Secret Love Affair

"Where is she?" Arabella and Dougie ask at the same time.

"She just arrived in the ER. You guys beat the paramedics. Who drove?" Mina asks, still in her party clothes but with tired eyes replacing the dramatic effect of them. She hugged Tom, Danny, Harry and Dougie for the first time in a long time.

"Arabella." Harry mumbles, a bit green.

"Can we go in and see her? Is she okay?" Dougie asks. They were smack-dab in the middle of the busy hospital. It was long after midnight and still everything buzzed.

"Out of the way!" A cranky old lady in a wheelchair says and speeds through the group.

"That looks like fun..." Danny mumbled.

"Why would you care Dougie?" Mina looks at Dougie curiously. She still doesn't know the truth either. Everyone looks at Arabella.

"Mina...I have to tell you something."

An hour later, just after Arabella finishes the story with the help with Lena, a doctor comes out to them.

"Are you here for Miss Lara Keating?" He asks Mina. He looks like George Clooney.

"Yes." She replies, still shocked from the story.

"Just so you know- she has a minor cut on her forehead but other than that, she's okay. She's resting but you could still see her."

"Yes please!" Arabella pipes up.

"You know that is the last time I'm letting her go to a club alone!" Lena laughs. How she has the ability to laugh at a time like this, no one knows.

"Why?" Tom asks.

"Because remember Arabella that one time we left her alone for two minutes, she ended up in that mosh pit when a rock band came?"

"I think she wanted to be in that mosh pit." Arabella smiles.

"Shhh...be quiet." Danny says as everyone files into the medium-sized hospital room.
And there she was…Lara sleeping peacefully.

"Small cut?" Harry whispers, "Look at that monster!"

"It looks like Loch Ness." Tom whispers, looking at Lara's forehead.

"Shut up! Stop looking at her cut!" Arabella says. Everyone takes a seat or well...some stand since there were only four chairs.

Dougie looks at Lara. She looked peaceful but he could only imagine the pain she had.

"It's going to be awhile right?" Dougie asks the nurse who is checking up on Lara.

"Yes it is."

I wake up to distant voices, slowly getting clearer. But my eyes are still closed. And I want to keep it that way. I can tell its day time with the lights flooding through my eyelids and my urge for coffee. And where the hell am I? I remember walking...eh....sorta. And then nothing. I know I was at a club.

My body gets rigid. Oh no! What if I was kidnapped? Oh god...But wait...do kidnappers sound like Danny Jones giving Tom Fletcher a wedgy?

There were talking...about me.

"What time is it?" A girl asks. She sounds like Lena.

"Nine."

"Wow she sleeps long!" Harry says.

So?
Should I open my eyes? But I want to hear what they have to say about me! Oh don't give me that look! You would want to know if people talked about you too! But wait! What if they're just kidnappers that sound like my friends? Eh...lets see.

I snap open my eyes. Well...I try. I have that icky eye stuff gluing my lids together after sleeping so long.

"Lara!" I hear Arabella yelp. I see four white walls, an old TV in the corner and its smells like old people and disinfectant. An ASYLUM?! After all...I AM crazy. I blink twice and look around.

A hospital? hmmm...close enough to an asylum...

I see Arabella, Lena, Mina (Her hair is messed up into a birds nest since her hair was teased the night before), Danny, Tom, Harry...and Dougie in the room with me. But there's a problem. I'm in a bed and Dougie and Arabella aren't bickering.

I'm dreaming...no wait- Its a nightmare.

"I'm dreaming." I say and roll over to my side and cover my head with a blanket.

"Uh...Lara?" Arabella pokes me. I slowly take the blanket off and lift open one eye. She smiles.

AH! Its real

"Damn! I'm not dreaming." I mumble and look around. "Where am I?" I pretend that Dougie isn't five feet from me by looking past him.

"In the hospital." Tom says.

"Why?" I ask and scratch my forehead.

"No don't do that!"

"OW!" and bite my lip. There's something on my forehead that feels crusty and bruised. I bet I look ugly.

"I found you unconscious on the floor in that club." Mina said, "You must've hit your head on the corner of the table."

I lean back into my pillow, "Yeah I guess I did."

"But how could you though?" Lena asks.

I put on my guilty face, "Um..."

"You were drinking!" Harry laughs.

"I didn't mean to! Well I did because- well oh nevermind." I briefly look at Dougie in the corner. I don't plan on having anyone know that I drank because of Dougie. I wish he would just go away. He made me so self conscious and aware of my surroundings. Dougie tried to smile I guess as I looked at him. I wish someone would try to reassure me that things will be alright.

"Well you're okay. That's all that matters." Arabella hugs me. She's acting weird. Distant. I look at her.

"What?" She asks. Dougie looks at her.

"Nothing. Lets just go okay? I hate hospitals and please don't tell my mom. Has anyone seen my-"

"Lara we need to talk." Arabella says.

I stop looking for my phone, "Okay. Talk." I smile briefly. Dougie wouldn't stop looking at me and it was hard to not look at him. You have no idea how hard it is to ignore my feelings and keep moving. Its so hard to tell myself that everything will be alright when it's really not.

"Alone. Everyone out please." Arabella looks at them all. They all file out quickly except Dougie. It seems like he wants to say something but he closes his mouth instead and leaves. I watch him leave and once Arabella and I were along, she sits on my bed.

"Whats up?" I ask. Something was wrong. And I have a feeling that I'll be crying again. Just so you know- I'm sick of crying now! And I have a terrible headache.

"Um...listen Lara. You're my best friend and I care about you so much."

"You're my best friend too. You saved me from Dougie. Speaking of him- doesn't he ever go away?" I roll my eyes.

"No! Lara-" Arabella struggles with her words, "Lara it wasn't Dougie's fault. It was mine."

I frown, "What?"

"I was so mad at first...so angry. And when I found out that you loved Dougie-"

"I don't love him!" I panic.

"Shush. You do! I hear you cry at night! So instead of being angry at you and Dougie last August, I became jealous...because of what you two shared. And I never told you what Dougie really said." She whispers the last part quietly.

My gut trades places with my heart, "What did he say then?"

"Lara...Dougie cares about you so much. He would've ran after you then if he had the chance. Lara he loves you. He's in love with you, Lara."

I look at Arabella and shake my head. It felt like a cold blanket had swept over me, "No. No you're wrong. You said- this whole time you said he doesn't care." My breathing became shallow. Nurse!

"I lied!" Arabella begins to cry, "I'm so sorry!"

Then I start to cry, "Arabella stop crying! He kissed another girl! You saw him! I saw him! They were making out!" I am officially stuck in a nightmare.

Arabella shakes her head, "I told Megan to do it. She came on to him. Lara I'm so sorry."

Told?

Megan?

To do it?

To come on to him?

When I see Arabella breakdown, I know she's telling the truth. And I feel...like I fell a thousand feet.
And my little crumbly wall fell down...again.

I start to cry and my heart breaks all over again, "Why?" Someone please tell me the room isn't spinning.

"Jealousy, anger...and when things got better I was scared to tell you. I knew your heart would break again if I told you and I couldn't have that. Lara-" She puts a hand on my arm.I yank my arm away coldly. Tears silently fall. She's supposed to be my best friend! "If I could take it back I would! Lara please forgive me."

I look out the window. I hear sirens close by. I'm in complete shock at what I just heard.

He cares?

She...he...I...it..we..wow I feel light headed.

I watch her cry as I sit there in shock and anger. All my feelings come flooding back and I swear I have to throw up. What comes around goes around I guess. I don't know if I should forgive her. Maybe I shouldn't.
I'm so sad and upset that I can’t even be furious.

well...

And should I forgive her? No! Yes!

uh...

I'm not a shallow person. What would Lindsay Lohan do?

hmmm...drink? party?

But don't want to do that.

Oh but how could she?! But I love Arabella like a sister. I can't ditch her. She looks like me when I cry...but prettier.

"Arabella stop crying!" I say. She looks at me, "Because you're making me cry." I choke.
"I,"

"You're forgiven. You're my best friend. How could I not?"

Arabella smiles and hugs me, "So you're not mad?"

I shrug, "I am a little…but I think that you’re guilt is enough. I am a little disappointed...but I'll get over it eventually.”

"What about Dougie?"

I look to the floor, "I don't know. I'm just sc- I don't know."

"He really is in love with you." She whispers.

And my blood freezes cold. The way she said it just makes me want to cry and scream.

I shake my head like I'm ignoring her, "Can you take me home? Without the others knowing?"

"Sure I'll get the doctor."

I'm still a little upset...disappointed at her (...very actually). Still heartbroken.

And Dougie...

I shake my head. I don't even want to talk about him. I step in the hot shower. The shower is a very good place to think things out...unless I get soap in my eyes...which always happens.

She said he loved me. But if he did, he would have told me when he first saw me the other day in class. And the fact that I love him back makes me so...so..

BANG!

I just banged my head on the shower wall.

"Oi! What are you doing in there?" I hear Arabella.

"Sorry. nothing!" I croak. I banged my head so maybe my thoughts would clear. Whatever...It didn't work. ugh...I'm just mad at the world right now. I'm mad at Arabella for lying to me. I'm mad at Dougie for "loving" me when it seems like he doesn't. I'm mad at myself for truly loving him. It just feels like it all fell apart. Which it did. And I'm also mad at myself for crying so much. And it doesn't help that I now have a killer headache and soap in my eyes.

Talk about epic physical and emotional pain.