I slam the red metal locker shut and turn around. I lean my back against the locker and breath in deeply. I eye the large clock on the wall and read 11:36 am. Another 9 minutes until I need to report to the school office.

I look around the hallway, at all the people walking past, just going on with their lives. I see a small freshman, running through the crowd, afraid of being late to a class.

I observe as a boy in a letterman jacket, who I vaguely remember from being on the basketball team, walking toward a girl standing by her locker. He swoops down and hugs her tight.

I let my eyes wander some more, but never meeting another person's look because I know exactly what I'll see.

I'll see sympathy and pity fill their eyes as they see poor Cara Beaumont. Don't worry, I've heard the talk.

I heard, she'll never be able to swim again.

I heard that she might never be able to use her arm again.

I heard-

I get knocked out of my thoughts when I feel somebody put a hand on my shoulder. I take my eyes of the crowd and look at the owner of the hand. I see two brown eyes, both filled with sympathy and pity, and a head of black curls. I take a deep breath as I recognize Eva, a girl who I was on the swim team with. Was on the swim team with.

''Hey, Cara.'' She says, looking at me with what I think was meant to be a reassuring smile, but ended up as more of a grimace.

''Hi.'' I reply, not in the mood for any sort of conversation. All conversations I get into, most of which I try to avoid, end up about how sorry they feel for me and how things will get better.

''I just want to say how sorry-'' she begins, but I interrupt her before she can even go there.

''Please, just don't,'' I ask. ''I really don't want to talk about my injury and my future, well more like lack of.''

She blushes. ''Oh sorry! I, well I wanted to ask how you were doing, you know with your shoulder, but, yeah. I get it, I wouldn't want to talk about it either if I was in your place.'' She looks down and pauses for a second before continuing.

''So.. what class do you have next. I can walk with you?'' She offers.

''Oh, I have an excuse,'' I tell her showing her the little pink slip from the school office. ''I get to miss 4th-period biology for an appointment with the guidance counselor and principal.

''Lucky you. I've got History but I don't really feel like taking a nap now. You know what I mean?'' She jokes.

''Yeah, I get it,'' I say, smiling slightly.

''But why do you need to see old Mr. White? You get into trouble or something?''

''Know it's just standard protocol if a student is leaving,'' I replied, cringing at the fact that I just gave one of the biggest school gossip enough material to cover the rest of the month.

Poor little Cara Beaumont injured her shoulder and know she's leaving the school too.

''Wait you're leaving? But why?'' She asks a sad look appearing on her face.

I open my mouth to reply but close it again. Now that I've let it slip that I am leaving, I can't tell her the true reason either. So I quickly make something up.

''Well my mom needs to go on more and more business trips, and well especially with my almost mobile arm, she thought it would be better not to leave me alone at home. So I'm moving in with my dad.''

''Oh, that sucks.'' She pouts and I shrug in reply.

''But where does your dad live? You've never really mentioned him before.''

I slightly bang my head against the locker. ''My parents are divorced. After the separation he moved down to Georgia, he has a house in a little beachfront town. I usually visit him in the summer for a week.''

''That's so cool! You'll be able to live by the beach and everything!'' She exclaims.

''I don't think I'll really be going to the beach''. I say, referring to my still bandaged shoulder. She still looks slightly sad at the thought of my leaving, but I just shrug indifferently.

''But won't you be sad? I mean leaving the school and stuff?''

''I mean yeah I'll miss my mom, but we'll call and visit. But I don't really have friends here that'll miss me or visa-versa. I'm always really caught up with swimming- I mean I used to be really caught up with swimming.''

''Well I'll miss you,'' she says, ''friend.'' She smiles widely and gives me a hug.

I slowly pat her on her back and force I grin. She gives me one last smile and walks off to her next class. I shake myself off and eye the clock again. 11:41. I kick off from my locker and slowly walk down the hallway with my bag slung over one shoulder.

As I walk I think back to the weekend and the real reason why I'm leaving.

''Cara. Cara honey, come on. Wake up.''

I turn to the side and slowly open my eyes. I look around and groan. I'm here again. Yet again I wake up to machines beeping and all-white walls. In the hospital.

I turn to my mother to see the worry in her eyes. She launches herself on me, enveloping me in a hug.

''Jesus Cara. I was so scared!'' She tells me, ''don't you ever do that again. Do you hear me? Never again.'' 

''Huh?'' I ask groggily. 

''You almost died Cara! If I hadn't followed you and called the ambulance you would have died!''

My mother's words cause the memories of last night to rush back at me.

The Olympic scout coming to talk to my mother, me running out to the school, the pool, and the envelope of darkness once I jumped to the water.

She backs away and for the first time in the last month, I actually look at her. Dark bags frame her eyes, her hair is completely messy and I see a yellow stain on the sleeve of her shirt. 

That's when I realize, that this whole time I've been miserable, I made my mother miserable too. I was so preoccupied with the fact that I felt crappy, that I made her into my victim. All the anger and pain I had in me, I let out on her.

''Mom-'' I say, breathing out the words. ''-I'm sorry.''

I feel a tear slip down my cheek as I tentatively reach my arms out to her. She smiles back weakly and sits down next to me, accepting my hug. Her hands wrap around my back and I slowly put my head on her shoulder. I feel the walls that I build around myself slowly crumble as I let it all out. I

 feel my tears and cries getting heavier until I full out  sob in my mother's arms. She stays with me, hugging me, and combing her hands through my hair. I don't know how long we stay there, me letting it all out and my mother by my side the whole time. 

Eventually, my tears lull to a stop but I don't move, staying wrapped up in her arms. I'm still leaning on her shoulder when my mother starts.''Cara, sweetie. We need to talk.'' 

I turn my face to look at her and see the sadness in her eyes. I slowly unravel myself from her arms and lean back on my pillow, but still holding her hand.

''I talked to your father. We both agreed that, considering everything that's happened here, with your shoulder and last night, that it-, that it would be best if you moved to live with your father.''

I look at her in shock and my brain can't seem to come up with a valid response. I pull my hand back, closing myself off again, and I can see the hurt in her eyes in response to it, but she doesn't directly comment on it. 

''This doesn't mean that I don't love Cara. It's just that maybe it'll help to get away from here. Get a fresh start. Get away from all the memories and things that happened here.'' She tells me.

I just nod, still shocked at my new situation. Finally, after a heavy silence, I ask. ''When? When do I have to leave?''.

''Your father booked you a flight for this Thursday. That way you'll have some time to meet with you're teachers, clear up you're leaving. And then you'll have some days to settle in at your fathers before you start school next Monday.''

I grab the door handle and let out a breath. I quickly walk out of the principles office, giving his secretary a quick smile I make my way to my locker to grab the last of my things. I quickly grab two stray pencils, a five-dollar note I probably stuffed in there in a rush, and a blue jacket I couldn't carry yesterday.

I stuff the pencils in my bag, the bill in my pocket and I look over the jacket. Embroidered on the back in yellow letters stood: East Clover High Swim Team. I suppress the images that come up as I close my locker and begin walking to the front of the school. Memories of swim meets and metals and futures as I slip the jacket into my bag.

I look around the hallway one last time. I banish all thoughts out of my mind before, I open the wide doors and step outside.

Hiii🙋🏼‍♀️,
So what are your thought?  So... it's time for Cara to pack up all her stuff, hopefully she'll leave a vote! Wink, wink :)

Please comment, I am always open to any feedback and critique. Please drop a vote and share if you liked it!

~XOXO, Blair✨