AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hi, Daddy,” I replied.
He leaned down and kissed me on the top of my head before straightening up and glancing at Nolan.
“Hello, Mr. East,” Nolan said, extending a hand.
“Nolan,” he replied, firmly shaking his hand. “How did you get down? Did you use the ramp?” he asked me.
“No, he bumped me down the stairs,” I explained.
“Let’s not do that again, son,” Dad said to him. “I don’t want her to fall down and get hurt. It’ll bring back bad memories.”
“Yes, Sir,” Nolan replied.
“Good. I’m glad we understand each other. Where are you two off to?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I was thinking we’d go down to the park and maybe just hang out, but we haven’t discussed it yet,” I replied.
“Alright, well I expect you home by sundown. Can you respect that?” he asked, switching his gaze back to Nolan.
“Yes, Sir,” Nolan said again.
He’s scared of Dad, just like I knew he would be, I thought in amusement.
“Very good. You kids have fun,” he said, leaning down and giving me a hug before heading toward the house.
I rolled my eyes at being called a kid again and put my hands on the grips of the wheels. Nolan walked next to me as I rolled down the street and turned left at the end of the block. The park was more of a small patch of grass, a few swings, some slides, and a merry go round, but Stella and Liam loved it there. I almost felt bad for not bringing them with us.
But, when I glanced up at Nolan as we turned the corner, the smile on his face washed all my guilty feelings away.
Chapter Two
We got to the park about ten minutes later and I took my usual spot near a bench, where I would sit and watch Stella and Liam play. Nolan sat down on the side closest to me.
“Starr?” he asked uneasily.
I looked at him.
He was so pretty that I couldn’t help but smile.
“When your dad said that he didn’t want you to relive bad memories from falling, what was he talking about?”
Oh.
The smile left my lips as I folded my hands in my lap and cleared my throat. I guess I’d end up telling him this story, eventually.
“Well, when I started my freshman year of high school, I had just gotten my wheelchair. My parents had spent all summer convincing me that I was normal and that having a wheelchair was nothing to be ashamed of. So, that’s how I went to school; thinking I was normal just like the other kids. My second week there, that theory was shot to shit in a way I never thought possible. See, I hadn’t quite made any friends yet because I was shy, so I spent a lot of time alone. I guess it made me an easy target,” I said with a quiet, bitter chuckle. I pushed my hair back behind my ears and took a deep breath before I continued. “Anyway, I was late to class and the hallways were empty; or so I thought. A group of football players caught up to me and thought it would be a fun idea to see how fast my wheelchair could go. To be honest, I think they were drunk. I swore I smelled alcohol on their breaths, but I was too afraid to ever tell anyone. Come to think of it, you’re the first person who knows that little detail,” I said, glancing at Nolan.
He smiled softly and put a hand on the arm of my wheelchair while he waited for me to continue.
“I’m pretty sure you can tell where this is going, but let me continue. The closest place to me was the gym, so I put everything I had into my arms and wheeled away as fast as hell. But of course, no matter how fast I went, I was no match for a group of jocks. They caught up to me in the gym, formed a jock circle around me and flipped my wheelchair on its side. Know what the worst part was? Not one gym class was being held that day. I spent the rest of the school day on my side in the gym; crying, humiliated, and hungry. After school let out, the cheerleaders came running in for practice. Most of them laughed at me, but the captain and co-captain ran over and helped me up. They shut the other girls up too and sent for the principal. After that joyous day, my parents yanked me out of school and they homeschooled me for the rest of my high school career. I guess that incident is the main reason I’m a bit of an introvert,” I finished thoughtfully.
Nolan was silent and looking at the small group of children that had suddenly appeared by the slide.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
He cleared his throat but didn’t say anything. Not at first, so I let my eyes wander to the children as they took turns going down the slide. I smiled, finding myself wishing that Stella and Liam were with us. So much so, that I was moments away from taking out my phone and texting Mom to bring them down, but Nolan finally spoke.
“I don’t understand how people can be so cruel.”
