The Consequence

Justin Godsey had never moved so fast in his life.

Throwing on his clothes, he dashed out of Zara’s apartment, leaving her sleeping soundly. He must have pushed the speed limit several times on his way to the hospital. His car was carelessly parked close to the entrance of A&E. Getting a parking ticket or having his car clamped were the least of his worries.

Reception wasn’t fit to burst. It wasn’t dead either. Lianna was standing at the front desk, talking to the receptionist. Taylor was beside her, his arm around her shoulders. Justin walked over.

“Hey,” he nodded at them both, only Taylor acknowledged his presence with a small nod.

“I’ve called your parents and they’re not answering,” the receptionist looked up at Lianna sympathetically. “I could leave them a message, or do you want to try them yourself?”

Lianna sighed and raked her fingers through her hair. “No, it’s fine. I’ll try them in a bit.” She turned and faced Justin, “oh. You decided to show up, that’s very good of you.” She wriggled out of Taylor’s grasp and walked away.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He demanded, following her. Taylor tried to grab his arm, but missed. “Lianna?”

She pushed open a door and lead the two boys into a room. Squishy chairs lined the walls, and a coffee table sat between them, a spread of magazines splayed across the surface. There was a window looking out onto the hospital corridor, the blinds half closed. A blonde girl was seated on one of the chairs, nursing a coffee cup.

“I’ll tell you what the hell it means, Godsey, you’re a dick. Don’t try and deny the fact that there’s something going on between you and Zara Cohen. Evie knows.” Poison laced every word that fell from her lips. She turned to face him, her hands balled into fists.

“Lianna, c’mon, calm down. Don’t do this here.” Taylor was by her side in a flash.

“So, where were you when you put the phone down on her?” Lianna demanded.

Justin glanced at the stranger, observing the exchange. She looked away from him awkwardly. “I was-”

“With Zara?”

He looked down at his feet.

“Thought so.”

“So why the hell was Evie walking the streets in the early hours?”

“You tell me, Justin.”

He glanced again at the strange girl, trying her hardest not to watch the exchange between Justin and Lianna. She glanced down at the spread of magazines, her eyes scanning the glossy front covers, taking a sip of her coffee.

“I-,” he faltered, fixing his gaze on the girl. “I’m sorry, but could you give us some -” he motioned at the space between himself and Lianna.

“Oh,” she looked up, bringing herself to her feet. “I’m sorry.” She looked at Lianna, “I think I ought to be getting home. Let me know if she’s okay.” Lianna shot her a small smile and thanked her, before she swept out of the room, leaving a scent of sweet perfume in her wake.

“She’s the girl who found Evie. She called you, then me and got her here. If it hadn’t been for her, Evie would have died on the pavement,” Lianna’s gaze locked on Justin’s face. “How could you cheat on her? She adores you.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t plan for this to happen, it just did. Me and Zara, we have history.”

“Love’s a complicated thing, Justin. I think you should figure out what you want before you see Evie again.”

He nodded, turning to leave. He had no intentions of leaving the hospital, just the same room as Lianna. Her older sister instincts were kicking in and it probably wouldn’t be long until she was getting ready to claw his eyes out. He walked through reception and headed outside. The girl from the room was sitting on a bench, her long hair shivering in the gentle breeze. She was still clasping that coffee cup. He walked over and sat down beside her, a small distance between them.

“I take it you’re the douche bag boyfriend,” she spoke confidently, taking another small sip from her cup. “I’m Ashley. We spoke on the phone.” She held out her hand.

Justin took it and shook it gently. “Justin. And I guess you could say I’m the douche bag boyfriend.”

“I’m sorry about this happening. I feel like I could have stopped it.”

“I doubt that.”

“I saw it happen. She was across the road, and I saw these two guys approach her, and you know teenagers, they were spewing out pathetic things, and asked her to empty her bag. She just froze and then they pulled the knife on her. She tried to run away, but one of them stabbed her. They never saw me, just grabbed her stuff and ran. It’s frightening what people will do. Apparently she only had twenty dollars, an iPod and a few bits of make up in her bag. Y’know it’s nothing special. It makes you wonder the lengths these sickos will go just for a bit of money and something they could try and sell.”

Justin nodded. “You couldn’t have stopped it without putting yourself in danger.”

Ashley shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. I just hope Evie’s okay. There was so much blood.”

Justin turned to her, “thank you.”

“What for?”

“For not leaving her. Evie’s not the greatest when it comes to pain, the dark, being left alone, and I’m glad she had somebody there with her, y’know it gives me the tiniest bit of comfort, just knowing she wasn’t by herself and didn’t have to deal with it. And, for calling me first.”

“You were the last dialled call. A few minutes before. I figured you were important.”

“I was important. I don’t think I am now.”

“And that’s your own stupid fault.”

“I know, I’m a dick. A selfish fucking dick who thought he could have the best of both worlds.”

Ashley nodded, rising to her feet. She threw her empty cup in a nearby bin and pushed her hands into her pockets. “I hope this other girl’s worth it.” She shot him a sympathetic smile, before disappearing out of the front gates and into the street.

Justin nodded to himself and sat back on the bench, blowing all the air from his lungs. Maybe he could break things off with Zara before too many people found out. Maybe Evie would forgive him and things could go back to normal.

If she pulled through.

His blood ran cold at the thought, just as his phone bleeped in his pocket. Stephen.

I HOPE YOU AND ZARA ARE HAPPY TOGETHER.

Justin’s throat tightened. So maybe everyone was going to find out much sooner than he thought.