LUMP

I rocked on my feet, me and dad were in the hospital waiting room to see mom. The infection didn't seem that bad, until she collapsed after being cleared by doctors 3 weeks ago. I was in school, dad called me right away and pulled me out. He ignored all my questions, his eyes brimmed with tears.
"Momma?" I asked, in my little girl voice as I entered the room clutching dad's hand.
"Milly...my little baby is that you?"mom asked, I stifled out a laugh.
"Mom I'm 12" mom laughed, which immediately turned into coughing.
"Elaine?"dad stepped forward.
"You take care of my girl" she said harshly and then lay back down. A faint smile on her lips, we caught up on the joke.
"I love you mom" I said as the nurse guided us out.

"Dad-"
"No questions"
"Wait-" he jerked the car to a stop.
"No questions!" I stared out the window.
"Will mom be ok?" I asked, dad didn't answer. He was afraid of the answer, we both were.
I curled up with dad on the couch while he read some stupid grown up book. I was scared, what if I lost mom? Life would be so hard for us and dad, mom had been the girl/woman he had liked since Middle School.
"Milly?"dad shifted around, I clung harder until dad gave in.
"Bedtime" I hurried to bed, and pulled the covers over my head.

"How's your mum?"asked Laura, she lugged her binder up the steps.
"Better" I lied.
"She might be in the house soon."
Laura nodded, and dropped the subject. I kicked my locker 8 times, the usual was 5. 2 times for not opening, 6 times for...mom. When I hid my face and scribbled in my binder, the teachers would bring the subject up in front of the whole class making me feel even worse. At the end of the day, everyone knew about my mom close to dying.
"I'm so sorry!" Laura blurted out and she pulled out a card.
"Mr. Artecar let us have free choice. Sketching or making a card for you" said Laura. I accepted the card, Laura was the best artist at Allen Palmer Middle School.
"Your going to be ok though right?"asked Laura, she narrowed her eyebrows to stare straight at me.
I nodded.
"Good then!" Laura straightened up and continued bouncing down the hall to her locker.
"Laura's crazy"said one of my locker buddies, Rose and Caroline.
"She's nice but crazy" I agreed.
Rose laughed and continued packing up.
I cleaned out my locker, adding every last pencil to the pile before closing my locker.
I was full of anger as I stomped over to "the locker thief" I didn't know his name but I had seem him before stealing Rose's lock. I snatched my lock from his hand and put it BACK on my locker.
"Girl deal with it" he snapped.
"My name is Milly!"he rolled his eyes.

I entered the house. Dad was lounging on the couch.
"I visited mom in the hospital today, She's getting better"said dad. He stood up and outstretched his arms. I ran in, and hugged him tightly.
"Please don't die"I said.
"I'm gonna die if you keep squeezing me" joked dad. I let go and gave him a plain look which meant its not funny.