Part Nine:

What's better than a welcome home party that includes the closest people to you? No party, of course.

I was gone for three days, and suddenly it was as if they had almost died. Not me, of course, but them. Not that they needed me -- why they thought they did will never get me -- but they must have been overly bored. And without the person who knew whether they could get out safely in a crisis, they must have just sat around sulking.

The party was thrown by my mom, her trying to make everybody think she's a good mom. When really, if their is a problem, she goes all into her unreal world of sarcasm, and then avoids the problem. Naturally, mom had experience enough to know not to invite the preps. Kudos for her. People from the groups of groups lunch tables came instead.

The pack, not including R.L... but including H.L., knew that I wouldn't be too happy about this thing. So H.L. grabbed my arm as I walked into the surprise, and towed me away to the back of the house. Away from the party. "Woah, thanks," I said, actually looking at H.L. I hadn't been hanging around her too much, seeing as rehab had started a number on her. Along with the church she went to. And the 4-H clubs.

This H.L. was beautiful in an angelic way. The softness in her eyes intimidated me, but I didn't show it. She didn't wear those thick bracelets or metal chains, and her clothes were normal. Her shirt being a light shade of blue with a four leaf clover. Each clover had an 'H' on it. Then her pants weren't black, but blue jeans. Her nails were clear, and when I looked, I could barely see the million scars on her wrists. If I were to tell someone... I'd say that my gothic, disturbing H.L. had been purified and healed. The thing that gave her the most interest was this: she looked happy.

All this I had in mind as she said, "Oh, no problem. Everybody knows Sprice hates those publicity ways." And H.L. poked my nose. She always did that. It was so annoying, before and now. Yet her weird ways still made me laugh. And soon we were singing in bad pitch, seeing as I did it on purpose so that I sounded just as bad as H.L., "Crazy. Crazy for feeeling so lonelyyyyy. I'm crazy... crazy for feeeeling sooo bluuuue..." And we went on. It was our favorite thing to do to annoy people.

As I walked into the room that L.C. and G.L. were in, I felt a slight disappointment that R.L. was missing. Then H.L. started to back out. "Where're you going," I asked, surprised. H.L. smiled brightly, but continued backing up. Then I spotted the weed. H.L. went to rehab, and this would be torturing her. I turned to L.C. and G.L.

"Want some," G.L. asked quickly, thinking I was getting confused that I had none. I'm not a pothead, so I didn't feel a pull towards it.

"No way," I said shortly, "That stuff thins blood, and I was in the hospital for lack of blood. So you two put those away. Now!" I did this so that H.L. wouldn't feel as if she were to blame for this. I wanted her to stay. L.C. sighed, but they both put up the weed.

"H.L.," L.C. started happily, "Haven't seen you since you went off to save the word. How've you been!?" And H.L., feeling safer, sat down inside the room. I sat down next to her.

"Actually," H.L. said slowly, "I go by Hope, now. I don't mind it so much because it fits me... and how I feel now. In my church, they told me that your name is special because God made it for you before you were born. That He thought about it for each child. So I thought I'd keep my name how it is to keep close to Him."

The uncomfortable tension could be touched in this room. L.C. believed there was no God. G.L. didn't refer to God as Him, but as Her. And I... well... I believed in God, but we weren't talking at the moment. Let's just put it that way. Hope use to be like how I am in that status. Yes, I called her Hope. My respectful ways did that, and if she wanted to be called Hope, so be it. It's her name.

Besides, her religion was helping her forgive the past, and get over it. That's good enough explanation for me. "So," I said, "You wouldn't believe what my mom said about the illness." And I told of the 'half-vampire' nonsense.

"Bite me," L.C. ordered. Everybody laughed, but L.C. looked straight at me. "Bite me," She ordered, "Now. I don't care, just draw blood. I'll drink your fucking blood, half-vampire or not. BITE ME!" We all stared at her as if she'd gone insane. But I saw the twitch in her lips. She was good at acting, but L.C. was planning on being a nurse. "Just kidding," L.C. stated, and we all laughed.

"What's up with R.L.," G.L. suddenly asked. I shrugged, but G.L. looked as if he was coming up with something. "Let's go to her house. See why she doesn't care to come to your welcome home from near death party," he suggested.

That's how we appeared that night in the backyard of the rich Kinder's house. I reached her window first, still happy that H.L... I meant Hope decided to come along on our quest. "As long as we're not breaking the law," Hope had said with reluctance.

"Just trespassing," G.L. had stated, followed by L.C.'s giggles.

I tapped on the window after seeing it locked. L.C., G.L., and Hope hovered behind me, their faces just in view. After some jokes on L.C.'s part, and laughing on G.L.'s and Hope's part, I shushed them. Then I tapped on the glass some more. There was silent anticipation within the pack. Waiting for the last member to show up for a rogue night.

The blinds were pulled sharply, and R.L. opened the window with angry eyes. She blocked the entrance, and that told us that she wasn't allowing us in. "Yo, R.L., PMS much," L.C. cracked, but a look in R.L.'s part shut her up. I was looking at her in silence, trying to figure out what went on around here.

"What do you want," R.L. snapped impatiently. I glanced at the three behind me, and the nodded.

"I just got back from the hospital," I started, "And I was thinking the pack could go on a rave. But then again, the pack is boring without you--" I had to shush L.C. at the boring pack part. "--so we're hoping you'd come along, R.L. You busy?"

R.L. suddenly looked flustered, and her chest rose like an angry hen. "Yes," She said in a deep, cold voice that sent a chill to my heart, "I'm busy having a life. Unlike the rest of you." I opened my mouth, eye burrowed in confusion.

"What's your problem," I asked furiously. Finally, the moment of truth.

"YOU are my PROBLEM," R.L. screeched, "Always forcing me to do things I don't want to do. It's your fault I've tried to kill myself! You think you're so cool just because you're some badass, but you're just some pot-headed moron! But I'm not standing this anymore, Sprice! I'm not letting you get in the way of my happiness."

The whole pack was staring at her with wide eyes. I was beyond furious. I could feel the blood behind my ears. How dare she blame all of her problems on me? I'm the one who has been there for her when the problems drove her to ME. Not me driving her to the problems! "Getting in the way of your ha...," I started, "What are you talking about?!" But I was sick of this. "Know what, do what you want," I said dully, meaning every word of it because I actually cared for R.L., "Be happy."

"LEAVE ME ALONE," R.L. roared, "DON'T TALK TO ME! DON'T EVER COME NEAR ME AGAIN! I HATE YOU!" And she slammed the window shut. At the moment of the slam, it was as if a hammer had hit my heart. As if the world had stopped, and I hadn't even seen it coming. I stared at the window that the blinds were blocking me from looking within.

"Let's egg it," L.C. suddenly snarled.

"Let's bust the windows," H.L. surprisingly snapped.

"Let's burn it all down to Hell, her included," G.L. sneered furiously.

"Let's... go," I said slowly. They all looked at me with surprised. I pointed in one direction, but started walking the next. "Let's go," I suggested as if in a daze. I could hear myself talking to R.L. all those times she was depressed and near tears.

'Promise you won't leave me...' I could hear myself tell her. And now all I wanted to do is go jump off a cliff. There's nothing holding me back now. I could hear myself telling R.L. 'I thought about how I'd never leave you alone in this world...' That was the only thing that kept me from just throwing me over. Now I had insane parents, and now I've been accused of being a half-vampire. Now I've been confirmed of being the problem.

Hope grabbed ahold of my shoulder. "You're going to wrong way, Spricey," she said sympathetically, "I think it'll be better if you just go home."

I shrugged, "You all go home, now." They all looked at me unsurely. "It was just some stupid friendship. Oh, what a loss. Go home," I snapped, "It's not like I'm not going home as well." Home to the afterlife where I began. Every time I heard her say 'I hate you' in my head, it was as if my breath would get caught. All this caring for one friend, and they just throw it away. I should've known she never cared.

Luckily, the pack went home, but I was circling around the woods down the road of my house. I was heading to the top of the waterfalls that lead into Lake Miramax. And when I got to it, I could hear the water shower. It sounded like wind would, but more louder. Like static, and that's what calmed me. Because a person couldn't be heard in the static.

I walked to the edge of the waterfall, the stream up to my knees. The water was pushing against the back of my legs, as if it wanted me to jump. Assuring me that it would carry me all the way down. What a peaceful way to die. With water assuring you that you'd die. The coolness of it wasn't even noticeable for some odd reason. Maybe because of my lack of blood.

I peered down to the lake. It looked so small, that it was as if I could move to the left a bit and land on... land. The wind was blowing from behind me, also egging me on to jump. Maybe I won't jump. I'll just slip and fall. I slid my foot halfway off the waterfall, and the water was slowly pushing it the rest of the way off. Soon, I'll be over with. All the people's problems will go down with me.

"Hey," A familiar voice yelled, but I winced inwardly. I could feel the tears start to come out, and that infuriated me. "You... the one with the rhyming stories, right," the voice continued to yell, "Sprice." I hesitated, and looked back to see Ryen from the cave in the waterfall. "What are you doing," Ryen asked, slightly alarmed, but calm.

"Trying to fly," I replied sharply, "What do you think I'm doing?" I rolled my eyes, and looked back down towards the lake.

"Come on, now," Ryen said, "Don't do that. Nothing can't be that bad."

I scoffed, "I'm so much of a burden that not even my father could deal with me a day after I was born. My best friend even confirmed it! I'm driving her and almost everyone else in the pack to suicide."

Ryen laughed, "I think the pack... you say... is driving you to suicide. Literally." Oh, we have a comedian. "Come on, get away from there. Come with me for a bit. I think I have something in mind to cheer you up." I peered back at him suspiciously.

"What is it?"

"You'll find out if you--"

"What is it?"

"Get away from ther--"

"Tell me what--"

"I won't until--"

"You're so annoy--"

"I'm not the one--"

"Fine," I snapped, "Fine, I'll go with you, but if you don't cheer me up, you'll be the one to push me off this waterfall whether you want to or not." There was a sudden guilty look in Ryen's eyes, but it disappeared quickly. I walked out of the stream, and appeared in front of Ryen.

What an odd, terrible week I've been having. My friend leaves me. I end up in a hospital for blood problems. After, of course, major pains. I had to help a kid from getting the crap beat out of him. Then I try to kill myself, and suddenly Mr. Waterfall Cave appears to save my day.

"So," I said slowly, "Where to, Gov'na?"