DREAMS COMING TRUE

Desi sees the scared look in Casey's eyes. She turns around and sees Gabe and the jocks. She turns around again and looks at Casey.

"When I give you the sign, you get your ass out of here, as fast as you can, all right? I don't want you to get hurt."

"But."

"Don't, okay? Just go then."

"Remember your promise?"

"Yes, I'll leave as soon as one of them pulls a knife. Promised."

Casey smiles.

Desi kisses him.

"Now just stay with me until I give you a sign, okay?"

He nods. Desi and he stand waiting for them to come. Gabe and the jocks come closer and closer. About 2 feet in front of them, they stop. Gabe looks disgusted at them.

"So you still ain't scared huh?"

"Not a chance Gabe."

"We'll show you and that little anal probe behind you a reason to be scared."

Gabe comes closer. Desi stands in front of Casey.

"Leave Casey out of this. He did nothing wrong."

"Nope, you're right. But you did. And he is responsible for you."

"If I did anything wrong, I am the one who has to pay for that. Leave Casey out of this."

"Maybe. But you're the first one to pay."

Gabe comes towards her, with a threatening look in his eyes. He stands so close she can almost touch his nose with her forehead. He is a bit taller. Then he does one step backwards and hits Desi in her face.

"DESI!"

Gabe laughs. Then he kicks her in her stomach. She bends over, with her hands to her stomach. Gabe hits her on her back, which makes her fall.

"DESI! FUCK NO!"

Casey looks at her, scared to death. Desi gets up. She looks at Gabe. Nothing but anger is in her eyes. The knowledge she can still stand is too much for Gabe. He pulls his knife.

"DESI! RUN! FOR GOD'S SAKE RUN!"

The words come as a bomb to Desi, but the sight of the knife freezes her legs. When Gabe points the knife, she wants to run but it is too late. He cuts in her arm.

"DESI!"

She runs on, with Gabe on her heels. He stabs her again, in her legs, what makes her fall.

"DESI! COME ON, GET UP!"

She hears Casey scream but then feels a stabbing pain in her back. She realizes Gabe is stabbing her.

"DESI! GABE STOP IT! NO!"

She hears Casey's screams as if they came from far away. Then she hears Mrs. Olson.

"Stop it!"

She feels the stabbing stop. She realizes Gabe stopped. She feels someone turning her to her back and helping her sit up. She sees Casey.

"Why didn't you run when he pulled his knife?"

"I. I couldn't. My legs were frozen. I don't know what happened."

She sees a tear running down his face. She wipes it away with her hand.

"Don't cry Casey, help me up. I think he stabbed me in my back. I need to get to Nurse Harper."

He nods and helps her up. They walk to Nurse Harper's office and she lies down. Casey runs around trying to find Nurse Harper. She comes quite quickly. Desi sits up and takes the alcohol to clean her own leg. Nurse Harper comes in quite quickly. She sees Desi cleaning her leg. Casey stands behind Nurse Harper. He sees what Desi is doing. He smiles, and sits down on a chair.

"Let me do that. You have done so much for me already, now it's my turn to help you."

Desi smiles. She sits back a little. She looks at Casey.

"Did Gabe actually stab my back?"

Casey nods. Desi sighs. She takes off her shirt so Nurse Harper can look at the damage he has done.

"God, you're lucky to be alive! These stabs would have killed a grown man!"

Desi looks a little surprised. Then she smiles.

"Will you just clean them already? Then Casey and I can return to class."

Nurse Harper looks surprised, but doesn't hesitate to start cleaning. The alcohol hurts in the fresh wounds, but Desi doesn't make a sound. Casey finds her very brave. He cleans the wounds on her leg and arm. When Nurse Harper and Casey cleaned all the wounds, Desi gets bondage over her leg, arm and back. When Nurse Harper finishes, she looks at her.

"Are you sure you're going to be all right?"

Desi smiles. She opens her mouth to talk, but Casey is faster.

"I'll look after her."

Nurse Harper smiles.

"All right then. You've got 10 minutes off time left, so I suggest you enjoy it."

Casey and Desi smile and thank Nurse Harper. They go back outside, where Gabe is waiting for them again.

"So, we had to finish up some stuff."

He walks towards Casey and Desi again. Then, without hesitation, Casey moves in front of Desi.

"Leave her alone, she's injured."

"Is that so? Well, if you don't move you little anal probe, you'll get hurt two."

Casey looks scared, and Gabe takes advantage of that. Desi sees that.

"Casey, it's okay. They won't hurt me again."

"Yes, they will. I know them Desi, they'll hurt you again. They're going to kill you if they get the chance."

Desi smiles and kisses him.

"Just keep yourself out of trouble."

Casey looks defeated, he knows she won't listen to him.

"If anything happens to you, or one of those guys pulls a knife, get out of here, as fast as you can, all right? And if it ain't too much trouble, a little faster then last time."

"All right."

She puts her arms around her and kisses him. They both close their eyes. Bad move. Desi is with her back to Gabe, and he uses that chance. He pulls his knife and sneaks to just a foot behind them. When Casey opens his eyes he breaks the kiss fast. Too late, because Gabe is already stabbing. He stabs Desi in her back and when he grabs her upper arm he turns her around and stabs her wherever he can.

"DESI!"

"This one is for pushing me away, this one is for standing in my way, this one is for being a bitch, this one is for loving Casey, and this one is for getting me angry."

Gabe continues stabbing. Desi can hardly breath anymore. Now Casey makes his move. He pulls Desi away from Gabe and grabs the knife he's holding. Then he kicks Gabe where it hurts and pushes him away. He throws the knife away where Gabe can't reach for it. He holds Desi in his arms.

"Desi. Fuck, Desi, talk to me!"

"Casey."

It sounds like little more then a sigh.

"Desi. Don't leave me here. Don't die, please."

Desi smiles a little, but that changes into an expression of intense pain.

"Casey. Listen to me. It was very brave you stood up to Gabe like that."

"Desi, we have to get you to the Nurse's office!"

"Casey. You know it's too late. Please, just leave me, okay?"

"No, I can't. Come on, you've got to get up, please!"

He tries to get Desi up. When that doesn't work, he lifts her. He almost falls, but the thought of Desi dying is too much to bear. He carries her to the Nurse's office.

"Nurse Harper! Nurse Harper!"

He is yelling, but nobody came.

"Casey."

"Desi, please, the nurse's going to be here soon. Please hold on."

He's got tears in his eyes. A lonely tear runs down his face. Desi sees it and wipes it away.

"Casey, listen to me. This is for the best, okay? You can't save me from this."

"No, I won't let you die!"

"Casey, please. You stood up to Gabe, You achieved the goal your father set for you. You can go home now, you don't need me anymore."

"I do need you, I do! I need you because I love you, more then anyone. Please!"

"Casey, I love you two. That's why I'm telling you to let go. You can't keep hoping. You'll find someone else. You'll be beautiful, with whoever you fall in love. But you need to let go of me now. I love you too much to stay."

"No! Desi please, I love you. Don't do this, please. I want you next to me for the rest of my life."

"I will be there, Casey, in your heart. I'll watch you from wherever I'm going now. You'll find a girl who loves you for who you are. You are a beautiful person Casey. That's why I love you."

"Desi. I can't live without you."

"You can if you try. Don't be sad Casey, you lost your label. I achieved my goal. I will always be there for you. I love you."

She closes her eyes.

"Desi. No. Desi, wake up. Desi, please."

Tears run down his face.

"Desi, please wake up."

He takes her hand and kisses her face.

"Desi, please."

He is crying, hard.

"Desi, please, come back. I love you, I can't live without you. I'm not like you."

Casey is desperately trying to wake her. Tears keep running down his face.

"Gabe had no right to take you from me. Please, come back. Please Desi, I need you. You have to look after me, you promised not to go, you promised Desi please."

He is still crying when Nurse Harper rushes in. She looks at him.

"Casey."

He looks up. The desperate expression in his face scares Nurse Harper.

"Please, she isn't dead right? Just asleep, right? RIGHT?"

Nurse Harper feels her pulse and shakes her head.

"NO! Desi! Please, you promised, please. I love you, I'm sorry for everything I ever did wrong. Please come back."

Nurse Harper takes his hand and leads him to the principal's office. She sits him down, and goes out to find Mrs. Olson, the new principal. Casey sits on the chair. He buries his face in his hands. Tears keep running down his cheeks. When principal Olson comes to talk to him, he is no longer capable of doing so. He just stares out of the window, looking for the place where Desi got stabbed the first time, on the football field. He finds the spot and keeps staring at it, hoping to see Desi standing there, waving at him. Nobody's there. Still, hoping, he keeps staring. He hears nothing the principal tells him. Finally, the principal calls his parents. When they arrive, Casey still hasn't moved. His parents try to get through to him.

"Casey, Casey, please. We know her death must be hard for you."

When he doesn't move his father grabs his head and makes him look at him.

"Casey, listen to us. You've got to come home."

Casey still says nothing. He just stares at his father with an empty look that tells his father he has lost everything he had. His eyes are filled with tears and his face is dirty from dried up tears. His mother sees the loss he has suffered and hugs Casey. He starts crying again.

"It was my fault. She was defending me. She was."

His voice breaks again. His mother makes calming noises, but she doesn't know Desi has spoken them before.

"Shh, it's okay, it's okay."

He pushes his mother away and looks at her in disbelief. "No. It isn't okay. She died because of me. I got Gabe off her but she died because of me."

He sits in the chair with his knees against his chest and his arms around his legs. He's still crying. His father lifts him.

"I'll take him home. We pay the funeral, if you contact the relatives."

"Okay, thank you Mr. Connor. That is very generous."

"Only the best for her. She was the love of my son's life. She deserves a good funeral."

He nods a little and takes Casey home. He lies Casey down on the bed. He doesn't move. He just stares at the ceiling. The he starts singing quietly:

"May it be an evening star

Shines down upon you

May it be when darkness falls

Your heart will be true

You walk a lonely road

Oh! How are you are from home
Mornie utúlië

Believe and you will find your way

Mornie alantië

A promise lives within you now
May it be shadows call

Will fly away

May it be your journey on

To light the day

When the night is overcome

You may rise to find the sun
Mornie utúlië

Believe and you will find your way

Mornie alantië

A promise lives within you now
A promise lives within you now."

He doesn't know why he remembers that song, but then it hits him: Desi sang it for him when he was injured, and when he couldn't sleep because of the nightmare. A silent, lonely tear runs down his face. She sang to him when he couldn't sleep. She sang to him. He knew this would happen. But he told her to stay away from Gabe, to run when he had a knife. He sits up. He feels his belly. He looks at the bondage, and rips it of. He sees the cuts in his own belly. 'LOSER'. He realizes Desi was the only one who didn't think he was a loser. She loved him. He smiles. He remembers her last words.

"I love you."

'She did love me. She died for me. She said she would take the injuries if she had to. She kept her promise. She did it because she loves me. She told me not to be sad, to live on. She promised me I'd find someone new. She kept one promise, she will keep the other.'

With those thoughts he stands up. He goes downstairs, where he finds his parents. They seem terribly worried. He walks into the living room.

"Mum? Dad?"

They both look up at the sound of his voice.

"She kept her promise. She said she would take injuries if she had to. She promised me I'd find someone new. I will. She didn't think of me as a loser like everyone else. She made me be a hero. Her hero."

His mother smiles and hugs him.

"We're just glad you're talking and walking again. You're our only son and we love you. Never forget that."

"I won't mum."

His father stands next to him.

"You stood up for yourself, no, better yet, for someone else. That was very brave. I'm proud of you."

It becomes a big family hug, with Casey right in the middle of it.

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Now off course everyone looks for the moral in this story. Well, the moral of this story is:
EVERYONE DESERVES HAPPINESS. AND WHEN YOU HELP OTHERS, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, BUT YOU MADE SOMEONE ELSE HAPPY.