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Letting her stay mad at me is what’s best. She needs to be spending time with her other friends and enjoying the rest of our senior year. Not hanging out alone in my living room watching me snore while I’m in a pain pill induced coma. The screen on my phone goes black, and I toss it off to the side. It’s better this way.
A few days go by and I still haven’t heard from Rory. I miss her, but I refuse to give in and call her. It’s almost two in the morning and I’m lying on the bed watching a movie. There is a light tapping sound coming from my window. I mute the TV to see what the noise is, but it’s quiet. When I pick up the remote to turn the sound back on, that’s when I hear it again.
Reaching to my right, I grab my crutches and pull myself out of bed. Hobbling over to the window, I open my blinds to find Rory standing there. We stare at each other for a moment before I finally unlock the window and push it open.
“What are you doing here?”
“Just move.”
“Rory?”
“Jackson?” She holds her ground with me.
With a sigh, I hobble back over to my bed and watch her climb through the window with such ease it looks like she’s done it a hundred times before. She stands before me in a pair of gray sweatpants, a black zip-up hoodie, and her neon green fluffy slippers that look like monster feet. Now that she’s out of the dark, I notice her eyes are puffy and bloodshot.
“Have you been crying?”
“Why haven’t you called me?”
Shit, is she crying over me? “I had nothing to say.” That’s a damn lie. I’ve thought of a hundred ways to apologize to her since our fight.
“This was a mistake.” Rory angrily wipes at her eyes, trying to stop the tears. “I shouldn’t have come here.”
I watch as she puts one leg over the windowsill, ready to climb out. “Wait.” Rory looks at me, and I let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m sorry I said what I did. Just don’t run away crying. I feel bad enough as it is.”
“I’m not crying because of you.” She continues to sit on the windowsill, half in and half out of my room.
“Will you please come inside and tell me what’s wrong?”
After a few seconds, Rory finally climbs back into my bedroom. She shuts the window and sits down on my computer chair. Tucking her knees to her chest, she rests her chin on top of them. Her face is so sad. I’ve never seen her like this.
“My mom died a year ago today.” Her voice is so broken it trembles as she speaks. “I’ve had this voicemail from her saved on my phone, and I’ve never listened to it. I want to hear her voice so bad but…”
Rory’s cheeks are soaked with tears that won’t stop falling. She buries her face in her sweats, and all I can do is watch her. Every single part of me wants to hug her, hold her in my arms, and try to make the pain go away. But my damn body is too broken to do that properly. Sliding a little to the right, I clear my throat.
“You can put it on speaker and I’ll sit here and listen with you.” Rory’s sad eyes meet mine as she thinks about my offer. I pat the spot on the bed next to me and finally she nods.
The bed dips as Rory sits down. She’s careful of my knee and shifts her legs to the side to avoid making contact with it. I watch as she unlocks her phone and stares at the screen.
“Will you hold my hand?” Her sad green eyes meet mine and all I can do is nod.
Rory holds her hand out, and I slip my fingers through her own. She looks back down at her phone and I give her a slight squeeze, reminding her I’m here. Her thumb hovers over the voicemail button, and she finally taps the screen.
“Hola, Nena.” A raspy voice, barely above a whisper, comes through the speaker. Rory hiccups and squeezes my hand tightly. “You might think I’m crazy for calling you in the middle of the night, especially since you are here lying beside me. But there are things I must say before…” Rory’s mom trails off for a moment before taking in a deep breath. “My beautiful baby girl. When you were born, your father and I spent hours talking about your future. What college you might attend and what career path you’d choose. We’d dream about your wedding day and the person you’d marry. How your father would walk you down the aisle trying his best not to cry as he gave you away. I always pictured your father and I, gray-haired and surrounded by grandchildren. The two of us had your whole life planned out before you could even walk. But God has other plans for me.” With her free hand, Rory wipes at her tears. “I tried to fight this, Aurora. Please know how hard I tried. I never wanted to leave you or your father this soon. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Remember that although my body is gone, my soul will be with you forever. For you are my daughter, my flesh and blood. My strength lives within you. Always hold your head up high and live each day to the fullest. This life we’re given is far too short for regrets. El amor de una madre nunca termina, ni siquiera en la muerte. Eres mi corazón y te amaré siempre y para siempre.” A mother’s love never ends, not even in death. You are my heart, and I will love you always and forever.
I didn’t understand most of what Rory’s mom’s last words were. But I picked up on the important ones. Love and heart. With her hand still in mine, Rory’s stare is blank. Her tears still fall, but it feels like she’s emotionally checked out. There is nothing I can say that will make her feel better, so I decide that just being here for her is better than nothing. Letting go of her hand, I carefully maneuver my legs around her and rest my back against the headboard.
“Rory.” She turns her head and looks at me. Her pain is so raw it makes mine seem small. “Want to watch a movie?” It’s probably the wrong thing to say, but it’s all I can think of right now.
Rory stares at me for a moment, then finally nods. She crawls up the bed and sits beside me. Grabbing my blankets, I pull them up and over the two of us before finding the remote. I unmute the television, leaving it on whatever the hell I was watching before Rory got here. We sit in silence for who knows how long until finally, Rory places her head on my shoulder.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
The next morning I wake up to my dad lightly tapping on my door.
“Jackson?”
With my back still propped up against the headboard, I look down to find Rory asleep in my arms, her cheek against my chest. Shit.
