Everything hurts. My head, my back, my legs, my arms. Everything. And not only that, but I’m bored, too. Alone in the hospital room, there is nothing to do. There’s nothing good on TV. I finished one book and in the other one I’m at a boring spot. I’m tired of drawing, and I’m not that good at it anyway. Normally I would sing, but I feel too bad and it’s not like I can sing my heart out in a hospital even if I was feeling well enough.

I would’ve been at a concert right now, if it weren’t for the car crash. It wasn’t too bad; I just have a broken leg and a couple bruises. But because of that, I have to stay here in the hospital while my best friend Amy is at a concert with her older sister. I was supposed to be the one to go with Amy, not Sierra.

I guess you could say that it’s partly my fault. I told Amy to go to the concert; she would’ve stayed here with me otherwise. But, as much as I wanted her company, I wasn’t about to keep her from going to see One Wish, our favorite band, in concert. I just wish I could’ve gone with her.

So, for now, I’m stuck alone in the hospital until Mom or Dad gets off work and can come visit me. The only thing that I’m glad about is that tomorrow I can go home, and I’ll be less likely to get bored there than here. I hate missing school, so I guess it’s good the crash was during the summer, not the school year.

The crash. It’s probably the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me. Mom was driving me home from my piano lesson. Apparently another driver on the road was very tired or something and fell asleep at the wheel. He slammed into my side of the car. Mom’s fine, just a bit sore (although she won’t admit it to me); but I’ve got a broken leg. And I can’t go see One Wish.

Pointlessly, I flip through the TV channels again, as if something else has come on in the last two minutes. Obviously, I find nothing and turn it off again. I pick up the book, read a paragraph, and put it back down. I pick up my drawing pad, begin a sketch, and give up. I hate this. A lot.

Finally, I decide to sleep away the time. I try to take a short nap, and for once I actually fall asleep when I want to. When I wake up I find I only slept for thirty minutes. Oh, well.

Just as I’m about to check the TV again, I hear a knock on the door. “Come in,” I call. It’s probably Mom or Dad, able to leave work early or something. The nurses will usually call out their names before they come in, and the doctor just walks in my room without knocking.

Amy walks through the door. “Hi, Elle,” she says quietly. The hospital seems to have that effect on people – they talk with softer voices than usual.

I smile at her. “Concert over?”

“Yeah.”

“You didn’t have to come here.”

“I felt awful about going to that concert without you. I’m really sorry.” She sits down on the edge of my bed.

“Don’t be. I told you to go. And I would’ve felt awful if you stayed. Was it good?”

Amy smiles. “Great. One Wish is awesome! And they had the new song, ‘The Last Time.’”

“Awesome! Did you buy any CD’s?”

“Yup. And one for you, too.” She hands me the newest CD that just came out, called When I See You. The picture on the front shows the tree men and two women who make up the group.

“Thanks!” I smile at her after studying the CD. “I’ll pay you back later.”

“Uh, no, don’t. I bought it for you. And I have something else for you.”

“What’s that?”

“Open the case and take out the paper in the front.”

“Okaaaaay....” I obey. Unfolding the paper that gives the lyrics to all the songs, I see there is an autograph from the lead singer, Ryan Taylor. “Oh, my gosh! How did you get this?!”

“You know how at all the concerts they randomly draw three names of people there from a bowl, and those people get to go backstage afterwards and meet them? And they give them one wish and stuff? They drew my name!”

“Oh my gosh! How likely is that? Like, one in a hundred or something? That’s so cool! So... What was your one wish?”

“I’ll tell you in a sec. I have something else for you, too.”

I laugh. “Seriously?” I love Amy, but one of her problems is that she’s always so generous with her gifts. I’m also very curious about what wish she had asked the band members to grant for her.

“Yeah.” Louder, but hesitantly, she says, “You can come in now.”

She’s calling someone into the room. Who?

Then, in walks Ryan Taylor.

“Hi, Elle,” he says to me, and shakes my hand.

“Um, hi?” I’m so surprised I’m not quite sure what to do.

Amy is smiling ear to ear. “He’s here!” she squeals.

I sit up more in my bed. I’m mostly shocked and excited to see my favorite singer, and partly embarrassed that he would see me like this, in the hospital.

“How’d you get here?!” I ask. “Why?”

“Your friend Amy had an unusual request for me,” he tells me. “She asked to come to the hospital with her to see her best friend who couldn’t make it to the concert.” He smiles at me. “And, somehow, here I am. Nice to meet you, Elle. I hope you recover quickly.”

I laugh. “Is this like, Candid Camera or something?”

Amy and Ryan laugh, too. “Nope,” Amy says happily. She’s obviously proud of herself for bringing Ryan here to see me. I’m surprised she had the courage to ask him; she’s normally quiet and shy around people she doesn’t know.

“So this was your wish?” I ask Amy.

“Yeah.”

I hug her. For a thirteen-year-old girl, I guess I’ve done pretty well in finding my friends – I have an amazing best friend!