Michelle-Note: Yes, Lizzie is broken. Hahaha! And I'm not telling how yet, you will see, you will all see!

Chapter 22: Stupid Shit and Terminal Illnesses?

Kate: Ruby's House, Sacramento: 9:29pm: 15 June

"You gotta tell her, Kate. Just go over there. She isn't doing anything." Tawny said to me.

We were sitting at the bottom of the stairs in Ruby's house, and we weren't looking at each other, just talking. I shook my head, "I can't…"

"Can too."

"Why don't you go and tell, Ren?" Lizzie had just sat down with a Smirnoff after dancing with Twitty even more, right in front of me. She handed the bottle to the boy to open it, then he handed it back. Then Miranda sat down next to her.

"Can't…" Said Tawny.

"That's why you go around trying to set everyone else up, isn't it?"

"Yep. Me and you…we share a brain, I think…only you react differently to your situation than I do."

"I suppose so…overcompensating and stuff…"

"I go out with everyone, and help everyone else with their problems to make it seem like I have none…and you're just a bitch." She laughed a little.

Lizzie looked at me, and I looked down, "Yeah…pretty sad, isn't it?"

"Yep. I think we made it worse at the club…"

"I think so too."

"So go fix it."

"Can't."

"Twitty got up."

"Miranda's still there."

"Fuck her."

"I'd rather not."

I watched Claire walk over and engage in very happy conversation with the girl who hated me for no good reason. Well, good reason. She was drunk. I could go. All I had to do was get up, and walk over there, and snatch Lizzie away. Claire stumbled away, then Matt went up to her.

"Don't sit around and let the opportunity pass. Just do it, or you'll regret it."

"She doesn't like me."

"Does."

"She deserves better than me."

Tawny sighed, "Go, Kate."

Matt skipped away, and Lizzie looked like she was in pain or something. She winced, then tried to play it off, "I can't go."

"You can too. Get up, and walk over there. You're not drunk, you can walk."

"There's Ruby. Ask her where Ren is." Ruby was stumbling toward us.

"Her, she is drunk." Tawny commented.

"Hey, girls, hey!" Ruby said, her enthusiasm was sickening.

"Where's Ren?" She asked, and I just sat there, looking at Lizzie, without trying to look like I was looking at her.

"I worked the Ruby magic."

"You did…what?" Tawny was bothered.

I, personally, had no idea what the "Ruby magic" was, but it worried me too. I leaned over to Tawny, "I'm gonna go, and like…sit in the kitchen…"

"K." She turned quickly back to Ruby, "What did you do?"

Walking into the kitchen, I had to pass Lizzie, and I avoided looking at her. I looked straight ahead the whole time. Possibly too straight ahead. It probably looked suspicious, not that anyone was paying attention to me. Gordo was sitting alone at the kitchen table. All of his friends abandoned him. It isn't much fun to be abandoned at a party with people you know, much less a bunch of strangers. I sat down next to him.

"Kate?"

"That's me…" I said a little unsurely. I didn't want him to start yelling at me. I really wasn't in the mood. "What are you doing in here sitting by yourself?"

"Well…Miranda is drunk and all over my dear cousin Louis. Lizzie is on her way to drunkenness and is all over my dear cousin's friend Twitty. Ren told me she'd pal around with me and not drink, but she ended up drinking, and went into that bedroom back there," He nodded down the hallway behind him, "With Ethan, who I thought was your boyfriend. Monique, she also told me she'd watch my back, but you know, I haven't seen her, and I don't know anyone else here, aside from Ruby, who I am trying very hard to avoid because I don't want to lose my virginity by being raped."

I blinked, "Ethan isn't my boyfriend. We broke up, and he's with…Ren?"

"Yep." He seemed disappointed in her.

"Shit…" I looked back at Tawny. She was standing up now, yelling at Ruby, but I couldn't hear what she was saying.

"Shit what?"

"I…I don't know if I can tell you."

"Do what?"

"It's just…I dunno…"

"Something is definitely wrong with you. Are you drunk?"

I shook my head, "Sadly, no. I'm completely sober, and in love with Lizzie."

"Repeat that last part."

I looked at the boy, who looked dumbfounded and wasn't sure if he heard me right, "I am in love with your best friend, the blonde girl, Lizzie. I need to tell her, and I need to do it soon."

"Well…that's definitely an interesting turn of events…" He sat silent for a minute, then looked at something behind me, "Here she comes right now. Ironically."

I looked out of the corner of my eye, trying not to turn around and make it obvious. She went to the refrigerator, then looked toward us and tilted her head like she couldn't see well.

"Gordo?!" She shouted as she pulled out another Smirnoff.

He looked up, "Ren ditched me, and I've been hiding in here because I can't find Monique."

She walked to the table, struggling with the lid of her bottle. She handed it to Gordo, not saying a word. He looked at for a second, then looked at me, rolled his eyes, and opened it.

"Lizzie?" I said cautiously.

"Yes?"

"Sorry about earlier."

"No big deal," She said bitterly, not looking at her, "You're a bitch almost all the time, I'm used to it."

"I'm sorry, seriously."

"Whatever." She groaned and walked away.

"Lizzie, wait." I said, but she didn't. She didn't even seem to hear me

"Lizzie, come back for a second before you go off and get drunk." Gordo called after her too. She didn't respond to him either. He looked at me and shrugged, "Are you really serious, or is this some sort of evil plan to just screw with her because if it is-"

"No, Gordo. I'm not even remotely joking." I looked back and watched her walk up to Tawny and Ruby.

"You're really serious, aren't you?"

"Yes, and I don't care if she turns me down, and screams at me, and calls me a bitch because I deserve all of that. I just have to tell her…if only I would stop being such a pussy and just fucking tell her."

Tawny stormed away from Ruby and Lizzie, looking frantic.

"Tawny!" I yelled, "Come here."

She moved toward me, and looked like she was about to cry, "I fucked up."

"I'm sorry…it's my fault too. They're back there." I pointed, knowing what was the matter. I hoped nothing bad had happened.

"It's not your fault. It was my idea…go tell Lizzie before something like this happens, please. You'll regret it…" She shook her head, said no more, and ran down the hallway, barging into the closed door at the end.

"What was that about?" Gordo asked.

"Me and Tawny…we're the same…only…different…"

"Alright…that explains it all."

I sighed, and rested my forehead on the table, stretching my arms out. I'm not sure if it was supposed to make me feel better or not, "I hate myself, you know that…If I could go back in time, I would change everything with Lizzie. All of it."

"Well…" I felt his hand on top of mine, "If you changed everything and did it all differently you might not have ended up liking her."

"That would be quite fine. Seeing as it has made me utterly miserable, so miserable I've treated her like shit, and it wasn't her fault at all…" I looked up.

He was caressing my hand, not in a seductive way, just a friendly way, "She's a hard girl to like."

"I yelled at her for not giving you a chance on many random occasions that no one saw."

"Why?"

"Because you're probably the only decent guy in existence, that's why, and she deserves that. Not some bastard ex-boyfriend of mine, or even me…"

"Kate…I'm sorry…I wish I could do something…"

"You could get her to talk to me, but I really don't deserve it after all these years, and all the times she tried to talk to me, and I bitched at her…today was one of them." I sighed again.

"Fuck you!" Ren screamed from the bedroom.

"Shit, Ren! What's your problem?!" Tawny yelled back.

"What's my problem?! What is my problem?! I'm not the one who randomly hooks up with a different person every week! I wasn't going to have sex with him, and I don't know why you would care if I did!" Yelled Ren.

"Girls…chill…" I heard Ethan interject.

Gordo and I both stopped to listen. Lizzie walked into the kitchen, obviously doing the same.

I tried to seize the moment as she passed by me, "Lizzie…I need to talk to you…"

She ignored me again, and tiptoed into the dark hallway. Gordo shook his head, and whispered, "I'll get her in a second."

"Stay out of this!" Tawny screamed at my idiot ex-boyfriend, "This isn't you, Ren!"

"How do you know it isn't me?! You don't know me Tawny."

"Ow…" I heard a faint, random noise from Lizzie, rather than the other two.

"I've known you for years!"

"So what?!"

"Girls…please…nothing happened, little angry girl…chillax…" Ethan needed to shut up.

"Shut up!" Tawny yelled at him again, then focused back on Ren, "You just…you…" She stuttered. I wanted to go stand up for her somehow, or something. I don't know. The poor girl. I could tell from her voice that she was about to cry, but trying not too. I knew what that was like very well.

"What Tawny?! Are you jealous?! Did you want Ethan or something?! Another notch for you fucking belt because you want to try and be with every person that is in, or happens to come to Sacramento?!"

"Ren, no!"

Lizzie leaned over against the wall for some reason, and seemed to be holding her side. I was worried, but what could I do?

"What is it then?! Why'd you come barging in here?!"

"Because I didn't want you to do anything you'd regret!"

"It's my fucking life! You have no room to stop me from harmlessly making out with this boy because you make out with everyone! You kissed Ruby and Monique for God's sake, but never me! Am I not good enough?!"

"Ren…" She hesitated, "You're too good for me…that's what it is…you deserve better than me…" There was a long pause, "I'm leaving. Bye."

Lizzie seemed to panic a little because Tawny was going to come out and see that she was listening, she grabbed at her side again. Tawny came out, stopped, and looked at her concerned, "What's the matter?"

"Not sure, really…" She said quietly, "I'm feeling sorta sick, very hot, and there's a rather bothersome pain in my side. I think I'm dying."

"You're not dying. Give me that." She took the little bit of Lizzie's Smirnoff and drank it. I wanted to get up, and I started to, but then Ethan came out of the bedroom.

"Oh hey, Lizzie!" He yelled.

"Hey."

"Wanna go sit?" Tawny said to her, ignoring Ethan's existence, and taking her hand.

"What's the need to sit for?" Ethan asked.

"Here. Hold this." She then handed him the empty bottle.

He held it up to his eye and looked through it, "I know someone who likes you, Lizzie. They like you a lot."

He was definitely referring to me. Gordo looked at me to confirm, and I nodded.

"Ok. Ethan." She mumbled, and Tawny started to lead her away.

I started to stand up again, but I was interrupted.

"Hey, Kate!" Ethan said, enthusiastically.

"Ethan, please leave me alone." I said to him, standing and trying to get around him to Lizzie, who seemed like she was holding onto Tawny for dear life.

"Just go someplace else right now." Gordo told him, getting up too, and noticing that there was something wrong with Lizzie.

"What's bumming you, Kate?" Ethan said, ignoring both of us.

"Go away." I said again.

"Nah. Kate, we need to talk. You can't just let her walk away. Go after her. She's moving slow, you can catch her."

I glared at him. He was in my way. He was blocking my path. He stepped aside, and I just stood there, looking at her. Watching her go.

"Go now, Kate. Stop being stupid. You're being stupid." He was practically yelling at me, and Gordo was staring at him, amazed that he saying intelligent things. It was a shame that no one else was sober enough to remember it.

"Tawny!" Ren yelled coming out of the bedroom, "Come talk to me!"

I watched at Tawny sat Lizzie by the wall next to the stairs. She got down next to her, and did something, I couldn't tell what, then she stood up, "Is anyone here sober enough to drive?! We need to go to a fucking hospital!"

"What happened?!" Shouted Ren, over the sudden commotion that ensued, following Tawny's statement.

Everyone in the vicinity was in a drunken stupor. Gordo ran over to Lizzie, and I followed, then Ren came after me.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Appendix is my best guess, but hell if I know." She said, "She passed out…either she can't take pain or it was the alcohol."

I peaked around the small crowd that gathered, and saw her scrunched up by the wall. I hung back, and crazy thoughts ran through my head. Ren pushed by me, and took control of the situation, "Everyone listen! Who is parked so that they can get out of here?!"

"Me, I think." Twitty said.

"Give me your keys." She commanded.

"Ren, you've been drinking." Tawny reminded her.

"I know." She snatched Twitty's keys from his hand, "Who hasn't been drinking at all?!"

"Where's Kate? She hasn't been drinking." Tawny said.

"I'm right here." I pushed through the few people in my way, and Ren shoved the keys into my hand.

"It's the Ford Focus, it's green." She said.

I nodded, there wasn't anything else I could do, and I was on autopilot.

"Gordo, come here!" Tawny yelled, "Help me carry her, and go with us."

He nodded too. Everyone was standing silently, listening for commands.

"Where's Matt?!" Ren demanded.

"Here." He said.

"Go with them, and call your parents when you get there. I'm staying here to clean all of this shit up." She looked around, "Ruby!"

She jumped up from the chair she had dozed off in, "Wha?"

"Everyone who is too drunk to go home, you're staying here, and you will help clean in the morning." Ren was like a drill sergeant.

No one argued with her, and everyone was too drunk to go home.

I followed everyone out of the front door, and looked at the cars parked down the side of the road for a green Ford Focus. It wasn't far. My heart was racing. I prayed that Lizzie not die, then kept telling myself it was just her appendix, and we would get there on time. It was all going to be ok. I hoped she couldn't get in trouble for being drunk. Even though she didn't seem that drunk. Shit. Could they refuse to treat her if she were underage and drunk? No. Shit, no. I needed to stop thinking about things like that. It was all going to be fine. I would get my chance. I was not going to miss my chance.

"Matt, get in the front." Tawny said, getting into the back with Lizzie, and Gordo.

I got into the driver's side, and started the car, "Tawny, tell me how to get there. You're the only person that knows."