"I had to come and see you, Alicia. I couldn't get you off of my mind."
"Harrison, what in the hell are you doing here?"
"I've barely gotten any sleep since you left. I need you back in my life."
"How many times have you pulled this on me? You say this and then I become just a diversion for you again."
"But now I've realized the mistakes I've made and I.."
Colleen appeared behind Alicia.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a low, ominous tone that was unnatural to her personality.
"Colleen. Nice to see you."
"Unfortunately, I can't say the same."
Harrison ignored Colleen and looked at Alicia with heartbroken eyes.
"Can we at least talk? If you'd hear me out.."
Colleen interrupted with a snicker.
"Excuse me, hear you out? What's there to hear? You used her like a toy and neglected her when she needed you the most. Merrill is more to her than you ever were and will ever be."
"Can Merrill provide her with the life I could give her?"
Alicia said, "I'm standing right here, if you haven't noticed! Why are you talking about me as if I'm not here?"
Colleen replied, "Come on, Ali. Let's go back to dinner. He doesn't deserve a second of your time."
"Colleen, I'm not a baby. I can handle this on my own."
She looked at Harrison and said, "We can go to the garage house. But only for five minutes- that's it."
Colleen looked devastated.
"You're going to actually talk to him? Give him a chance?"
"Let me live my own life and deal with my own problems. I'm 22, not 12."
Alicia made her way past Colleen and stepped out of the front door with Harrison. They walked to the garage house and went inside. Harrison sat on the couch and Alicia sat on the bed.
He said, "This is where you live?"
"Yeah."
"And it used to be a garage?"
"It still is, downstairs."
"Do you realize you live in a garage?"
"It's cute. I like it."
"It's nothing like when you and I lived together."
"What did you come here to talk about?"
"How long has it been since…"
"Since what?"
"Since we spent time together like this. Just the two of us?"
"We're not spending time together. I'm waiting to hear your explanation of why you drove all the way out here just to see me."
"It's because I'm still in love with you and I still want to marry you."
"I don't feel the same way. I was never truly happy with you and never would be if I did marry you."
"That new boyfriend of yours wouldn't be able to give you the life you deserve, Alicia. You deserve to be treated like royalty and have anything you want. I could give you that."
"You probably could give me more materialistically and financially, but that's not what I'm looking for. I want someone who'll do anything and everything for me without thinking. Someone to give me support and unconditional love. You're too busy to commit to that type of relationship."
Meanwhile, with a bouquet of a dozen, long-stem roses, Merrill pulled into the driveway of the Hess home. He knew that the family would be eating dinner, so he thought he would surprise Alicia with the flowers at the dinner table. He was ready to forgive her and forget their traumatic weekend. He got out of his car and went inside the main house. Much to his surprise, Colleen was cleaning the kitchen while the kids sat in the living room with Graham.
"I hope those flowers aren't for my sister," Colleen said, her voice laced with anger and frustration.
"They..are. Why would you say that?"
Colleen put down the dish she was washing and faced Merrill.
"Harrison drove up here, wanting to talk to her. I was positive that she wouldn't even acknowledge the fact that he was alive, but she didn't."
"He drove up her to see her, and she's talking to him right now?"
"They're in the garage house."
Merrill rushed through the house and outside. Meanwhile, Alicia and Harrison finished their conversation.
Harrison said, "You're giving up an amazing future."
"No I'm not. But I'm glad we're leaving off on amicable terms."
"I guess so. If things don't work out between you and…him, I'm just a phone call away."
He held out his arms and Alicia embraced him. Then they let go and he looked into Alicia's eyes.
"Can I steal one final kiss?"
"On the cheek."
Alicia turned her face to the side so that Harrison could kiss her cheek. As he leaned in, he turned her cheek with his fingertips and kissed her on the mouth. Little did Alicia know that Merrill had been watching through the half-open curtains. Disgusted, he threw down her roses and stormed down the stairs.
"Did you hear that?" asked Alicia, pushing Harrison away.
"It sounded like someone was on the stairs."
She went to the door and saw Merrill walking to his car.
"Oh my God, it was Merrill."
She flew down the stairs and ran to him.
"Merrill! Wait!"
Merrill turned around and Alicia was startled to see that his eyes were filling with tears.
"I swallowed my pride and came here to forgive you. But I guess once a liar, always a liar."
"What are you talking about? Harrison drove up here to settle things with me."
"Then why were you kissing him?"
Harrison appeared, with the crumpled roses in his hand.
"Just for the record, Alicia did not kiss me. I kissed her."
Merrill angrily growled, "Stay out of this."
"How could I not kiss her? No one on Earth has lips like that. So soft and beautiful..not the only part of her body that's perfectly kissable."
"If you don't get out of my sight by the time I finish the sentence, I swear to God I'll-"
"You'll what?"
Alicia said, "Stop now. Harrison, go home."
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving," Harrison replied.
Then he looked at Merrill with a smug and arrogant smile, holding the roses that Merrill had thrown down.
"Oh, and thanks for the flowers, Merrill. I didn't know they made artificial flowers this real. I-"
Without saying a word, Merrill decked Harrison across the face and Alicia screamed.
"Merrill!!"
Harrison rubbed the side of his face and said, "I'm not going to fight you again. It's not worth my time or yours."
Harrison made his way to Alicia and lowered his mouth to her ear.
"Alicia, Alicia, Alicia. Once a slut, always a slut."
Alicia literally felt as if he had taken a knife and ripped open her back. He tossed the roses to the ground and got in his car. As he sped away, Merrill and Alicia looked at each other with icy glares. They were so upset at one another, they couldn't open their mouths.
Finally, Merrill said, "You are so lucky that you're a woman right now."
"Why's that?"
"Because if you were a man, I'd knock your lights out. I don't think I've ever been so disappointed and mad at someone in my life."
"Who cares if I'm a girl? Knock my lights out, big man. It seems to be your favorite thing to do lately."
"Alicia, don't push me."
"What more do I need to explain to you? He asked me if he could kiss me, and I said just my cheek. He went to do that and turned my face. I did not kiss him, Merrill."
"I don't know what to believe anymore. I…I just need time to think about this."
"What are you saying?"
"Don't call me for a week or so. And I can't come around here for a while, knowing you'll be here."
"Merrill, don't do this to me. I need you."
"No, you need to get your priorities straight. And you also need to decide whether or not you want to be with Harrison or not."
"I don't want to be with him! I want to be with you. I'm in love with you, Merrill."
"Come on, keep bringing the lies."
"I'M NOT LYING!" she screamed.
Merrill walked to his car and said, "How can we be together when all we do is argue?"
"So you've forgotten the night of my birthday and the one after that?"
He looked at Alicia and said, "The pity act won't work on me, Alicia. We just…we just weren't meant to be."
"Merrill, don't just give up. Not every relationship is picture perfect. We'll work everything out."
"I don't need to work anything out. It's you who needs to do that."
He got in the car and drove away without even glancing at Alicia. She stood in disbelief and then went into the main house. Colleen was in the kitchen, helping Morgan with some homework.
"Coll, are you really really busy right now?"
She looked up at Alicia, then back down at the homework.
"Please?"
Colleen looked at Morgan and said, "Honey, why don't you go brush your teeth and get in your pajamas. It's almost time for bed anyway."
"But Mom.."
"No buts."
Morgan reluctantly got up from the table and ran upstairs.
Colleen immediately said, "Alicia, I really don't want to hear what you have to say. You dug your own grave."
"But I need your help with something."
"You told me earlier, and I quote, 'Let me live my own life and deal with my own problems.' So why should I help you if you desire to sever all ties with me?"
"I didn't mean it in that way."
"Oh, so what exactly did you mean?"
"I just…I hated the fact that you and Harrison were talking about me like I wasn't there."
"But what really disappoints me is how you didn't even listen to me or defend me when he was groveling at the front door. I would never do that to you if the situation was opposite."
"Colleen…"
"You need to start making the right decisions. Decisions that don't center solely around you. If you don't, you'll end up hurting everyone around you."
"Well, I thought I was making a right decision by moving here to be closer to you. But I guess that was just another bad decision. I'm so good at making those, right?"
"You're being very immature, Alicia."
Alicia left through the back door as Colleen sat back down at the kitchen table. She reached across it for the cordless phone and dialed their parents' home.
"Mom? Hey, it's me. Listen, I'm really worried about Ali…"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Alicia woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing the next morning. She jumped up, thinking that it was maybe Merrill, but it wasn't. Instead, the caller ID read, "HOME."
"Hello?"
"Hi, sweetie."
"Hey, Mom. What's up?"
"Are you alright?"
"I've been better."
"Colleen called me last night."
"Did she?"
"Yes. Honey, was that Harrison Peters really a friend you went to school with, or something more?"
Alicia's stomach turned.
"What did Colleen tell you?"
"She told me he stopped by last night to get a ring back or something. I.."
Sarah stopped talking when she heard Alicia start to cry. More than anything, she was upset with Colleen for calling their mom.
"Alicia, why are you crying?"
"Mom, there's so much more to the story. Harrison…Harrison didn't even go to school with me. Remember that internship I told you that I had for the summer..the one at the ad agency?"
"Yes."
"Well, I met Harrison at the agency. He was an ad exec and he took me under his wing. I started staying later hours, helping him with projects, and he said I was an amazing, dedicated worker. So he offered to let me stay in one of his two apartments in the city, for free. I couldn't turn down living in a penthouse, so I accepted. One night, we were just hanging out and one thing led to another..we slept together. From that point on, things changed. He told me that if I dropped out of school, he would give me a full-time and high-paying job, so I did."
"So you dropped out more than two months ago like you originally said?"
"I dropped out almost two years ago, Mom."
"So you weren't getting scholarships that paid for school like you said?"
"No. But Mom, there's more to the story."
"I…I can't hear anymore. It hurts too much."
"Don't say that, Mom."
"I'm so disappointed in you, Alicia. And I'm sure your father will be too. I thought all that time that you were furthering your education."
"I thought that I was doing the right thing."
"How is moving in with your boss and sleeping with him the right thing?"
"Mom, let me explain.."
"I don't want to hear it right now. I need time to let this settle in. I thought you were over the flaws you had when you were in high school- but maybe I was wrong."
"Mom, don't. I.."
"Bye, Alicia."
Sarah hung up, leaving Alicia stunned with bitter emotion. She then got up and left the garage house, running to the main house. She went in, but saw that everyone had gone upstairs. She desperately wanted to talk to Colleen, but knew that she was mad at her. She headed back to the garage house and went inside. She even tried calling Ellen, but her phone was off.
I'm worthless, Alicia thought to herself, Colleen hates me, Graham probably thinks I'm a bad influence on the kids, Mom and Dad think I'm a disappointment, Harrison thinks I'm a slut, and Merrill can't stand me at all. I'm worthless. If I died tomorrow, no one would miss me. Not even Ellen- I ruined her weekend.
Alicia went into the bathroom and found a bottle of Ambien. She had taken it for insomnia during her last few months in New York. She opened the bottle and poured a few pills into her hand. Then she filled a glass with water.
She looked down at the pills and thought to herself, All I cause is pain and heartache for everyone around me. I always have and always will.
She took a deep breath and swallowed the abnormally large dosage. Then she chased down four more and her feet buckled from underneath her almost immediately. The room began blurring and she could've sworn that it was spinning. Brutal waves of nausea took hold of her body, as well as violent convulsions. Her head hit the back of the bathtub as she blacked out.
* * * * * * * * * * *
About an hour passed. Colleen was still lying awake in bed.
"Graham? Honey, are you awake?"
"Huh?"
"Are you awake?"
"Now I am. What's wrong?"
"I think I was too hard on Alicia. I didn't give her a chance to explain her side of the story. And I should've have called Mom and Dad. It's just that I was so angry at her for giving Harrison another chance when she has Merrill right there, willing to do anything for her."
Graham looked out the window at the garage house.
"Her lights are still on. Why don't you go talk to her?"
"Maybe I will."
"You go do that. I'm going back to bed."
Colleen kissed Graham and said, "I'll be right back."
Colleen put on her a hooded jacket and old sneakers. She headed downstairs, out the back door, and to the garage house. She walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.
"Ali, it's me. Are you awake in there? I wanted to talk. Ali? Hello?"
She turned the doorknob and went inside.
"Alicia? Where are you?"
Colleen looked around the bedroom and thought, Maybe Merrill came by and they went to his apartment. Oh well- I'll just come back in the morning.
She suddenly heard what sounded like a quick gasp come from the bathroom. She wanted to initially ignore it, but something told her to go and check. She went into the bathroom and screamed. Little had she expected to see Alicia lying on the ground, gasping for air, discolored skin, and eyes rolled back in her head.
"Alicia??!! Alicia?? Oh my God, oh my God! Wake up, sweetie..come on!"
Alicia had slipped into unconsciousness again. Colleen got up and sprinted out of the house and back into the main home.
"Graham! Graham!! Oh my God!"
Graham met her halfway on the stairs.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
"It's Alicia! I think she tried to kill herself! She's not.."
Without saying a word, Graham ran as fast as he could to the garage house and stormed in. Colleen followed, praying for Alicia as Graham tried to wake her up.
"God," he said, "she's barely breathing and her heart's pounding. Call an ambulance, Colleen."
Colleen ran into the bedroom and dialed 911.
"Hello?! Yes, my sister overdosed on something. The bottle says Ambien. I don't know how many she took, but her eyes are rolled back in her head and her skin is almost all white and pasty. Oh God, please send someone here now!!"