Emily Learns a Lesson

After a bit of trouble with the frozen lock on the front door, the group of nine has finally made it inside the Washington lodge. They're all getting settled, unpacking, looking around after not being here for a year. It's nice at first, quiet, comfy, but as with all nice things, it's only a matter of time before someone comes and spoils it.

Emily and Jess are arguing, again. They had been best friends once, but ever since Jess hooked up with Mike, Emily's ex-boyfriend, things got petty and vindictive in no time at all. They still managed to stay friends, but there was always this bitterness in the air, and often enough, they'd scream at each other, make up, just to do it again some other time. But their fights get worse and worse, their insults grow more awful every time. Sooner or later one of them is going to go too far.

Beth watches the two girls go at each other, irritated by them both. She still hasn't really forgiven either of them for the part they played in the prank against Hannah, even though she's tried. People are so much harder to forgive when they don't hurt you, but the people you care about. Beth would only be able to truly forgive them if Hannah did, but that can never happen. Hannah's gone, she can never forgive them, and that makes it so much harder for Beth.

Matt comes into the argument now, backing up his girlfriend. "Jessica, you need to shut your mouth, okay?"

"No, you're the one who needs to keep your nose out of other people's business!"

"I'm about to get right up in your business you bitch," Emily lashes.

"Are we about to get real? Cause I am down to get real!" Jess clashes, not backing down.

"Enough!" Beth yells, not in the mood for their nonsense. Everyone looks to her. "Would you both just shut up?! Can't we go one minute without your petty crap? This is not what Josh and I wanted when we invited you all back up here. This is not what my sister would have wanted."

"Oh, who cares about what Hannah wants?" Emily sneers.

Beth flinches at that.

"Whoa, Emily," Matt grabs her shoulder, knowing she's about to go way too far.

"No," Emily breaks from his grasp. She's going to say what she has to say. "Hannah wanted to get with my boyfriend. She knew he was taken, and she wanted to get with him anyway. She was about to stab me in the back, and she was perfectly okay with it! So when she didn't get her way she started crying like a baby, and ran into the woods, alone, like a moron! I mean, what the hell was she thinking? Maybe if your sister wasn't so stupid she'd still be here!"

At first Beth just stares at Emily, but then she starts to shake. Clenching her fists as her eyes tear up, her face a twisted mess of anguish and pain. "You really don't care do you? You don't care that your stupid little prank got my sister killed! She's dead! She's dead! Because of you! You fucking bitch!" Beth screams, suddenly charging at Emily.

Josh catches her, restraining his grief-stricken sister. She struggles as she sobs, trying to break free, wanting nothing more than to rip out Emily's throat. "Beth, come on! She's not worth it!" Josh tries to calm her down, but Beth's not listening. She refuses to let up, spitting threats and curses.

"I'll fucking kill you! What gives you the right?! After everything you've done?! It's all your fault! All of you! YOU KILLED MY SISTER!"

Finally, Beth gives up, out of breath. Josh lets her go. Beth glares at Emily with an air so intense, Emily can feel her hate, a thick venom emanating Beth as she seethes. Beth didn't want to yell, but Emily pushed her, she went too far. Emily nervously steps back, trembling. Beth is silent now, but she won't stop looking at Emily. Beth stands there, staring daggers.

"Beth, you're scaring me. Calm down."

Beth turns, storming up the stairs. Her room is at the top, she can't stand to look at anyone right now. Before she goes in, she turns back to Emily, who's still shaking in her thousand dollar boots.

"I fucking hate you."

She throws open the door and slams it shut, locking herself inside. For a good moment everyone's silent. No one knows what to say after a moment like that. Before it had just been an annoying little fight between two old rivals, and they thought it might go horribly wrong, and it did, just not in the way they thought it would. Living up to form, Emily is the first one to speak.

"Jesus Christ Josh," Emily says, still panicked. "Your sister's a fucking psycho!"

"She wouldn't have gone so nuts if you hadn't talked shit about my sister. You got a lotta nerve Em, especially on tonight, of all freaking nights!" Josh reminds her, tonight being the anniversary of Hannah's disappearance.

"There's no excuse for that! She was threatening me! She would have hurt me if you didn't stop her!"

Josh ignores her, he's too busy wondering if Beth's okay. Sam, on the other hand, is mad. She walks up to Emily from the side, her eyes flaring. Emily doesn't notice her until it's too late. Emily turns to look at her, and Sam punches her square in the face.

Emily cries, doubling back. She clutches her nose, now gushing with blood. Everyone winces. Matt's suddenly on his toes, getting between Sam and his girlfriend.

"What the hell, Sam?!" Matt demands.

"She had that coming and you know it!"

Sam tries to get by; Matt pushes her back. He doesn't like the idea of hitting a girl, but if Sam tries to take another swing at Emily, he won't think twice.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Sam screams at Emily. "Do you have any idea what she's been through?! Even the slightest fucking clue?! She was so messed up being back here, and I actually managed to cheer up! She was happy! She was actually happy! You ruined it! Why do you always have to ruin everything?!" Sam points up to Beth's room. "She's probably in there crying her eyes out right now! What kind of friend makes her friend cry?"

"You didn't have to hit her!" yells Matt.

"Someone had to! If you weren't in my way, I'd hit her again!"

Emily falls to her knees, "I think you broke my nose!" she cries through the blood.

"Fuck your nose!" Sam screams back. "I hope the blood stains your little rich girl top!"

"Jesus Christ, Sam, chill out. It's over," says Mike.

"It's not 'over', you meat-headed prick!"

"Whoa, don't you insult him! He didn't do anything!" Jess rises, Mike puts up his hand.

"It's okay Jess, she's just mad."

"I think you should sit down, Sam," Chris comes up to her.

Sam's still mad, but Chris is right, acting this way won't help anything. She takes a deep breath, and walks away. She stands next to Josh. She's still too fired up to sit down.

Matt goes over to Emily, "Come on, let's get you some towels or something."

"Oh god. . . my nose!" she whimpers, grabbing onto Matt.

"There' a bathroom down the hall around the corner, second door on the right," Josh tells Matt. "There's plenty of toilet paper and paper towels."

Matt nods, escorting his girlfriend down the hall. Ashley shakes her head, her mind still on Beth.

"Guys, that was, I mean, wow, that was really really bad. Like, full on meltdown," Ashley says, visibly worried.

"Yeah, none of that was pretty," adds Chris. He turns to Josh, "Think she'll be ok? That was super intense."

"She needs some time to calm down. She's done this before."

"It's never been that bad," Jess remarks, "That was messed up."

Josh looks back up to the door Beth went in, "I'll go check on her."

"Maybe one of us should come with you, in case she goes off again," Mike suggests.

"I think it'd be best if I did this alone, actually," Josh heads up the stairs. He knocks gently on Beth's door, "Hey sis, it's me. Can you let me in?"

There's no answer at first. He waits. After a moment, the door clicks, the door slowly opening. They get a glimpse of Beth's face, and it's not pretty. Her tears have melted away her makeup. Beth makes sure he's alone, and then lets her brother in. Josh steps in, and Beth closes the door hard, locking it again.

"So. . . should we call 911 for Emily?" Chris asks. "I mean, if her nose is broken. . ."

"Her nose isn't broken, I didn't hit her that hard," Sam remarks. "She's just a 'crybaby.'"


Beth sits down on her bed after closing the door. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"You had everyone really scared about you Beth."

"I don't care. They don't give a shit about me."

"Beth, you know that's not true," Josh says, sitting down next to her.

"You think Emily cares? After what she said?"

"I think she cares. She's just. . . high strung."

"That's one way of putting it."

"You know, Sam hit Emily pretty hard for saying that."

Beth looks to Josh, "Really? She hit her?"

"Oh yeah, really hard. Her nose was gushing blood like a fountain, it was everywhere."

Beth smiles at the thought. "Now I wish I stayed to see it."

Josh chuckles, but soon Beth goes silent again. "So, what? Are you gonna stay up here the rest of the weekend?"

"I don't know. I wanted to forgive them, I really did. But now, I don't know Josh."

"It's been a year Beth. I mean, I was really pissed at them too, but I got past it. You have to too. They didn't mean for that to happen."

Beth looks at Josh now, "If I had never come back, would you still have forgiven them?"

"Beth, don't think like that."

"Would you?"

Josh is silent for a moment, then sighs. "I don't know," he says honestly. "But you did come back. I mean, when you both vanished, a month of my life was totally fucked, like, you have no idea."

"I've got a pretty good idea, Josh. That was me. For a year." She clutches her head, lying down on the bed. "I can't do this. I can't take this anymore."

She's silent for a while. Josh isn't sure what to say. He wants to say something to help her, but what can he do?

"I don't think I'm meant to be alive," she says finally. "I feel like I should have died with her."

"Stop," Josh says, rising up. "Don't ever say that again. You being here. . . it's the only reason I'm here," he admits.

"Josh. . ."

"It's true. You think I would've made it a year if you died too? No way. There's no way."

"I know!" Beth yells, jumping from the bed. She gets right up in Josh's face, "It got so much easier for you! Because I'm alive! But it's not easier for me! Hannah died, I didn't. Why? Why me? What makes me so fucking special?!" she fumes, wanting an answer. Josh can't give her one, and she knows that. "Ever since I got back, everyone's like 'Oh, Beth everyone's so happy you're okay! You're so lucky to be alive!' Well I don't feel very fucking lucky, and I'm not okay! They all look to me like I'm some gift from God! Because why? Because I didn't die! Because my sister's dead, and I'm not! I didn't do anything! I didn't save you Josh! I almost killed you! Don't you get that?!" she yells at her brother, crying. Josh just lets her go, letting her get everything out.

"If I didn't come back you'd have killed yourself? Is that it?! Is that supposed to make me feel better?! It doesn't! I fucked up! I did something stupid, I almost died, my sister did die, and I vanished for a month! I put you through Hell worrying about me Josh, because of my stupid mistake! Then I turn up alive, and suddenly I'm supposed to believe I'm a fucking hero?! That I 'saved' you?! No! It's my fault! It's fucked up! IT'S FUCKED UP!" Beth collapses back on the bed, sobbing furiously.

"What do you want me to say Beth?" asks Josh seriously. "You want me to blame you? You want me to get mad at you? You want me to yell at you? For almost dying? Is that you want?"

Beth doesn't know what to say to that. She just looks down, sniffling.

"Because I'm not doing that. That's bullshit. You know that's bullshit Beth, and you know it's not your fault. You know what? Even it was your fault, I wouldn't care. You're my sister Beth, I'm just happy you're alive."

Beth is silent for a moment, she's stopped sobbing. She breathes in, and then out.

"Thanks."

"For what?" Josh asks, confused.

"For that. Letting me say all that."

"You feel better?"

"A little."

"I think you should get some sleep. After everything just now, I mean, I'm exhausted just watching you."

Beth smiles, "Yeah," she bends over the bed, searching through her bag. She fishes out her sleeping pills.

"You gonna be okay in here?"

"Yeah, I guess. Just don't let me sleep through the whole night."

Josh nods, going to the door. "I'll come back in a few hours."

Then he leaves. Beth swallows some pills, and lays down. She turns on side, trying to get some rest. She does feel better, like at least some of the weight has come off her shoulders. It should be easy enough to fall asleep, she feels absolutely drained after all her crying and yelling, she just hopes she doesn't have one of her nightmares