Phil's POV:
6th February 2013 10:30 am
The small box of Dark Liquor chocolates continued to knock more and more pronouncedly against my leg as I walked, the thin Tesco's carrier bag Dan had given me little to no protection from the irritatingly sharp corners of the little container. If only Dan hadn't had to go to that Radio 1 thing, then he could have gone on this little errand himself.
After all, Elle was his girlfriend. The thought of her instantly put a grimace on my face.
As much as I was happy for his very-much long-term relationship, I had to admit to my slight dislike of Elle… She was so different to me and Dan, although he seemed to adore her with every inch of his heart. When I'd asked them if they wanted to play Mario Kart on the first date – several years ago now – she'd looked at me as if I'd just been released from a mental asylum. Dan hadn't noticed of course, he'd just allowed her to drag him off to his room. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what had happened behind Dan's bedroom door that night.
That's all they ever seemed to do… Make out. Although it usually went a bit further than that at the best of times and I was always abandoned to play Mario Kart or Final Fantasy on my own in the lounge until they emerged the next morning, all dignity lost. I had become the Gooseberry and I hated it – and of course I blamed Elle; which was why I was reluctant to go giving boxes of chocolate to her on Dan's behalf.
I arrived at the entrance to her large white house that she shared with her extremely wealthy parents and immediately felt slightly daunted by the impressive black iron gates. Frowning, I tried to navigate my way to the catch and was about to push the oriental sheets of metal aside, when I saw something that made me stop in my tracks.
Elle was there, standing in the outside porch, enjoying the embrace of someone that definitely wasn't Dan. The embrace also definitely couldn't be classified as in the friend-zone. I could see the tall, muscular guy touching her in ways that I thought were reserved for Dan alone, and as I watched their lips meet in a very definite kiss. I'd never liked Elle, but I'd never have thought her to be a cheater… How could she finger that bloke like that knowing that only hours later she would undoubtedly be in bed with Dan – the thought made my head hurt.
'Bitch,' I muttered under my breath. Usually I would never swear, but Elle had stepped over the line. She'd betrayed Dan and that was not going to go unnoticed.
I knew what I had to do. Dan had to know about this – I couldn't watch this girl break Dan's heart without doing anything.
Hastily, I grabbed my IPhone out my pocket and took several photos, feeling weirdly guilty about what I was doing. But it was the good thing to do, right? If I didn't get evidence, Dan was unlikely to believe me – I'd tried to keep my dislike of his girlfriend a secret, but I was useless at keeping any emotions to myself. He would just think I was trying to get rid of her. If I was going to do this, I had to do it properly.
Deciding it was probably not an appropriate time to go and give Elle a box of expensive chocolates, I walked away from the house, trying not to sprint. Confusion and hurt raced through my brain - How dare that bitch hurt my best friend like that?
What bewildered me the most was that Elle actually had the nerve to go cheating so openly on Dan – he was practically an internet and radio celebrity. But then again, Dan was not exactly unattractive and millions of girls drooled over him day after day – Elle had started off like them, she'd been a very fortunate fan that had manipulated her way into Dan's head.
My original suspicions had been correct – Elle had only been in that relationship for one thing… It internally hurt me to think of Dan falling gullible and innocent into her trap, or more accurately, bed.
'Oh, hey Phil!' I jumped and spun around, shoving my IPhone in my pocket.
Elle was standing there on the pavement, the huge, well-built guy she'd been making out with obviously long gone. Her eyes were hiding that hurtful, sly, mockery that always felt its way into her expression when I was around. She had never liked me – she thought I was weird, I knew that much…
'Um, hi Elle.' I said, speaking in the flattest tone I could manage. The anger at the girl in front of me was desperately trying to break through my placid, slightly dead expression that I'd glued onto my face. I followed her gaze as she looked me up and down, her eyes demeaning as she noticed my odd socks.
Of course she wouldn't understand. She'd only ever been a fan of Dan's YouTube channel anyway. I grimaced, trying not to glare at her – it took all my strength not to grab her by the shoulders and demand the truth.
'Dan said he'd sent you over with a little gift more me?' she demanded smugly, her small delicate nose angled slightly upwards. I gritted my teeth. As well as being a lying, cheating two-timer she was also damn rude.
Silently, I willed myself to move and handed her the box of chocolates out of the carrier bag.
'Aw, cute.' She cooed, as if talking about a pet dog or kitten. 'Tell Dan I love him,' There it was; why hadn't I noticed it before? Her eyes were so layered with lies, no sincerity in sight as she spoke, her voice plastic and automated with fake delight.
I hated her.
But as she waved goodbye and stepped out into the road, my heart stopped. She hadn't seen it – the car was speeding towards her, the driver on his mobile phone, clearly not paying any attention to the traffic. I had to do something – I forgot all my bitterness towards her, I had to do something.
'Elle, LOOK OUT!' I yelled. But to no avail – it was jarringly inevitable. Everything blurred into slow-motion as the car slammed into her body and she was thrown like a paper doll under the wheels of the car. In those short, destructive seconds, everything was over.
Dan's POV:
6th February 2013 9pm
'Elle…' I whispered. My lips felt dry and my mouth as if it were full of sand – shock had clenched every muscle in my body together like a metal vice. The distant beeps from the heart monitor were slowing and depleting, leaving raw seconds of silence that felt like hours - hours of stinging, throbbing pain.
Elle's long, slim form lay slumped on the hospital bed, soft locks of reddish-brown hair clinging to the cold sweat that cloaked her forehead like a surreal mask in the unnatural lights that cut through the claggy air. The bruises from the accident still painted her cold white flesh in the memories of the accident that threw my world into chaos – if I'd gone to see her instead of going to that stupid Radio 1 meeting, her eyes would be open and neither of us would have had to go through the agony. Not that I cared about myself – I deserved this pain – but Elle… Sweet, beautiful Elle, how could this happen to her? She was so undeserving, innocent. It was my fault. I was the reason that the heart of my beautiful, perfect girlfriend was failing and falling away.
Another slow beep from the heart-monitor slammed me away from the cavern of thoughts. The line on the little screen was flat and the room was silent – a dead, yet thunderously loud stillness that bit into my sanity.
This can't be happening; this can't be happening, this can't be happening –
I could sense the nurses hurrying behind me, almost as if they were late for a booked appointment – a last minute rush before the end. Barely noticing as the tears began to streak my cheeks with cold salty water, I grabbed Elle's limp, lifeless shoulders and pulled her body against mine, feeling my heart pound against where hers should have been beating in unison. All I felt was emptiness - a knife digging away everything inside me with a raw determination that stung like salt on a wound.
In the distance my ears located strange, bloodcurdling cries, the sound chilling my shaking body before I realised… it was me…Crying. I buried my face in Elle's soft paprika and cinnamon hair, feeling the world around me collapsing into bitter, cold ruins.
There were no more beeps from the heart monitor.
NO, SHE ISN'T DEAD, she mustn't be dead!
Desperately, I willed Elle's arms to suddenly spring into life and pull me into an embrace – I wanted to be secure and safe in her arms again, I wanted the warmth of her lips to press against mine. It felt so wrong just holding her like this – a limp, motionless ragdoll.
But she wasn't dead – there had to be something to be done – she could still be saved, surely?!
I fought the panic in my head, trying to think properly. Forcing through the pain in my head, I lowered Elle's weak, lifeless body to the clinical white sheets on the sweat-soaked bed and before I knew what I was doing, I'd seized the nearest nurse's shoulders and was shaking her violently.
'Make her better, bring her back, bring her back to life!' I yelled, my voice cracking, tearing raggedly through the thick air.
'Sir, please calm yourself-' she began, trying to fight me off, but I couldn't stop, I had to bring Elle back, this couldn't be the end-
'Bring her back! I don't care; just bring her back to me…' I broke down into ragged, torn sobs that cut through my throat like small cheese-wires. I fell heavily to my knees, crying uncontrollably into my palms, rocking back and forth in my own black void of agony.
Then everything blacked out to inky unconsciousness.