*******
It's amazing how bright the sky is tonight. I never knew you could see this many stars in the suburbs. Too bright, usually. But I can see them perfectly right now, from my little spot in the middle of the road. Amazing how okay I am with this. If I lie still and not move, it's almost comfy.
Ow. Yeah, if I try not to move it's an alright place to be. Almost comfy.
Why am I even lying on the road anyway? Isn't that dangerous? What's wrong with me? Oh wait. Yeah. The kid. The stupid little kid. I can hear him crying. He's not hurt, is he?
"Shit, are you okay?"
Who's that? Huh. Middle-aged guy. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Looks like a dad. You know the type. Suburban type, nine-to-five job, always holding a beer while he stands near the grill at the party.
"Just stay with me, kid," he says, his voice kind of urgent. "What's your name?"
I cough. Damn, it hurt to cough. That sucks.
"Sam," I manage. It's barely audible to my own ears. I hope this guy caught it. I don't really want to keep talking. Hurts too much to talk. Takes too much energy.
"Sam?" says the man, sounding almost relieved. "Sam, I've called 911, they should be here any minute now. Just stay with me."
He holds my hand in his, in that gentle way that feels like he's afraid to break something. His hands are warm. Kind of clammy though. In fact, he looks kind of sweaty all over. Pale too. Is he sick?
"Sam, focus on my voice," he says. This guy really has that sense of urgency in his tone. Wonder if he's rushing to be someplace. "Talk to me. How old are you?"
Weird question.
"Ni... Nineteen," I whisper. It's taking a bit too much effort to talk now. Another cough. This one tastes a bit rusty. Ew. I really feel like puking.
"Nineteen," he laughs. Sounded really nervous. I wonder why. Is nineteen a funny number? Maybe it reminds him of a joke. Like the other one. How did it go again? 7-8-9, or something.
"Stars," I sigh. Every word I say is so dry in my mouth but he has got to see these stars.
"Yeah, Sam," he nods, one hand gently touching my face.
Whoa, dude. Boundaries. At least buy me a drink first. Heh. Wait a second. Did he say something about 911? What's up with that? I can hear an ambulance somewhere. Did something happen? That kid's still crying. Why is he crying? I have so many questions but I just can't be bothered to ask them right now.
It's starting to get really cold out here. Autumn and I'm out without a coat. Genius of the Year, right?
"Sam?" he says. "Sam, stay awake."
No. I think I'll go to bed. I'm starting to get used to the cold. It's not bothering me as much. I can't be bothered to get up anyway.
"Sam," he says again, more urgently this time. He slaps my face a bit. "Sam, wake up."
I look to the side, trying to avoid being slapped some more. Hey. Where did that car come from? The front lights look cracked. Is this his car? He should really take care of it a bit more. Maybe it got vandalized.
"I-Is-Is he okay?" the kid sobs. Hey, look who stopped crying. Well, no wonder he was crying. He's skinned his knees. Poor guy. Probably while running home or something.
"Yeah," the man says, not taking his eyes off me. "Yeah, he's going to be fine."
The ambulance is getting louder now. But it's starting to sound muffled. Like I'm underwater or something. I cough again, this time in the guy's face.
"Sor... ree..." Seriously. I wasn't trying to cough in your face, man. Now I've got red stuff all over your nice white shirt. Little cherries in fresh cream. Ah, I'd kill for some of that right now. It'd make everything perfect.
Things are getting really comfy now. I can't hear the ambulance anymore, which is nice. Peaceful. I think the guy is crying but I can't really hear him. He looks blurry. I'm getting really sleepy. Warm even. I don't want to get up. And the stars. Look at those stars. I never knew you could see this many stars in the sub...
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