by Writing Shark
Your roommate
“Finn!” You’d recognize that voice anywhere. And also the accompanying body of the girl who is now running across the room toward you with her arms outstretched and a white smile. At the last second, Nurse Doris is able to push herself off the bed and make way for the ballistic object that your roommate’s body has transformed into in mid-air. The air is forced from your lungs as the girl throws herself at you and wraps her arms around you with all her might.
“What’s that about?” shouts Doris, startled, holding her hands in front of her face. ‘That’, that’s Cassie Andrews, your roommate of the small apartment you were trying to get into before your accident. However, you find it difficult to convey this info to Doris as you first have to fight off Cassie’s energetic hands, which incessantly tinker with your face.
“Damn it Finn!” the wild girl shrieks, pressing her hands to your cheeks until you’re drooling on your white hospital shirt like a toddler. “What were you thinking?” Again you can’t breathe because Cassie is pressing tightly against you, squeezing the blood from your thighs with her legs.
“I wasn’t thinking anything” you defend yourself as Cassie finally lets go of you. Then you look to the side. “Doris, this is Cassie, my roommate.” Nurse Brown seems relieved and scrutinizes the newcomer with narrowed eyes.
“The patient here needs rest,” she says sternly and is about to take a step toward the bed, but you reassure her.
“It’s okay, Cassie is… a friend.” Doris’ behavior changes abruptly.
“Well, in that case…” She looks at Cassie again, this time more kindly.
“What happened to him?” wants to know Cassie without caring about Doris and without moving her body from the bed. Firmly she squats on you with her thighs spread and you feel the fabric of her jeans through the thin nightgown you have on.
“We’d know if you hadn’t acted like a natural disaster again.” You clench your teeth and turn your head with Cassie.
“Hey Jackson,” you greet your best friend. Jackson Colbert is standing in the doorway of the room, carrying Cassie’s jacket around as usual. He smiles kindly at you but then glances at his girlfriend. “Get down from there honey, you’re going to kill him. Again.” He winks at you while Cassie pouts and rolls off of you. As her black and white sneakers touch the ground, you tighten your knees a little to hide your dawning erection.
“So, what happened to him?” Sister Doris looks at you questioningly and as you nod she tells your friends the story, or rather the miracle of your survival.
“Unbelievable,” Cassie mutters a few minutes later. Then, without warning, she slaps you on the shoulder with all her might. You flinch and Doris looks like she’s about to go at Cassie with the bedpan. “I told you to see a doctor!” she screeches at you reproachfully. All you can do is grin stupidly at her, which earns you another punch. You don’t care, though. Seeing Cassie smile is worth the pain, and when Doris assures her that you’ll be okay, you’re all better as soon as you see how happy your roommate is. Then Jackson joins the conversation and while Doris answers their questions you can watch your roommate from the bed.
You knownCassie Andrews since kindergarten. You’re almost the same age, Cassie is only a few months behind you and has been with you your whole life. You put gum in her hair and in return she painted your face with waterproof markers. After kindergarten, in elementary school, you defended your best friend against bullies from the higher grades, often catching one for her, and she helped you with math and foreign languages… and actually all the other subjects too. Cassie is smart, much smarter than you or anyone you know. She proved that at college when she kept you in the important classes with ease. You were always a great team and inseparable and in school as well as in your free time there was hardly a day when you were not seen together. Next to Cassie you always felt like a peasant, a wild boar next to a delicate deer, a stock car next to a Lamborghini. But Cassie never minded that. ‘My life is boring without you,’ she used to say when you almost broke down over a math problem.
You are not really stupid, even if some people say you are. In fact, you’re so smart that you know Cassie is the reason you can’t think straight when you are around her. It’s not just because of her beauty that you’ve seen grow with each passing day of your friendship, it’s because Cassie Andrews is the most adorable, smart, beautiful, funny and resourceful girl you know and you know that you don’t stand a chance next to her. Your life in her shadow is the best life you could wish for. Her humor makes you laugh, her beauty almost makes your nose bleed, and knowing that all doors in life are open to her makes you overjoyed. For taking care of you, Cassie deserves the best and the slight blush on her face when you try to pay off your debt to her is more beautiful than any sunrise.
Cassie is perfect. And therein lies the problem. Early on, you questioned how far you wanted to go with her, and there was more holding you back than just worrying about jeopardizing a lifelong friendship with a relationship. Cassie’s intellect, quick thinking and willingness to get her hands dirty paved the way to the top more than her beauty and bright smile. While you were still trying to decide whether long or short hair suited you better, Cassie had already landed an internship at a Boeing supplier, and now, after graduation, you’re trying to decide on a job while Cassie is already designing airplanes.
In Jackson, you saw just the right boyfriend for Cassie, and since the day you brought them together at a party thrown by Cassie’s best friend, her affection for the young man has only grown. Most days you congratulate yourself for bringing them such happiness, but there are days when you can’t stand it. Of course you are aware that you are in love with Cassie and you are almost sure that she knows it. Jackson probably knows it too, but neither he nor Cassie have ever talked about it. There is no reason because you wouldn’t dare to endanger Cassie’s happiness just to make yourself feel better.
Doing something against Jackson would also be just stupid, and you are not stupid. He is the one who is paying for your apartment with his salary from Crysler while Cassie is climbing the career ladder and you are trying to get a foot in life. It’s Jackson who’s paying for your food. And it’s Jackson who’s lying next to Cassie at night, too…
“Hey Finn, did you die again?” You blink and look around the room. Cassie looks at you joyfully, as does Doris. “Should I hit him again?” she asks, showing her bright smile you love so much. Yes, you love this girl but that’s exactly why you chose the life you have. Jackson is not really your friend, just the man who tolerates you in the house so he doesn’t have to clean the dishwasher or do the shopping. In exchange, you get to sit next to Cassie when he goes out with his friends, his real friends, or when Cassie has her period and is uncomfortable. You are the man for the food, the dirt and the blood. And only the smile of your great love makes your life bearable. Without her, you would have died in the pool of ice and blood. You owe this girl more than just your life.
“I’ll try to keep him here a little longer but he can be released as soon as he wants to” Doris says, looking sad.
“Sorry about that” you grin wryly at the nurse, but quickly realize that it really hurts the girl to let you go. Cassie notices it, too.
“It’s not so bad,” she says and gives Nurse Brown a pat on the arm. “The way I treat my buddy, he’ll show up here again soon.”
“Yes, he will,” Doris pouts and looks down at the floor. You can’t believe the ease with which Jackson and Cassie accept Doris’ behavior, you yourself can hardly believe it. But here the two of them are, standing next to Doris, struggling to say what’s on the tip of her tongue. “But I don’t want to let him go.” Your eyes wander to Cassie, but she doesn’t find all this absurd at all.
“I-I can come visit you sometime” you suggest and realize only after the sentence that you are just about to make a date with a pretty girl. The heart monitor almost sounds the alarm again. “I-I don’t mean here, Cassie’s really not that bad, but… maybe…” You could cry, but you don’t have a chance to loosen your tongue. Doris looks at you uncertainly which only makes you more upset.
“Wait buddy” Cassie laughs and turns to the nurse who doesn’t know how to respond. Cassie pulls out her cell phone and shows Doris the screen. “That’s his number.” Doris’ eyes go wide and her braid flies around as she joyfully turns to look at you.
“May I?” she asks excitedly, her voice a little higher than you know it. You can only nod dumbly and watch in amazement as Doris literally rips her notepad out of her breast pocket and writes down your phone number. “I’ll come visit you if you want” she chirps happily to you, swinging excitedly from side to side.
“Yeah… sure…” you just mumble and wonder what’s happening.
“I’ll come whenever you tell me to.”
“But don’t you have to work?” you ask more out of habit than concern. Your eyes fall again on the box in which the remains of the meal can still be seen.
“I’m taking the day off,” Doris beams, and Cassie nods.
“What-” But you’re interrupted.
“So are we going to get you out of here or what?” wants to know Cassie, waving Jackson over.
“I’ll help!” calls Doris and together with your roommate she packs up your stuff while Jackson, grinning, hands you your clothes. It doesn’t take ten minutes and the ladies at the nurses’ station are rushing extra to get you out of their hospital.
Writing Shark 