Him

Lena walks home her best friend's house like any other night--but she's about to find out this is the night that will turn her entire world upside down.

 

1

Him

 

 

“Oh come on,” Lena laughed.

     “I’m so serious!” Allison smiled, “Twilight has to be in the top five of amazing books that made s****y movies.”

     Lena rolled her eyes, “You were a Twi-heart in the beginning, remember? You’re just pissed because you can’t kiss your beloved Jacob.”

     Allison raised her hand to Lena’s face, “Whatever.” They laughed, “You wanna order a pizza? I promise we can watch whatever you wanna watch.”

     Lena looked at her watch, “I wish, baby doll, but it’s already eleven.”

     Allison sighed, “I don’t know why you don’t just stay here"or with Daniel. You know"”

     “I gotta go,” Lena cut her off as she headed out her best friend’s bedroom door. She said a quick ‘goodbye’ to Mrs. White and started for her house.

     The air was cool and crisp"fall nights were Lena’s favorite; the crunchy leaves and the hoodies were her paradise. She buttoned her jacket as she crossed over the first block and stuck her face in the warm wool collar"still smelt like vanilla and roses. Her long brown hair was up in a messy bun and she felt the chill of the wind through her jeans.

     She knew Allison was right"she should’ve stayed with her, or even Daniel; it would be the safest option, but it would also be the most dangerous. They all knew that, though. Allison had been Lena’s best friend since they were little, when Lena and her parents first moved to the city. She knew everything about Lena and then some. They had always been so close, and that didn’t change when Allison came out to her in August.

     “Why would that change anything?” Lena had said, watching the relieve come over her best friend’s face. Allison swore things would never get weird, but Lena already knew it would never get close to that between them. They were in it for life.

     Lena smiled to herself as she passed another block. She would love to watch movies all night with Allison, but that wasn’t such an easy option anymore.

     A swish from her cellphone brought Lena back to Earth. It was a text from Allison:

     Call me when you get home"big news!

     Lena just shrugged and put the phone in her back pocket; her hands were already getting cold. The sky was a dark mesh of grey clouds and brightly lit stars fighting to shine through all the darkness.

     Plugging her headphones in and began quietly singing along with the track. It was one of her recent favorites and she made that known to just about everyone around her, but she didn’t care.  

     She turned the corner and saw her father stumbling out of a local bar as piss drunk as every other night. Lena started towards him when a blonde woman"who kind of looked like a prostitute"took her place next to her dad, arms flailing over his shoulders, her red lipstick smudging on his sweaty neck. Lena looked away; she couldn’t watch her dad"the one who raised her and tucked her in when she was a child"do those kinds of things.

     Lena turned around and kept walking, tears stinging her eyes. It was always hard for her to see her dad that way; drunk, sloppy, disgusting"violent. She never cried to anyone about it, though. She never had to; there were always ways to know when he had a ‘bad night’.

     She was only a few blocks from her house now; she had to take the longer route in order to avoid her dad, but she wasn’t going home. Her dad’s number one rule was that when he had company at the house Lena wasn’t able to go home until they left, so that basically meant she had to spend the night at either Daniel’s or Allison’s.

     She blew hot breath into her cupped hands to keep them warm and thought, I guess its Daniel’s lucky night. Turning the corner, cell phone in hand, Lena dialed Daniel’s number. It rang once when she heard laughing from a back parking lot not too far from where she was. Normally she would think it was just a pack of drunken morons trying to have a good time, but there was something . . . different, almost foul, about those laughs.

     Rule number one in New York; never be the hero, it only ends with you dead, anyway, she reminded herself, but still felt drawn towards the voices. She kept telling herself it was a bad idea, over and over until she found herself mouthing out the words. It seemed like the more she told herself it was a bad idea, the closer she got. Though every cell, every fiber in her body hated her the closer she got, she couldn’t help herself. She ended the call.

     “Eh, he’s useless now,” a deep, almost husky voice began. “Good luck tellin’ the boss you killed the little s**t. Guess he’ll have to find someone else; someone loyal.”

     Lena looked around the corner, as careful and noiseless as humanly possible. That’s when she saw them"her breath caught. There were three men; one had rugged facial hair covering the lower half of his face with the north part of his head completely bald; she could see the veins popping out of his skull, but he wasn’t the bronze of the operation"he was much smaller than the other two. She guessed he was the one who spoke before.

     “What do you mean ‘you’? We only did what you"” the taller, more muscular man said. He had dark eyes; they looked like black holes; not a shimmer of humanity in them.

     “Oh shut up,” the bald man grunted. “Sammael, you’re sure he’s dead?”

    The tallest, most muscular man only nodded. He had short brown hair and looked old enough to be her father; he was covered in dark tattoos. They were all different but were alike in only one way; their clothes.

     Lena ducked behind the brick wall and dialed 911. She bit her lip and waited while it rang"and rang"and rang. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” she whispered aggressively, pressing harshly against her phone screen. She looked back around the corner and saw the men were gone.

     She had no idea how fast her heart was racing until it was the only thing she could hear besides the familiar sirens in the background"however, they weren’t coming for her or the dead boy.

     A few moments passed before she could gather enough nerve to come out from her hiding spot. Keeping her finger ready to call the police at any given moment she started to scan the area, searching for the boy they’d supposedly murdered.

     Supposedly killed? She scoffed at herself. She remembered their faces, their physique. She thought; they looked like they came right out of a horror movie.  

     She scanned the parking lot the best she could in the dim lighting. Frustrated, and also driven by fear, she shined the light from her cellphone in the dark corners.

     That’s when she found him. Her breath caught and her feet were glued to the floor, for a moment. The bloody body of a teenage boy lay tossed in a corner, wedged between a metal garbage can and a rusted metal fence. Lena could see a line of dry blood running from the boy’s temple to his earlobe.

     She snapped herself out of her daze and rushed over to the boy, kicking empty cans and empty McDonald bags out of her way. She crouched next to the boy and started to feel panic setting in. “Uh"s**t"uh"” she shook his shoulder, “Come on "don’t be dead!” Lena put her pointer and middle finger against the boy’s throat. She felt a pulse"it was slow, but it was there. A wave of relief ran over her body, but there was no time to sit down and take a breath; he was still dying.

     She had no idea what she was doing. She never had to save anyone during her summers as a lifeguard at her local pool"not that she thought it was the same"so she had no idea how to control her emotions when faced with this situation"not for real.

      The nearest hospital was on the other side of town"she couldn’t drag a dying boy over her shoulder that far for that long, “God d****t.”

 

“Daniel, get outside"now!” Lena hung up before Daniel could answer. She got out of the car and ran over to the passenger side where the boy limped against the door, a small pool of blood forming on the window. He was bloody and unconscious, but still alive.

     Daniel came through the doors of the apartment complex. It didn’t take him long to see the unconscious boy in the front seat. To Lena’s surprise, Daniel didn’t freak out"in fact his unusual calmness about the whole thing was unsettling to her.

     “Help me get him up"there we go"go get the door open for me, please.” Daniel put the strange boy’s arm over his shoulder and lifted him up the stairs like he weighed nothing.

     When they got up to the apartment Daniel ordered Lena to put towels on the couch with a sheet over that"Lena did it as fast as she was able, her adrenaline through the roof. Daniel laid the boy carefully on his back across the couch, his head elevated.

     “There’s a kit under the bathroom sink"get it.” Lena ran as fast as she could, knocking over everything in the cabinet until she found what they needed. When she got back Daniel was just getting off the phone with someone, “I need you to go outside, Lena, and wait until we’re finished.”

     “Who’s ‘we’?

     “Lena just go; you’ll only be in the way, please!” he didn’t sound angry, just tired.

     Without another word she left the apartment, feeling guilty as she shut the door behind her.

 

Blood covered his frantic hands as he searched for the wound site. The room looked like a make-shift surgical room but it was all they had and it was sure as Hell better than nothing. The door swung open and Daniel could see Michael and Trent with a bag of everything they would need.

     “About time; we need to get this gash cleaned up and stitched ASAP and we need the IV set up; he needs fluids"how’s Lena?” Daniel spoke so quick it was almost hard to make out.

     Michael spoke while Trent emptied the bag, “She’s in shock but she’s fine; she’s in the car eating some chocolate to calm her nerves.” Daniel nodded to him but didn’t take his eyes off the boy on the couch. He knew there was no time for questions, but he couldn’t help but notice something familiar about the unconscious boy in his best friend’s living room.

     Trent was in the kitchen setting up the IV so Michael helped Daniel sanitize the gash in the boy’s skull. The amount of blood and dirt on the boy’s face alone was enough to cover two cloths. “What the Hell did this kid go through?” Michael wondered out loud.

     “I don’t know,” Daniel said, “but he must’ve really pissed somebody off.”

     Daniel had been able to get as many hairs out of the way as he could without contaminating the wound. He steadied the needle and began sewing the gash closed the best he could, considering they weren’t in a real hospital.

     His hands were covered in thick, sticky blood, but the sight of the boy’s chest slowly moving made him keep going. There wasn’t a chance in Hell that any of them were going to let that young boy die in their care.

      Trent pulled away from the boy, who now had the IV connected to his forearm. Still not completely taking in everything they’d just did, he just stood back for a moment, his chest lifting and dropping quickly. Trent shrugged at Michael, “Piece of cake.”

     Michael shook his head, “No, cake doesn’t bleed.”

     “It does if it has strawberry filling,” Trent tried to make light of the mood, seeing as how the worst part was over.

     Daniel looked over with sweat on his brow, “Even if we didn’t have to stitch up a stranger on my nice couch that still wouldn’t be funny.”

 

Lena sat in the car"her dad’s car, the car she’d stolen from him"biting her nails and nibbling her chocolate. The milk chocolate had helped a bit, but her fingers still trembled. She didn’t know if it was from the shock of finding a dead body in a parking lot with Dr. Evil and his henchman, or the thought of how hard her dad was going to beat her when she got home.  

     What great options, she thought.

     She rubbed her cheek where it still burned from where he’d smacked her back at the bar. Luckily for her he was too drunk to chase her, so she was safe"for now.

          The scene ran through her mind like a short film on a big screen; she’d finally got the police on the phone when the call was dropped; there were no bars inside the four cement walls of the abandoned parking lot. Just my luck, she’d thought. The adrenaline was coursing through her body; her head was swimming as the smell of blood burned her nose. She wanted so much to flinch away from the boy’s blood-drenched body, but she couldn’t let herself.

     She’d looked at her phone again; her battery was running low. She bit her lip and groaned, shoving the phone deep in her pocket. She noticed her hands were shaking, her mind getting harder and harder to tame. That’s when she’d come up with the thought to take her father’s car.

     In her mind it was a good idea"if she got a car, she could get help faster"but at that time no idea of hers was a good idea. Everything was jumbled in a giant ball of confusion, but she’d already started for the bar.

     When she’d gotten there she could see her father, drunken and sloppy, the w***e sitting on her lap like a lioness claiming her prize"though Lena couldn’t think of any ways her father would be considered a ‘prize’.

     She was quick; her head down so no one would see her before her father. She was at his side fast, though. She asked him for the keys"begged, actually, which is something she’d never done. “Get away, b***h!” he yelled, sloppily, at her. There was a loud smack as her father’s hand came down hard on her. She gasped and pulled away, her cheek on fire. Faces glanced over to see what the yelling was about, but they were hardly interested in a drunken guy yelling at his daughter"in New York it was the norm.

     After minutes of arguing with her dad, the w***e smiled and put a finger to his mouth. She whispered something in his ear and his body relaxed, he giggled moronically. The woman went deep in his pocket and pulled out his keys, jingling them in front of Lena’s face.

     Brow raised, Lena slowly took it from the woman’s long, spidery fingers. Lena didn’t have time to mull over whether or not she could guess how much money that woman would have taken from her father that night, if she didn’t take it all. She had a boy to save.

     She went quickly to the black and white Camry across the street. The crappy car coughed to life"it was astonishing how long the thing had lived. She honked at the groups of drunken people in the middle of the street and, once she got through, made her way to the boy as quickly as the old car could take her"

     The vibration from her phone made her jump. She leaned her head on her hand and put the phone to her ear, “Hi.”

     “Hey, I thought you were gonna call me when you got home?”

     She sighed, “I haven’t gotten home yet.”

     “What? What have you"?”

     “It’s a long . . . long story.”"silence as Allison waited"“I don’t want to talk about it right now. Maybe later, okay?”

     “Boo. Fine, I won’t be a pest. I just wanted to tell you the good news.”

     There was a pause, “And the good news is . . .?”

     “Oh right,” she laughed to herself, embarrassed. “I got that letter back from Berkeley"they’ve accepted me!”

     “No way"congratulations, A, I told you you’d get in!” the excitement in her voice was numb, but enough to convince Allison.

     “I know I just can’t believe it! In September, I’m gonna be a Berkeley girl.” Allison sighed to herself. Lena didn’t have to be with her to know Allison was imagining herself as a college girl"out of the house and ready to date college boys.

     Lena tried to be as supportive as she could be, but her mind was everywhere else, mulling over everything that had happened within the last two hours. It was all so much to take in at once she couldn’t exactly wrap her head around it all. Everything was so messed up; Lena had Daniel and his"assuming"friends taking care of a dying boy, a total stranger who for all they knew could be a criminal.

     She shook that thought away, he wasn’t a criminal; he couldn’t have been. He was just a young kid, not a remorseless assassin that didn’t get the job done. But still . . . She couldn’t stop thinking about what the bald man said back in the ally, “Guess he’ll have to find someone else; someone loyal.”

     What was that boy involved with?

     “Lena"are you there?” Allison said, almost annoyed.

     “What"yes"sorry, I"” Lena was cut off by the squeak of the apartment building’s door.

     “It’s over,” Daniel said with a sweaty brow.

     “I gotta go,” without thinking Lena hung up and followed Daniel inside.

     The three floors seemed like a million to Lena, her feet felt heavier with each step. She didn’t know what made her so uneasy. Maybe, she thought, it’s just the thought of all that blood. Yeah, that has to be it, duh.

     When they got to the door Daniel stopped her, his hand grabbing her arm. “Wait,” Daniel urged. “Lena, can I asked you something.”

     She blinked, “Of course.”

     “When you saw the boy, why did you bring him here, why not bring him to the hospital?”

     “I couldn’t get in touch with the police"”

     “But you had your father’s car. You could’ve easily brought him to the hospital.”

     Lena thought about that, for the first time. She could’ve easily driven him to the hospital with her dad’s car. Lena thought about that, for the first time. She could’ve easily driven him to the hospital with her dad’s car. “I"I don’t know,” she was confused, “I was scared he was going to die, and you live so close"I don’t know, I just did.” My mind was all over the place; she thought slowly to herself, you were the first person I thought of. Lena knew he had medical training; whenever Lena was sick or had an injury, her mother always took her to Daniel, first; he always knew what to do. And it was free.

      Daniel studied her face for a second and then opened the door. It opened to the living room; straight across from the door was the bay window that looked out to the apartment buildings next door, the wooden floors with beige carpet under the brown-stained coffee table, the bookshelf in the far corner and small TV against the wall. Everything seemed to be the same as it was, except for one thing"the dying boy on Daniel’s couch.

     Her breath caught at the sight of him. He laid there, an IV stuck in his arm and small blood stains around his head where it was obvious Daniel had done some work. But he looked . . . cozy"like he’d never been more content.

     She sat in the loveseat diagonal from where he lay. There was a thin sheet spread over him"something Daniel obviously didn’t mind getting blood on. Not that she could blame him.

     At least he has a comfy couch, Lena smiled faintly. This was the first time she got to look at the boy without blood and dirt covering his face. She studied him carefully and realized he wasn’t a boy, but a teenager. He looked about her age, if not a year older. He had messy blonde hair that almost covered his eyes; he had beautiful olive skin that seemed too flawless to be real. His pink lips were slightly parted and curved in an almost half-smile, like he was having the most wonderful dream. His face was angular; as if it matured faster than the rest of his body, but it was still soft, almost beautiful.

     He looked like he should be posing for a calendar or magazine or something"not sitting attached to an IV in her uncle’s apartment.

     “He’s going to be fine.”

     Lena hadn’t heard Daniel come in. She snapped back to reality. Smiling through the pain she said, “Thank you.” The others came in, “He’s gonna be glad to not be dead.” She looked back at the sleeping boy, almost unable to turn away. There was something about him that made her feel . . . warm.

     She couldn’t believe how crazy she sounded, even to her. She nibbled on her bottom lip.

     Lena forced her gaze from the boy to Daniel and the others. She patted her knees and got to her feet, “You guys look like you could use some coffee.”

     “Oh yeah"”

     “I don’t think so,” Daniel cut the others off, “it’s late. Your dad is not going to be happy when he hears you coming home at this hour, especially after having to take a cab home.”

     Lena felt the color flush from her cheeks. So he did notice, she thought biting her lower lip, “I can’t go home.” When he didn’t answer she continued, “He has ‘company’. You know the rule.”

     He rubbed his temple and sighed. He stepped closer and ran a finger underneath the spot Lena’s father had smacked her. She tried not to wince, but failed. It was still raw and, apparently, still very visible. There was a pained look in his eyes. He may not have been Lena’s uncle by blood, but he had always been there for her. In fact, he was more of a father to Lena than her real father was. If she could trade her real father for Daniel, she would in a heartbeat.

     “Fine,” he gave up. “But I’m driving you home first thing in the morning.” His voice cracked, too low for the others to hear. Lena knew he never wanted to take her home; he knew better than anyone what went on in her household, and it hurt him more than anyone.

     Lena hugged him for a moment or two and then led them into the kitchen, thanking him for everything he’d done, as well as the others"whose names she learned later that night. Though they were quiet as mice as they sipped their coffee, it was nice to have a little piece of calmness in their hectic night.

     “So, what happened?” Trent asked. “How did you even find this kid?”

     Lena shifted in her seat and started to unravel her story of the three bad guys and the boy they left to die and rot in garbage.

     “Why didn’t you call the police, Lena? You could’ve gotten killed"if they’d seen you"!” Daniel almost stood up.

     “I tried to! New York cops are useless"they had me on hold! I couldn’t leave him in a parking lot covered in garbage to just die.”

     “But that wasn’t your decision to make, Lena. If something had happened to you"”

     “But nothing did. You would have done the same thing,” Lena countered in a small voice.

     They were all silent. There was tension in the room, but not for long. Lena didn’t know Daniel’s friends much"not at all, actually"but she knew one thing; Michael knew how to lighten awkward situations. For a big, husky guy, he was like a giant teddy bear with a Lumberjack type look to him. 

     “So how do you all know each other, again?” Lena had asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever met you guys before.”

    Trent, who was already beside her, answered first, “We go way back,” he smiled, slapping a hand on Daniel’s back. It didn’t seem to hurt him though, despite Trent’s muscular arms. Also, Lena noticed, he looked years younger than the others. She’d guessed in his late twenties, rather than late thirties like the other two.

     He went on, “We met during the glory days"well, to us they were the glory days.”

     Michael cut in, “We fought together, you know.” He looked at Lena with a story in his eyes. His hands flew up, “Not in anything you’d know about though, darlin’.” She noticed the slight accent he had; Southern.

    Lena turned to Daniel, brow raised, “I had no idea you were a fighter.” She tried to imagine his with an army uniform on, but she just couldn’t. What else didn’t she know about him? 

     They started telling ‘battle stories’, or so they called them. Michael talked about how when they were young and ‘less worn out’ they had gotten into many fights defending their friends and people close to them, “We didn’t live in New York, no, this was years ago.” Michael seemed to be looking at something far away, “Chaycia, was the name, an old-fashioned town our parents would send us to every few years to try and straighten us out when we got into too much trouble. It was small, valleys spread out everywhere as far as the eye could see.”

     Lena tried to envision it.

     Trent cut in on the reminiscing, “There was a mountain where the sun rose and set behind; that’s where Michael took his wife when they proposed"he nearly vomited!” Trent laughed and Michael punched his arm, his face flushing. Lena didn’t think men blushed.    

     “Okay, that’s enough,” Daniel said coming out from the corner he’d been standing quietly in.

      Lena looked at him, “What?”

     He collected himself, “It’s late, and you have to get some sleep. It’s been a long night for you"for all of us.”

       With a sigh and a nod, we all started calling it a night. 

     Trent and Michael went home around three in the morning, leaving Daniel passed out in his single bedroom and Lena sitting by the bay window as she waited for sunrise.

     Lena and her mother, Charlotte, used to get up early on Saturday mornings and watch the sunrise from Lena’s bedroom window when she was little. Lena was always sleepy, but she loved every second of it; the pretty colors in the stretched clouds, the emptiness of the streets while everyone was asleep, the smell of fresh coffee on her mother’s pajama shirt, the feeling of her mother’s warm embrace.

     She could picture her mother as if she was still there with her; Charlotte’s chestnut brown hair in loose curls that draped all around her thin face and hazel eyes that looked at a person through thick lashes, and her lips; full and baby pink.

     “You look like your mother,” is what everyone would say to her, but she could never believe it. Her mother was beautiful, and Lena was not"not in her eyes.  

     Lena caught herself wrapping her own arms around themselves like if her mother was there watching with her. The corners of her lips curved in a tiny smile, but reality"once again"made it disappear.

     She looked at her phone. Six missed calls from Allison and none from her dad, not that she was surprised. She looked at the boy who still lay asleep on the couch, and then switched to the closed door of Daniel’s bedroom door.

    She thought about not going home at all, but only for a few moments. She knew what she was in for. She took a deep breath, grabbed her coat and keys and was out the door.

 

Rolling over in bed she squinted angrily at the bright light on the other side of her pink eyelids. She groaned at the knock on the door, “Breakfast is ready, come down when you’re ready!”

     Allison expected nothing less from her mother. Sighing she said, “Why did I have to be born into a family of morning people. Be down in a minute!” It took Allison a minute to lift herself out of the pile of blankets and pillows on her bed. Almost as if by routine, she checked her cell.

     No messages, she rubbed her eyes.

     She kept thinking about last night, about Lena. She never cut Allison off like that, not unless she was dealing with her dad"but she wasn’t home yet, she reminded herself.

     Thoughts rushed through her head; what if she was in trouble? What if something happened to her on the way home? Did she even get home last night? She was working herself up, she knew that Lena was a tough girl, but she also knew Lena was only so strong on her own. She probably went to Daniel’s, she thought. That thought made her feel better. She went to text her one more time but ultimately decided against it.

     Collecting herself she made her way to the kitchen to find her little brother, Joey, and her father sitting at a table with four plates set with toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs. There was a pitcher of orange juice and her dad sipped his usual coffee. Allison sat next to Joey as her mother took her seat next to her father.

     The kitchen was the same as when they first bought the place; the same blue walls and small window along the wall that overlooked the streets, the recently upgraded countertops; sleek, grey quarts and the white moldings in the corners that added character to it that her mother loved. Sometimes her mother joked that that was the only reason they picked the place.

Her mother looked at Allison, “No word from Lena yet, huh?”

     Allison raised an eyebrow, “How"”

     “I can see your worry line, dear.” Her mother grinned.

     Allison felt her face get hot, but she just shrugged and bit her toast. Joey went on about how he wanted school to be over already so he could be a sixth grader"for some reason he concocted this crazy idea of how the Junior High was the greatest place on Earth.

     “It’s gonna be awesome; I’m gonna be the coolest kid in school. No one else is gonna have a sis in college, or have a sis who can drive them around,” Joey smiled hugely at Lena. “Can you drive me on my first day?”

     Allison couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her spunky little brother, “I might be at Berkeley already, Joey.” She saw her brother lose some of the light in his face. Allison smirked, “I’ll do my best, okay?”

     Joey looked at her with a huge smile on his face, nodded, and shoveled eggs into his mouth.

     “Berkeley,” her mother sighed, “I can’t believe my little girl"”

     “Honey,” her father protested, looking up from the paper for a moment. “You said you wouldn’t.”

     Her mother raised her hands in surrender, “I know I’m sorry! It’s just crazy how time flies.” She sipped her coffee before adding, “So what did you want to do for your going away party, darling?”

     Allison raised her brow, “I didn’t even know we were having one.”

     “Of course we’re having one! It’s not every day your daughter goes away to college, especially Berkeley.”

     Allison hated when her mother made a big deal out of things, but this time she"to her surprise"didn’t mind. She was proud of herself, very proud; to be able to go to the college she’d wanted to go to since she entered the high school. She’d worked her a*s off since the first day of freshman year and it finally paid off. Other students hadn’t even started handing in applications yet, while she was already accepted into her number one choice"her only choice.

     “That’d be awesome, mom,” she smiled widely at her mother. “Thanks.”

     “Oh, honey, you’re welcome,” her mother returned the smile. “So, what happened between you two anyway? You didn’t get into a fight did you?”

     “No, mom, we didn’t.”

     “I don’t think I can remember a time you two ever got in a fight,” her dad said, to everyone’s surprise. “You two were always glued to each other’s hip.”

     Allison shrugged, “I don’t know what happened, she wouldn’t tell me.”

     “Oh honey I’m sure she’s fine. She’s a strong girl. Isn’t that one of the reasons you like her so"”

     “Mom"” Allison cut her off, “can we not talk about this?”

     “What?”

     “Lena doesn’t know how I feel about her. I want to keep it that way. I told you already"it doesn’t matter what I like about her.” She’ll never feel the same way. She’s straight, she thought. “I’m not stupid. I know when something isn’t gonna happen.”

     “Honey, I"”

     Allison sat up, “I’m full. Thanks for breakfast.” She pushed her chair in, leaving her plate, barely touched, at the table for her little brother to pick at. She walked quickly to her room and locked her door.

     She checked her phone again, out of pure habit"nothing. There was uneasiness in Allison’s stomach, and it wasn't from eating bad eggs.

     Biting her lip, she knew it probably was not a good idea to do what she was thinking, but her worry trumped her common sense.

     She threw on a pair of leggings and a blue sweater with sleeves that hid her hands; it also brought out her green eyes and freckles. She buttoned up her black coat, threw on her boots and pulled her thick red hair up in a messy bun. Quickly brushing her teeth and spritzing perfume she grabbed her keys off her dresser Allison started for the front door. She stopped and yelled, “I’m going to Lena’s!” She nearly slammed the door.

     The sun was bright but the air was cool and crisp, smelling of cigarette smoke. She ran to her car and barely looked before she started towards Lena’s.

     The only time it’d gotten that bad was the first month it started happening; after Lena’s mother disappeared.  Lena, she thought anxiously, what the Hell did you do? Allison’s knuckles were white against the steering wheel, the taste of blood in her mouth from where her teeth were digging into it.

     Seventh Avenue"Eighth Avenue"Ninth Avenue", her eyes flickered from sign to sign waiting to turn into Lena’s street. She turned onto Twelfth Avenue and saw Lena sitting on the steps outside her apartment complex, her head in her hands. Allison pulled into a spot across the street and honked once. Lena’s head snapped up. She could see the wave of relief come over Lena’s face. Lena ran across the street and jumped in beside Allison, “What are you doing here?”

     “When you didn't call me back all night I got worried"what happened last night anyway?” Allison asked.

     “It’s a long story,” Lena sighed.

     She shrugged, “It’s a Saturday morning and I got nothing but time.”

     Lena hesitated but said, “Fine, but can we get something to eat? I’m starving.”

     She rolled her eyes, “You’re always hungry"how you’re still thin, the world may never know.”

     Allison started for the Yo Jo Coffee Shop over on Shirley. The car ride was quiet. Allison noticed the marks on her best friend’s chest; Lena either forgot to button her coat up all the way or she was too flustered to notice or even care.

      It always hurt her to see Lena hurt. Not only because she had feelings for Lena, not even because they were best friends, but because whenever it happened Lena always played it off like it was nothing; like nothing ever truly hurt her. Allison would see her wince, or catch her with red puffy eyes, but Lena would never cry in front of anyone.

     The worst part was there was nothing Allison could do to help her. No matter how badly she wanted that to not be true. 

     They pulled up.

    The Yo Jo Coffee Shop was mildly busy for a Saturday morning; mostly college kids with their laptops sipping cappuccinos and older people playing board games. Somehow the two groups mingled without there being problems, something that had always impressed Allison. 

     They sat at a black and tiny round table with two chairs after Lena finished ordering her food; an Egg White, Spinach and Feta Wrap with a bottle of water"Lena never cared for coffee, but she loved the smell of it.

     Allison didn't order anything, despite her brief breakfast at home, though Allison could barely call that ‘breakfast’.

     Lena raised her eyebrows at something behind Allison, “That guy is totally checking you out.”

     Allison glanced over her shoulder, as subtly as possible in the small cafe. A tall boy with short blonde hair and a surfer’s tan (despite the cloudiness of spring) was looking Allison over, the corner of his mouth twitching up in a half-smile. She could feel his blue eyes boring into her. She snapped back at Lena, “Damn, if only I hadn't switched teams last year!”

     Lena rolled her eyes, “Still don’t understand why; guys are so much better than girls; they’re big and protective. And they don’t turn into psychotic spawns of Satan once a month,” she added with a laugh.

     Because of you; I didn't realize it until I realized", Allison didn't finish the thought, she was interrupted by the guy at the counter calling Lena’s name.

      Lena came back grinning with relief, “Thank God, it smells fantastic!”

     Allison looked at her best friend and smiled. Lena was the strongest girl"woman"she’d ever known. She never ceased to amaze Allison. Even through everything she’d gone through, Lena was able to fight through her pain and smile like every day was going to be a new adventure.

     With a home life like hers, Allison thought, what else is a girl to do?

     They sat in the cafe for hours, making meaningless conversation and looking at people trying to guess how they would look when they were old. Before long Allison forgot what had gotten her all worried in the first place; everything seemed so normal. Then she remembered.

     “Lena,” Allison started.

     Through her laugh Lena answered, “Yeah?”

     “You never told me what happened last night,” Allison said slowly, almost scared at what Lena’s reaction would be.

     The smile faded from Lena’s face and a dark shadow cast over her face. She didn't look at Allison"how could she given what she was about to tell her?

     Allison shifted uncomfortably in her chair. The last time Lena had been that quiet it’d had to do with Charlotte.

     Lena opened her mouth to speak, but her ringer cut her off. She sighed and put the phone to her ear, “Hello?” Allison leaned back in her chair unable to hear the other end of the one-sided conversation. Though there wasn't much conversation to be made. Hearing whoever was on the other end of the call made Lena’s eyes widen, only slightly. She ended the call with a click. She looked at Allison.

     “We need to go.”

Author's Note

Please enjoy!

Reviews

[Lucy]

Very gripping! The characters are very well represented and the transitions are clear. I would be careful of being too verbose - adding too many details to menial tasks that it becomes hard to focus on what's going on. Like, the looking for the vein in the boys arm while they are operating.
There are other omitted details that make the reading less clear, like the prospect of Lena dragging a body from where to where? The car to the front door? Why couldn't they call for an ambulance? Who are Trent and Michael beyond Daniel's friends? Clearly Daniel and Lena are close, but it's only briefly explained that she is his neice. It's a very sudden introduction into who they are although the clarifying info later is helpful.
The dialogue is fantastic and very believable and I would like to see where the story goes.

[Summer Rose]

Thank you so much, Lucy! I didn't think it would be good--considering the time span used to write it--but hearing that made me want to keep going with the next chapter. I'm very glad you liked it. I will take a second look at this chapter too, though. I'll update this as soon as I do :)
Thank you for your output, you helped a lot!

[raj24]

please enjoy, i really enjoyed it, writing a story takes a long time, the characters, the moments, situations n characters way of dealing with them, i m waiting for its next part..:)

[Summer Rose]

:o thank you so much! it really means a lot to hear that people like it :3 I hope to not disappoint!

[raj24]

not at all...i was reading it at 2 am..so u can understand, it really kept me with it..:)

[Summer Rose]

reading at 2 am can be daunting for most so it makes me feel amazing that you were able to get into it like you did :) you have no idea! I hope you like the new chapters just as much if not more

[raj24]

i liked ur characters name, especially Allison...n yup m really looking forward to know what happens next..n reading at 2 am is not that bad...its not every day you get the chance to read something interesting..:)

[Summer Rose]

awee you just made my day thank you :)

[Norah]

I want to read the rest! It is very interesting...great great job! Waiting for the other chapters :)

[Summer Rose]

Oh my gosh thank you so much Norah!!! :o :D I'm so glad you enjoyed it!