A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I'm taking English, algebra, psychology and geography this semester, and in the last 4 weeks I've had 5 papers due and 10 math assignments. I will be trying to update on the weekends, from here on out, but I wanted to ease the suspense, so here you go. J
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!
Lauren paced the floor, trying to tune out the voices on the intercom and all the sirens. She glanced at her watch, frustrated to see that only 3 minutes had passed since the last time she'd checked it. Her impatience was beginning to show as she waited for her mom and dad. What was taking them so long?
"Lauren?" She heard her mother call. She turned and saw her mother and Lucas barreling down the stark hallway.
"Mom!" She exclaimed, rushing forward. She fell into her mother, finally allowing herself to cry.
"Sweetie, what happened? Where is Charity, is she okay?" Her mother asked, gently pulling away slightly. Lauren slowly opened her eyes and took a deep breath before recalling the nights events.
"Zach and I walked over to the park. We were standing on the sidewalk, talking, and the next thing I knew, Charity came flying up, pushing me down. Then I heard her scream, and that's when I saw the car. It was too late for me to do anything. All I could do was watch the car hit her." Lauren sobbed. It was as if speaking about the events of the night made them more real. Lucas's voice broke the cycle of images that were replaying in her head.
"I've got to find a doctor and see what's going on." He said, rushing off. Peyton sank into a hard plastic chair, looking completely lost. Lauren couldn't look at her mother when she looked like that, so she wandered around the corner and down another hallway.
She wandered aimlessly until she came to another waiting area. She was surprised to see Zach sitting in a chair alone. In the chaos that had ensued after the accident, she'd somehow lost track of him. She had known that he was alright, Charity had shoved him down with Lauren.
"Zach? What are you doing here? Are you alright?" She asked quietly, sitting down beside him. He turned to her, a blank expression on his face.
"She's dead." He whispered hoarsely. Lauren stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Who's dead, Zach?" She asked slowly. He couldn't be talking about Charity, could he?
"Chloe. My sister is dead, and its all my fault." He said slowly, without turning to look at her.
"How? I don't understand." Lauren asked, feeling as if she were missing something.
"It was Skylar's car that hit Charity. I guess she saw us and snapped. She freaked out and took off. Chloe jumped in with her. I don't know what happened after that, but the cops said it looked liked Chloe tried to yank the wheel at the last minute, but it was too late." He explained, burying his head in his hands. Lauren gently rubbed his back as he sobbed. She wished that she was anywhere but here.
"I'm sorry, I have to go." She said quickly, as she jumped up from the chair and ran out of the room. She felt like she couldn't breath. She had to get out of the building. She needed air. She ran down the hallway towards the doors. She stumbled out into the sun and right into Tyler.
"Lauren, are you alright?" He asked, grabbing her arms to steady her. She shook her head as the tears poured down her cheeks.
"I can't stay here. I can't just sit here and wait. It's driving me crazy!" She sobbed loudly into Tyler's shoulder. He stroked her hair until she was calmer. She pulled back and wiped her eyes.
"I'd better go and check on my mom and dad." She murmured, heading back inside.
"I'll come with you." Tyler offered, squeezing her hand. She gave him a small smile and leaned into him as they walked down the long, white hallway.
"Lauren, where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Peyton exclaimed as they turned the corner into the waiting area.
"I needed some air. What's going on?" She asked, noticing the urgency in her mothers tone.
"Charity's out of surgery. The doctors said that when she wakes up, she'll be fine." Peyton nearly shouted, hugging Lauren and Tyler. Lauren grinned at Tyler as Peyton released them. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw Zach standing in the doorway. He nodded, shoved his hands in his pocket, and walked away.