"Julie?" Helen opened the door to her friends hospital room slightly,
trying to see if she was awake.
Julie, who had been looking out the window, turned her head and smiled weakly at Helen. "Helen what are you doing here? It's early morning." She said happy but surprised.
Helen walked into the room. "Yeah well...I woke up and Barry's out on his morning jog so I figured I'd go see how you were."
Julie smiled again. "I'm fine, really. Does he know you're here? Barry I mean."
"I left him a note." Helen told pulling up a chair so she could sit next to the bed.
Julie nodded thoughtful. "Good. I don't want him to worry about you."
Helen looked sadly at her pale friend. Where was the preppy cheerleader she'd once known?
"Barry will be okay, I'm more worried about you."
Julie snorted. "This is all an over exaggeration, me lying here. They just don't believe me and don't know where else to put me. You believe my though? Right Helen?" Julie looked hopefull and Helen's eyes got big.
Believe the killer was after them again? This many years later?
She stood up to avoid the question. "What about Ray? Have you called Ray?" She asked and Julie turned her head away from her.
"Julie?" Helen insisted.
"No I haven't." She mumbled and Helen frowned although she wasn't surprised.
"But why..."
"He doesn't need to know." Julie snapped. "I don't want him in danger." She then added softly and Helen hugged her hand.
"But if there's something after us, he deserves to know. He'd be safer then." She hoped Julie would agree. She was sure that if she could get Ray there it'd be easier. He and Julie had a connection no one else understood.
If Ray could just come talk to Jule ...Helen sighed, she knew she was reaching for straws but they needed all help they could get. Julie needed him.
"I don't want him here." Julie resisted. Ray meant too much feeling and pain for her and her blonde fried saw it in her eyes.
"But you could talk..." Helen kept insisting.
"No!" Suddenly there was a lot more force in Julie's voice. "He ...I ... we're not like you and Barry okay? We're not all sunshine and roses.We're not perfect!" She said angrily and looked away.
Helen crinkled her eyebrows looking upset. "Perfect? Barry and I are *not* perfect." She sighed and started to pace around. "I mean, I love him ...I probably love him more and more for every day that passes. But..." She took a deep breath.
"But we're not okay." She exhaled and lookd at Julie with sad eyes. "Did you know he cheated on me?" The tears came to her eyes and she forced herself to swallow before she continued.
"And I don't mean high school and all that. This was a year ago."
Julie watched her slump down in the chair. She was shocked.
"What? How?" She didnt' know what to ask.
Helen smiled uncomfortable. "We're still kind of working our way back from that. I don't blame him ...well maybe a little. It's just that we have two so different lives. He studies a lot, I work even more. He hangs out with frat guys and well let's just say my social crowd is quite different. Not that I mind, but it clashes. He wants to get trashed when I rather stay at home."
Julie remembered Helen to be quite the party girl and frowned. "But I thought you..." She started but got cut off by Helen who had a sad but honest smile on her face.
"I still like to party, don't get me wrong. It's just, I'm happiest when I'm alone with Barry. Always have and always will be."
Julie smiled a little. She knew that. Helen had always been a simple girl.
"I didn't know." She said a little ashamed but Helen waved dismissingly and stood up.
"Which is as much my fault. I'm sorry Julie - that I haven't called or written. I've been a bad friend, it's just with all going on..." She paused and Julie nodded understanding.
"I understand. It's okay. You had yours, I don't blame you."
"But I do." Helen sat down on the side of the bed. "I could've been here earlier, helped you."
Julie looked at her with big tired eyes. "I wish that I would've contacted you but ... I didn't. And well, neither of us can take that back so lets just put it behind us."
Helen smiled and squeezed Julie's hand. "When did you go all wise?" She joked but then looked serious. "Julie..." She said and her friend nodded a little.
"He lives in Texas now, he's studying." She revealed. "His number is written on a pink note, lies in a jar in my kitchen. A glass jar." Julie nodded at Helen. "Call him." She said just as Barry appeared in the door.
When Helen saw his beaten face she rushed up to him, horror struck.
"Oh my God Barry, are you okay? What happened?" She led him to the chair and helped him sit down.
"It's nothing." Her boyfriend moaned.
"Pretty big nothing." Julie said and Barry glanced at her.
"It was just a bum. He wanted cash but I didn't have any." He said. He didn't want to worry either of the girls.
Helen kneeled down by his chair with big sad eyes and unhappy mouth. Barry put his hand under her chin and forced a smile.
"Cheer up Heller. It looks worse then it is." He tried to comfort but the worry didn't leave her eyes.
She had a bad feeling in her gut and looking into Barry's eyes she knew there was something he wasn't saying.
Barry stroked her hair gently as the words 'you're next' kept ringing in his head.
Julie, who had been looking out the window, turned her head and smiled weakly at Helen. "Helen what are you doing here? It's early morning." She said happy but surprised.
Helen walked into the room. "Yeah well...I woke up and Barry's out on his morning jog so I figured I'd go see how you were."
Julie smiled again. "I'm fine, really. Does he know you're here? Barry I mean."
"I left him a note." Helen told pulling up a chair so she could sit next to the bed.
Julie nodded thoughtful. "Good. I don't want him to worry about you."
Helen looked sadly at her pale friend. Where was the preppy cheerleader she'd once known?
"Barry will be okay, I'm more worried about you."
Julie snorted. "This is all an over exaggeration, me lying here. They just don't believe me and don't know where else to put me. You believe my though? Right Helen?" Julie looked hopefull and Helen's eyes got big.
Believe the killer was after them again? This many years later?
She stood up to avoid the question. "What about Ray? Have you called Ray?" She asked and Julie turned her head away from her.
"Julie?" Helen insisted.
"No I haven't." She mumbled and Helen frowned although she wasn't surprised.
"But why..."
"He doesn't need to know." Julie snapped. "I don't want him in danger." She then added softly and Helen hugged her hand.
"But if there's something after us, he deserves to know. He'd be safer then." She hoped Julie would agree. She was sure that if she could get Ray there it'd be easier. He and Julie had a connection no one else understood.
If Ray could just come talk to Jule ...Helen sighed, she knew she was reaching for straws but they needed all help they could get. Julie needed him.
"I don't want him here." Julie resisted. Ray meant too much feeling and pain for her and her blonde fried saw it in her eyes.
"But you could talk..." Helen kept insisting.
"No!" Suddenly there was a lot more force in Julie's voice. "He ...I ... we're not like you and Barry okay? We're not all sunshine and roses.We're not perfect!" She said angrily and looked away.
Helen crinkled her eyebrows looking upset. "Perfect? Barry and I are *not* perfect." She sighed and started to pace around. "I mean, I love him ...I probably love him more and more for every day that passes. But..." She took a deep breath.
"But we're not okay." She exhaled and lookd at Julie with sad eyes. "Did you know he cheated on me?" The tears came to her eyes and she forced herself to swallow before she continued.
"And I don't mean high school and all that. This was a year ago."
Julie watched her slump down in the chair. She was shocked.
"What? How?" She didnt' know what to ask.
Helen smiled uncomfortable. "We're still kind of working our way back from that. I don't blame him ...well maybe a little. It's just that we have two so different lives. He studies a lot, I work even more. He hangs out with frat guys and well let's just say my social crowd is quite different. Not that I mind, but it clashes. He wants to get trashed when I rather stay at home."
Julie remembered Helen to be quite the party girl and frowned. "But I thought you..." She started but got cut off by Helen who had a sad but honest smile on her face.
"I still like to party, don't get me wrong. It's just, I'm happiest when I'm alone with Barry. Always have and always will be."
Julie smiled a little. She knew that. Helen had always been a simple girl.
"I didn't know." She said a little ashamed but Helen waved dismissingly and stood up.
"Which is as much my fault. I'm sorry Julie - that I haven't called or written. I've been a bad friend, it's just with all going on..." She paused and Julie nodded understanding.
"I understand. It's okay. You had yours, I don't blame you."
"But I do." Helen sat down on the side of the bed. "I could've been here earlier, helped you."
Julie looked at her with big tired eyes. "I wish that I would've contacted you but ... I didn't. And well, neither of us can take that back so lets just put it behind us."
Helen smiled and squeezed Julie's hand. "When did you go all wise?" She joked but then looked serious. "Julie..." She said and her friend nodded a little.
"He lives in Texas now, he's studying." She revealed. "His number is written on a pink note, lies in a jar in my kitchen. A glass jar." Julie nodded at Helen. "Call him." She said just as Barry appeared in the door.
When Helen saw his beaten face she rushed up to him, horror struck.
"Oh my God Barry, are you okay? What happened?" She led him to the chair and helped him sit down.
"It's nothing." Her boyfriend moaned.
"Pretty big nothing." Julie said and Barry glanced at her.
"It was just a bum. He wanted cash but I didn't have any." He said. He didn't want to worry either of the girls.
Helen kneeled down by his chair with big sad eyes and unhappy mouth. Barry put his hand under her chin and forced a smile.
"Cheer up Heller. It looks worse then it is." He tried to comfort but the worry didn't leave her eyes.
She had a bad feeling in her gut and looking into Barry's eyes she knew there was something he wasn't saying.
Barry stroked her hair gently as the words 'you're next' kept ringing in his head.