Chapter Eleven: Feeling Vulnerable

Oliver sat on the edge of the half-pipe at the deserted skate park. His legs were drawn up to his chest and his chin rested on his knees. Tears were still falling rapidly from his eyes. He had recently calmed down from his massive breakdown he had just experienced about five minutes ago. That was the main reason why he had left the hospital; he didn't want everyone to see him when he was like this.

As he had run from the hospital to here, horrible thoughts had popped into his mind: What if Lilly died? What if he couldn't save her after she saved him last year? What if he was blamed for her death? How would he be able to live with himself without his best friend, the girl he loved with all his heart?

He wiped his eyes on the back of his hand and gazed out across the skate park. He remembered the first time he and Lilly ever went to this skate park. They were eight years old and, after a year of practicing on the small ramps, Lilly had decided that they should tackle the half-pipe and become "real" skateboarders. He remembered it as if it were yesterday...

"Come on, Oliver!" Lilly shouted, pulling him by the arm to the massive half-pipe in front of them.

"I don't know, Lilly," Oliver said, looking up at the top of the half-pipe. It seemed a whole lot bigger close up. "Maybe we should wait and try next year."

"Oh, don't be a chicken, Oliver," Lilly said, laughing, her long blond pigtails blowing in the slight breeze. "You know we can't be 'real' skateboarders unless we tackle the big ramp!"

"Well..." Oliver began, looking once again at the top of the enormous ramp. "I guess you're right."

"And besides, I'm bored of the little ramps and rails," Lilly said, picking up her skateboard. "I want some adventure! Let's go!"

And, before he could stop her, Lilly had taken off and started climbing the ramp. Oliver followed her to the top. Once at the top, he looked down and felt as though his insides had suddenly dropped out. He gulped loudly, trying not to look too afraid. After all, Lilly was so excited and she was a girl! If she could do it and he couldn't, he'd be the laughing stock of the entire second grade!

"I'll go first," he said, attempting to show his bravery off to Lilly. He set his skateboard on the edge of the ramp, prayed that he would make it to the bottom alive, and leaned forward.

Immediately, he experienced the greatest rush of his life as he raced down the side of the ramp, gaining speed with each passing second. Oliver couldn't remember a time in his life where he had felt so alive! How could he have been afraid of this ramp? It was AMAZING!

Unfortunately, the fun only lasted for about seven seconds. After that time, Oliver was going too fast and couldn't regain control of his skateboard. As a result, he tumbled head over heels off of his skateboard and hit the bottom of the ramp, face-planting right in the middle.

"OLIVER!" Lilly screamed, skating down the ramp and coming to a halt next to him. "Oliver?" she said in a shaky voice, slowly turning him over. "Are you okay?" She rolled him on his back and gasped. His entire face was covered in blood, which was rushing out of his nose.

Oliver opened his eyes and looked up at Lilly. "Lilly...?" he said, sounding as though he had a bad head cold.

"Oliver?" Lilly asked again, looking as though she was about to cry. "Are you--"

"Dat was...AMAZING!" Oliver shouted, wiping his nose on his sleeve, which was then covered in blood. "You were right, Lilly! Dat was such a rush! I don't doe what I was afraid of before!"

Lilly looked confused at first and then started to laugh along with him.

Oliver sighed as he recalled that day. Going down the ramp had been so much fun, even if he broke his nose because of it. It was the first time he remembered showing off for Lilly. Now that he thought about it, that was very possibly the day where he fell in love with Lilly. She could've laughed at him for face-planting when she had been able to do it perfectly, but she didn't; she was concerned about him and his well-being.

He heard the grass rustling behind him. He turned around and saw Miley running towards the skate park. He was grateful that she was alone; he didn't think he could deal with adults right now. She climbed up the side of the ramp and sat down next to him.

"I figured you'd come here," she said. "Are you okay?"

Oliver thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly. But then, he suddenly second-guessed himself. "No," he said. "No, I'm not."

Then before he could stop himself, he started crying again. Miley put her arm around him and let him cry on her shoulder. He cried for Lilly and what she was going through; he cried for Miley and what had happened to her because of them; and he cried for himself for leaving Lilly when she needed him the most.

"I'm s-sorry, Miley," he choked out through his sobs.

"It's okay, Oliver," Miley whispered in his ear. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," Oliver replied, taking his head off of her shoulder and wiping his eyes on his hand. "I left Lilly. I left her, Miley, when she needs me. She's lying in that hospital bed fighting for her life and I can't even be there to support her. I'm her goddamn boyfriend for crying out loud!"

"Oliver, no one blames you for running away," Miley said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I can understand that it was hard for you to see her like that. It was hard for me too."

"But, you don't understand, Miley," Oliver said firmly. "I'm her boyfriend! I'm supposed to be there for her when she needs me. Like, it isn't bad enough that I got her shot. Now, I'm abandoning her!" He stopped as more tears made their appearance.

"Oliver, listen to me," Miley said. "You didn't abandon Lilly. You got scared. That's perfectly understandable. It's scary to see someone you love like that. But, you don't have to worry, because I know that she's going to be okay. I have confidence."

"How?" Oliver asked. "How do you know?"

"Because, if you recall, Lilly and I went through the same thing last year when it was you lying in that hospital bed," Miley replied. "We were both so scared when the doctor told us that you...might not live through the night. But you should've seen the look on Lilly's face when you called her name. I knew right then and there that she hadn't lost hope in you. You two have a really strong bond, Oliver. And with a bond like that, I don't think anyone can question whether or not you are going to be there for her. I know you will and so does her mom."

Oliver thought about this for several minutes. Finally, he looked up at Miley and cracked a small smile. "Thanks a lot, Miley," he said, giving her a hug. "It's just...hard to see her like that. But, I need to be there for her. She was there for me and now it's my turn."

Miley smiled back. "That's the Oliver I know," she said. "Come on. Our parents are probably freaking out about where we went."

Oliver nodded. "You're right," he said. "Let's go back."

They climbed off the half pipe and headed across the lawns. Once they reached the hospital, Oliver walked right past his mom and Mr. Stewart, whose arms Miley walked right into, and headed into Lilly's room. Her mom was sitting on one side of the bed, holding Lilly's hand and crying. Oliver pulled a chair up on the other side and held Lilly's other side.

"Don't worry, Lilly," he whispered. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Despite the fact that she was still in a coma, Oliver could almost sense the ghost of a smile creeping up her beautiful face.

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I tried to end it on a semi-happy note. My next chapter will, sadly, be my last for this story. And, once again, it is going to be set to a song like the last one was. So, thank you for your continued support and I hope you continue to post reviews until the end. Thanks all so much guys! I will work on the last chapter and post it as soon as I can.