Disclaimer: I hate these things don't you? You know the drill.

The first thing I saw when I woke up was Elaine and Martin. Couldn't she at least give me a break? I mean, she KNEW why I did what I did, No one else did but her, and she HAD to make things worse by showing up and making this huge scene when I woke up like she was concerned or something. I knew she wished I had died. She even told me so. To tell you the truth, I wished I had died too.

When Martin and my grandma and grandpa had left, she came over to me and threatened that if I told anyone what I knew she would make sure next time I wouldn't wake up. To make matters worse, my mother wasn't there. Turns out she was in such shock that she hadn't left the house since she found me on the bathroom floor. To quote Elaine, she was 'doped up on antidepressants all because of me.' After that, they sent me to the nut house for two months. Elaine and Martin tied the knot three weeks into my hospitalization. My mom demanded that I be there or she wouldn't go. She was still hysterical over the whole thing. But Elaine refused saying that it was better for me to stay there. I knew she just didn't want me to ruin the wedding and expose her to everyone. I would've too. So Elaine was now Elaine Barringer and Scott's life was now over. He couldn't get rid of her now and his father was too much of a flake to notice anything.

One thing did work out to my advantage though. I met this guy, Jared, who volunteered at the hospital. At first he thought I volunteered too," Jackie smirked, " because we usually met in the rec-room or in the cafeteria. But when he found out I didn't volunteer it didn't seem to phase him. He was very supportive and visited me whenever he had the chance. With him, I forgot all about Scott." Jackie's mind wandered back to the gorgeous brown-haired guy with those huge eyes she could always lose herself in. " He's the only one who ever understood." She thought to herself.

" A couple weeks later," Jackie continued, " I could go home and Jared and I stayed together. Which was incredibly moronic because of Elaine, but I figured she had gotten what she wanted and wouldn't bother us. God did I underestimate her.

My mother was a little better after I came home. She still watched me like a hawk but I liked the attention. My grandma and grandpa had come to live with us because my grandpa hadn't been feeling well and my mom wanted to be with him, and my grandma wanted to look after my mom and me. It was cozy for a while. Almost normal. Then, a few days before school was supposed to start, Elaine informed my mom that Scott was 'a problem child' and was being sent to Horizon. I had blocked that chapter out of my mind. Now it had been reopened and a whole new flood of questions poured out. 'What had happened that they had to send him away?' 'What if I had said something, anything?' 'This was all my fault.' Jared helped calm me some but it was all still there.

Then came the day when CPS accused Elaine of child molestation. My poor mother now had to deal with her other daughter being a sexual offender. The case kept going in and out of court. My mother was frantic. Her suspicions now proved to be correct only how could she testify against her daughter? They actually called me to the witness stand too, but Elaine threatened to hurt Jared if I said anything. So I couldn't. I wanted to with all my heart, but I just couldn't.

Then the day that Scott was called into court came. Elaine was ready for a counter attack for everything he said, equipped with letters and all. I refused to show my face in the courtroom. I stayed at Jared's that day.

Right before the day's interrogations began, my mom got a call from the hospital. My grandfather had dies of a heart attack. My mom was in a daze. It was like she wasn't there, it was only her body. According to what Elaine told me later on, she had stepped out for air, only to find that somehow Elaine had managed to get near Scott and was persuading him not to tell anymore of 'their little secret', her hands on his ass, her breasts pushed up against him.

This was apparently too much for my mom and she got in the care, and. and." Jackie struggled to get the words out. " She got distracted and collided with the front end of a tractor trailer." Jackie put her head in her hands and cried. " I never even got to say goodbye." She whimpered. She felt Shelby move closer and put an arm around her. Jackie sat and cried for awhile, letting pent-up grief pour out.

" Anyway," she sniffled, "I had just lost two people that I really cared about and felt my life couldn't get any worse. I got so deep into a rut that even Jared couldn't help me. I got more and more depressed until I just snapped, and I, well." Jackie pulled up her sleeves revealing two hideous scars on the underside of her wrists. " After that whole ordeal my grandma didn't know what to do. Then, of course, Elaine comes along and suggests that the hospital won't help me, why not send me to Horizon where I can get help?" Jackie mimicked cynically. " But we both know the real reason. She wanted me to get you away from Scott. I don't want to. You have to believe me Shelby."

" Shh," Shelby hushed, " I believe you," She assured, wiping away a stray tear.

" Then she called me a few days ago to see if I had done anything. I said I hadn't and wouldn't. She didn't get mad. She just casually told me that Jared's parents were away for the week and she thought she'd pay him a visit. He promised he'd write to me every day, but I haven't gotten anything yet. She's doing it again Shelby! She's doing to Jared the same thing she did to Scott. And it's all because of me!"

Shelby wrapped both arms around Jackie who by now was inconsolable. " No," She whispered. " It's not your fault. Jared's fine. And we're going to make sure it stays that way. I won't let that skank do it again."