The Thing about Falling ✓

Forty Seven • Okay/Not Okay

Owen

"I still don't like you."

I was in the hospital now, and as much as it daunted and made me feel uncomfortable just breathing that stale stench of alcohol around these plain white halls, I was here.

"I didn't know who to call. It's either you or her aunt from miles away. It would take hours before she would be here." he said, shrugging beside me as he sat on the farthest plastic chair in the waiting area. Unfortunately, I was seated on his left, my arms folded across my chest.

Elliot had called me earlier, but not with his phone. I had been napping back at the dorm after a meeting with the school paper staff and I heard my phone ring. I was supposed to shut it off, decline the call because I was exhausted, but the name that popped up was hers.

Athena.

I immediately forgot how tired I was that time. For a moment, I was hopeful, since she never called or texted me after we broke up. It was unfortunate how all my hope immediately burned down again once I heard the gruffness of his voice through the call.

"Athena got hurt. Again." I spat at him, bitter at how among all the people Athena got hurt with, it was in his presence.

I looked at him with heavy disdain in my eyes and in return, he just looked at me blankly, staring down at me with so much negligence over what happened to Athena.

"Look, I did what I can, okay? It's not entirely my fault." he said, shrugging.

I was still fuming over how Elliot had been there and he didn't even think to properly keep an eye on her, whatever they were doing. And that made me wonder.

"What happened to her?" I asked, my voice almost hushed to a whisper.

Elliot shuffled in his seat and looked down on me. Although he wasn't standing or anything, it was still such a pain to look up at him just to engage in eye contact.

"I was teaching her how to ride a bike. Pretty simple, right?" he said nonchalantly.

I snorted and slumped down on my chair.

"I could only guess." I muttered, loud enough for him to hear as I raised one of my gloved hands and flicked an invisible dust particle off one of the wheels of my chair.

Elliot's eyes immediately widened, suddenly realizing how he told a disabled person how riding a bike was simple.

I love messing with people.

"Oh, sorry. So uhm, at one point, she was doing great, and next thing, she was so fast, I couldn't catch up to her. So I let her ride by herself. She was even laughing, then before I knew it, she tried to turn the bike around back towards me and, --fell." he said, his expression going from proud to sullen in mere seconds.

I nodded.

"And now she's in the hospital." I made mention as I looked at him, my eyes narrowed and my brows deeply furrowed.

"Yeah. She is." he said, his voice growing small as he looked away and anxiously kept tapping his feet over the shiny, tiled floors. I looked away too.

Elliot still made me mad, knowing he could've at least done something to avoid Athena getting hurt. If there were elbow and knee pads, I would've argued with her, and persuaded her to wear them. For her guaranteed safety that is, given that she can be reckless at times.

After a few good minutes without him bugging me, he sighed.

"Look, I get this whole hostility thing between us but, she's gonna be okay. She already went in for an x-ray the moment we got here. If you'd stop grumbling for a quick sec, you could actually hear her talk." Elliot said.