Forty-eight: Waiting Game

Alec

As soon as I park in my driveway, I jump out of my car and go into the backseat. I pull Temperance out and rush her inside.

Immediately I get the shocked expressions of my family and some of the guys that had stayed over the night before. Tearing my attention away from everyone I hear Chris behind me, screaming at the doctor through the phone.

I ignore my father's disapproved look towards the situation. He would've never expected me to fall so low as to risk everything for this girl. 

"What's going on?" Arella scrambles to her feet, stepping towards the unconscious girl in my arms. I immediately step back, refusing to let anyone Temperance doesn't know to touch her.

"Holy shit! TEMPERANCE?" Zander jumps up from his seat on the couch and runs over to me. His eyes switch between Temperance and me.

"What the hell happened?" Connor appears beside Zander, stealing a question Zander was seconds away from asking. Avoiding their questions, in a hurry, I lay Temperance down on the newly emptied couch. I crouch beside her, scanning her pale face with worry filling my body.

"Shouldn't she go to the hospital?" Ace questions, placing his hand on my shoulder. I keep my lips sealed, my eyes not leaving Temp in fear that her chest will stop rising.

Chris opens the door when there is a Knock. The doctor stands at the door with all his medical supplies as he pants.

He signals us to move, and we do as we are told. "Everyone get out!" He yells. He checks her pulse, and then I see a little bit of panic in his eyes.

My heart aches intensely. Is she dying?

I try to swallow the lump in my throat as Arella grabs my arm, pulling me into the kitchen where everyone else is.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." My dad has already pounced on me. "I-" I can tell my voice is shaky. Arella, Ace, and my mom all look at me with cocked heads. Their face shows that they are confused.

I have never once shown any emotion aside from the occasion of angry outbursts. They have never heard my voice trembling. The panic in my eyes should be enough for them to understand.

The girl I love is dying on my couch and I'm stuck in the kitchen with my family who has no idea what's going on.

"He's calling in more doctors." Ethan has his ear pressed against the door listening in on them.

That is a bad sign, I think. I shake my head and look at my dad, whose face is full of irritation. Zander sits on the kitchen chair and puts his head down.

I wonder how Zander feels right now. He has only recently lost Emaline, I couldn't understand his pain until right now. Grief flows through my body even thinking about Temperance not making it. 

I can't lose her.

I don't understand why she would do this. She could've come to me. She could've run. Not this. This is what she turned to. She turned to suicide. She felt so alone. Like it was her only option. She wasn't alone. It wasn't her only option.

I blink away the tears welling up in my eyes and clear my throat. I open my mouth to talk, but I am already interrupted.

"Her name is Temperance Andrews." I look at Ethan as he stole the sentence right out of my mouth. He looks at me with understanding.

I nod at him permitting him to go on for me so I won't break down and cry in the middle of explaining.

"Temperance Andrews. She stayed here for a while a few months ago. She got really close with all of us and especially Emaline. She witnessed Emaline get shot-"

Then my dad interrupts.

"She didn't do anything to stop it?!" He growls.

"She didn't know." Zander keeps his eyes down on the table but continues to speak with a fierce tone.

"Anyways..." Ethan looks at my father for permission to go on. My father nods hesitantly.

"She went back with an abusive uncle. And then moved schools. Then on a field trip, we saved her from death. We didn't get to talk to her after that. But now she's here. Now.... now... She's dying on that couch in there." He finishes with a tremble in his voice.

"Oh my God! Poor girl!" I look at my mother as she walks over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder in comfort. My dad rolls his eyes at the story, at how pathetic the big and bad gang looks and how I look over one simple girl. She isn't simple at all, though. She is a star that shines brighter than the sun.

**************************************************************

Most of us are still in the living room, desperately waiting for news about her: Ethan, Damien, Zander, Connor, and myself.

It's been hours since I've brought her here, hours of deafening silence.

Occasionally Arella and her girlfriend would pop in here with Vanessa to ask for any news. But other than that, they are out doing something else around the house like the rest of my blood family.

Then there's Chris. He went back out to the house to check some stuff out. And when he came back, he had his sister with him. He passes me a note with tears welling up in his eyes.

It reads:

To Alec

By the time you're reading this, I will be gone. Hopefully, if not, then stop reading.

Anyways, I didn't do this to hurt you. I didn't do this to hurt anyone. I did this to make me feel better. I was so tired, and I couldn't go on. It was so hard to wake up every morning. I couldn't live with the things happening. I couldn't live with the world around me. I couldn't live with myself.

People say suicide is selfish. Please don't think that it is. Because it really isn't. I've fought so much I've decided to give up. This isn't just for me. It's for everyone. It's better this way.

Please don't mourn me. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. Don't cry over me. Don't go into a depressive state, either. Just be happy. I'll always be in your heart. That's understandable. But I can't be the only thing you think about.

It was written neatly. Then I got down to the bottom. The bottom... her handwriting wasn't the same. It was still her writing, of course. It was just shakier.

Plus. You can get someone you really like. Get yourself a girlfriend like Lidia.

Oh right. You were already hooking up while I spent my days thinking of you and missing you—my silly mistake.

I hope you have a nice life with a whore!

Signed Temperance Andrews

My mouth drops open, reading the last part. Tears start streaming down my eyes, I crumble the note in my hand, a lump aching in my throat

Connor, Zander, Chris, and Kenli stood there in tears as they finished reading the notes. Zander puts his head back down on the table, and Kenli turns to Chris and buries her face in his chest.

"She found out about Lidia." I wipe my tears away.

She was going to kill herself either way. But with her knowing about me hooking up with Lidia... it probably made it so much worse.

If she survives.... she's going to hate me. She's not going to want to see me. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"How did she find out?" Ethan asks.

"I-I-" Then I stop myself as I recall something from earlier.

Lidia gave me my phone before I left.

"Lidia told her. GO GET LIDIA RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" I bark and yell at the last part. Kenli flinches, and Ethan jogs out of the room to find Lidia.

He knows where to find her. Working her pole at the strip club.

"What are you going to do?" Damien asks me. I am infuriated. I look at him with a glare signaling him to back the fuck off.

I turn around and slam my fist into the wall.

Lidia.... you have just entered hell.