Close My Eyes,and Fly

Madisons flight landed at 12:15 pm, in the middle of Aaron’s summer school class. The two girls had arranged to meet at Aarons house at 3 and have dinner and the following days have shopping days together before she departed again.
Aaron sat in her English class, excitedly tapping her pencil in anticipation for the bell to ring. Unfortunately the class still had a remaining hour. Jack had showed up that day, but the two of them had yet to speak. “Great” Aaron thought, exactly what I need, another person mad at me.”
When the lunch bell rang Aaron stayed in her seat and doodled into her notebook. She had decided that with Jacks presence there today she would skip out on their lunch spot. She didn’t want to risk any awkward conversations between the two of them, especially anything about Scott.
“Hey Aaron..” Jack said from behind her. He hadn’t left either, instead he was slumped over in his chair, his hood pulled over his head, his black hair flowing wildly from the sides. “Hey Jack..” Aaron said, without turning around. She was doodling on her paper, an image that was meant to be a face, but it was turning out more like a poorly drawn cartoon than anything else.
“You left so quickly the other day, I didn’t get a change to apologize for ruining everything..” He said, his voice sounded sad. “You weren’t even there when I got back” She said coldly, scribbling over her doodle.
“I know, I couldn’t stay any longer, that jackass really gets to me ya know” he said, coughing after the word jackass. Aaron spun around. “did anyone ever tell you, you have a way with words?” She snapped, looking him in the eyes. His face looked sad, and Aaron flinched at the site.
“My grandmothers in the hospital” He said after a long pause. “I had to go to see her, thats why I left” Aaron frowned. “Oh Jack, I’m so sorry..” She began, placing her hand on top of his. “I didn’t know..”
“Don’t worry about it.” He said, scratching the back of his neck casually. “Hey I’ll tell ya what, I’m having a friend over tonight, I really think you two would get along, wanna stop by? Maybe just hang out?” Aaron said finally, smiling at him genuinely.
“Oh I dunno.. it’s not another one of your guy friends is it?” Jack said with a smirk. “ No, you’ll like her.” Aaron said, rolling her eyes.
“Ok, its a date than.”
“Maddie!!” Aaron yelled, embracing her best friend in her arms. “Air bear!!” Madison screeched. The two girls embraced on the front porch of Aaron’s house, bouncing around in excitement. “I know I said we’d go out to get something to eat but I have someone I want you to meet” Aaron said, escorting her inside.
Madison was dressed in black skinny jeans and highheels an outfit she often sported, making her legs extra long. Aaron noticed a slight tan her best friend had aquired while on her trip, as it showed through her long flowing hunter green top. She looked awesome and Aaron become suddenly self concious of her jean and tank top combo that she had been rocking all summer.
“Maddie, this is Jack” Aaron said as they approached the kitchen. Jack was seated casually on a stool, he had taken off his grey hoodie and was seated in a black wifebeater, his muscular arms flexed as his wrists sat delicatly on the island counter. “Hey Maddie” Jack said politley, hopping up and kissing the top of her hand. Aaron stood suprised at his manners.
“Oh so this is the Jack you told me about” Madison said, giving him a flirtatious smile. “Ah so you’ve talked about me then?” Jack said, winking at Aaron. She blushed. “Well uh, no, I just couldn’t very well have left the recent events out” Aaron said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
“Well what’s for dinner?” Madison said, prancing over to the kitchen. “That’s the next part of the adventure Miss Maddie” Jack said, following her. Aaron bit her lip and followed the two of them. “ We’re making it!” Jack continued, slapping his hands together excitedly. “Uh, Aaron you know I don’t cook” Maddie said, turning to her in surprise. “Well I figured-” Aaron began. “I’ll teach ya toots!” Jack said, tying a pink apron around his waist. Madison laughed and joined him in the pantry as they searched for ingredients for whatever undecided meal they were going to make.
“Looks like we’re gonna have to go to the store Aragon” Jack said from inside the pantry. Aaron was slumped on one of the stools, watching the two of them. She knew the two of them would get along, but she hadn’t anticipated them getting along THAT well. She mumbled an “Ok” as she traced along the tiles of the island.
The three of them took Madison’s shiny red convertible to the store. Aaron to her dismay sat in the back as the two of them rambled on in the front seat. “So Aaron didn’t tell me how cute you were” Madison said, smiling over at Jack. He was eating all this attention up. “Well maybe Aaron doesn’t think I’m cute” he said with a grin, glancing back at Aaron who remained silent. “Well, I beg to differ” Madison said, twirling a strand of her hair as her arm rested on the side panel of the door.
Aaron had never seen Madison so forward before, but than again she had never been with her when she was “On the prowl.” All she had ever been exposed to was the aftermath of her several boyfriends, all broken hearted and broke. Madison was the high maintenance type, and although Aaron loved her best friend to death, it was one of the things she most disliked about Madison.
“So what do you think of Jack” Aaron said, at the two girls were strolling through the isles of Smiths. Jack was riding the back of the cart up and down the isles, and Aaron could hear people yelling obscenities as he passed them.
“He’s really cute” Madison said, grabbing a jar of Pasta sauce from the shelf. “Is this good?” She asked, showing it to Aaron who nodded. “Are you two like an item?” Madison said. Aaron paused and glanced over at her incredulously. “Uh, no, I like Scott remember?” She said, pushing the cart forward once more.
“Well does he have a girlfriend?” Madison asked, checking her reflection in her shiny new phone. “ To be honest I don’t really know, I haven’t asked” Aaron said coldly, turning the corner. The two collided with Jack who was riding the cart down the frozen meat section. “Oh hey ladies” He said with a grin, hopping off the edge of the cart.
“I think we just got about everything we need” Aaron said, glancing at the contents of the cart. The three of them had decided that Spaghetti was the easiest thing to teach Madison to make, it required little to no effort and it was idiot proof. “Great” Jack smiled, taking the cart from Aaron, and proceeding to the check out.
“Well, I’m going to find out” Madison said, adjusting her bra under her shirt. Aaron decided to annoy her. She suddenly second guessed the decision to introduce the two of them. She wasn’t sure she wanted to mix any more of her life up.
“Here’s the first round toss up!” Pat Sajack said, the players standing around the wheel all watched intently at the clue appearing on the screen. The three of them were watching The Price is Right and Jack was kicking butt. Well more so he was the only one playing. The category was Before and After. “The Three Musketeers Bar” Jack yelled out at the television screen, Aaron laughed.
The three of them had began the adventure of preparing dinner, but after about 15 minutes of Madison pretending to cook, Aaron was left on her lonesome to prepare the meal as she sat opposite Jack in the living room, pretending to be interested as she filed her nails.
“Hey you need any help in there?” Jack said on a commercial break, glancing over the couch at Aaron who was draining the noodles into a colander that was placed carelessly in the sink. She glanced up at him and the pot slipped from the holders, sending a waterfall of steaming hot water onto Aaron’s torso and legs, she screamed dropping the pot and collapsing to the floor.
“Oh my god Aaron are you okay!?” Jack yelled, jumping over the back of the couch to her side. “Madison get your keys we need to take her to the emergency room” he said, Madison leapt from the couch and ran out to start her car.
“Aaron, it’s gonna be okay, we’re gonna take you to the hospital” He said, scooping her neck under his arm. Aaron’s skin was bright red, and Jack had no way of telling just how badly she had been burned. “I’m gonna pick you up now ok? It might hurt, but I won’t let anything else happen to you, ok” Jack said, sliding his arm under Aaron’s knees, slowly raising her from the floor. She yelled out in pain, flinching into his chest, tears sliding down her cheeks. “It hurts so bad” she said, covering her face with her quivering hand.
“I know, we’re gonna get you all fixed up though” He said, carrying her out to the car. Madison sat anxiously awaiting her, tears sliding down her cheeks as well. “Is she gonna be okay?” She said, as Jack slid her into the back seat, loosly buckling the lap belt across her lap. Aaron flinched as she continued to cry. “I don’t know Maddie, but we need to get her there as soon as possible” Jack said, hopping into the front seat.
The three of them arrived at the hospital and Jack rushed in, informing the ER about the situation he was panting from all the excitement, his hands trembling as he filled out the paper work while Madison wheeled Aaron in on a wheelchair they had supplied.
“We need to call your parents” Madion said, the three of them were in the waiting room, They didn’t know how long they would be there but Aaron sat in pain, Jack had stolen gauze from a hospital room around the corner and wrapped her burns but still tears fell slowly down her face. Madison left the two of them in the waiting room as she searched for a pay phone to call Aaron’s parents, none of there cellphones had service because of the thick walls of the hospital that enclosed them.Jack looked over at Aaron with a smile. “You’re my little trooper” he said, brushing the bangs out of her face.
“Aaron?” A nurse said with a clipboard, glancing around at the waiting room of patience waiting to be seen. Jack hopped up and wheeled Aaron in the direction of her room. “Are you immediate family?” The nurse said, stopping Jack in his tracks. “Uh, no..” Jack said, looking down at Aaron who looked up at him with wide eyes.
“Then I’m afraid you can’t come back here with us” She said, taking the wheel chair from his hands. Jack stood still, and watched as Aaron was wheeled down the hall and out of site, left only to wonder who seriously she had been injured.
There was a lul in the waiting room as patients walked in and out of hospital rooms, and nurses wandered up and down the hall into Aaron’s room. The television hanging on the far corner of the room was silently playing the evening news, subtitles rolled by on the bottom of the screen and Jack watched uninterested some story of an elementary school that was getting new playground equipment for the upcoming school year.
“Mr. Mathess?” A doctor in a long white jacket called out into the waiting room. Madison and Jack had been sitting in the waiting room for an hour and a half with no word on Aaron’s condition. Madison had called her parents, but only managed to get an answering machine each time. Now the two of them sat, nervously holding hands as the awaited the fate of their friend. Madison glanced up with tear stained eyes, nudging Jack to respond.
“Thats me!” Jack said, hopping up from the seat that had been molded around him for the last hour. “Come with me please” He said, walking down the hallway. Jack gave Madison a reassuring smile, and followed him, his hands nervously dug into his pockets. “ Aaron has first degree burns along her legs and second degree burns on her torso, now she was burned from hot water correct?” The doctor said, relaying information from his clipboard. Jack nodded.
“Now unfortunately wrapping these wounds didn’t do any good for them, but of course you didn’t know any better. You need to let her skin breathe, and heal itself, a lighter dressing over it should help, but not gauze.” He said, leading him into the room where Aaron was laying on a table, her wounds already wound in a light white fabric.
“She needs to take painkillers, twice a day for the next two weeks, if the pain increases you should bring her back here so we can make sure she didn’t get some sort of infection.” The doctor continued, writing out a prescription.
“I’m prescribing her, it is a very strong, addictive painkiller and i suggest you, if anything, cut one of these pills in half, especially for such a small girl” The doctor said, scribbling away.
Jack glanced over at Aaron, she was peacefully listening to all the instructions, her eyes glazed over as she glanced over at Jack, she gave him a slight smile. “Do you have any questions?” The doctor said, glancing over at Aaron who shook her head no and then Jack who also shook his head. “alright, than you should be good to go” He said, shaking Jack’s hand. “If you need anything feel free to come back.” He said with a smile before exiting the room.
Jack rushed over to Aaron, “Are you okay Aragorn?” He said, helping her up. “Yeah, i’ll be okay, just a little sore” She said. Her ribs were wrapped up to just below her bosom and when she walked she felt robotic like because of the dressing around her legs. The two of them laughed at the situation. “We should get you home.” Jack said, the two of them exiting the room and down the hall to an eager Madison.
“Oh Aaron! i’m so sorry we should of been helping you!” She said, rushing over and embracing her best friend. Aaron cried out in pain, “Burns!! Maddie! Burns!!” she said, pushing her best friend away. Jack laughed, “Nice one Maddie” He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “So I guess this means no spaghetti” Aaron said as the three of them walked to the car, the cool night air tingling the burns along her body. “Yeah, I guess not” Jack said with a smile as the three of them left for home.