We Are Wordless

• Jasmine Le, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2018

Today:

My parents and Christina’s knew what was up, obviously. We walked past my house, headed to the main road. Christina kept apologizing, but I refused to listen. Christina screams at me. “You know what! You know what!”
“What!” I shout back.
“You’re not invited to my party anymore or my friend anymore. EVER!” she shrieked.
Then it happened.
She pushed me onto the road. It was so quick I didn’t see it coming, and all I could hear was sudden screams. Loud ones. It was too late, too late, because I was already turning and the car was already onto me.

Now:

I’m lying in a cold, stiff bed in a hospital. I open my eyes a little further. I look at my shaking hands, my casted leg, my bruises, and I remember. The car, hitting me from my side. I had felt pain like I hadn’t felt before, like a large boulder rolling towards me and squishing me. But the next moment, I’m lying here. I won’t die, will I?
A doctor comes in, a clipboard in hand. He has a grim expression on his face. He looks at me, then opens the curtains. “She’s awake.”
There are rushed footsteps, and I see my parents. They are both crying. Even in this state, I can’t help but be surprised. I’ve seen my mum cry before. Stressed wrinkles would appear on her forehead and around her mouth. But my dad, I’ve never seen him cry. He looks like a small, cowardly boy. I see Alex is there too. He is dressed up for Christina’s party, and he looks so handsome. He has a red balloon in his hand. I recognize it. Every time Christina has a party, she’d get everyone to lift a balloon in the sky. My balloon is blue.
The warmth of dad’s hand overwhelms my cold ones.
“Will she be alright?” my mother asks.
The doctor sighs a little, and then ushers everyone out. I watch them disappear behind the curtains. Something isn’t right.
“The blood coming out of her wounds won’t stop.” I can hear the doctor say. “We’ve tried everything to stop it, but it won’t stop. I’m afraid she will keep bleeding until…until…” he says nothing more. I feel like my heart has stopped. I feel like every fibre is draining energy. I can hear my mum crying, I hear my dad breathing heavily, I hear Alex moaning and saying, “No, NO!”
And then the curtain opens. I see Christina. Her face is ruined by makeup, and her hair is a mess. I stare into her blue eyes, and she stares into my dark ones. We are wordless, we don’t say anything. Her lip is trembling, and her hands are so tightly wrapped around the curtain that her knuckles glow purple. Her eyes give me a knowing look and I know, I know there will be a blue balloon left by her side, and it will stay by her side forever.