The Summer of Serendipity

Chapter 6

Maliah's Perspective

When I woke up the next morning, I had about a million texts and missed calls from Trevor. It was clear he had finally sobered up and realized what he had done. Apparently, he had also texted all of my friends since they had all texted me asking what the hell was going on.

The only person who hadn't reached out was Jackson. But I mean, what did I expect? Sure I would have thought he would text me asking if my wrist was okay, considering he seemed very concerned about it last night, but I guess I couldn't set my expectations too high. Besides, he probably never wants to see me again given the fact that he got into a fight because of me. 

I try not to let it bother me as I drag myself out of bed. The banging in my head indicates I had way too much to drink last night, and the purple bruises and excruciating pain suggest that there is something wrong with my wrist.

I'm probably already in so much trouble for calling my mom at 11:00 asking her to pick me up, but once she sees my wrist I'm done for. I can already picture her yelling at me and saying that I need to be more responsible.

I take some Tylenol then throw on a T-shirt and shorts and slowly trudge downstairs, preparing myself for the worst.

"Good morning sweetie- OH MY GOSH," my mother exclaims, rushing over to me the second she sees my wrist.

"Mija what happened?" my dad asks as he walks into the room, clearly started by Mama's sudden shout.

"I fell last night and landed on my wrist weirdly when we were leaving the beach," I lie. No way am I telling them that it was caused by my boyfriend. I would never hear the end of it.

"We need to go to the ER immediately. It definitely is sprained, maybe even broken," she sighs as she grabs her car keys. Her concern is definitely surprising. Usually she would somehow turn this into some kind of lecture or life lesson.

"I have some work to finish but please text me when you find out what is wrong, okay mija?" Papa says. I nod my head before quickly following me out the door and towards the car.

It's as if the world is against me, for when we near the car, the Cruz's also exit their house. Of course, my mom hears Natalia's voice and all her attention turns toward their family.

"What a surprise it is seeing you hear," my mom jokes as the two of them greet each other. I find Jackson standing behind Natalia, eyeing me intently as his eyes notice my wrist.

"Jackson, you didn't tell me Maliah got hurt," she scolds him before rushing over to me.

"Are you okay lindo? What happened?"

"Uh yes I'm okay. It's just a little sore. I fell when we were leaving the beach. It's no big deal," I once again lie. I turn to Jackson and find him staring at me, his face a mix of anger and confusion. He's probably wondering why I'm not telling the truth and admitting that it was my boyfriend who hurt me.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I hope you feel better, okay?" she smiles before giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. We quickly say our goodbyes then load into the car and head towards the ER.

Mama and I sit in silence for the 20-minute drive. Neither of us says anything, and if I'm being honest, the lack of lecturing is beginning to scare me. The ER is empty when we arrive, so we don't have to wait long. We're shown to a room and wait patiently for the doctor.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Maywell," someone says as they enter the room. I look up to find a young woman, no older than thirty with a bright smile on her face.

"Hi," I smile back, her warm energy radiating through the room.

"Now what do we have here?" she frowns as she gently takes my wrist into her hand. She examines it for a moment, gently pressing on some spots, which sends shots of pain through my wrist.