Count Your Blessings

When we got to Veronica's, I could see that there was only one light on. This was mad. My mum was crazy; I was outrageous and here she was picking up the pieces for me once again.

"I'm going in alone." I said as I looked up at the apartment. I was dreading what I might find when I went in the door and entered the apartment.

"I think not! You've done enough damage on your own, Oliver. When are you ever going to learn?" That last art made my heart pang. When I was I going to learn? Mum and I got out of the car and walked into the otherwise pitch black apartment building. I shamefully knocked on her front door, and it opened, as if it hadn't been shut all the way to begin with.

I squinted in the bright light of the kitchen. This was the only light on. I heard light sobbing and m heart panged again.

"Oh dear." I heard mum breathe behind me. I looked around to see what she was talking about and almost started screaming from all the pain in my chest. I walked over, around the table to the girl I hd obviously hurt so badly. She looked up at me, like she just noticed someone had come into the house. Her eyes looked hopeful, at first. Makeup was streaked all down her face. I saw the realization of who she was looking at and her expression morphed into hate. Extreme hate.

Mum closed the front door, and Vee cried harder. "Get the fuck out!" She screamed. "Get out! I hate you!"

I tried to speak, I tried to say anything. I just couldn't. It was like I suddenly forgot how.

"Veronica, dear." Mum was standing behind me. Veronica turned her head so she was looking in front of her, like she was ignoring my mum. She put a large class bottle to her mouth. She had to be piss drunk by now.

"Carol, you're right nice but I don't want to talk to your boy." Veronica said setting the bottle down next to her.

"I think you're way passed your cut off point, dear." Mum pushed passed me and picked the bottle up off the ground, and setting it on the counter. Veronica brought her knees to her face, rested her head on them, and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"Aye, lets get you to bed, Vee." I finally said, stepping forward. I tuched my hand to her shoulder. She only shrugged it away and started to quietly sob again. I pulled my hand away, and looked at my mum. She was glaring daggers at me. I didn't know what to do.

"Veronica, why don't you let Oliver take you to bed, and we can all sit and talk about this in the morning." Mum said softly. Vee didn't move. She didn't respond. She didn't move. Mum motioned for me to help her up, so I stepped closer. I leaned down to pick her up, but stopped when she spoke.

"She's never coming back. Never coming home." Vee whispered. She looked at me and started to lean forward, like she was going to fall. She put her arms out to catch herself, so I stepped back a little. I was glad I did. The amount of alcohol she had consumed wasn't agreeing with her.

"Oh my." Mum said running into the other room, swithching on lights as she went. I ran around the table and stood behind Veronica, making sure all her hair was out of the way, and rubbing her back. Mym came back with an armful of towels. "As soon as she stops take her to the bathroom." Mum instructed as she started to sop up some of the contents.

I took one of the towels and wiped her face. "Come on love. Let's get you to the bathroom." I picked Vee up and carried her away. It was almost an hour later when she had calmed down enough to change into sweatpants, and a t-shirt and could try to stand on her own. I watched, sitting against the ancient looking claw-foot tun, as Veronica braced herself against the sink and brushed her teeth for five minutes. When she finished, she just stood there.

"I-I'm sorry." I said quietly. I waited for her to respond, and when she didn't I continued. "I tried to get out of it. I really did. But they told me I couldn't because they had already put money into the bet with a few other people. Once I started to get to know you, I didn't want to be around you to prove them all wrong. I did it because I do like you." I paused again, waiting for a responce.

"How can I believe you?" She asked.

"Because I wouldn' be here if I was lying." I was still looking up at her, and she still had her back turned to me.

"And you just brought your mum for shits and giggles, yeah?" That one hurt.

"My mum wanted to come in. I told her to wait in the car." I said, biting my lower lip.

"Aye, that might be true, but I wouldn't know." Veronica said, slowly turning around.

"Just gimme a chance Vee-" She cut me off there.

"I did, and look where that got me. In a worse situation before." She sighed heavily. "I'm graduating early. At the end of the semester. I don't have a choice whether I see you at school or not but I never want to see your face again after the semester is over. Don't even try to talk to me at school and you can tell all your mates and their birds to fuck off, too. I don't want to be near any of your bullshit." Vee was pissed. Not just drunk pissed but angry as well.

"Those girls didn't have anything to do with it." I said, slowly standing up.

"I don't care. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Sykes. I don't want friends. And this is the exact reason why." She said poking my chest before staggering away, out of the bathroom. I listened to hear whether she was going into her room or going to talk to my mom.

"Aye, Carol don't worry about that mess. I'll take care of it in the morning. You've been very nice and all, but I don't think I'll be seeing you again. Thanks for your help." Vee had ended up going into the kitchen where my mum was probably overdoing the disinfecting, and making more tea, and something for Vee to eat.

"Not a problem dear. I apologize for Oliver. If you need anything give me a ring." Mum said. That was our queue to leave. I turned the bathroom light out and walked to the kitchen. Veronica was standing against the wall opposite from my mum, arms crossed. Mum stood smling sadly.

"I'll keep in mind, thanks." Veronica was sounding more and more bitter with every second we stayed.

"Bye Vee." I said quietly before walking out of the apartment. She completely ignored my existance.

"Bye-bye dear." I heard mum say following close behind me.

As I got into the passengers seat of my car, I started to cry again. After this semester I had the feeling I would never see Vee again. I had a feeling that she got news of her sister and her mum. And this whole bet had destroyed everything; It destoryed Vee completely, and my life as well. I lost someone I never thought I would care for. Somene I never wanted to hurt after I found out who she really was.

Veronica's Point Of View
Even though I had made it clear that I wasn't ging to see either one of them ever again, I had a feeling that they would both be back in the morning. I knew that Carol didn't want me to just disappear. We were quite fond of eachother. But she was involved with Oliver, and I couldn't deal with that. I was barely going to get through having to see him at school, let alone hear Carol talk about him.

I went to my room after turning out all the lights, and laid in bed. I felt like I was sinking deeper and deeper. By now, if I hadn't heard anything Ember wasn't coming home. I had just gotten tricked, decieved, and lied to. I was sinking; fifteen fathoms, counting and i was still sinking.