The Big Fish by Madison Henley (best free e reader .TXT) 📕

After going through the images of Georgia leaving court, leaving the hospital, wearing only dark shades and a frowned expression, Keliah exited out of her many tabs and closed her laptop shut. Of course Georgia was acting bitter, her father was dying. Keliah placed her laptop in her messenger bag and pulled out her phone, searching in her maps how far Colridge Memorial was from the cafe and found that it was only thirty minutes. Not giving herself enough time to react on her emotions, Keliah tapped the address in her phone, threw her coffee, grabbed her jean jacket and called a taxi to meet her outside.

CHAPTER FIVE

 

Meredith stretched her left leg and bent down to tie her neon green Nike running shoes tight before she hit her watch, plugged in her earbuds and started to sprint. She did a campus loop before she headed to the school's track. There were very few lights on as nightfall approached and the track was soon to be closing. She hated the way she felt. She felt like her body was slowly deteriorating. She didn't feel a part of the world. Like she was trying to blend in with everyone but couldn't because she was the only one who didn't have a functioning heart. To hell with love. Meredith mentally cursed whoever invented the overrated emotion as she hit another mile.

For the past couple of weeks, running was Meredith's place of respite. That and a cold shower. Running allowed her to clear her head. It reassured her that she still had a beating heart. She ran every time she thought of Gabrielle. I wonder what Gabrielle is doing. Sprint. Does she even know what she did to me? Sprint. Does she even care? Sprint. Probably not. Sprint. She scrolled through her playlist to find a song that had a faster pace so it could keep up with her legs. She didn't realize that she had increased her pace every lap she did. She was on her fourth mile when she saw a tall figure stretching on the bleachers. She ignored them and continued to run, but remained cautious of the strange figure. Hopefully it wasn't a killer. Meredith was sweaty and stinky and she didn't want to die like that. At least let her take a shower. When she did another lap, the figure stopped her. Meredith looked around as if they could be stopping someone else but it was just she and the stranger out there...and it was pitch black outside.

Shit, they wanna talk to me. Please don't kill me. I left my pepper spray in my room.

Meredith put her feet to a halt, skidding the track as she slowed down, her earbuds slapping against her neck as they fell out of her ears from the force. The night lights shined brightly on the figure, creating a dark silhouette. Meredith squinted her eyes as she walked closer.

***

Keliah took a deep breath as she rode the elevator alone up to the seventh floor. She wasn't too fond of hospitals. There was something about the sterility and silence that she found odd. As the red numbers flicked to the next level, Keliah thought  about whether this was a good idea or not. I mean, what would she even say? And that’s if she got passed all of the security. They probably had the entire floor swarming with guards. The elevator buzzed and the doors slid open. Keliah was surprised to see nothing but a lady sitting at the front desk and hear nothing but the sounds of her fingers clicking away on her keyboard. Keliah stepped forward, approaching the woman and waited for the woman to acknowledge her.

 “Hi, uh is Reginald Kerouac here?”

 The middle-aged woman looked up from her stack of papers and smiled thinly at Keliah, her face wrinkling in the process.

 “Well you certainly aren't Georgia. Mr. Kerouac doesn't get any visitors except his daughter. Who are you?"

 “Keliah…Nelson. I'm a...close friend? I just found out about his…diagnosis and wanted to see him.”

 The woman pointed her sharp red nails to the left.

 “Down the hall, room 21B. Oh and here, you’ll need this.”

 The woman handed Keliah a visitor sticker and Keliah took it and placed it on her chest.

 “Thank you."

 Keliah hesitantly walked down the hall, counting each room number. She was so caught up into her head on what she was going to say and if her professor found out about it would she even make it to see the next day that she passed the door and was now at 25B. Keliah back pedaled and knocked on the correct door. When she heard signal that she could come in, Keliah opened the door to see Reginald Kerouac laying in bed. He looked like a regular middle aged man that was happy and healthy besides the years of stress evident on his face and the fact that he was laying in a hospital bed. Keliah stood idly by the door and swallowed, careful of her next words.

 “Hi, Mr. Kerouac. I uh, I’m Keliah. Your daughter is my professor at Berkeley and I have just recently found out about your um—what happened and just wanted to bring you this.”

 Keliah held up the blue get well card she purchased on her way to the hospital waited with baited breath for a response.

 “Are you here because you think my daughter will pass you because you befriended me?”

 Keliah’s mouth went dry and she took a couple of steps back. God, he was more intimidating than his daughter. Even though he was at death's door. Keliah's heart began racing and she swore she could hear it in her ears. This was a bad idea. Not only did she totally just fuck up but Georgia was going to find out about it too.

 “No! God no."

 Keliah spat.

 I would