Chapter 4—A Girl Eaten Up with Epilepsy
Hello. Hi, I'm Chris. I'm 19. I work at Joe's Crab Shack. 3 years ago, I broke up with the only girlfriend I've ever had. I was handed a scholarship to college. But, I turned it down to support my family. I have 2 sisters. One has epilepsy and the other is dyslexic. I'm good though. I'm fine. My favorite color is red. I really don't like turtles. Oh, and I'm gay.
I didn't like Leo Blanchard when I first saw him. He struck me as a creep. Although, I've seen much creepier. Blanchard became a person you want to run into on the side of the street. That sucks for me.781Please respect copyright.PENANA4LuI3SlbDG
"S**t!" cursed a voice. Coffee spilled to the ground. Two cups rolled to his feet. The boy had smokey black hair and diligent mixed eyes. They were clear yet blue, like the sky. I couldn't really say anything out of shock that I made this guy spill his coffee.781Please respect copyright.PENANACkwktA30Dd
Finally, I said, "I'm so sorry." He sighed and picked up the empty cups.781Please respect copyright.PENANAXEt2Iag8qI
"It's alright. I hope Darcy won't be mad." I bit my lip, afraid I ruined this guy's day.781Please respect copyright.PENANAelCYKyjzST
"I can go buy you some more." He chuckled and shook his head.781Please respect copyright.PENANAIO4q7skkoa
"No, don't worry about it." I was about to leave when the name rang a small bell.781Please respect copyright.PENANAovqK1ZYu7k
"Wait, did you say Darcy?" I asked. The boy lifted his head.781Please respect copyright.PENANAw2ceCXtThS
"Yeah, my girlfriend." I smirked, remembering the ginger I met at the supermarket a couple days ago.781Please respect copyright.PENANAQqiRrpp0m9
"Never mind. Again, I'm sorry." I apologized.781Please respect copyright.PENANAG7b7dsd89L
"It's okay." He faded back into the insubstantial crowd. I left Leo Blanchard's presence without another word. 781Please respect copyright.PENANASaAOQxK5hb
My home was fairly small since we were short on money. My job just got us through. Mom had to stay home to take care of the girls. Dad was a teacher at the local middle school and barely even got minimum wage. When I got back to my apartment, I flopped down on my empty bed and thought about my epileptic sister, Kay. She was an absolute angel. Knightly, on the other hand, was the silent, smart Alec. Knightly was 14 and Kay was 10. They were complete opposites, yet they were best friends. I loved them more than anything. My parents were great too. It took my dad 6 years to find a job, so he was lazy for a while. Though, he turned out as a pretty okay guy. 781Please respect copyright.PENANAeoQzEuzj2l
Now, I'm probably boring you. Right? Who cares about me? I crawled off of my bed and snatched my laptop out of my bag. I went straight to email. Since I hadn't been at home much, I didn't get much time spent with my family. I would send money each year to pay for Kay's hospital bills. She had an "accident" last month that got her sent to the emergency room. We were sure she was gone. But, it just came out as a close call. The doctors had been prepared for that moment where she'd break out in a seizure. It was definitely terrifying. Seeing someone who's apart of you on death's door lying on her bed.....it's like seeing a piece of your heart, crumbling into ashes. 781Please respect copyright.PENANAiNyuZTT8Ho
There were no emails from my family. There had been no contact in two weeks. So, I called my mom. She picked up immediately.781Please respect copyright.PENANAj0Bexsl8PQ
"Chris! Hi, Baby."781Please respect copyright.PENANAEe9ct7Wu3A
"Hey, Mom. How's Kay?" I asked.781Please respect copyright.PENANAus8nSndIIP
"She's holding up. Her teacher is being a total bitch, reminding me for the school days she needs to make up."781Please respect copyright.PENANAnJB0WDUa6c
"I was wondering why you guys haven't been emailing me. Knight has even talked to me yet." I head the segueing between Knightly and Kay in the background.781Please respect copyright.PENANAXuHWLyynHI
"Sorry, Chris. We've been busy here. I hope you weren't too upset. Just with Kay and all..." I nodded.781Please respect copyright.PENANAr88HedQR0Y
"Mom, don't worry about it. I just want her to be alright. That's all I really care about." Mom sighed.781Please respect copyright.PENANABhiUOp1umS
"I don't think she'll ever be alright, Honey. She's scaring us a lot. I....Never mind. I don't want to scare you. We're alright here, Babe." I hesitated. I sensed she didn't feel like talking about what was happening at home.781Please respect copyright.PENANAtuL3vJtjcR
"Okay, I'll talk to you later. I love you."781Please respect copyright.PENANAXRYcfbDA37
"I love you too. Bye, Chris."781Please respect copyright.PENANA1OB7bXtO7G
"Bye." 781Please respect copyright.PENANA7LOn1hlKZf
I tossed the phone back on the bed and ran my fingers through my scalp. I was nervous about Kay's condition. She was everything to me, and she could die so quickly. Kay was a fragile person. I threw a hoodie over my tee shirt and slipped my iPod into its pocket. Then, I grabbed my headphones and left my apartment. For the next hour, I ran through the park. I didn't usually run. I usually went to the gym every Saturday. But, the sudden need to run away from my problems washed over me and what way not to than actually run? I was midway down my 2nd lap when I had to stop abruptly. There was a boy with platinum blonde curls and freckled skin. He was limping while trying to run.781Please respect copyright.PENANAkygOACeW1Z
"Hey, Buddy. You need some help?" I asked, running next to him. The boy glanced over at me. His eyes were a splendid, attractive green.781Please respect copyright.PENANA7rt122UqmY
"Oh, no. I just broke my ankle badly when I was younger and it never healed quite right. That's all. Darcy! Slow down." Darcy? Believe it or not, the same girl I saw came hopping back down the trail.781Please respect copyright.PENANAjsYUxIABNv
"You're slow, Peter Pan. Who's you fr-Chris?" I smiled and nodded.781Please respect copyright.PENANAClVGAOygXV
"Small world I guess." The boy crooked his eyebrow.781Please respect copyright.PENANASovru94NBy
"How do you know each other?" He asked.781Please respect copyright.PENANADNzMRS8v2r
"I ran into him at the supermarket last week. It's great to see you." She said, a smile playing on her lips. She had traded in her large glasses for contacts. The blue rim around her iris was apparent.781Please respect copyright.PENANAF1aBvrBfYu
"Oh, this is my friend, Peter. Chris, do you want to.....come hang out at my place? We keep running into each other, so why not?" I nodded.781Please respect copyright.PENANAJCFYetKaD9
"Sure. Thanks, Darcy." She nodded.781Please respect copyright.PENANA4i9LnicNRc
"You're welcome. Now, hurry up. We have 4 more laps."