Chapter Four: Will Visits

Josh put down the letter. He was speechless. Of all the things he would have expected, this was the last. He didn't know what to do. Ever since he'd moved in, it seemed as though Ember had gone out of her way to be rude to him, to cause him misery. He could recall many times that she had been openly hostile and even malicious towards him, for no apparent reason. And yet here in his hands was an apology for all those things. Josh was confused. This had been one of the most solid things in his life. And it had changed. But he wasn't upset about it. Quite the contrary. He was quite pleased. Maybe he could finally ask Ember out, as he'd been wanting to for a few years. Maybe there was a chance now that she would say yes to him.
Josh reread the letter. He held it in his hands for an hour, and when he began dozing off, he put it back in the envelope, then put the envelope on the table next to his bed. Then he went to sleep, and not waking up until morning the next day.

Josh woke early the next morning. The sun was just beginning to shine over the horizon and in through his window. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. He was warm and cozy. It was barely six o'clock. So he rolled over and watched the sunrise. The glorious colors shone in a warm light that filled his room. Reds and oranges filled the sky.
It's days like this, he thought, That I'm happy to be alive. It seemed only seconds later that somebody was tapping his shoulder gently. Josh sat up with a start, and looked about. It was much later in the day than he remembered.
"Sorry about that. But you were asleep."
"Will?" Josh was thrilled that somebody had come to see him. He'd been so bored all day.
"Who else? How are you?" Will looked at Josh. "What's the official damage?"
"Eh. I'm alright. Only have a broken nose, stitches in three places, immobilized shoulder, concussion, and major bruising everywhere."
"Three places? That's pretty impressive! Where?" Will inquired as he pulled up a chair to the side of Josh's bed and sat on it.
Josh pointed as he spoke. "Here on my jaw, down my chest, and on my forearm."
Will pulled a face. "That's really unfortunate. I'm sorry!"
"Yeah. It's a bit uncomfortable, really."
"And your shoulder is... immobilized? Care to expound on that one?"
"Well we're not sure about it. The doc wants to x-ray it later this afternoon. He thinks it may be broken."
"Sheesh! Why didn't he do it yesterday?"
"There was a little..." Josh pulled a face. "Commotion around here..."
Will raised his eyebrow inquisitively.
"Well, they had to sedate me while they were stitching me up because I became conscious sooner than they expected."
"Nice one!" Will laughed. "Is that all though? Seems pretty petty to put off an x-ray on account of sedation."
"No, no... it turns out that the anesthesiologist gave me a serious overdose of whatever they were using... and I didn't wake up until late last night."
"Oh man! That's awful! He could lose his job because of that!"
"I sure hope something happens to him. I could have died!" Josh exclaimed.
"No kidding!" Will agreed.
"I really think that they should have just x-rayed me while I was out. No chance of me moving while I'm out like that!"
"Yea. But the staff here in this particular hospital don't have the greatest reputation for their brains. How some of them ever made it past their first year in medical school, I'll never know."
Josh and Will both laughed at this. Then they were quiet for a minute.
Josh looked at Will. "So... I got a letter yesterday after I woke up."
"Oh really? Who was it from?"
"It's there on the table top, find out for yourself."
Will took the letter in his big hands and read it. When he finished, he looked up at Josh. "Step one: Break the Ice. Completed. Finally!" Will laughed. "And you didn't even have to do any work! She came to you. Good going!"
"What do you mean?"
"She brought you this letter. With an apology and a thank you. She doesn't think  she can ever pay you back for what you did. So I suggest you play off of that."
"Oh. And do you have any other useful suggestions?"
"Just go right up to her and say 'Hey Em! How's it going?' and she'll say 'Go away. I already said sorry.' " Josh laughed. "Oh stop it." He said.
"Then you say 'I know how you can repay me.' and she'll say 'I told you that I couldn't.' Then YOU have to say 'It won't cost you anything but time.' And then she'll probably either look interested or say 'Pervert!' And then you say..."
"Please?"
"That could work. Then she will think about it."
"And then I'll say 'It'll only be a few hours. A movie and dinner.' "
"And she'll look at you. Smile kindly at her. Then she'll agree. Are you ready to get out of here so that you can talk to her?"
Josh's confidence wavered. "Maybe not yet." He said.
"When are they going to check you out of here?" Will asked.
"Tomorrow probably. If everything goes well. They still have to x-ray my arm and 'determine the extent of my head injuries.' "
"You're going to have a busy day."
"Yeah."
Both of the boys thought for a minute.
"Look, Josh. There's nothing for you to be afraid of. You risked your life for her. She'll go with you to get dinner. She will. It's the least she can do."
"You make it sound like I'm some courageous hero or something. I'm not, Will. I'm not."
"Josh, listen to me. You are a hero. Maybe you don't feel like one, but to Ember you are. Those guys, they wouldn't have stopped hitting you until you were dead. They would have killed Ember if you hadn't intervened."
"I don't even remember it, really. Just what my mom told me happened."
"Wow, that's an impressive head injury."
"Yeah, and it hurts like hell."
"Well, would you like me to tell you about it?"
"Sure. But don't exaggerate TOO much." Josh replied.
"Aw, that's no fun!" Will complained.
"You'll get over it." Josh stated humorously.
"How far do you remember, precisely?"
" I remember.... coming out of school with you... and seeing a big crowd. We walked towards it. Then everything goes black."
"Well," Will narrated, "We walked towards the crowd, wondering what the ruckus was all about. Halfway there, we realized that there was a person in the middle of it, but we couldn't see who it was because there were too many people.
"You walked up to the crowd and peered in, and then I guess you discovered the victim. You jumped into the middle of the crowd, and that's the last I saw of you. After you jumped in, they attacked you like angry piranhas and I saw Ember getting out of the crowd. I figured I better go get some help or else. So I brought back some of the admins. After they disassembled the mob-which wasn't very easy-they found you lying there. An ambulance came shortly thereafter and you know the rest, I guess."
Josh sat there and pondered the events that his friend had just informed him of. "Well, I've come to the conclusion that you're as much of a hero as I am. If it hadn't been for you, they would have killed me."
"But there's a difference. You see, I wasn't risking anything to go get help. You risked everything. You risked your life."
"Well..." Josh couldn't think of anything else to say. Just then, his mom came in.
"William! It's good to see you. Are you staying long?"
Will glanced at Josh. "No," He said. "I'd actually better get going. My mom will KILL me if my homework doesn't get done tonight."
"Bye Will!" Josh said as his friend walked out the hospital room door.

Chapter Three: An Apology

Though it seemed to Josh only minutes later that he awoke, in truth it was almost a whole day. When he woke, his mother was sitting in a chair next to his bed, holding his hand. "Oh Josh," She crooned, "What have you gotten into this time?"
"Mom... I..."

"Oh Josh... When we moved here, you promised me." His mom questioned.

"Mom, I--"
"Honey, we can talk about this later. How are you feeling?"
"Like shit mom."
"Baby please don't talk that way."
"Sorry mom."
"It's alright."
"I feel... awful. I hurt everywhere. How bad am I, really? Nobody would tell me anything." 

"Well, the doctor is going to talk to me in a few minutes about the particulars... but basically you had to get stitches in your jaw and forearm. Your nose is broken, and you have a concussion. I'm not sure how bad it is. That's one of the things that the doctor will talk to me about. You're going to have to have an X-ray on your shoulder in a while. And you're covered in bruises. They are thinking that you should stay here in the hospital for another day at least."
Josh sighed. 

"Look, I know you're not happy about it. But they need you to stay so that they can determine the extent of your head injuries. You can have a good attitude about it, or a bad one. The time can go quickly, or drag on. It's your choice. You're not going to be alone. Josh, look at me. Some of your friends have been calling. They're going to come visit you tomorrow, alright?"
Josh looked at his mom. "Okay mom. I'll try."
"Thanks Josh. Look, I was thinking of heading out for a few minutes and getting some dinner. Will you be alright?"
"Yea mom." Josh replied, feeling a little upset that his mom would leave so soon after he had awakened.

"Is there anything you want me to pick up for you? I know how awful hospital food can be..."
"Sure mom. Could you bring me a ranch and bacon burger, and a swiss cheese and mushroom burger?"

"That'll be fine. If the doctor comes in to talk to me, just let him know I'll be back in a bit."
Josh watched his mother as she walked out the door of his room in the hospital. 

Why is it that whenever I need her, she leaves? He thought. It's not like there's anything I can do to change her... 

Josh sighed, and looked around himself. There was nothing in the room that interested him. He lifted his hand to his face and realized for the first time that he was hooked up to an oxygen machine. He had always thought they would be awkward and noticeable. I guess I was wrong about that... He thought. I wish I could see what I look like now. I must be an awful sight... A black eye for sure...

Josh's thoughts were interrupted by someone coming into his room.
"What the HELL do you want?" He said before he looked to see who was entering his room. When he looked up, he saw another nurse, and he glared at her. She simply handed him an envelope and said "A girl asked me to deliver this to you." She walked out as soon as he took the envelope into his hands.
Josh felt a little bad for yelling at the nurse, but his guilt was short lived, and quickly disappeared as his curiosity for the contents of the envelope began to come into play.
He turned it over in his hands and inspected it. His name was handwritten on the face of the envelope in neat cursive penmanship. There were no other markings on the envelope. Josh carefully broke the seal of the envelope and pulled out of it a sheet of folded paper, upon which one side was filled with the same cursive writing as was on the face of the envelope. He unfolded the paper, and read it.
'Dear Josh,' It began. 'I just wanted to... apologize.... for how I was... well, am... I'm sorry about the letters I've been sending you. It's none of my business what happened last summer, and I've been jealous all along. When I was in the middle of that crowd, the jeering and the mocking, I was terrified. I knew that nobody would come for me. Nobody's ever cared about me, or what happens in my life. This would be no different. Fists were at the ready, and I was screaming, all hope of rescue had abandoned me. But then, I saw you. You jumped in front of me, just as the first fist flew. And I ran. Out of the crowd. Out of sight, out of mind. Nobody paid me a second thought after they saw you. 
I wanted to help you, but I couldn't. They were too absorbed in their task; hurting you.
Look, I really am sorry. All this time I have hated you. I judged you. I thought you were only being nice to me for popularity's sake. I never believed a word of anything you said.
Thank you for doing what you did. You deserve a lot more than an apology and a thank you but that's all that I can give you.
Please accept it. 
E. B.'

Chapter One: A Note

Ember was having one of those days. You know, those days where nothing goes right, where you feel as if the whole world has turned against you. And she wasn't happy. Then again, most people would be feeling the same way if they lived in Ember's situation. Positively abandoned. The only daughter of a drunkard living in the ghettos, Ember often felt unwanted and unneeded by the world. Many times had she felt this way. And there were more yet to come. But today, Ember's life as she knew it was about to end. She would not be the same again.
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Ember Brown tucked a stray lock of her fiery red hair behind her ear as she walked out of her math class, feeling smaller than she had that morning when her father had beaten her. Her teacher had publicly ridiculed her for her score of 58% on the test they had taken the day before, and she had been the recipient of many crude and harsh remarks for that, from everyone in the class. Except for Will and Josh, who sat in the back. They didn't say a word, just looked up at her with what she interpreted as indifference. They were so popular. They didn't pay attention to kids like her.And why should they? They had everything they needed at their fingertips. Life was easy for them. That was part of the reason Ember was so hostile towards them, and people like them. They wouldn't, couldn't ever understand the kind of pain she went through every day. They made it worse.
Ember wiped a few tears from her sparkling green, tear filled eyes as she made her way towards her locker to put her books away and retrieve her science notes. If there was one test she was determined not to bomb, it was the science test. She was determined to pass this one with flying colors. She'd show those kids....
She slammed her locker shut and ran quickly to two lockers which were located near hers. She shoved a note into one of them, and then began walking away. She ran into Will and Josh from her math class. They were heading towards their lockers. Probably just to put on some more of their overly expensive cologne. The smell of it made her almost more angry than she had been earlier. She made eye contact with Josh, and her face reddened. She hurried away, hoping that they hadn't seen her near their lockers. One of them called out something behind her, but she was too angry to look back.
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Josh walked out of his math class feeling very irritated. Irritated with the teacher, mainly, and then irritated with himself for not having the guts to say anything. While passing out the tests, the teacher had made a big to-do about a girl scoring below 60% on her test.
"Did you see her start to cry?" He said to his friend Will as they walked to their lockers.
Will thought for a minute about this. "Yeah. I never saw a girl look so miserable." He grinned. "You should have taken the opportunity to make her day."
"Opportunity? What?"
"You should have told her that you love her. That would have made her happy." Will laughed, and Josh rolled his eyes.
"She probably would have punched me!"
As they were talking, a girl ran into them. It was the girl from math! She looked up at them, and her face went red. Then, she glared at both of them.She ran off without even saying anything.
"Sorry!" Josh called after her.
Will watched her run down the hall, and then said "She just wants your attention Josh. Everyone knows you're a straight A student. Maybe she wants help with her math." He laughed.
"Yeah? Maybe she just doesn't like public humiliation." Josh said, as Will put his books in his locker. "Did you think of that?"
"Yeah. But if that were the case, don't you think it would be overreacting for her to sit at the back of the room, writing hate notes to all the kids? I mean, there are definitely better ways to get attention."
"I suppose you're right. Not like we'll ever know..."
"You could just ask her Josh. I mean, you've liked her for how many years now? So ask her out. Take her to dinner, and talk to her about it. Find out about her. It's that simple. And then you'll be happy, and she'll be happy... well... happier... maybe..."
"Will, you know I can't do that."
"Why not? Scared of a girl?" Will snickered.
"Of course not!"
"Good, then this should be no problem for you."
Josh opened his locker, and saw something flutter to the ground. He picked it up. It was a note. 
Obviously a girl's handwriting, He thought.   He read it quietly.
"'Dear Josh, Don't think that you're better than anyone in this world. Because it's not true. You and your buddy are so stuck up, and you act so immature that it makes me sick. Just lay off of all the popular rich boy stuff.' Josh hesitated, but read on. 'Everyone hates you for it.You and Will think you're all that. You're not. You're everyone's hero for what you did last summer. But not mine. I know what really happened.'
"It's signed..." Josh looked in disbelief at the note. Then he crumpled it up and threw it in the garbage. Then he steamed off. Will grabbed the note out of the trash can and opened it up. He read it quickly. Suddenly, he understood. It was signed 'E. M. B.'  Will shut Josh's locker, and then ran after his friend.