In the Stars Read Online Free PDF Page B

songs; I love that about you.”
    “What can I say? I am very passionate about music. I might not be able to sing for shit, or play any instruments, but I sure do love to listen to it and all the emotions I get out of it. When Eric walked into the Starbucks, I am pretty sure I had a loss of all self-control and senses. Since I am getting there early, we will have plenty of time to talk about it all.”
    “Eric; who is Eric?”
    “I will be there soon, Raleigh. I will give you all the crazy and juicy details then.” I hear her grunt her protest, but I just laugh and end the call.
    As I am driving to her house, I can’t help but think back to the day of the accident. Summer had started, after our first year of college, and we met up with some of our friends at the Rappahannock River for some swimming and riding around on one of the guys’ boats. It was great seeing some of our High School friends again. It was a fun, yet very tiring, day.
    Raleigh was driving the two of us back home, when a boy ran a red light, while reaching into his floor board for something, and hit Raleigh’s car on the driver’s side; right behind the front tire and into her door. Thank the lord we both had our seatbelts on, and her car did have air bags. I know things could have turned out so much worse. Honestly, though, that day changed both of us, and took a lot away from Raleigh.
    I hit my head on the passenger side window, and it knocked me unconscious. When I woke, we were in a cloud of smoke, and when I looked over at Raleigh her head was full of blood and she was out cold. I went to reach for her, and realized my own head was pounding. I reached over behind my right ear, and let out a yelp from the pain. When I pulled my hand away, it was covered in blood. The car was now surrounded by other people who had witnessed the accident.
    They were all trying to talk at the same time, asking if I was ok, could I tell them my name or the day of the week, to try and stay still because help was on the way. At the time, it all just seemed to be a lot of jumble, and all I wanted was to see Raleigh’s eyes open and know that she was ok. I could hear sirens, and everyone started backing away from the car.
    Paramedics and police arrived on the scene, asking the same type questions, and removing us both from the car. We both got put on stretchers, and put in different ambulances and rushed to the hospital.
    It was the most painful ride of my life. Not because I had a gash from behind the middle of my ear and down the side of my neck, but because I didn’t know if my best friend was alive or dead.
    Raleigh had been there for me from the moment I moved to Virginia, from Florida, at twelve years old. She took me under her wing that first day of seventh grade, and she hadn’t left my side since. In that moment, riding in the ambulance, I felt like I was doing just that; letting her down, because I wasn’t there to help her in her time of need.
    While they were stitching me up at the hospital my mom showed up.
    The police had gotten hold of Raleigh’s parents from her license plate info, and her parents had called my mom. I started to cry again when I saw her, and she was crying as well. They let her come in, and she took hold of my hand and started kissing it all over. Her hands were shaking badly, and I started frantically asking her if she knew about Raleigh. She started rubbing my arm to calm me down, telling me that her parents were there in the waiting room and Raleigh was in surgery. I remember thinking: well, at least surgery means she is alive.
    They did a scan on me, and told me I had a mild concussion, but the symptoms from that should clear up within a few days. I had to avoid exerting myself for at least a week, and was given pain pills for my neck, where the force of the impact and the glass had cut and split it open. It’s now a raised scar, but I haven’t had any further problems from the concussion.
    Raleigh, on the other hand, ended up