Chapter 4
Word got out that Joanna was leaving the country.
Ryan seemed to have all the life drained out of him. He lay in bed all day, staring blankly into space, ignoring everyone around him.
Megan was frantic, but there was nothing she could do.
With the SATs coming up, I was totally buried in my studies. Every now and then, I'd spot some gossip about Ryan and Joanna in the comments.
One afternoon, as soon as I got home from school, I saw Ryan sitting on the steps outside my home.
He was propped up on a crutch, his right leg wrapped in thick bandages. His face was still pale, but his eyes looked a lot sharper than they had in days.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
My gut told me he wasn't here for anything good.
Sure enough, he said, "Edith, can you lend me some money?"
I blinked in surprise. "Lend you money? What for?"
"I want to transfer to another hospital," he said. "The county and city hospitals just aren't helping. I asked around, and there's a hospital in Newport City that specializes in leg injuries. I want to give it a try."
I looked at him, silent for a moment. "How much do you need?"
"30 grand," he said.
He avoided my eyes as he said it. "I know that's a lot for you, but I swear I'll pay you back."
30 grand was a huge deal for a rural family like ours.
My folks had been working out of town for years, and even then, they could never save up that kind of money in a whole year.
The comments: [Finally, Ryan decides to get his leg treated for real. Go for it!]
[Edith, you gotta help him out. You two grew up together.]
[Joanna's heading overseas, so Edith's his only hope now.]
The comments scrolled past, but I just shook my head. "I don't have so much money."
Ryan's face darkened. "Seriously? How can you not have it? Don't your parents send you money every month?"
"That money's for my tuition and living expenses," I said. "And even if I did, I couldn't lend it to you."
"Why not?" Ryan blurted out, trying to stand up too quickly and almost falling over. "Is it just because I treated you badly before? Edith, are you still holding a grudge against me?"
"It's not about holding a grudge," I replied calmly. "It's just not worth it for you. Newport City's hospitals might be great, but 30 grand is nowhere near enough.
"You know your family's situation. Even if you make it there, you won't be able to keep up with the bills after that."
Ryan's face turned bright red. "So what am I supposed to do? Just let myself become useless and watch my life fall apart?"
"You have to face reality," I said. "The SATs are only a month away. With your grades, even if you can't become an athlete, you can still get into a good university.
"There's more to life than just sports. You've got other options."
"You know nothing!" Ryan yelled. "I've spent more than ten years training. My dream was to be a world champion! Now my leg's done for, and my dream's shattered. How do you expect me to just accept that?"
The comments: [Man, I feel bad for Ryan. His dream is totally shattered.]
[Edith's so heartless. She doesn't care at all.]
[Honestly, Edith's right. Ryan needs to face reality.]
Seeing him so worked up, I suddenly felt drained. "I might not understand your dream, but you can't keep living in a hallucination. 30 grand won't solve your problems. It'll only make things harder for you and your family."
Ryan just slumped down on the steps, his eyes empty as he stared at the ground.
"So this is it for me? Am I just supposed to be a cripple for the rest of my life?" he muttered.
I didn't answer. Some things, he had to figure out for himself.
I turned and walked inside, closing the door behind me, shutting out his despair.
For the next few days, Ryan didn't come looking for me.
I heard he went to Joanna, hoping she might have some ideas or could help him out, but Joanna gently refused.
The comments: [Joanna really is the ultimate self-serving type. She doesn't care about anyone else at all.]
[Ryan should finally realize what kind of person Joanna is now.]
[Plot deviation: 70%]
The comments floated by, but I just watched in silence, keeping my cool.
This was always how things were meant to be for them. I just chose not to follow the script and let myself be the stepping stone they needed to get ahead.