The pills were in her hand.

She had decided on sleeping pills. Maybe then, death would feel like sleep. She liked sleep. It was a way to escape from her horrible life. Her reputation. The rumors. Everything.

She had mailed the tapes to Justin this morning. She hoped it stung him. No, she hoped it hurt him to the point he could barely tolerate the tapes. She hoped that happened to every single one of them.

All except one. Clay Jensen. Because she liked him. A lot. And she didn't want to hurt him too badly. She just wanted him to know.

The pills were getting closer to her mouth. Thoughts were racing through her head. Was this the answer? What was death like? What would happen?

Would anyone miss her?

Popping the treacherous little things-cold in her warm hand, white, giggling at her-into her waiting mouth, Hannah smiled. Big. This was over, all of it was finally over! The rumors didn't matter, school didn't matter, her poetry and the camera's quiet clicks, the kiss on the slide and the car accident, everything Bryce did and the stolen notes, the scar above her eyebrow shaped like Jessica's nail and the list, the party and all that followed, the talk with Mr. Porter, and Clay, Clay, Clay-

None of it mattered, because she was going to..to somewhere else and it was over.

Over.

She sank down against the wall, her eyes closing in bliss. She knew what was coming. She opened her eyes and those little black spots did the tango across the corners of her eyes. Hannah's arms felt sluggish, her mind felt...slower...somehow...

Hannah sank lower, knowing that there was no turning back now. In her rapidly declining mind, she imagined the faces of her parents when they got home. They'd call her name, over and over, and she wouldn't answer. Hannah, Hannah, Hannah.

She imagined the people that hurt her, their shocked faces, their guilt and denial. It wasn't us. It was just for attention. It couldn't have been us. Of course it wasn't us. Why would it be us? What we did wasn't so bad. Right?

Right.

As her eyes fluttered shut for the final time, she turned her head upward and smiled. And she apologized. To her family. To Kat. To her friends and her life and her job and everything that was good in the world and Clay, Clay, Clay.

Then it all went black.

When her parents returned home, horrified, the first thing they noticed was that Hannah had died smiling.

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*knows it sucks* Hey, I wrote this in twenty minutes to force my muse into working. Give me a break. Unicorns and free hot chocolate from Rosie's for all who review. :D