Far From There 2 (528 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 1.83 on 8 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Seralena (View user info) at 2004-12-02 00:52:34 EST
(Prologue: http://www.ubersite.com/m/51728)
(Part 1 : http://www.ubersite.com/m/51960)
Jenny turned when she heard tires screech, and saw the bus headed right at her. She had always laughed when people froze to watch oncoming death in the form of a car, truck, or train, yet here she was, frozen like a deer in the headlights.
She heard someone yell, "Move girl!" She still couldn't get her feet off the asphalt. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wished that this could have happened at a better time.
Suddenly, she flew backwards, seeing the bus pass the spot where she had just been standing. Then she hit the ground and felt her head connect with the pavement. She tried to get up, but felt herself slipping into darkness. "I guess..." she muttered as she fell unconscious.
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Kara looked up at the sound of screeching brakes, and took in the entire situation in a glance. Knowing she was too far away to do anything, she still ran towards Jenny, pushing people out of her way as she moved in the opposite direction from them.
"Hey, watch out, you little..." The man she had just shoved trailed off as he saw why Kara was running.
Still, the distance was too great, and she could only watch as the man who had called out a warning to Jenny pulled her back from the road as hard as he could. Jenny flew backwards, her head hitting the sidewalk so hard that it actually bounced a few inches before landing again. The man had tried to shield her, but had fallen backwards when pulling her.
Kara dashed across the street (after prudently looking for traffic in both directions; no need to tempt fate twice) and kneeled next to Jenny. Suddenly, she heard a loud voice.
"She stepped in front of me! I tried to stop! I couldn't do anything!" The bus driver had left the bus and was standing on the pavement, probably afraid of losing his job.
"Sir, I know you didn't. I saw it, and I'm sure when she wakes up she'll say the same," Kara told him. She knew that Jenny needed medical attention, and looked around at the ever-growing crowd.
"Will someone call an ambulance, please? She hit her head pretty hard." Several of the onlookers fumbled around trying to find their cell phones, but were discovering that task to be difficult while staring at the small puddle of blood spreading from beneath the unconscious girl's head. Finally, a woman looked into her purse and pulled out her phone, dialing emergency and returning her eyes to the blood. She watched as Kara pulled off her sweater and held it to the back of Jenny's head. Kara prayed silently that paramedics would get there quickly.
It was the first time she'd prayed about anything since she'd left home.
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Jenny opened her eyes slowly, disconcerted by the pain radiating from the back of her head. She felt hazy, and couldn't tell where she was. All she could discern was a white ceiling above her. Slowly she turned her head to the side, and recognized the curtain surrounding her bed. She was in a hospital.
For a few seconds, she couldn't remember how she had gotten there. Suddenly she remembered the bus heading towards her, and instinctively tried to sit up. It was a bad idea: stars flashed in front of her eyes, and the rest of her vision darkened. She lay back down, and tried to think as her vision cleared.
Well, she could remember what happened. That was supposed to be a good sign, wasn't it? At least she didn't have amnesia. She had to think another moment before she could remember if the bus had hit her, but she remembered after a couple seconds. Apparently she wasn't injured too badly then.
She heard voices from outside the curtains, and tried to say something, but her voice caught in her throat. Instead, she just had to listen.
"She has a mild concussion, but she'll be alright. She might be a little disoriented when she wakes up, however. If she is, please page a nurse to help you explain what happened to her." The curtain around the bed slid to the side, and Jenny, expecting to see her parents, was surprised to see Kara from school instead.
"Jen?" she whispered. "You are awake, aren't you?"
"Yes," Jenny croaked. She raised her hand slowly, and pantomimed drinking.
"I don't know if you can drink. Doctor," she addressed him as he was leaving the room. "She's already awake. Can she have some water?"
"Awake already?" the doctor replied. "Let me check her over, then we'll see."
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"I'm lucky you were there with me, Kara."
Kara was thinking the same thing. The doctor had said that Jenny was alright, and she would just need to rest for a while before doing anything. Her parents were on their way to pick her up, probably sick with worry. As soon as she was capable of speaking again (a drink of water had cured that quickly), Jenny gave Kara her father's work number, and had her contact both her parents.
"Yeah, well, you would have been okay anyway. I didn't even do anything to help, really."
"Yeah, but it was much better waking to a familiar face."
"So why weren't you paying attention, anyway?"
"Didn't you hear me calling your name? I was looking for you, because I wanted to talk. I stewed over what you told me all day. I wanted to know how you knew me so well, when no one else has ever realized how I really feel."
Kara felt like this was a time to explain herself to Jenny. Without some knowledge, Jenny would never trust her, and Kara had realized how much Jenny needed a friend. So she told Jenny her story. How she had been humiliated, and then hitchhiked until she had ended up in school that morning.
"Where are you living?"
"In the park. It's still kind of warm enough."
"The park?" Jenny asked, horrified. "No, you're not. You'll stay with me tonight."
"Fine. So why are you so sad, anyway?"
"I've been this way since... Well, since I was really young. I don't remember exactly when. At least you have a reason. I've never even..."
Jenny stopped speaking as she saw her parents enter the room. "Jen, darling, we were so worried!" her mother gushed as she pulled Jenny into her arms. Jenny's father did the same thing.
"Mom, Dad, this is Kara. She saved my life."
Both parents turned to look at Kara, who was different than any friend of their daughter's that they had ever seen. They made quick introductions, then went back to their daughter.
"Mom, she saved my life. Can she come over tonight?"
Her parents, who still denied their daughter nothing, agreed without an argument.
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In the middle of the night, Kara crept across the floor of the house, hoping there were no creaky boards. She had to get out of there.
Earlier, when she had seen Jenny about to get hit by the bus, she realized that she cared again. She had been numb ever since she left her hometown. Being surrounded by Jenny's parents, however, and seeing their family together and how much they really did love each other, made Kara miss her own parents. She decided it was time to go back home.
Just as she was edging out the door, she heard a voice.
"Where are you going now? You don't think you're leaving, do you?"
User Reviews
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-02-15 00:36:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good, but I have questions: how does a homeless girl get enrolled in school? And what's with all the love between Jenny's parents? I thought they fought all the time.
Submitted by AshK (user info) at 2004-12-02 15:58:41 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I like these.
Submitted by Dead_0hi0_Sky (user info) at 2004-12-02 15:47:41 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
ah, shit! its story time already? i havent even had my juice or cookies yet?
Submitted by Seralena (user info) at 2004-12-02 15:37:03 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Go trifecta!
God I love you guys. You make me feel so much better. Unfortunately, I'm not going to get any great responses like Coley's on the last one (that still makes me amazingly amused):
HAHAHAHA
She got hit by a bus!
I proved Coley wrong! I never meant for her to be hit anyway. I just like cliffhanger endings.
Submitted by Kre8rix (user info) at 2004-12-02 11:22:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
You know, I've been waiting and waiting and waiting and Finally!!
Keep it up...this is really good
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2004-12-02 01:27:19 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Neato. Continue, please.
Submitted by Seralena (user info) at 2004-12-02 01:07:57 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Good thing, too, because this wasn't the most exciting thing. Still, it gets the story where it needs to go.
Submitted by Arrrrrrrrrr (user info) at 2004-12-02 00:54:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I couldn't be bothered to read it, but I'm sure it was good.