Sherrie turned the golden brass knob of the massive doorway to her house. The house was more like a mansion. She breathed in, anxious to find out if anyone was there but to her continuous disappointment, she was greeted by the empty and cold corridors.
“I knew not to get my hopes up for anything,” Sherrie muttered under her breath, as she found the electronically typed up card and a huge bouquet of flowers from her work-a-holic parents.
Good grades mattered to her mum and dad but nothing else did, not even Sherrie’s birthday. Sherrie cuddled Missy, her toy bunny and who had been her trustworthy companion since the age of two, in her arms. She laughed out loud at the thought of people finding out that the ‘perfect school captain with the perfect grades and perfect looks’ was trying to find comfort in a old, ragged doll. But there was something else to look forward to, an event that she had been waiting for nearly all of this year, the last concert of her one and only idol, SICK. She worried if anyone from school was to see her at the 70’s rock concert tonight but was quite sure that no-one would even think of going to see the face-painted men in tight leather jeans, sticking their tongue out at the audience.
***
Sherrie walked dreamily out of the concert. Her hands had just touched the lead vocal of SICK. Someone spoke to her, waking her up.
“Hey, who’s this but the little miss perfect from Dally High?” he threw the words nonchalantly at Sherrie with a humorous smirk on his face.
It was Will Jonas, the rebel who was suspended 10 times in a row last year and finally encaged in juvenile prison for dealing with drugs. Sherrie did not know how to reply.
“You’re afraid of me aren’t you? Most of the girls are,” he said chuckling to himself, “I’m in a good mood today so I won’t bother you anymore with my scary looks.”
“Did you go to the SICK concert just then?” she blurted out before she could stop herself.
Will smiled showing his teeth. Sherrie could not help smiling as well and after a short awkward silence and an exchange of few words, they decided to go to McDonalds for a snack. It had occurred to Sherrie that she didn’t have to be the ‘perfect girl without any flaws’ in front of Will. He didn’t expect her to be anyone but herself.
Sherrie grimaced as she set foot in the crowded fast food store. She looked at the menu, searching for the best healthy choice offered there. Will ordered two Happy Meals. Sherrie opened her mouth to show that she was offended by his rudeness. She thought frustrated, ‘A Happy Meal? And how old are we?’.
“I guessed that you haven’t had one of these in a while since you girls are always keeping up with the latest healthy diets. You need a break from all that nonsense.” He explained with a playful grin. “I order Happy Meals here every day, I collect the toys they give out.”
Sherrie ended up consuming the Happy Meal lavishly and they talked non stop on how amazing and legendary SICK was that night. Sherrie felt good not to be judged on for once.
“Hey, I’m just going to the bathroom before we set off, okay?” Sherrie said excusing herself from the table.
Will nodded but he was busy looking out the window with a grim expression on his face. Sherrie caught a glimpse of some figures in the dark but ignored it knowingly.
When Sherrie returned, Will Jonas was no where to be seen and an anomalous envelope was left on his empty seat. The mysterious envelope was bulky and Sherrie didn’t like the look of it. She peaked in and gasped at the content. Suddenly very conscious of her surroundings, she looked around frantically and ran out of the store, her eyes searching the dark streets hoping to distinguish the figure of Will. Sherrie knew she had to return home, immediately.
Sherrie could not sleep all night. She could only come up with one reasonable explanation. Will Jonas and drugs. The next day, news reached Sherrie that Will Jonas was in juvenile detention again. Sherrie was absolutely disgusted and disappointed by Will and his impulsivity.
Two weeks passed and Sherrie could not ignore the envelope any longer. Out of curiosity and annoyance, she tipped the envelope up-side-down so that all the money could poor out. Hundreds of notes fluttered out and along with it came a half-ripped napkin with messy words, written all over it. Sherrie quickly picked it up and clasped her hands over her mouth, as she read the hurriedly scribbled words. She sat there numbed for a few seconds, she felt like she’d hit a huge brick wall.
‘Look, my little bro has leukaemia
He’s the only family I have
I am the only family he has
I need to keep him alive for my sake
And I needed some quick money to pay for his bills
Selling drugs was the only thing I could do
I think the cops are after me again and this time, I’m done for
Do me a favour and pay the money at Royal’s Children’s Hospital
His name’s James, James Jonas.
Tell him..... Tell him to keep fighting for my sake and that he’s just like a brave warrior in his last battle. Tell him I’ll be back and that.. I love him,’
Grabbing the animated figures from McDonald’s on her desk, she ran out on to the streets thinking only of her destination. Soon, she was standing on Smiths Avenue, outside McDonald’s and in the broad daylight she could see the building that stood right opposite it, the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Sherrie opened the door slowly, peering inside. The sick boy was surrounded by hundreds of little animated figures. Sherrie added two more figures to the boy’s collection.
“Do you know where Will is?” the little boy whispered anxiously with tears in his eyes.
Sherrie wrapped her arms tightly around the innocent and heart broken piece of fragile glass, as he began to sob without control.
***
Sherrie clutched the phone firmly to her ear. She breathed in, her heart beating fast.
“Mum, did you know that I live my life for yours’ and dad’s sake? I just wanted to say that I love you.”
