Misery's Company

I groaned and turned over.
I was lying face-down on my bed.
Was it all a dream?
I got up and white-hot pain shot across the back of my head.
"Ow!"
I reasoned with myself - I could have hit my head off the wall in my sleep.
And Lola was at home asleep.
Jeez, she was going to piss herself laughing when she heard this story!
Hmmm, I might pay her a little visit... I thought.
I stood up.
Again pain shot across my head.
"After I get something for this.." I mumbled.

***

Ten minutes later after I had swallowed two aspirin and had whirlwind motorbike ride I was in Lola's front lawn.
Her mother had the door open before I had even gotten off the bike.
"Hi Frankii!" She yelled at me.
I tugged off my helmet.
"How'd you know it was me Jan?"
"I'd know the sound of that bike of yours anywhere!"
I pouted.
"Do you want me to get Lolo for you?"
"I kind of wanted to surprise her, but by the sounds of it she'll already know I'm here!"
"You never know! Run upstairs to her there."
I was bounding up the stairs before she had even finished.
"See you later Jan!" I yelled over my shoulder.
I ran up the stairs, but stopped just short of Lolas bedroom door.
I composed my breathing and opened the door as silently as possible.
Her room was uncharacteristically dark.
I blinked twice and my eyes adjusted.
Lola was sitting on her bed with her back to me.
From the way she was breathing in short, sharp breaths I could tell she was crying.
"Lo?" I whispered.
She turned around quickly, her eyes were as big as saucers.
"GO AWAY FROM ME!" She screamed.
She had turned around fully now.
She was covered in blood, she had a knife in her hand.
But there wasn't a scratch on her.
"Lola." I said calmly.
I walked towards her, my arms outstretched.
"No." She replied, just as calm.
She stood up and pointed her knife at my advancing figure.
I kept walking.
I got close enough to her that the knife was beginning to dig into my stomach.
Our eyes were locked together.
I broke the connection by looking down at the knife point now piercing my flesh.
My white t-shirt was now a black-red color around the wound.
I took a sharp intake of breath.
Lola gasped and dropped the knife.
She then burst into tears.
"I'm sorry Iero. - " She sobbed " - I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry..."
I wrapped my arms around her.
"Shh, Its OK. Shh"
I sat down and sat her on my knee simultaneously.
I began to rock her gently.
Minutes passed.
"We have to tell the girls" I murmured in her ear as soon as her sobs had subdued to a sniff and a lone tear now and then.
She nodded and got up to switch her computer on.
I tried to get up.
But as I stood the pain in my lower abdomen grew from a small throbbing sensation to a white-hot stabbing sensation.
I gasped.
And collapsed back down onto the bed.
I coughed.
Oh shit
There was blood on the hand I had used to cover my mouth.
"Lola?" My voice cracked.
My eyelids flickered.
"Iero? IERO? FRANKII??"
She began to cry again.
"Don't...don't cry." I murmured.
I didn't feel any pain now.
Just an overwhelming sense of calm.
Lola was instantly at my side.
She put her arms around my and began to rock me, just as I had done for her minutes before.
"Lola?" I asked, my voice weak.
"Yes Frankii?"
There was a velvety darkness growing at the edges of my eyes, I struggled to get the words out.
"I love you Lola." I whispered.
And I let the dark consume me, but not before I heard the words I so desperately wanted to hear -
"I love you too Frankii."
I sighed, breathing out my last breath.