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The people across the street were still awake. Their lights were on.
I remembered there was a girl around my age that lived there. Her name was Callie Cortez. She went to Lake Lane High, too. From what Drake told me, she was nice to him, but not in the way that made it seem like she liked him or anything.
They had a mutual respect for one another. Two good-hearted people living in a crappy neighborhood, doing what they had to do to survive and hoping one day they could get out and make something of themselves. I think she worked at a breakfast restaurant in town.
Speaking of, Callie came out of the side door ten minutes later with a bag of trash and tossed it into the trashcan. She then weaved her way between the cars parked in her driveway, pulled out a white carton, and placed a cigarette between her lips.
I pushed up and walked to the sidewalk as she lit it.
She heard my footsteps and whipped her head up quickly. When she saw it was me, she relaxed and smiled. “Oh, hey, rich girl.”
I sniffled. “Hi, Callie. Sorry to bother you. Have you seen Drake?”
She took a long pull from her cigarette and then pointed down the street with it. I looked back as if he were going to magically appear. “Saw an ambulance come and some little men carrying Mrs. Richman out of her house on a stretcher. Drake went with them.”
I gasped, my eyes stretching with horror. “Oh my God. Was she okay?”
“From the looks of it, rich girl,” Callie looked at me sorrowfully, “no. She looked worse than I’d ever seen her before.”
My heart dropped. “Do you know which hospital they might have taken her to?”
“Probably Presbyterian Lake.”
I nodded, stepping back. “Thank you.”
“Sure.” I could feel Callie watching me as I took off. Before I could get too far, she called after me.
I looked back as she tossed the cigarette and stepped on the butt with her mud-crusted boots. “You shouldn’t be walking alone in this neighborhood. Drake would pitch a fit.” She cocked her head. “I don’t see your car. I’ll take you.”
“Really?” I rushed back her way. “That would be great.”
“Sure. I need another pack of cigarettes anyway. Let me just grab my keys.”
Callie was in and out before I knew it. She unlocked the car doors of her brown Honda and climbed in the driver’s seat.
I got in and buckled up, but when it wouldn’t click in she said, “Oh, yeah. You can’t buckle in. Sorry. Seat belt clicker thing is broken.”
“Oh. Okay. That’s okay.” I released the seatbelt and sat back.
She tucked her faded blue hair behind her ears, started the car, and pulled off, skidding out of the neighborhood. She shifted gears like a madwoman in a derby race, made sharp turns, and hardly ever stopped for a yellow light.
We reached the hospital and I was more than relieved to set foot on land again.
“Thank you so much, Callie.”
She nodded her head. “No problem, rich-girl-without-her-car.” She grinned and I huffed a laugh.
“Long story.”
“I bet. Hey, let me know if Mrs. Richman is okay. That lady is the sweetest woman ever. I’d hate it if something happened and I didn’t know.”
I nodded. “I will.”
Callie bobbed her head and I shut the door. She pulled off instantly and I turned around, walking towards the entrance of the hospital.
The waiting area was empty. I went to the front desk and asked about Mrs. Richman.
The woman behind the desk kept glancing at me as she spoke to one of the nurses. One of the nurses in blue scrubs went to the back, and after thirty minutes ticked by she returned, but there was a look on her face—something in her eyes that gave me a really bad feeling,
“I’m sorry,” the nurse said as I stood. “Mrs. Richman passed on her way here. The body is here, but unless you are next of kin or family, we can’t let you in.”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
My vision grew cloudy. I didn’t know Drake’s grandmother personally, but he talked about her so much that I felt like I’d known her all my life. Drake kept telling me how she was dying to meet me—how we needed to plan dinner once he found the free time. I couldn’t wait to meet her…and now I never would.
“Thank you so much.” I walked away from the nurse before she could catch sight of my tears.
It wasn’t Mrs. Richman that I was worried most about. It was Drake.
He was with her, but where was he now?
Did he see her die?
What was he doing?
I rushed out of the hospital and looked around, hunting the area. He had to be nearby, I figured, but as the minutes spun into an hour, I still hadn’t found him.
