Finally, I came full circle. A month had passed
since I last saw Olivia.
- 13.
Missing the past, I returned to our old house.
く
It was where we’d been a happy family,
before Dad left and Evan… Mom had said the
memories were too painful, so they moved.
The house had been empty ever since.
I wanted to spend my remaining days here. I
cleaned the house, then went out for supplies.
But the dizziness and pain hit me suddenly.
People jostled past, and someone bumped
into me, sending me sprawling. A foot landed
on my hand. Someone tried to help me up.
Trembling, I called Dr. Andrews. “Doctor, I
need your help…”
She rushed over, pulled me away from the
crowd, found a quiet spot, and gave me my
medication. It took a while for the pain to
subside. “Sarah, I wish I’d met you sooner,” I
said weakly, trying to joke. She’d run over so
く
fast, her hair was a mess. It was almost
comical.
“You can still call me a friend,” she said
gently.
I stared at her, then managed a shaky smile.
The years of loneliness seemed to melt away.
It felt… good, to have someone there. I
looked up, blinking back tears, and saw a
familiar figure in the crowd. Blurry at first. My
vision was failing. As she got closer, I
recognized her.
Olivia.
- 14.
Olivia’s eyes went from my face to Sarah’s
hand on my arm. Her expression turned icy.
<
“Ethan,” she said coldly, her disgust evident,
“you’re dating now? You think you deserve
to?”
My hand clenched in my pocket, fingernails
digging into my palm, trying to ground myself
against the pain of her words. I was used to
her cruelty, but it still stung. And she was
insulting Sarah, my only friend. I couldn’t let
that stand.
“Olivia, Sarah’s my…”
“Slap!”
She didn’t let me finish. The pain exploded in
my head, something warm trickling from my
nose. Blood gushed out, staining my shirt.
Sarah tilted my head back, telling me not to
swallow it, dialing 911.
く
Olivia stared, her eyes widening in horror. She
grabbed my hand, but I pulled away.
“Ethan…”
My eyelids fluttered closed.
- 15.
I woke to a white ceiling and the smell of antiseptic. Alone. Olivia was gone. I drifted in and out of consciousness for days. On the
fourth day, I told Sarah I wanted to leave. She understood. She argued, but finally relented, sending me home with a week’s worth of
painkillers.
I checked my phone. No calls from Olivia. I’d expected that. She probably wanted me dead. What was a phone call, anyway? I wandered
aimlessly after leaving the hospital bought an
<
iced latte, and walked to our old favorite
amusement park. Abandoned now. Like my
memories of Olivia.
She’d snuck us there once for a carousel ride and almost lost me. She’d cried, frantically searching for me. I’d gotten lost in the crowd, waiting for her, scared and alone. From dawn till dusk. When she finally found me, she
hugged me tight, kept apologizing.
