Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11:

ANDY:

At the hospital, I went straight to Juliet's room. She was alone. Either her family had left, or they hadn't gotten there yet. Quietly, I slipped inside and closed the door behind me. Juliet was awake and sitting up, staring out the window. I went and stood beside her, taking her hand. She pulled it away.

Sighing, I said, "Juliet, I'm sorry."

Juliet looked at me. "You didn't do anything," she replied. "It's not your fault Jo and I got drunk and wrecked." She turned to stare out the window again. "Besides," her voice cracked. "You deserve to be happy. With Alana."

"I want to be with you."

ALANA:

I had figured that, since I felt exhausted and I'd been crying for hours, that I'd be able to sleep. But no, I was laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if I should be here. Joseph had been my best friend. Well, pretty much my only friend, unless you counted Andy and the band. But they were only my friend because I was dating Andy. I knew I didn't want to go home. I had nothing there. No family that my mother hadn't gotten to, no friends. 

Maybe the world would be better without me.

JULIET:

"I want to be with you," Andy said, taking my hand again. I could almost literally feel my heart break in two. Of course I wanted to be with Andy. I loved him more than anything. But he had wanted to be with Alana, and there was no way I could let him leave her alone. Not now, when her best friend had just died. Andy was all she had, and she needed someone now.

"Andy, I can't be with you," I told him. "Not now. Alana needs you."

"But I love you."

I sighed. "And I love you. But you brought Alana all the way out here; you're all she's got. I'll wait for you, but you need to go comfort her and let her know that she still has you. Because she really has no one else."

ANDY:

When I got home, I sat in the car, thinking about what Juliet had said. She was right; she usually was. I couldn't leave Alana when she needed me most. So, I got out of the car and walked inside. I went upstairs to check on Alana, but she wasn't in our room. The bathroom light was on and the door was locked.

"Alana?" I said, knocking on the door. No answer. "Alana, are you okay?" Still no answer. "Alana, if you don't answer me, I'm kicking the door in." I was seriously worried. I knew how upset she was. When she didn't reply, I kicked the door in. Alana was on the floor, an empty pill bottle on the sink. I ran over and put my ear to her chest. Her heart was still beating slowly, but her lips were blue and I could barely tell she was breathing. 

Grabbing her, I put her in the car and sped down the highway, back toward the hospital.