Sequel: Seven Days ›
Just You
One
“Hey y’all this is Jensen. I can’t get to the phone right now, so leave your name and number after the beep.” I hung up the phone and slammed my head against the bedroom wall. Crystallized tears ran down my face as I bit my lip so hard I tasted the metallic rush of blood. I choked back a sob and pushed redial. Five rings later, his voicemail played again.
“Hey Jay, its Angel. Um, I’m not doing so well. Brent, he, um, cheated on me. Again.” My voice cracked. “I really need you Jay.” I paused for a moment. “Hope Danneel is doing okay.” I hung up the phone and grimaced. I missed Jensen so much; life sucked and he was the only one that could cheer me up. I curled into a little ball and laid my head against the wall, softer this time. I could still hear Brent’s words echoing through my head like a bad mantra.
“You peace of shit…This is why nobody loves you…Go to Hell, bitch.”
Tears fell at a faster rate as I contemplated my future. Mikayla wasn’t answering her phone, neither was Jay. They didn’t love me. They didn’t care.
Aw fuck it, I thought, standing stiffly. I clambered my way to the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. Grabbing the Advil, I stumbled into the kitchen where the liquor cabinet was. I reached through the wine, tequila, and other mean spirits, and finally found it: my half-empty bottle of Southern Comfort.
“It sure as Hell gonna be a comfort now.” I muttered, laughing bitterly at my own joke. The Advil looked so innocent in my hand, but I wasn’t deceived. Twelve of these suckers should do the trick.
After swallowing them four at a time, I gulped down the whiskey. It didn’t take too long for me to feel the effects. I slid to the floor of the kitchen and let the toxic combination to take my body. Dimly, I heard the front door open and close, and someone call my name. Hurried footsteps came closer and soon enough, Jensen’s face bent into my line of vision. I tried to move my hand to touch him, but the thought never progressed to movement.
“Oh Jesus. Anjilika, wake up. Angel?” He cupped my neck in his hands and I smiled softly.
“Everything will be okay, Jay.” I murmured. I had a fleeting glance of his worried face soften, then everything went black.
“Somebody call 911!”
Feet rushing around me, voices yelling, and machinery beeping mixed into one continuous sound. My eyelids propped open and a bright light blinded me.
“Pupils are dilated to eight millimeters. Don’t seem responsive.” The light subsided and a female nurse stared at me. “Ms. Greene? Can you hear me?” I tried to answer but as I opened my mouth, I couldn’t breathe. Vomit climbed up my esophagus and I started choking.
“She’s asphyxiating! Suction!” Hands turned my head and stuck a tube into my mouth, and I passed out.
Flashes of different scenes wielded themselves together like a poorly edited movie. My vision blurred each time, and I slipped back into the depth of blackness before I could make sense of what was happening. Finally, I opened my eyes and could make sense of my surroundings.
I was in a hospital bed with wires all over my chest, an IV in my arm, and a very uncomfortable feeling between my legs. I looked over to the nurse bustling around the room and opened my very dry mouth to speak.
“Hello.” I coughed and she looked up and smiled.
“Ms. Greene, so good to see you awake.”
“How long have I been out?” I tried to speak louder than a whisper, but my vocal cords didn’t seem to be working.
“About two days. It’s February 1st, 2010. Here, have a drink.” She moved to the bedpan and poured a glass of water from the jug setting on the table. She grabbed a bending straw and offered me the drink. Upon seeing me try to move to grab the cup, she tisked. “No honey, just drink.”
“I can do it.” I muttered, and with great effort, moved my hand to grab the drink. My limbs felt like they were filled with lead.
“She’s too damn stubborn to listen to anyone.” I heard Jensen’s voice coming from the opposite end of the room and looked that way. He stood against the door jam, arms folded against his chest, and a halfway amused look on his face. I took a drink of the cool water and cleared my voice.
“Glad to see you’re here.” He nodded once as the nurse spoke again.
“I’ll go get Dr. Langley.” Jensen ventured further into the room as she left.
“So…” His face hardened as he slammed his body into a seat.
“So? That’s all you have to say?” He growled.
“I take it you’re mad.” I said, looking away from him.
“No shit Sherlock.” He paused. “Hey, look at me.” I bit my lip and moved my eyes to meet his. Those green orbs held some sort of strange ferocity that I had never seen from him. “Don’t you ever do that to me again, okay?”
“Do what?”
“Don’t play dumb. Do that same shit from high school, that trying-to-kill-yourself-to-get-attention shit. I thought it was over.” I felt the beginnings of anger rise through my gut, scorching its way through.
“I wasn’t trying to get attention, okay? I wanted to die. I really wanted it to end.” My voice cracked but I wasn’t going to look away. I let him see everything I was feeling through my eyes; the hurt, the anger, the pain.
“No, I don’t accept that.” He said, looking away and shaking his head, over and over. It was like he was trying to shake off something horrible. Maybe it was the thought that he couldn’t save me from myself. I wasn’t sure.
“Accept it or don’t. It’s the truth.” I muttered, still watching him. I heard something from the doorway and looked up to see Danneel, Jenson’s fiancée. “Hey Danneel.”
“Hey Jel. How are you?” I attempted to shrug at her question.
“As good as I can be.”
“Stop with the stupid pleasantries, dammit!” We looked at him, surprised. “This is bullshit. You’re just the same as you’ve always been.”
“Excuse me?” The anger was back and burning through my words.
“You didn’t change. And you won’t unless you work at it.”
“I have been.” I bit off every word. “I’ve been working on my…tendencies. This wasn’t like high school. I’m not trying to get attention. I thought…” I trailed off.
“You thought what?”
“I thought you didn’t care. And I couldn’t take it.” There was a silence where we stared at each other for a minute.
“This is bullshit. I need out of here.” He mumbled and stood. He stormed out without another glance at me or his fiancée. I stared at the ceiling so the tears wouldn’t fall.
“You scared him, Jel.” I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Go to him, please.” She nodded and left. “Go to him because I can’t.” I whispered and let the tears fall.
“Hey Jay, its Angel. Um, I’m not doing so well. Brent, he, um, cheated on me. Again.” My voice cracked. “I really need you Jay.” I paused for a moment. “Hope Danneel is doing okay.” I hung up the phone and grimaced. I missed Jensen so much; life sucked and he was the only one that could cheer me up. I curled into a little ball and laid my head against the wall, softer this time. I could still hear Brent’s words echoing through my head like a bad mantra.
“You peace of shit…This is why nobody loves you…Go to Hell, bitch.”
Tears fell at a faster rate as I contemplated my future. Mikayla wasn’t answering her phone, neither was Jay. They didn’t love me. They didn’t care.
Aw fuck it, I thought, standing stiffly. I clambered my way to the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. Grabbing the Advil, I stumbled into the kitchen where the liquor cabinet was. I reached through the wine, tequila, and other mean spirits, and finally found it: my half-empty bottle of Southern Comfort.
“It sure as Hell gonna be a comfort now.” I muttered, laughing bitterly at my own joke. The Advil looked so innocent in my hand, but I wasn’t deceived. Twelve of these suckers should do the trick.
After swallowing them four at a time, I gulped down the whiskey. It didn’t take too long for me to feel the effects. I slid to the floor of the kitchen and let the toxic combination to take my body. Dimly, I heard the front door open and close, and someone call my name. Hurried footsteps came closer and soon enough, Jensen’s face bent into my line of vision. I tried to move my hand to touch him, but the thought never progressed to movement.
“Oh Jesus. Anjilika, wake up. Angel?” He cupped my neck in his hands and I smiled softly.
“Everything will be okay, Jay.” I murmured. I had a fleeting glance of his worried face soften, then everything went black.
“Somebody call 911!”
Feet rushing around me, voices yelling, and machinery beeping mixed into one continuous sound. My eyelids propped open and a bright light blinded me.
“Pupils are dilated to eight millimeters. Don’t seem responsive.” The light subsided and a female nurse stared at me. “Ms. Greene? Can you hear me?” I tried to answer but as I opened my mouth, I couldn’t breathe. Vomit climbed up my esophagus and I started choking.
“She’s asphyxiating! Suction!” Hands turned my head and stuck a tube into my mouth, and I passed out.
Flashes of different scenes wielded themselves together like a poorly edited movie. My vision blurred each time, and I slipped back into the depth of blackness before I could make sense of what was happening. Finally, I opened my eyes and could make sense of my surroundings.
I was in a hospital bed with wires all over my chest, an IV in my arm, and a very uncomfortable feeling between my legs. I looked over to the nurse bustling around the room and opened my very dry mouth to speak.
“Hello.” I coughed and she looked up and smiled.
“Ms. Greene, so good to see you awake.”
“How long have I been out?” I tried to speak louder than a whisper, but my vocal cords didn’t seem to be working.
“About two days. It’s February 1st, 2010. Here, have a drink.” She moved to the bedpan and poured a glass of water from the jug setting on the table. She grabbed a bending straw and offered me the drink. Upon seeing me try to move to grab the cup, she tisked. “No honey, just drink.”
“I can do it.” I muttered, and with great effort, moved my hand to grab the drink. My limbs felt like they were filled with lead.
“She’s too damn stubborn to listen to anyone.” I heard Jensen’s voice coming from the opposite end of the room and looked that way. He stood against the door jam, arms folded against his chest, and a halfway amused look on his face. I took a drink of the cool water and cleared my voice.
“Glad to see you’re here.” He nodded once as the nurse spoke again.
“I’ll go get Dr. Langley.” Jensen ventured further into the room as she left.
“So…” His face hardened as he slammed his body into a seat.
“So? That’s all you have to say?” He growled.
“I take it you’re mad.” I said, looking away from him.
“No shit Sherlock.” He paused. “Hey, look at me.” I bit my lip and moved my eyes to meet his. Those green orbs held some sort of strange ferocity that I had never seen from him. “Don’t you ever do that to me again, okay?”
“Do what?”
“Don’t play dumb. Do that same shit from high school, that trying-to-kill-yourself-to-get-attention shit. I thought it was over.” I felt the beginnings of anger rise through my gut, scorching its way through.
“I wasn’t trying to get attention, okay? I wanted to die. I really wanted it to end.” My voice cracked but I wasn’t going to look away. I let him see everything I was feeling through my eyes; the hurt, the anger, the pain.
“No, I don’t accept that.” He said, looking away and shaking his head, over and over. It was like he was trying to shake off something horrible. Maybe it was the thought that he couldn’t save me from myself. I wasn’t sure.
“Accept it or don’t. It’s the truth.” I muttered, still watching him. I heard something from the doorway and looked up to see Danneel, Jenson’s fiancée. “Hey Danneel.”
“Hey Jel. How are you?” I attempted to shrug at her question.
“As good as I can be.”
“Stop with the stupid pleasantries, dammit!” We looked at him, surprised. “This is bullshit. You’re just the same as you’ve always been.”
“Excuse me?” The anger was back and burning through my words.
“You didn’t change. And you won’t unless you work at it.”
“I have been.” I bit off every word. “I’ve been working on my…tendencies. This wasn’t like high school. I’m not trying to get attention. I thought…” I trailed off.
“You thought what?”
“I thought you didn’t care. And I couldn’t take it.” There was a silence where we stared at each other for a minute.
“This is bullshit. I need out of here.” He mumbled and stood. He stormed out without another glance at me or his fiancée. I stared at the ceiling so the tears wouldn’t fall.
“You scared him, Jel.” I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Go to him, please.” She nodded and left. “Go to him because I can’t.” I whispered and let the tears fall.