"What the fuck are you doing?"
The needle fell to the floor with a clatter, just centimeters above her arm. She whirled around to see who that ragged scream of a sentence had come from.
April.
And an extremely scary looking April, at that. She'd obviously been crying. Actually...she still was. Mascara had made the usual dark circles under her eyes ten times darker, and black streaks trailed down her cheeks, mapping the tracks of her tears. There had been no effort to cover up her bruised, scarred arms that day. They lay open to the world, proclaiming to all what she really was.
Maureen shuddered and glanced quickly down at her own arms, reassuring herself that they weren't that bad. She looked back up at April, who still stood there in the doorway, tears running down her cheeks, eyes riveted to the needle Maureen had dropped to the floor.
"A-April?" She stuttered, once in her life not having the upper hand.
April's gaze shot up to her, startled at first, as though she had forgotten Maureen was in the room. Then it became angry. "What the fuck are you doing?" she repeated. She advanced on Maureen, her voice shaking with emotion, the tears coming faster now.
"I...April, I can explain, please, just..."
"Oh, shut the fuck up." She spat the words out. "I've always hated you, you know that? You, you're so fake, dishonest, greedy." She laughed bitterly. "Even if Mark doesn't see it. I do. We all do."
Maureen just stared, unable to think of any sort of retort. April had always been the one she couldn't intimidate or fool. Up till now she'd just avoided all unnecessary contact.
"For Mark's sake, though, we put up with you. That's the only reason." April was now directly in Maureen's face. "So when he finally realizes what a whore you are and gets the courage to dump you, you'll be out in the cold. You won't have any friends. And everyone will be glad to see it."
Maureen backed away, quickly, scared now. April had been known to be violent before...Her foot hit something. She looked down and saw the shiny metal of the syringe, still full and ready to float her away...
She bent down to pick it up, but April, who had turned away, doubled over and started heaving racking sobs suddenly turned around and knocked the needle out of Maureen's hands, sending it flying. "You fucking idiot! You can't even know..." She started sobbing again, and then suddenly she let out a scream, scaring Maureen out of her wits. "Why me? Why fucking me?"
Maureen backed as far away from her as it was possible to be and stated with wide eyes as April ran over to where the needle had landed. She watched as the distraught girl plunged it mercilessly into her arm, stabbing herself several times before finally finding a vein pushing the plunger down.
She was about to fling it away again, when a movement Maureen had made caught her eye. She glared at her and shook her head bitterly, a look of pure and utter hate on her face. "God, I should just leave it here..." Again a bitter laugh escaped her lips. "You deserve it more than I do." But as she turned and ran from the room, she kept the silver needle clutched tightly in her hand.
Maureen heard her slam the bathroom door, and only then did her shakily got up from the wall farthest from the door, where she had sunken down, unable to handle April's screams.
But she only got up to collapse into the chair that sat near the dresser, finding that her legs couldn't support her.
What the hell had that been about? She'd never seen April like that before...Well, she'd seen her bitch people out plenty of times, but crying?
Never.
Maureen just sat there like that for what could have been anything from five minutes to an hour. But it suddenly occurred to her that April had been very quiet for a long time. She was so shaken, she forgot that she was supposed to be angry. That April was the enemy. She was so shaken, she had started to care.
"April?" She got slowly to her feet, and found that she could stand. "April?" She called louder. There was no answer. She walked to the bathroom door and knocked. Still nothing. Panicky now, Maureen tried the door.
Unlocked.
It swung open, and Maureen stared with wide-eyed horror at the scene that lay before her. April lay sprawled on the floor, her wrists slashed open, the blood, still flowing, forming a crimson red puddle against the stark white linoleum tiles.
Beside the body lay three things.
The razor, the blade crusted with blood. Maureen passed quickly over that.
The needle that April had carried out of the room with her.
And a note. Blue ink on white paper. Maureen read the three words scrawled hastily in April's large, loose script, and felt her gaze drift, as if by it's own will, back to the syringe.
The needle fell to the floor with a clatter, just centimeters above her arm.
Maureen saw her vision tunnel. Blackness closed in from all sides, and she felt her knees buckle.
Her last conscious thought was about that note.
And how easily that 'we' could have meant three people.
Instead of two.
The needle fell to the floor with a clatter, just centimeters above her arm. She whirled around to see who that ragged scream of a sentence had come from.
April.
And an extremely scary looking April, at that. She'd obviously been crying. Actually...she still was. Mascara had made the usual dark circles under her eyes ten times darker, and black streaks trailed down her cheeks, mapping the tracks of her tears. There had been no effort to cover up her bruised, scarred arms that day. They lay open to the world, proclaiming to all what she really was.
Maureen shuddered and glanced quickly down at her own arms, reassuring herself that they weren't that bad. She looked back up at April, who still stood there in the doorway, tears running down her cheeks, eyes riveted to the needle Maureen had dropped to the floor.
"A-April?" She stuttered, once in her life not having the upper hand.
April's gaze shot up to her, startled at first, as though she had forgotten Maureen was in the room. Then it became angry. "What the fuck are you doing?" she repeated. She advanced on Maureen, her voice shaking with emotion, the tears coming faster now.
"I...April, I can explain, please, just..."
"Oh, shut the fuck up." She spat the words out. "I've always hated you, you know that? You, you're so fake, dishonest, greedy." She laughed bitterly. "Even if Mark doesn't see it. I do. We all do."
Maureen just stared, unable to think of any sort of retort. April had always been the one she couldn't intimidate or fool. Up till now she'd just avoided all unnecessary contact.
"For Mark's sake, though, we put up with you. That's the only reason." April was now directly in Maureen's face. "So when he finally realizes what a whore you are and gets the courage to dump you, you'll be out in the cold. You won't have any friends. And everyone will be glad to see it."
Maureen backed away, quickly, scared now. April had been known to be violent before...Her foot hit something. She looked down and saw the shiny metal of the syringe, still full and ready to float her away...
She bent down to pick it up, but April, who had turned away, doubled over and started heaving racking sobs suddenly turned around and knocked the needle out of Maureen's hands, sending it flying. "You fucking idiot! You can't even know..." She started sobbing again, and then suddenly she let out a scream, scaring Maureen out of her wits. "Why me? Why fucking me?"
Maureen backed as far away from her as it was possible to be and stated with wide eyes as April ran over to where the needle had landed. She watched as the distraught girl plunged it mercilessly into her arm, stabbing herself several times before finally finding a vein pushing the plunger down.
She was about to fling it away again, when a movement Maureen had made caught her eye. She glared at her and shook her head bitterly, a look of pure and utter hate on her face. "God, I should just leave it here..." Again a bitter laugh escaped her lips. "You deserve it more than I do." But as she turned and ran from the room, she kept the silver needle clutched tightly in her hand.
Maureen heard her slam the bathroom door, and only then did her shakily got up from the wall farthest from the door, where she had sunken down, unable to handle April's screams.
But she only got up to collapse into the chair that sat near the dresser, finding that her legs couldn't support her.
What the hell had that been about? She'd never seen April like that before...Well, she'd seen her bitch people out plenty of times, but crying?
Never.
Maureen just sat there like that for what could have been anything from five minutes to an hour. But it suddenly occurred to her that April had been very quiet for a long time. She was so shaken, she forgot that she was supposed to be angry. That April was the enemy. She was so shaken, she had started to care.
"April?" She got slowly to her feet, and found that she could stand. "April?" She called louder. There was no answer. She walked to the bathroom door and knocked. Still nothing. Panicky now, Maureen tried the door.
Unlocked.
It swung open, and Maureen stared with wide-eyed horror at the scene that lay before her. April lay sprawled on the floor, her wrists slashed open, the blood, still flowing, forming a crimson red puddle against the stark white linoleum tiles.
Beside the body lay three things.
The razor, the blade crusted with blood. Maureen passed quickly over that.
The needle that April had carried out of the room with her.
And a note. Blue ink on white paper. Maureen read the three words scrawled hastily in April's large, loose script, and felt her gaze drift, as if by it's own will, back to the syringe.
The needle fell to the floor with a clatter, just centimeters above her arm.
Maureen saw her vision tunnel. Blackness closed in from all sides, and she felt her knees buckle.
Her last conscious thought was about that note.
And how easily that 'we' could have meant three people.
Instead of two.
