The next morning I couldn't get myself out of bed. I was just so tired that I couldn't move. Pretty soon, when I wasn't downstairs at my usual time, my dad came up to my room. He looked at the bloody towel on the floor, and then at me.
"You don't have to go to school today, if you aren't feeling well," he said kindly. I was confused. Why was he being so nice?
"Then I'll stay home," I said weakly.
He carried me downstairs, and laid me on the couch. That's where any sick Nash slept during the day. He set me up with a glass of water, and some hot soup in a thermos, to keep it hot. "If you need anything," he said to me, "Call me at work, ok?"
"Ok Daddy," I responded, knowing nothing in hell could convince me to call him.
"Your mother and I have tickets to see a concert tonight. But I'll skip it if you want."
"No, you guys go and have fun. I'll be okay."
"Ok sweetie, we'll be home around 9. Feel better." With that, he left for work, and I was home alone. I took a sip of water to wet my parched throat, and sank into a dreamless sleep.
A doorbell drew me out of my sleep. I checked the clock: 3:45. "I bet its one of my friends," I thought to myself. Not even bothering to sit up, I called, "Come on in." Sure enough, it was Craig.
"Ash and Lindsey are outside. Is it okay to bring them in?" he asked, knowing if my father were home that it would not be.
"Yeah. My dad'll be gone for a while. They can come in."
A moment later, they came inside. Lindsey started fussing over me right away.
"I missed you so much today." She headed over to my pillow to fix it, helping me to sit up. Then she gasped. I turned my head, to see what was the matter, and then realized what she saw; the pillow, usually white, was dark red with blood.
"My God, Ash, what happened?" she asked. Ash's jaw dropped, and Craig just stared at me, disbelieving. I knew what he was thinking, "Why did I let her go home?" The guilt showed on his face.
"It was, it was, those stupid senior girls again," I said, not completely lying.
Lindsey helped me sit up more, so she could change the pillow Ash was getting, and then her eyes fell on the blanket. That was bloody too, from my side.
"What the Hell happened to you?" Lindsey demanded, her eyes filling with tears.
"I told you," I insisted. "It was those senior girls."
"Only if they looked like your dad," Craig muttered under his breath. But I heard him, and so did everyone else.
"Craig, what are you talking about?" Ash asked him. "What do you mean by that?"
"Damn it Craig! You promised me!" I shouted, weakly. "You promised." My voice got softer. I was so tired, even yelling took too much energy.
"Promised what? What are you talking about? What did he promise?" Lindsey said, getting hysterical. Then it dawned on her. "Whose really been hurting you?"
"Nobody!" I yelled. After that, though, I got really dizzy, and fell back hard onto the arm of the couch. I was getting lightheaded. It was getting harder to breathe too.
"Call an ambulance!" Lindsey shouted at Ash and Craig, trying to get me to sit up again.
"No," I whispered. "He'll get mad."
"El, you need a doctor. Nobody will get mad."
"You don't understand. He'll…"I trailed off. I just wanted to sleep.
"Stay awake!" Ash demanded, on the phone. "The operator said to make sure she stays awake," she said to Craig.
"Who's going to get mad at you?" Lindsey asked me. "Tell me!" she demanded.
"Ask Craig."
"I don't want to ask Craig," she said, her eyes full of concern. "I want you to tell me. Please El."
I closed my eyes, wanting this to be over. I was so tired.
"No! Stay awake!" Lindsey insisted. "Who did this to you? Honestly!"
I paused for a minute. It would be so easy to tell her the truth. Craig did it, why couldn't I? And then, even though I hated myself for it, I responded, insisting "Nobody. Nobody's been hurting me."
In the distance I could hear sirens. They were so close, but I was so tired.
"They're almost here, El. Please, stay awake. Please El," Lindsey begged.
I knew I had to stay awake. Even that my life might depend on it. But I couldn't help it anymore. Insisting once again, "Nobody did this. Nobody!" to Lindsey, I slipped into unconsciousness
"You don't have to go to school today, if you aren't feeling well," he said kindly. I was confused. Why was he being so nice?
"Then I'll stay home," I said weakly.
He carried me downstairs, and laid me on the couch. That's where any sick Nash slept during the day. He set me up with a glass of water, and some hot soup in a thermos, to keep it hot. "If you need anything," he said to me, "Call me at work, ok?"
"Ok Daddy," I responded, knowing nothing in hell could convince me to call him.
"Your mother and I have tickets to see a concert tonight. But I'll skip it if you want."
"No, you guys go and have fun. I'll be okay."
"Ok sweetie, we'll be home around 9. Feel better." With that, he left for work, and I was home alone. I took a sip of water to wet my parched throat, and sank into a dreamless sleep.
A doorbell drew me out of my sleep. I checked the clock: 3:45. "I bet its one of my friends," I thought to myself. Not even bothering to sit up, I called, "Come on in." Sure enough, it was Craig.
"Ash and Lindsey are outside. Is it okay to bring them in?" he asked, knowing if my father were home that it would not be.
"Yeah. My dad'll be gone for a while. They can come in."
A moment later, they came inside. Lindsey started fussing over me right away.
"I missed you so much today." She headed over to my pillow to fix it, helping me to sit up. Then she gasped. I turned my head, to see what was the matter, and then realized what she saw; the pillow, usually white, was dark red with blood.
"My God, Ash, what happened?" she asked. Ash's jaw dropped, and Craig just stared at me, disbelieving. I knew what he was thinking, "Why did I let her go home?" The guilt showed on his face.
"It was, it was, those stupid senior girls again," I said, not completely lying.
Lindsey helped me sit up more, so she could change the pillow Ash was getting, and then her eyes fell on the blanket. That was bloody too, from my side.
"What the Hell happened to you?" Lindsey demanded, her eyes filling with tears.
"I told you," I insisted. "It was those senior girls."
"Only if they looked like your dad," Craig muttered under his breath. But I heard him, and so did everyone else.
"Craig, what are you talking about?" Ash asked him. "What do you mean by that?"
"Damn it Craig! You promised me!" I shouted, weakly. "You promised." My voice got softer. I was so tired, even yelling took too much energy.
"Promised what? What are you talking about? What did he promise?" Lindsey said, getting hysterical. Then it dawned on her. "Whose really been hurting you?"
"Nobody!" I yelled. After that, though, I got really dizzy, and fell back hard onto the arm of the couch. I was getting lightheaded. It was getting harder to breathe too.
"Call an ambulance!" Lindsey shouted at Ash and Craig, trying to get me to sit up again.
"No," I whispered. "He'll get mad."
"El, you need a doctor. Nobody will get mad."
"You don't understand. He'll…"I trailed off. I just wanted to sleep.
"Stay awake!" Ash demanded, on the phone. "The operator said to make sure she stays awake," she said to Craig.
"Who's going to get mad at you?" Lindsey asked me. "Tell me!" she demanded.
"Ask Craig."
"I don't want to ask Craig," she said, her eyes full of concern. "I want you to tell me. Please El."
I closed my eyes, wanting this to be over. I was so tired.
"No! Stay awake!" Lindsey insisted. "Who did this to you? Honestly!"
I paused for a minute. It would be so easy to tell her the truth. Craig did it, why couldn't I? And then, even though I hated myself for it, I responded, insisting "Nobody. Nobody's been hurting me."
In the distance I could hear sirens. They were so close, but I was so tired.
"They're almost here, El. Please, stay awake. Please El," Lindsey begged.
I knew I had to stay awake. Even that my life might depend on it. But I couldn't help it anymore. Insisting once again, "Nobody did this. Nobody!" to Lindsey, I slipped into unconsciousness