He ran through the freezing rain to be with her.
She couldn't be serious. Surely she was bluffing again, right?
Panting, he approached her. She clearly wanted to do it this time. The river may not have been frozen solid, but the icy layer on top wouldn't help her fall any. And the waters below it were no help either. She was wearing a thin cami and shorts. It was below freezing outside. He could see her shiver.
Words attempted to escape his throat as he tried to stop her. He ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her, securing her to him. Her skin was like ice against him. It took on a bluish purple tint and he felt her shaking terribly against him.
"Don't do it, Alana." he choked. He couldn't cry or the tears would freeze on his face.
"I have to. There's no way out." she rasped. Her voice had been lost while she cried, while she ran through the city streets, while she struggled to breathe.
"You're freezing up. Here, take my coat." He wrapped it around her and pulled her closer to him. Then he had to make sure she couldn't do it. He scooped her up without warning and ran to his home. No one resided there that night. Something about a vacation.
He drew hot water into the bathtub and all but threw her in. She attempted to get out, but he climbed in to keep her there. He held her close to him as he sat behind her, the hot water flooding around them. He shut it off and just held her.
"What happened, Alana?" he spoke against her neck and gently kissed it. She tensed up, hating the words coming out of her mouth. "He did it again. I wasn't doing anything wrong, I was just sitting there. And he came in and started yelling at me and then he forced me to lie on my back and he wouldn't let me up. He pinned my arms up and started tearing my shirt off and the neighbors came over when they heard me screaming. I just want it to stop!"
"It will, I promise. He's behind bars now, right?" She nodded against his chest. Her father had been sexually abusing her for a while. This was the first time they believed her. The water started getting cold, so he helped her out of the tub and wrapped a warm bathrobe around her and found some clothes for her to wear. She was still shivering. "Can I take a shower? I fell in the mud a few times..." Her voice was soft, but still a little raspy. "Yea, of course." He showed her where he set the clothes, and turned to walk out. "Wait!" He stopped. "What is it?" He looked at her curiously. "Can you...mm...Would you come in with me? I'm shaking a lot and it's difficult to stand..." She stared at the ground, blushing madly. He was shocked for a minute. "You sure?" He instantly hated himself after his voice cracked in the middle of the question. She nodded slowly, shaking slightly. "I don't want to fall and get hurt more than I am already..." He shrugged, now blushing. "I...I guess so. Are you alright?" He walked up to her and helped her with her cami that was sticking to her skin. She nodded and rested her forehead against his chest (AN: something I tend to do a lot. my guy friends help me as best they can). He stripped down to his boxers and she wore only her bra and shorts. The hot water poured down on them, and at the slightest indication she was falling, he pulled her close. He ran his fingers through her silky hair to get anything in it out. They stood in there for what seemed like hours. Afterwards, he stepped out, grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist, and the bathrobe for her. Her hair curled now that it was wet. He pulled the bathrobe onto her and tied it around her waist. He waited outside the bathroom while she got dressed. A noise came to his ears. It sounded like small pebbles hitting plastic. He thought, 'Pebbles...no...' The realization made him sick. Pills. He dashed in and snatched the bottle from her hands. It was still sealed, thankfully. He pulled her into him and kissed her somewhat roughly.
"What were you thinking, Alana? Why do you still try to kill yourself?" he choked back tears through his words. "You're my favorite part of this world; I don't want to lose that."
Hours passed. He did everything in his power to keep her mind off death. During a movie he had put on, she fell asleep against his chest. He gently carried her into his room to let her sleep in his bed. He continued watching the movie, and eventually fell asleep on the couch.
The next morning, he walked into his room to check on her. She looked fast asleep, deeper than normal it seemed. Then he saw her hand: it held a note. Her face was white. She wasn't breathing. His heart stopped. How could he have been so careless? With shaking hands, he read the note.
Itachi,
I love you, I really do. And trust me: if I could take back what I did before you got me away from that ledge, I would. But, before you were there, before I ran, I swallowed at least 20-30 painkillers. The Tylenol I was going to take in the bathroom was for the raging headache I'd gotten. Believe me; I was going to take the recommended dose. I'm so sorry I did this. But I can't deal with the pain anymore. Look at my back; it's covered in bruises and scars. Look at my legs; my thighs have so many gashes from the knives he tried to violate me with. And my arms, well, you already saw those. If he had been taken care of sooner, I'd still be here. Don't worry; it was quick and painless when it ended. The smell of you was surrounding me and it helped calm me when the effects of the overdose kicked in. I love you with all of my heart, even now that I'm gone.
Alana
Remember me?
Tears were flooding his eyes and pouring down his face before he even finished. He flashed back to the day they were at the park. The day he'd given her her first kiss. They talked about such occult things. They'd made a promise to each other that if something should happen to either of them, whether it be death, they broke up, anything like that, that they'd write a story about each other. So he sat at his computer, stared at the screen for a bit, and began typing.
"This story is about..."he paused. "Love. The woman I loved...is...dead..." He could barely type before a dark thought crossed his mind. He quickly typed up anything he wanted people to see, and stabbed his chest with a knife, piercing his heart deeply.
