Just a quick Auslly one-shot. Warning: Contains graphic and potentially triggering themes. Reader's discretion is advised.
"Ally," I call after her, running from me.
"No, Austin," she yells in response. "I'm done! I quit!" She runs further in to the darkness and I stop in my tracks. How could she say she was done? I apologized!
I sit on the curb and hold my head in my hands. "Why am I so stupid?" I shout to the engulfing night. I run my hands through my hair.
No, I think to myself. I'm not letting this get away from me. I'm not screwing everything up again. I stand up and start running in the general area that I saw Ally run to.
I run for a good 5 minutes, but in the dark everything is camouflaged. I can't see a thing. I pull out my cell and try calling her.
It rings. And rings. And rings some more. After the 6th ring, the automated voice informs me she isn't available. I press end angrily.
"I'm sorry, Ally!" I call. I stand there, foolishly waiting for a response. "I'm sorry," I say, slightly quieter.
I didn't mean to hurt her feelings today. I didn't mean to call her fat. But every time I tried to apologize I'd say something else wrong. Words kept dripping from my mouth like venom.
"Are you sure you should eat that?" I had asked Ally this afternoon. "You've already gained a few pounds."
She gawked at me like I just killed her best friend who, coincidentally, had been giving me the same, revolting expression.
"What?" I'd asked. "I just mean that you wouldn't want to gain any more weight. Like, it's cute, the extra pounds. But don't go overboard."
"You're calling me fat." She phrased it like a statement rather than a question.
"No, I just don't want you to hate your body."
"Why would I hate my body with a couple extra pounds?"
"You wouldn't... Like, Ally I just mean I don't want you to start hating your body."
I tried to apologize after that.
Later I had commented on her weight again. And I just kept doing it. I didn't mean to.
Eventually she started crying and I told her to calm down. I don't know, maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. But I truly didn't mean to hurt her.
But the insults kept coming and I kept managing to sprout more feet and put them all in my mouth because I felt horrible.
She looked at me like I was the worst friend ever.
About 25 minutes ago, she (and I) had enough of my ignorant comments. "Fine, Austin," she had yelled. "I'll go starve myself for you! And I'll diet for you! I won't eat the foods I want for you!" And she walked away. Which led to this.
I tried calling her again. When she answered, all she said was, "goodbye, Austin," softly and hung up.
I may have been acting stupid all day but I was smart enough to know what that meant. I loaded my phone map to track my location and started running towards her house, not stopping for a single breathe. Time was of the essence.
I get to her door and start slamming. Her dad answers. "Austin?" he asks, confused. "What are you-"
"No time," I yell, brushing past him. "Call the ambulance for Ally," I instruct and run upstairs.
I barge through her room to find her popping a bottle of pills at the very moment I entered.
I run towards her and steal the bottle away and start pushing on her throat to make her throw up. It looked like abuse and I felt horrible doing it, but she needed to get the pills out of her system. She starts to struggle and pull away and reach for the remaining pills on the ground when her dad runs in and sees me fighting to hold her back. Tears threaten to spill. He runs to me and takes her while I start picking up the pills.
Suddenly, the faint sounds of sirens are approaching.
"Am I skinny enough for you, now, Austin?" Ally shrieks. "AM I SKINNY ENOUGH!? HOW ABOUT THAT CHEESEBURGER I ATE!? You bothered to stick around... Why? To dictate my meal choices? No!"
As every word pierces my heart like a thousand daggers, I start to cry. The ambulance pulls up out front while medical staff run in for Ally and set up a stretcher. All the while she still insists on yelling at me. "I hate you! Okay, Austin? I HATE YOU!"
"I love you," I choke out.
Then she's out of the house, on her way to the hospital.
I love you.