make her feel any better. The pain she felt at his words stung no matter how she looked at the situation. They stung so bad, in fact, that she didn’t hesitate in rushing out of the hospital, not once looking back at her best friend.
She almost ran through the front doors in the direction of her hotel. She wouldn’t be there very long; all she had to do was grab her things and hail a taxi to the Salt Lake City International Airport. There, she’d book a connecting flight to New York City where she’d book another to Burlington. Then she’d be home, where she belonged, and out of Kevin’s hair.
Once she was en route to the airport, she remembered how her phone had vibrated hours earlier. She finally dug it out of her coat pocket and read Mason’s message.
From: Mason (Mobile)
Sent: 02/03/10 @ 9:56a
Let me know if you need anything. I’m here for you.
Again, a wide grin stretched across her face, replacing the frown and tears Kevin had caused. She may not have been as close with Mason as she was with Kevin but he was there when she needed him. She didn’t know what would become of this budding relationship with her on the opposite side of the country, but she did know one thing: she’d finally be able to start thinking for herself.
Where that would take her she didn’t know, but she was excited to figure it out.
What bothered Mason the most is that he didn’t know why. For all he knew, Mia thought he was the biggest creep she’d ever met and she had a horrible time with him during their day out. He suspected he would’ve told her if he felt that way, though. She didn’t. He expected it, almost waited for it in a way, but she never came out and told him such things. Whenever he’d ask if he was doing too much or coming on too strong she’d always say no. Part of him wondered if that was because she was just too nice to tell him the truth and she was lying to keep from hurting his feelings.
So he backed off for a few days. He figured that if she was telling the truth she’d wonder where he’d gone. She hadn’t texted him, though, and his final e-mail had remained unanswered. A few days after their day in the city, Mason returned home to Mammoth Lakes, California, meaning he couldn’t just stop by the hospital to ask her what was going on. He’d originally gone to Salt Lake City to see Kevin; getting closer to Mia was just an added bonus. It definitely wasn’t his intention and he thought he’d been doing a good thing by getting her out of the place, but judging by the way she was pushing him away, she didn’t feel the same.
Mia, on the other hand, felt worse than she ever had. Kevin’s therapy began decreasing, meaning they had more time to spend together. His family was in and out of the hospital so she wasn’t his main focus anymore. In short, he didn’t need her by his side every second of the day. After being the only one there for so long she felt neglected. It was ironic, then, that she was pushing away the only person who was paying her any attention.
Deep down she knew the reasons for ignoring Mason were more serious than just taking out on him what Kevin was doing to her. Every time her best friend would see her smiling over a text message Mason had sent her he’d make some smart remark. It was obvious that Kevin disapproved. Why, Mia didn’t know. He hadn’t said anything outright, like why he thought they shouldn’t be together or why he was making such snide comments. As much as she wanted to ask, she wanted to maintain the peace between them much more.
Kevin had just left for his morning bout of therapy when Mia’s phone began to vibrate from her pocket. She dug it out and scrolled through her messages until she stopped on the only one that remained unread.
From: Mason (Mobile)
Sent: 02/03/10 @ 9:35a
I miss you.
Three little words was all it took for Mia to start smiling like she’d gone mad. It’d been so long since she’d done so that it felt foreign, almost like she was doing something wrong. Immediately, she began racking her brain for the perfect reply but she fell short. She wanted to send him something more meaningful than “I miss you, too” because he deserved it. After being brushed aside for so long, she was sure he didn’t expect a reply at all.
I’m sorry.
Once Mia hit the ‘send’ button, she let out a long sigh. It felt good to be talking to him again, even though one text message back and forth could hardly constitute as a conversation. Regardless, she knew it’d make Mason happy, and that’s what mattered the most to her.
A few moments later her phone vibrated again.
From: Mason (Mobile)
Sent: 02/03/10 @ 9:41a
Did I do something?
Mia began typing a detailed response but stopped immediately upon realizing that Kevin would be done his session at 9:45. Since he’d been getting better his sessions began growing shorter. Even though she could’ve made up a lie about how she was texting someone other than Mason, she didn’t want to risk it. It wasn’t like Kevin forbade her from speaking to him, either, she just hated having to deal with his attitude.
When she saw him round the corner in his wheelchair, all she typed was Kevin before hitting the send button. She hoped he’d have enough sense to put the pieces together and not text her again. But their four text conversation left her dissatisfied. She wanted more. It was almost like Mason was her only connection with the outside world even though she could get up and leave the hospital any time she wanted to. Well, figuratively she was stuck there without any means of escape.
Kevin’s nurse helped him back into his bed before flashing Mia a friendly smile and leaving the room. When the nurse, or anyone else, was in the room it was free of tension. When they left, however, it was so thick it nearly suffocated her. That’s exactly what happened when she was left alone with Kevin that morning. Her phone was vibrating again and Kevin sent her a questioning glance.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
“It’s an email,” Mia lied.
Kevin laughed, obviously not buying the lie Mia gave him so quickly. “Right.”
“Why do you care who I’m talking to anyway?”
The question was out of character for Mia. It was rare that she ever stood up for herself, let alone gave Kevin even a sliver of attitude. Both Mia and Kevin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise simultaneously, both shocked that the words came out of her mouth with such dignity.
“What makes you think I care?”
“You give me an attitude every time I talk to Mason-”
Kevin cut her off. “Maybe you shouldn’t talk to him then.”
“Again, why do you care?”
It was obvious Mia was getting angry. Her face began to redden, she’d stood up from her seat beside Kevin’s bed, and her voice adopted a bitter tone. It was like she’d been waiting patiently for Kevin to say the wrong thing so she could unleash every negative emotion she’d felt towards him since the beginning of their friendship.
“Because the last thing I need is you screwing all of my friends!”
Mia gasped audibly but Kevin looked indifferent to what he’d just said. Somewhere inside of her she knew he was just stressed, that he never would’ve said something like that if he was in his right state of mind. But it didn’t make her feel any better. The pain she felt at his words stung no matter how she looked at the situation. They stung so bad, in fact, that she didn’t hesitate in rushing out of the hospital, not once looking back at her best friend.
She almost ran through the front doors in the direction of her hotel. She wouldn’t be there very long; all she had to do was grab her things and hail a taxi to the Salt Lake City International Airport. There, she’d book a connecting flight to New York City where she’d book another to Burlington. Then she’d be home, where she belonged, and out of Kevin’s hair.
Once she was en route to the airport, she remembered how her phone had vibrated hours earlier. She finally dug it out of her coat pocket and read Mason’s message.
From: Mason (Mobile)
Sent: 02/03/10 @ 9:56a
Let me know if you need anything. I’m here for you.
Again, a wide grin stretched across her face, replacing the frown and tears Kevin had caused. She may not have been as close with Mason as she was with Kevin but he was there when she needed him. She didn’t know what would become of this budding relationship with her on the opposite side of the country, but she did know one thing: she’d finally be able to start thinking for herself.
Where that would take her she didn’t know, but she was excited to figure it out.
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I'm sorry this has taken so long, but maybe this will make up for it.Feedback? :)