Walking down the bustling school hallway just before first period, Liam Parker was frantically searching for his best friend Jodie. They always met just before 1st so they could walk to history together. Liam finally found
her lounging against her locker waiting for him. They shared a quick greeting and hurried off to class before they were late. Class seemed to slug on all day, lunch was a drag and Jodie was missing again. At last, school
was finished and Liam gave Jodie a ride back home after meeting her at his locker..
"Pick you up round 6 tonight?" Liam inquired.
"Sounds good. Just give me a call before." She answered. They were planning to go see the new thriller that night at the theatre that night, it was their traditional once a month movie trip. Liam was driving back home
when he realised that his English homework was back at school. He pulled a quick turn about and drove back to school before his mom got worried.
Liam raced down the hall and grabbed it from his locker. But just when he turned around from his car, he saw them. The Anti's. The local gang whose main focus was to antagonize people. But mostly Liam. As soon as
they saw that he had noticed him, they ran right up and tried to get him. It was rather unfair, the 4 of them against just Liam, but that's the way high school is. Unfair.
Liam ducked as James the Leader of them took a swing at his face. Liam sent a quick jab to his ribs and James doubled over in pain. Two others closed around him and Liam received a few punches to his stomach and
chest until they backed off.
"We'll spare the rest of you this time Liam. But show up here after hours again and we'll get you." James growled.
As an answer, Liam jumped into his car, gave James and the Anti's the finger along with some foul language and drove away as their faces darkened.
Liam didn't really care much about the beating he took. It wasn't that he was unpopular, just that he and James never got along. Liam made it home in time and greeted his mother with a kiss on the cheek and ruffled
his little sister's hair. They sat down and had some pasta and salad for dinner. Liam helped clear the table then told his mom that he was hanging out with Jodie soon. She agreed as Liam went to get changed.
A bit before 6, Liam gave Jodie a call and said he'd be over soon. The evening was nice, so he decided to walk over since the movies and Jodie's house was relatively close.
Strolling through the street, Liam was about a block away from Jodie's when footsteps thundered from behind. Liam twisted just in time as a huge fist swiped the hair not an inch from his nose, and in the streetlights
he caught a glimpse of silver. He felt a boot kick his ribs and felt something in him shatter. He doubled over, gasping for air but he couldn't function quite right.
He managed to stand up and when he did, he looked into the steely eyes of James and his group behind him. Then faster than anything, he felt something cold, hard, and sharp rip across his middle. He could feel the
warm, sticky blood come from the wound and seep across his clothing.
As a car came down the street, James and his group just seem to melt back into the shadows as quickly as they had come, but not before whispering in his ear: "that's for you, Parker."
Staggering back to his feet, Liam jostled down the sidewalk trying to hold himself together until he reached Jodie's house.
After exerting what seemed like an inhuman amount of strength, he reached her front porch and slammed into the screen door until he burst through, sprawling on the floor groaning.
"What th-" Jodie cried as she came from upstairs, but she cut off mid sentence as she let out a blood-curdling shriek.
She ran up to Liam, a mix of surprise, horror, and fear all over her tear-stained freckled face.
"Liam! What the heck happened?" "Liam! Liam can you hear me?" She was getting frantic now. Kneeling on the floor with one hand knotted into his tangled sandy hair, the other pressed against the wound which had
a steady flow of blood coming out.
Jodie was at home. All alone now after her parents went out for a work function.
"Liam," she whispered close to his ear. "I'm calling 911 now. I'm scared. You have to get up. Liam please." Finally a weak noise came from his lips that sounded like "gohe" .
Taking in one last look, she raced to the phone and dialed the number. Jodie explained as best she could to the dispatcher about the situation, and they said that an ambulance and police car to her house.
Back on the ground Liam was thrashing with pain. His limbs were heavy. His eyes slid in and out of focus. But worst of all was the blood. It was everywhere. Seeped all over his clothes, covering his left arm, and in his
hair after Jodie put her hand there.
She was with him now again. Liam could sense her there. Jodie truly was a good friend. Liam was too weak to hold the slash across his middle now, but Jodie was doing it for him despite all the hot blood. Liam gazed
up and realized she was crying. "Well of course she is." A voice said. "You're bleeding everywhere and you're her best friend."
Then with a crash followed by footsteps, the Emergency Medics ran into the front room where he lay and gaped. "I really must look bad.." Liam thought. They wrapped the wound in something
white and carefully placed him onto a gurney. He felt pressure on his stomach, but Liam couldn't care less. He gazed to his right and gave Jodie a weak smile.
"what messes I get into eh?" He said thickly. In return Jodie gave a weak, teary smile.
The Emergency Medic leaned over him and said something about telling his mother, and that she was going to the hospital as the ambulance took a sharp right.
Suddenly, there was bright, blinding lights. Liam squinted shut. He could feel people milling around him. Cries of shock could be heard.
Liam was rushed to x-ray to check his organs. At least, that's what they told him. The x-rays were gruelling, then he was wheeled out into a bright area packed with nurses, and a doctor or two. They shoved something
sharp into his abdomen, and Liam went numb. His eyes sought Jodie's and he found her, just to the right. Crying. Liam was shocked because even he wasn't tearing up. He looked down and saw that they were
stitching up about half the wound. He couldn't make sense of much that was happening, but he knew it must be bad. An I-V was put in his arm, and numerous monitors around him providing a steady pulse of beeps.
Then he blacked out Jodie's green eyes burned into his lids.
Jodie shrieked not for the first time that night as Liam's head whammed into the pillow. "Relax and breath." Someone said . They told her he had passed out from exhaustion. His condition appeared stable, and the
doctor ushered her out along with a few nurses. She sat in a hard, plastic chair and looked. It was then when she saw Liam's mom. Jodie didn't want to talk. Not yet.
They gave her food. Terrible, thin, runny soup and a few stale crackers. It was 10 o'clock. Then a startling, repetitive series of many beeping machines came from Liam's room.
"CODE BLUE!" she heard over the grainy loudspeaker and from a doctor yelling down the hall. A sickening feeling of dread swept over her and her knees gave out from under her. She knew.
The cart came. Deathly looking with its paddles and electric whirring. They cranked it for a charge, rubbed gel on and shocked him. Liam's chest jerked up and slammed down. Palms sweaty, Jodie watched. 3 more times
they tried. Then there came the long drawn out beep. They all knew what it meant. Tears streaked her face and she gave a wordless cry.
Doctors, nurses, people backed away. Sad looks everywhere. She found Liam's mom and gripped her tightly. They both walked over as a doctor apologised for the loss. Tears everywhere. They each gripped one of his
hands and closed his eyes. Jodie promised to herself she would never forget his mixed laughing blue green eyes.
Crying again as she hugged Mrs. Parker , Jodie managed to say through the tears.
"And I never got to tell him..."