Again
One
Tegan paced at the foot of her sister’s hospital bed, just like she’s been doing for hours. Three steps, then a squeak as she turned on her heel, and then repeat. She continued until she began to feel tired, but not once did she actually sit. When she stopped, she was still standing, leaning over the foot of Sara’s bed, gazing at her. Sara was hooked up to millions of different wires, and all the different bright colors made Tegan dizzy.
She hasn’t slept in at least two days, maybe three at best. Her stomach has been growling for hours now, intense pains shooting through her torso, ordering her to eat something. The smell of a fresh Arby’s roast beef and cheese sandwich made the last round of stomach pains more immense, driving her absolutely crazy. But she couldn’t leave her sister here all alone. She promised herself that she’d leave as soon as Sara woke up, but that promise was hurting her health. Sara wasn’t going to wake up any time soon, and she knew that.
Tegan collapsed in the firm, uncomfortable chair beside Sara, her head falling into her shaking hands. Sobs took over her body, her mind completely fried. She had to eat and sleep soon, and taking a nice, long shower wouldn’t hurt her. Sara would have been fine and she knew it. But then again, doctors were evil. The last time, they wouldn’t let Tegan see Sara. What if they wouldn’t let her back in?
Just then, a nurse came in. “Sweetie, I think you should go home. You need to sleep and eat.”
She knew that. But she couldn’t choke out a sarcastic remark; her legs pushed her up to her feet, and she staggered out of the room, hugging herself as another round of stomach pains shot up her torso.
As if Sara being in a hospital wasn’t enough trouble, her car was towed and her phone was dead. She couldn’t call Hayley, her friend that lived with her and Sara in a lovely house, perfect for thirteen people, and she couldn’t find any quarters to use for a payphone. Tegan would have to walk home. To make matters even worse, it started pouring down rain.
She would have started crying again. She was too tired and weak to deal with this. The cold rain whipped her skin, driving her mad. This wasn’t fair at all.
“Hey!”
Tegan looked over to see a rusty car pulled up beside her. There was a girl inside, probably her age, with short, blue hair and a kind smile. Tegan stopped, stunned that someone like the girl would even dare to talk to her. The girl looked so beautiful while Tegan looked like she was a starved, lost puppy.
The girl with blue hair rolled down her window even further. “Hey! Do you need a ride?”
Tegan nodded dumbly. But the girl slowed her rusting car to a stop and unlocked the door. “Hop in!”
Tegan climbed in the passenger seat and closed the door. She didn’t buckle her seat belt, but the blue-haired girl barely noticed. She just continued driving on, smiling. “So, where do you need to go?”
Wordless. No sound could be formed by Tegan’s mouth, but the girl didn’t seem to mind. She stopped at a stop sign and opened her mouth to speak. Before she could flick the sentence off of her tongue, Tegan’s stomach howled, begging for food. The girl frowned. “You hungry?”
A nod was the only form of ‘yes’ Tegan could manage.
“Awesome! Now I have an excuse to stop at McDonalds.” They drove in silence until the blue haired girl pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot. She yanked the keys out of the ignition and looked over at Tegan who was still and mute. “You know you have to talk to me sometime.” She leaned over and moved a stray piece of Tegan’s hair from her face. “I’m Anna by the way.” She smiled and snapped herself away from Tegan, climbing out.
With rosy cheeks, Tegan followed her. She would have killed for that Arby’s sandwich but right now this was god enough. Anna opened the door and in her best British voice, said, “After you, m’lady.”
That earned one short giggle from Tegan as she slipped through the doors. Anna grinned. “Finally, a sound. So, Tegan, are you going to tell me your name?”
Tegan looked at her like she was crazy. “But you already know my name.”
“But that’s not the same as you introducing me,” Anna stated. “So, I’m Anna, and you are?”
“Tegan…?”
Anna’s musical laughter filled the air. “Are you unsure of your name?”
“What if I’m Anna and you’re Tegan?” The starving girl’s joke attempt was desperate, trying to make her not seem so awkward. It must have worked because Anna gave another laugh and pulled her towards the register.
Anna looked at the employee that greeted them. She ordered her food, a cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake, and then looked over at Tegan. “Order whatever you want.”
Tegan stared at the board for a minute before she felt like she was wasting the employee’s time, and she ordered her usual snack. “I’ll take a large fry and a vanilla milkshake.” Then, in a tiny voice, she added, “Please.”
Anna got a receipt and then picked the table. She chose one in the far back, away from all the people. She smiled at Tegan, making her blush. Her smile killed Tegan (in a good way, of course). If Sara was here, she probably would have yelled, “DIBS!” and wooed Anna with her Sara-ish ways. “So, why are you here in Tennessee?” Anna asked, pulling the other girl away from her thoughts.
“Me and Sara are living with Hayley, so…” Tegan thought of how to finish it. “I dunno. I like it here.”
“That’s cool.” Anna slid into the booth, and Tegan sat right across from her, staring at her hair. Right now, that was the coolest thing to her. She would have traded in her boring, brown hair for amazing blue hair any day. Anna looked down at the receipt. “We’re number 687. Nice.” She balled it up and threw it away, fixing her gave on Tegan. “So, Miss Tegan, why on earth are you so quiet? It’s unlike you.”
“It is?”
“You’re quiet because you’re sad, and you’re not always sad. Therefore, this is very unlike you.” Anna leaned forward again, brushing hair from Tegan’s eyes. “You need to bobby pin this stuff before I cut it off.”
“I like it, though,” Tegan pouted. “You can’t just cut it off.”
“Of course I can!” She pretended her fingers were scissors and she acted like she was cutting Tegan’s hair. “Snip, snip.”
“686!”
“That’s us,” Tegan said, standing up.
Anna shook her head. “We’re 687.”
“How can you remember that?” Tegan sat down, propping her head up by resting her chin in her hands, her elbow firm on the table.
“Just because,” Anna said with a shrug. “I remember a lot of things.” She acted like it was normal, like remembering a huge number while you were waiting for a milkshake was what everyone could do. If it was just Tegan, she would still be staring at the stupid receipt, studying the number like it was going to be on a test. But Anna just sat back, studying the hungry girl in front of her. “You look sick,” she finally noted. “Why?”
“I have no clue,” Tegan mumbled. “I haven’t been sleeping—”
“That’ll do it,” Anna said, then pointed a finger at her. “You, missy, need some sleep.”
Tegan shrugged. “It’s hard to sleep. I’m too worried.”
“About what?”
Before Tegan could answer, an employee called out, “687!” and the beautiful, blue hair girl rose to her feet. “You can tell me when I get back.”
She hasn’t slept in at least two days, maybe three at best. Her stomach has been growling for hours now, intense pains shooting through her torso, ordering her to eat something. The smell of a fresh Arby’s roast beef and cheese sandwich made the last round of stomach pains more immense, driving her absolutely crazy. But she couldn’t leave her sister here all alone. She promised herself that she’d leave as soon as Sara woke up, but that promise was hurting her health. Sara wasn’t going to wake up any time soon, and she knew that.
Tegan collapsed in the firm, uncomfortable chair beside Sara, her head falling into her shaking hands. Sobs took over her body, her mind completely fried. She had to eat and sleep soon, and taking a nice, long shower wouldn’t hurt her. Sara would have been fine and she knew it. But then again, doctors were evil. The last time, they wouldn’t let Tegan see Sara. What if they wouldn’t let her back in?
Just then, a nurse came in. “Sweetie, I think you should go home. You need to sleep and eat.”
She knew that. But she couldn’t choke out a sarcastic remark; her legs pushed her up to her feet, and she staggered out of the room, hugging herself as another round of stomach pains shot up her torso.
As if Sara being in a hospital wasn’t enough trouble, her car was towed and her phone was dead. She couldn’t call Hayley, her friend that lived with her and Sara in a lovely house, perfect for thirteen people, and she couldn’t find any quarters to use for a payphone. Tegan would have to walk home. To make matters even worse, it started pouring down rain.
She would have started crying again. She was too tired and weak to deal with this. The cold rain whipped her skin, driving her mad. This wasn’t fair at all.
“Hey!”
Tegan looked over to see a rusty car pulled up beside her. There was a girl inside, probably her age, with short, blue hair and a kind smile. Tegan stopped, stunned that someone like the girl would even dare to talk to her. The girl looked so beautiful while Tegan looked like she was a starved, lost puppy.
The girl with blue hair rolled down her window even further. “Hey! Do you need a ride?”
Tegan nodded dumbly. But the girl slowed her rusting car to a stop and unlocked the door. “Hop in!”
Tegan climbed in the passenger seat and closed the door. She didn’t buckle her seat belt, but the blue-haired girl barely noticed. She just continued driving on, smiling. “So, where do you need to go?”
Wordless. No sound could be formed by Tegan’s mouth, but the girl didn’t seem to mind. She stopped at a stop sign and opened her mouth to speak. Before she could flick the sentence off of her tongue, Tegan’s stomach howled, begging for food. The girl frowned. “You hungry?”
A nod was the only form of ‘yes’ Tegan could manage.
“Awesome! Now I have an excuse to stop at McDonalds.” They drove in silence until the blue haired girl pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot. She yanked the keys out of the ignition and looked over at Tegan who was still and mute. “You know you have to talk to me sometime.” She leaned over and moved a stray piece of Tegan’s hair from her face. “I’m Anna by the way.” She smiled and snapped herself away from Tegan, climbing out.
With rosy cheeks, Tegan followed her. She would have killed for that Arby’s sandwich but right now this was god enough. Anna opened the door and in her best British voice, said, “After you, m’lady.”
That earned one short giggle from Tegan as she slipped through the doors. Anna grinned. “Finally, a sound. So, Tegan, are you going to tell me your name?”
Tegan looked at her like she was crazy. “But you already know my name.”
“But that’s not the same as you introducing me,” Anna stated. “So, I’m Anna, and you are?”
“Tegan…?”
Anna’s musical laughter filled the air. “Are you unsure of your name?”
“What if I’m Anna and you’re Tegan?” The starving girl’s joke attempt was desperate, trying to make her not seem so awkward. It must have worked because Anna gave another laugh and pulled her towards the register.
Anna looked at the employee that greeted them. She ordered her food, a cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake, and then looked over at Tegan. “Order whatever you want.”
Tegan stared at the board for a minute before she felt like she was wasting the employee’s time, and she ordered her usual snack. “I’ll take a large fry and a vanilla milkshake.” Then, in a tiny voice, she added, “Please.”
Anna got a receipt and then picked the table. She chose one in the far back, away from all the people. She smiled at Tegan, making her blush. Her smile killed Tegan (in a good way, of course). If Sara was here, she probably would have yelled, “DIBS!” and wooed Anna with her Sara-ish ways. “So, why are you here in Tennessee?” Anna asked, pulling the other girl away from her thoughts.
“Me and Sara are living with Hayley, so…” Tegan thought of how to finish it. “I dunno. I like it here.”
“That’s cool.” Anna slid into the booth, and Tegan sat right across from her, staring at her hair. Right now, that was the coolest thing to her. She would have traded in her boring, brown hair for amazing blue hair any day. Anna looked down at the receipt. “We’re number 687. Nice.” She balled it up and threw it away, fixing her gave on Tegan. “So, Miss Tegan, why on earth are you so quiet? It’s unlike you.”
“It is?”
“You’re quiet because you’re sad, and you’re not always sad. Therefore, this is very unlike you.” Anna leaned forward again, brushing hair from Tegan’s eyes. “You need to bobby pin this stuff before I cut it off.”
“I like it, though,” Tegan pouted. “You can’t just cut it off.”
“Of course I can!” She pretended her fingers were scissors and she acted like she was cutting Tegan’s hair. “Snip, snip.”
“686!”
“That’s us,” Tegan said, standing up.
Anna shook her head. “We’re 687.”
“How can you remember that?” Tegan sat down, propping her head up by resting her chin in her hands, her elbow firm on the table.
“Just because,” Anna said with a shrug. “I remember a lot of things.” She acted like it was normal, like remembering a huge number while you were waiting for a milkshake was what everyone could do. If it was just Tegan, she would still be staring at the stupid receipt, studying the number like it was going to be on a test. But Anna just sat back, studying the hungry girl in front of her. “You look sick,” she finally noted. “Why?”
“I have no clue,” Tegan mumbled. “I haven’t been sleeping—”
“That’ll do it,” Anna said, then pointed a finger at her. “You, missy, need some sleep.”
Tegan shrugged. “It’s hard to sleep. I’m too worried.”
“About what?”
Before Tegan could answer, an employee called out, “687!” and the beautiful, blue hair girl rose to her feet. “You can tell me when I get back.”