Chapter 9
Lily stretched as she gazed at the hazy, purple wall in her room. She was so glad to be home snuggled under her warm sheets. Her room was simple and wasn’t much to look at, but it was comfortable and homey to her. She had never been much of a decorator, so the walls were bare except for a few framed black and white family photos. The antique, dark grey frames she had found at a flea market encircled her treasured images. Her favorite was the one of her mother’s spring garden. The flowers bloomed around Lily and her mother as they smiled joyfully, arms around each other. That was the picture she kept over her dresser. In that particular spot, she could see it from anywhere in the room. It was visible when she was lying on her four poster bed, and also from the other side of the room sitting in the cozy chair in the corner. It didn’t matter where she sat, she could look over and see it clearly. The other pictures scattered around the room each had a story attached to it. The one near her door was of her cousins and herself lying in the grass, their heads forming a circle. It had been Memorial Day and they had just finished eating the most delicious homemade grilled chicken, creamy potato salad and the juiciest watermelon of the season. Jackson’s toothless smile and Ruthie’s freckled, smiling, apple cheeks popped out at Lily every time she passed by it. That had been the year Uncle Max had left, and everyone could tell just by their faces that her aunt and cousins were better off without him. The photo that hung by the chair in the corner of her room was of her father. He was holding her when she was a baby. He gazed at her like she was the world’s largest diamond. A picture of Lily’s fifteenth birthday party hung over her nightstand. She was smiling from ear to ear. Malaya’s arm was wrapped around Lily’s shoulders, grinning wildly. These photos, and the others around the room, where memorable, but not near as special as the garden picture with her mother. Lily stared again at a bare spot on the colored wall by her bed. She loved the greyish purple surrounding her. Her mother had never really liked purple. She liked blue and green best. Their entire house had been in shades of green, grey and blue. Lily’s thoughts drifted to her coma, and her conversations with her mother. She was grateful that she was able to talk to her at all. How many people are able to talk to a loved one after they die? Lily knew it couldn’t be very many. It was a complete mystery to her why she was allowed that opportunity. “I’m not all that special. I’m just a normal teenager trying to get through high school,” Lily thought to herself. Her mother certainly seemed to think she was special. Lily had never been normal. That was what her mother had said. Lily had felt mostly normal up until the car accident. What did her mother mean? After thinking about it for a while she decided that it didn’t mean a whole lot, because all mothers think their child is the most special child in the whole world. Even if that was the case, her mother’s pep talk had helped. Lily knew everything would be fine, and her situation would improve as time went on. Her mother was right about one thing for sure; she had Aunt Jenny, her cousins, and Malaya to support and help her through anything life would throw at her. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ruthie skipping into the room.
“The phone’s for you,” she said handing her the out of date cordless phone. After Ruthie turned on her heel and twirled out of the room Lily spoke into the receiver.
“Hello,” she said curiously.
“Um, hi, this is Landon. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
“Oh, hi.”
“You must be really glad to be home.” Landon’s usually strong voice sounded nervous.
“Yeah, I am,” Lily responded. It had been a week since she woke up to see him staring at her. She was still leery of him, even though since that day he seemed like a genuinely good guy. His past behavior was so hard for her to overlook. In the back of her mind he was still a total jerk.
“So when do you come back to school?”
“I wanted to go back this Monday, but the doctor and my aunt both want me to wait another week to build up my strength. They’re probably right, because I still feel a little weak sometimes.”
“That makes sense, I mean, you may feel fine around the house, but walking, well, um, rolling around school all day would probably wear you out.”
“I’m sure that is what they were thinking too. I’m okay with it. It’s kind of nice to have a break. Although I guess it’s not much of a break, because I still have homework piled a mile long,” she said glancing at the towering stack of papers on her dresser.
“If you need any help with plowing through that mile, I’m available if you need it. I mean, not do it for you, but maybe help it go faster somehow,” he said fumbling over his words. “My specialties are algebra, geometry, and history. Anything else and you’re on your own,” he said with a laugh.
“I think I’ll be okay on most of it, but I may take you up on your offer when I get to the algebra part. I really stink at algebra.” Lily couldn’t believe herself. Had she really just accepted an offer from Slade, one of the biggest jerks at her school, to tutor her? As in, come to her house, sit at the table, and do homework together? She would have to squirm her way out of that one later.
“Oh, thanks for the flowers, by the way,” Lily said, glancing at the bouquet on her nightstand.
“You’re welcome. It’s the least I could do.”
“Pink roses are one of my favorite flowers. My mom used to grow them in her garden.” Lily smiled at the sweet memory.
“So why doesn’t she grow them anymore?” Lily didn’t know what to say. Most people who knew her already knew what had happened. She never had to explain it to anyone. She wanted to just hang up the phone, but that would have been rude and he didn’t seem like the sort of person to give up easily anyway, so she just told the simple truth.
“My mom died in a car accident a few months ago. I survived with severe injuries. That’s why I was in a wheelchair to begin with.” Lily hated saying it because it made it so real. It made this nightmare in her life actually true. There was silence on the line for a moment and then Landon spoke in a reverent whisper.
“Wow, I am so sorry. I’m sorry, Lily, I didn’t know.” His voice was so sincere and heartfelt that Lily believed he actually meant it.
“It’s okay.”
“I don’t know much about a parent dying, but my dad left a few years ago, so I know it can be hard when they aren’t there.”
“Yeah.”
“So do you live with your dad then?”
“No, I never really knew him. He died from cancer when I was little.”
“Lily, I’m sorry. I wish I had known. That must have been really hard not even knowing your dad.”
“It was hard sometimes, but most of the time it was okay. My mom and I were really close, and that helped I think. Somehow she was my mom and my best friend at the same time.”
“My mom and I used to be pretty close, but we’ve grown apart since my dad left. So who do you live with now?”
“I live with my aunt and cousins. We all get along pretty well. I’ll only be at home a couple more years before college anyway.”
“Where do you want to go? I was thinking of going to UCLA, but I don’t know if they’ll let me in,” he said jokingly. “I’ve been a bit of a trouble maker, as you might have noticed.” Lily smiled despite her best efforts not to.
“California would be fun. I’m not sure where I want to go. I think I might apply to some New York schools. Malaya and I have always wanted to go to New York. We had thought we might go for a senior trip, but if we went to college there we would have even more time to experience big city life.”
“I think I’m more of a beach lovin’ guy myself, but that sounds fun too.” Their conversation flowed from subject to subject so easily. Lily was amazed at how comfortable she felt talking to him. Normally she broke out in a sweat when she conversed with people outside her immediate circle of friends and family. It just made her so nervous coming up with something meaningful to say. That’s how it usually was, but not now. She didn’t worry about what she was going to say to him, because she didn’t really care a whole lot. This was the Slade she was talking to. This was a onetime deal. He was being nice because he rammed her down a flight of stairs. That was all.
“So have you had any visitors since you’ve been home?”
“Just Malaya, but she’s my best friend. She comes over as often as she can.”
“Well, would you like any visitors?”
“Sure,” she answered not even thinking he was referring to himself.
“When is a good time to come?”
“Any time after school is usually fine.” Lily’s thoughts were beginning to swirl around and around. Did she truly just invite this guy over for a chat? She wasn’t thinking clearly. Maybe it was from the bump on her head.
“I can’t believe I just did that,” she thought to herself, warping her face in horror.
“Okay, I guess I’ll see you after school tomorrow,” Landon said cheerfully.
“Okay, see you then.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
***
“So he’s coming to your house tomorrow,” Malaya asked casually tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Lily nodded, staring at the wall hopelessly.
“I don’t understand why, I mean, I know he must feel bad about what happened, but if it had been me, I would rather just crawl under a rock and hide forever. I wouldn’t want to put myself into a situation where I was just going to feel horrible all over again. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“Maybe he doesn’t feel bad anymore. You did say you forgave him, after all. I think you should give him a chance, Lily. I think he really is a nice guy who simply acts like an idiot at school to fit in with his friends. I bet he just wants some civil people to hang out with. I mean, just look at us,” Malaya said confidently, gazing at herself in a compact mirror, “we’re gorgeous. Anyone with eyes would be fools not to hang with us. Besides, what harm could it do?”
“That’s what my mom told me,” Lily said thoughtfully. She had already filled Malaya in on her near death experience with her parents and was relieved when Malaya unquestionably believed her.
“What did she say?”
“To give him a chance. I know I should but I keep wondering if this is all a plot to some major prank and he’s just going to stab us in the back.”
“That did occur to me at first too, but after spending some time with him I don’t feel that way anymore. I think he’s nice. Oh, I forgot to tell you, he smiled and waved to me in the hall today. Even if he wasn’t a nice guy before, maybe he is now. Maybe this accident turned him around.”
“Maybe.”
***
Landon rang the doorbell to Lily’s house anxiously. He wasn’t usually nervous around girls. Well, he was never nervous around girls. For some reason this girl made him feel like his stomach was full of knots. He really didn’t know anything about her, but there was something about her he liked. Some force drew him towards her like a moth to a flame. He was a little surprised she so readily accepted his offer to visit. At the hospital she had seemed so reserved, almost unfriendly. It had been Malaya who invited him to stay. Landon was pretty sure that if Malaya hadn’t been there, Lily would have wanted him to leave as soon as humanly possible. Malaya on the other hand had been so nice to him. He knew he didn’t deserve it. They knew what he was like as school. They were the type at risk for being shoved in a locker. Had he been with his friends, he could have very well been the one to do it. However, he would have also been the one to let them out. It was something he had started a year ago. As soon as he parted ways with the other guys he would hurry over to the janitor’s closet. He had arranged with the school janitor, Mr. Plank, to let them out. If Mr. Plank wasn’t in the closet, Landon would leave the locker number on a slip of paper taped on the door. Since he began his rescue missions, no one spent more than ten minutes at most crammed in a locker. Around school his deeds were known as “the miracle of the janitor”. No one wanted to get slammed into a locker, but at least if they did, they knew they would be let out quickly. He always tried to make up for his mistakes, but it still didn’t ever seem like enough. He would be so glad when high school was over in a few short months. Then he would no longer be in this tangled web. Maybe then he could prove to Lily he wasn’t like those other guys. He couldn’t forget what she had said in the hospital. Landon wondered if she still thought he was the biggest jerk on earth. He had expected her to be as guarded and indifferent as she had been at the hospital. Her voice on the phone had sounded cautious at first, but as they talked her voice softened and became friendly. If anyone had been listening in, they would never have guessed that she hated him. When he had called her, he wasn’t going to ask to see her again, but their conversation went so well that he simply couldn’t resist. The fact that she would allow him to visit her again meant a lot to him. Suddenly the door opened, and a little girl sprang out from behind it.
“Hello,” she said bouncing on each syllable.
“Hi, is Lily here?”
“Yep, come on in,” she said swinging the door open. Then all of a sudden she changed her mind and flung out her arms blocking his path.
“But there are NO boys allowed in bedrooms. That’s what mom said, so that’s the law,” Ruthie warned him seriously.
“Okay,” he said trying not to grin at the energetic girl.
“Okay, now that we have that clear, you may enter,” she said with the wave of her hand. Ruthie led him down the short, wallpapered entry hall to the living room where Lily sat under a wooly blanket with her nose in an algebra book.
“Hey, I thought you were going to let me help you with that,” Landon said playfully.
“Oh, hi,” Lily said clearly startled. Landon stood awkwardly staring at the textbook.
“So how’s the homework going,” Landon said, trying to sound casual.
“I finished everything else already, so I thought I would take a stab at it myself,” she said waving the algebra book in the air. “But it’s not going very well. I think I’ve gone over equation number eleven probably five times, and I still don’t understand it.”
“Let me see it,” Landon ordered with his hand outstretched. She gave it to him readily, and he sat down next to her on the plush sofa to take a look. He studied the problem quickly and then found a similar equation in the practice section of the book to show her how to solve the problem. After his explanation, she solved the equation in her homework easily.
“It makes so much more sense the way you explained it. Have you ever thought of being a teacher?”
“No, that’s never even crossed my mind. Being a teacher would mean I would be stuck in school for the rest of my life.”
“Well, if you put it that way,” Lily said as the corners of her mouth turned upwards into a smile. Landon was sure that her smile was the prettiest smile he had ever seen. He smiled at her and took the textbook back so they could continue plowing through her homework. They worked together until the assignment was finished, and the side table lamp was the only light left in the room.
“Well, I better go. It’s almost dinner time,” Landon said slowly standing from where he was seated on the sofa. He didn’t want to go. His mom probably wouldn’t even have dinner ready for another hour, but he didn’t want to overstay his welcome.
“Thank you so much for the help,” Lily said giving him another one of her sweet smiles.
“I’ll just let myself out.”
“I guess I’ll see you later,” she said smiling genuinely at him again. As Landon left her house, he felt like a million bucks. He had just spent his afternoon helping this beautiful girl. He had saved her from the evil dragon, algebra. It made him happy when she was successful in conquering the problems she had once found so confusing and frustrating. The best part was that she didn’t seem the least bit angry with him anymore. No more icy looks were aimed at him. She had been all smiles this afternoon. Maybe he did have a chance of having her friendship after all.