“Hey you,” I said, smiling.
Glinda waved her good arm. “You made it,” she said excitedly, bouncing in bed like a little kid.
“Yep,” I said. “How are you feeling?”
“Good as can be expected.” She rolled her eyes when the nurse walked into the room, checking her chart.
I stifled a laugh. “I hear you’re getting sprung soon.”
“Yeah, if all my parts check out, I will be out of here tomorrow,” she said and pushed her hand through her unruly hair. The color had darkened since she’d been in the hospital, but it was still really pretty. Dark circles were under her eyes but there was a nice rosy glow to her cheeks now and her skin wasn’t as translucent.
“When are you coming back to school?” I asked and pushed the curtain back further so the sunlight could come in the room. Long stem roses were on the windowsill with a card sticking out. Not meaning to, I looked at the writing and recognized it immediately. They were from Vincent. “So,” I said and picked a thread on her blanket, “have you had any other visitors?”
“I was asleep but Nancy told me Viktor stopped by.”
“Really?” I squeaked and my stomach swirled. Luckily, Glinda didn’t seem to notice.
“So, Jason Fletcher…wow,” she sighed.
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“Did they find out why he attacked you?”
“Not, really,” I said. “Ken, I mean, Deputy Warren said he was mentally unstable.”
She pursed her lips. “Hmm, I guess.” A faraway look came over her face.
“Glinda,” I said. “You okay?”
She focused her eyes once more. “Yeah, why?” Her pale brows pulled together.
“You looked like you were a million miles away.”
“Must be all the meds they got in me,” she said. “They make me space.”
“Oh, right.”
“So,” she said and smoothed her hands over the blanket. “Did you finish the book I bought you?”
My face flushed. “Just about,” I fibbed. I was only halfway through it.
“Well, I still want to hear your thoughts on it, so when I get sprung we will have to hook up.”
“Definitely,” I said. I guessed I knew what I would be reading for the next few days.
My phone vibrated. I pulled it out of my pocket and read the text.
Mom: You ready?
I texted Mom back.
Me: Yeah.
“Who’s that?” Glinda asked.
“Oh, it’s my mom,” I said. “She’s waiting on me.”
“You didn’t drive?”
“Nah, Mom had to use the car.”
“Oh,” she said and chewed on her lip.
“I can stay longer if you want.”
“No, you can go,” she said and stifled a yawn. “I’m getting sleepy.”
“All right,” I said. “I guess I’ll see you soon.”
“Hugs,” she said and lifted out her small arms.
“Of course,” I said and walked over to her, leaned in and gave her a light hug. She seemed really small and fragile.
She coughed and pushed me away. Her brows puckered. She covered her nose and mouth.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head but didn’t remove her hand.
I stepped away from the bed, confused.
She waved her hand in front of her face and let out a breath. “What is that smell?”
“What smell?” I didn’t smell anything. Granted the hospital stunk but Glinda should be used to that by now.
Glinda made a face like she didn’t believe me.
“Sorry, I don’t smell anything.”
“Maybe it’s the meds.” She frowned.
“Yeah, maybe,” I said but kept my distance. “I guess I should go.”
“Okay,” she exhaled. “See you in a few days?”
“Totally,” I agreed and turned to leave.
“Hey,” she called. I stopped and turned.
“Yeah?”
“Did you decide?”
“Decide what?”
“Who you liked?” Her eyes glittered strangely.
“No,” I lied. “I don’t have time for that.”
She gave me an assessing look like she was wondering if I was lying. “Good to know.”
“See you,” I said and took a step, not paying attention.
“Amber, watch out.”
I stopped. “Huh?”
“Watch out,” she repeated and pointed.
I turned and a blue chair was blocking my path that I didn’t see when I came in. I stepped around it. “That wouldn’t have been good,” I laughed nervously.
“No…it wouldn’t have.” She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Good thing I stopped you.”
“Yeah, good thing,” I responded. An uneasy feeling crept over me just like the last time I was here.
I turned back toward her to say thanks but she wasn’t looking at me, she was glaring at the chair.
“Bye,” I mumbled and rushed from the room.
Later in the day, I was feeling antsy and decided to read for a while outside before dinner. I turned off my computer and headed downstairs. After we got back from the hospital, I was thinking about posting on my blog but realized I didn’t have anything to write about. Life had gotten in the way of my reading for a change. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not…yet.
Mom was in the living room reading when I got downstairs. “Hey, Mom,” I said.
She glanced up from her book. “Hey, honey.
“I’m going out…”
“Amber, I don’t think that is a good idea. We just got home,” she complained and pulled off her glasses.
“I know,” I sighed. Mom was always jumping the gun and finishing my sentences before I even said what I had to say. Inevitably, she was wrong too. “I was going outside to read.”
“Oh.” She looked outside. “Take your jacket it looks like it might rain.”
I glanced outside. Gray clouds crowded the sky, hanging low. “Okay.” I lifted my jacket from the hook. “Is Ken coming over?”
“Yes, he’s making us chicken tonight, his grandmother’s recipe.”
“Awesome.” I was just glad it wasn’t chicken noodle out of a can. “What time do you think?”
“Not till later, he had some paperwork to take care of first.”
“Okay, see you in a bit.”
“See you,” she said, staring down at the pages of her book engrossed once more.
I pulled on my slicker, grabbed a beach towel to sit on, and headed outside to my favorite reading spot. The ground squished under my feet. I dropped the towel on a soft patch of grass under my favorite tree. I liked how the limbs hung down over me like a canopy enclosing me in my own little world.
The light was waning, but I wanted to finish this chapter before I headed back inside. I flipped another page.
“Hey, you,” a familiar voice said.
I looked up and my heart fluttered.
“What are you reading?” His shadow fell over me blocking out the waning light.
I held up my book so he could see the cover.
He cocked his brow at me. “Interesting choice,” he said.
“Yeah, well, if you can’t beat’ em….” I said, and smiled.
He sat down next to me and looked down where my finger marked my place in the book. A slow smile crept over his face.
“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb,” he read the passage from page 274 of Twilight, his deep voice whispered over me.
I looked up into his smiling eyes. “What a stupid lamb…”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Lambs are stupid.”
My heart went into double time.
“Do you think the story has a happy ending?” His eyes glittered.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t?” His brow hitched up a notch.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ve barely made it through
half of the book.”
“Hmm, it looks like it might be a long story.”
“This is just the beginning,” I said, talking about the book.
“Yeah,” he breathed and cupped my face. “It is.” He leaned forward and his cold lips touched mine. `
Thank you for reading Forks!
For a sneak peek into Forks, Book II, keep reading.