mouth turned upwards into a smile. Landon was sure that her smile was the prettiest smile he had ever seen. He smiled at her and took the textbook back so they could continue plowing through her homework. They worked together until the assignment was finished, and the side table lamp was the only light left in the room.
“Well, I better go. It’s almost dinner time,” Landon said slowly standing from where he was seated on the sofa. He didn’t want to go. His mom probably wouldn’t even have dinner ready for another hour, but he didn’t want to overstay his welcome.
“Thank you so much for the help,” Lily said giving him another one of her sweet smiles.
“I’ll just let myself out.”
“I guess I’ll see you later,” she said smiling genuinely at him again. As Landon left her house, he felt like a million bucks. He had just spent his afternoon helping this beautiful girl. He had saved her from the evil dragon, algebra. It made him happy when she was successful in conquering the problems she had once found so confusing and frustrating. The best part was that she didn’t seem the least bit angry with him anymore. No more icy looks were aimed at him. She had been all smiles this afternoon. Maybe he did have a chance of having her friendship after all.
Chapter 10
Monday morning rolled around and anxiety flooded Lily as she stared at the buzzing saw aimed at her leg. She wasn’t sure she wanted to watch. She knew Dr. Wong wouldn’t hurt her, but she still felt a sense of terror she couldn’t shake off. She looked at her aunt sitting against the wall flipping through a magazine. The saw seemed to buzz even louder as it ripped through the layers of her cast. Lily dropped her head backwards to look at the ceiling. She didn’t want to watch.
“I am never watching another horror movie ever again,” she declared keeping her eyes on the textured tiles of the ceiling. Her aunt just snickered and went back to reading her magazine. When it was over, Lily looked down at the white, shriveled leg lying on the table. She hardly even recognized it.
“You need physical therapy for a while,” Dr. Wong said in his thick, Asian accent.
“How long do you think I’ll need to go to therapy?”
“I say, six to eight months. You use crutches until you walk better.”
“I guess crutches are better than a wheelchair,” Lily said with a sigh. She was disappointed that it would take so long before she could walk on her own again. She wasn’t out of the woods yet.
***
A week later, Lily awoke to the screaming, black alarm clock on her nightstand. She sat up in her bed as she rubbed her eyes. She sat there for a moment trying to relive the dream swirling though her mind. She had been the detective in some sort of mystery. She had been so close to finding the next clue and solving the mystery, but every time she came close she began to hear voices. All sorts of different voices were whispering to her all at once, and she had a hard time understanding any of them. She would catch words, but she could never really tell what they were saying. It was like someone was constantly turning the dial on a radio. First words, then static, words, and then more static. She could tell the voices were angry, but other than that she had no idea what they were trying to tell her. She finally gave up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands trying her best to wake up.
Lily stared at the white, popcorn ceiling hoping that her first day back would go smoothly. She was nervous and excited at the same time. It would be the first time in months that she wouldn’t be in a wheelchair at school. She was a little worried about depending exclusively on her crutches. What if she wasn’t ready? What if she became too tired and fell down the stairs all on her own. Her worries ran in a continual loop around her head, but despite her anxieties Lily was so glad to finally get back to normal life. It had been pretty boring sitting at home all day. By the time her alarm went off again, she was hobbling around her room getting ready for her first day back at school.
***
“I’ll see you later tonight. If you need anything, or