1. Everything changes

It's funny how an impact can chance your life. One second that chances it all. I thought I knew where I was in life and whom I was sharing it with. But one small impact changed that. I wasn't the same person anymore. I wasn't with the same people any longer. But in an instant that changed. My whole world changed. I didn't have any safety left in my life. Only confusion. I needed to go on with life, but the only way to do that was to find myself again.

I smiled at him and walked closer. I was happy. I thought to myself. Happy and in love and no one could chance that.

"What made you smile like that?" Austin asked me.

"You." I said wrapping my arms around him "Us. Just being with you."

I pushed him down on the bed and sat on top of him.

"I think I like where this is going." he told me with a grin on his face.

"Oh trust me you are." I told him and began to kiss his neck.

He pulled off my t-shirt and turned me around so that he was lying on top of me. I gave him another smile. I liked this. I liked being completely and madly in love with him.

He leaned in for a kiss and I responded it, kissing him tenderly.

He got up and took off his shirt, leaning back to kiss my lips. "Have I told you recently how good you look with out a shirt?" I asked him with a smile.

"Not today." he replied and responded the smile.

My phone started ringing.

"Don't pick up.," he told me.

"I won't." I said leaning in to kiss him again.

But apparently the phone wouldn't stop ringing so I pushed him away and got up to take it.

"Don't!" he said again.

"Shhh." I said before answering. "Hey Starla."

"Hi Vanessa, I'm not sure if I should have called."

"It's okay. What's wrong?"

"Zac's in the hospital."

"But he's okay right?"

"We don't know sweetie. There was an accident and he's in surgery now."

Tears formed in my eyes. And I felt like my world was crumbling down in front of me. Not Zac.

"Okay give me the address and I'll be there as soon as possible."

Starla gave me the address of the hospital before hanging up.

I found my t-shirt and put it back on.

"You're leaving?" Austin asked, confused about the whole thing..

"Yes I'm sorry there is somewhere I need to be." I said and wiped away my tears.

"And where would that be?" he was getting annoyed I thought to myself, I could hear it in his voice.

"In the hospital. Zac has been in an accident."

"Zac as in Zac Efron. As in your ex-boyfriend!" he was mad and I just nodded in yes.

"Oh so you're leaving me to go to your ex-boyfriend?"

I nodded and walked over to him wanting to kiss him on the mouth, but he turned his right cheek towards me.

"Austin don't do this. He needs me!"

"Is that his words or yours?"

"Please don't do this." I said begging.

"His mom was upset. She thought I needed to know. I promised I'd come."

"Of course you did Vanessa."

"What am I supposed to do? Just stay here doing nothing?"

"Let me think about that… Well yes. He is your ex-boyfriend. I hate to break it to you, but you two aren't together anymore. Oh and by the way I thought that we were!"

"We are. I'll come back here afterwards. I just need to make sure he's okay." I told him in a whisper.

"You still care for him, don't you'?" he asked with an angry voice.

"What?"

"You still care for him that's why you're crying."

I shook my head and wiped away my tears. I knew he was right I just didn't want him to know.

"Don't deny it!"

"I have to go!" I told him and opened the door.

"If you leave we're over!" he told me.

I looked back for one last time. "I'm sorry." I said between tears and walked out the door.

All the way to the hospital I was crying. But I wasn't sure if it had been because of Austin or the fact that I was afraid I was going to lose Zac.

"Is he out of surgery?" I asked Starla as I approached.

Starla shook her head and wrapped her arms around me. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called; this is not fair to you. You have your new life. I.."

"It's okay." I told her trying to let out a smile but failed. "I would have been upset if you hadn't."

"Mom they say he needs blood. But since he is AB negative they are out of it. They don't have any blood to give him."

"Where's David?" I asked them.

"In Canada, business trip. He said he'd be here soon. But then it might be too late. And none of us can help." Dylan said. "We don't match."

"I do." I told them. "I'll help him."

"No hun you don't have to, we can't ask you to do that." Starla said.

"You aren't. I'm offering."

Why did I even care anymore? I mean of course I didn't want him to die. But he was a closed chapter. I had moved on. Both of us had. Or actually I didn't know if he had or not. I hadn't talked to him in almost 2 years. But still I shouldn't be doing this. This wasn't right. But there was a part of me that wanted to. That needed to. It was like I owed it to myself to do this.

"Vanessa?" Dylan said waving a hand in front of me.

"I'm sorry what?" I was confused I had been stuck in my thoughts and hadn't heard their conversation.

"You ready to do this?" he asked me and I nodded my head.

It all went fine. Now all we had to do was wait. He had my blood now. So he should be fine. Or so I hoped. He was unconscious again. I walked in to his room and found Starla. "Is he okay?"

"They don't know. He's in a coma and they don't know if he'll wake up from it." Starla said crying.

"Hey it's gonna be okay." I told her wrapping my arms around her. "He's tough." I told her and tried to let out a smile. "He'll be fine."

"I hope so. You should go home Vanessa. You've done enough already. I can't thank you enough for what you did."

"No, no I'm okay and it was nothing really."

"It was too much. I would… If he wasn't… He…"

"It's okay Starla. It's okay. I understand. I'm gonna get some coffee you want some?"

She shook her head and I walked out the room. Tears began to fall from my eyes. This was too hard. I didn't want to lose him. But then again he wasn't mine to lose anymore. It had been too long. "Vanessa?" I heard a familiar voice. I knew exactly who it was.

I wiped away my tears. Hoping she hadn't noticed. I didn't want her to see me like this. "Hey Ash what's up?" I asked and faked a smile.

"What are you doing here?" she asked me as she walked closer.

"I was actually about to leave." I lied and tried to pass her, but she stopped me and took my hand. "V?"

"Ash."

"You can't lie to me. Too much history you know."

"I..I'm sorry."

"For what sweetie?" Now she was concerned for me, which wasn't the point she was here for Zac not me.

"Everything. Just go see him I'm sure his mom would like that."

"But right now I'm trying to help you. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well she called me. And I helped. I gave him the blood."

"What are you talking about?"

"He needed blood and they didn't have any and they gave him mine." I told her but my voice was cracking up I couldn't do this and so I burst in to tears.

"Hey hun it's okay." she told me and wrapped her arms around me.

I got away from her grip. "This has changed everything. I don't know who I am. My whole world has turned upside down. This isn't me. I haven't been this version of me for a long time. I don't want this Ash. I want everything to go back to what it was. I wish this night had never happened."

"But it has. You can't change that. By the way where's Austin?"

"He broke up with me." I almost screamed. It wasn't on purpose I just couldn't help it.

"Oh hun. I'm so so sorry!" she told me and wrapped her arms around me again.

"Don't. It's all my fault, I shouldn't have come here." I walked away from her and stormed out of the hospital.

I was crying more than I thought possible. And I wasn't sure what for. Was it because of Zac, because of Austin or because I wasn't sure what happened from here. How did I take the next step? How did I move on? Should I try to get Austin back telling him how sorry I was, or should I stick here waiting for Zac, hoping he would wake up? This was confusing. I had no idea what I wanted anymore.

I decided to go home hopefully I would know what to do tomorrow. I would wake up tomorrow and this would all just be a dream, yes just a dream. I liked that thought.

But when I woke up the next morning I realized it wasn't just a dream. It was reality, it was my own personal nightmare, and it had just gotten even worse than it was last night.