Hey, this is Alex, the author of this fanfic. I realized that , though I've published two chapters, I never wrote to my readers. Just wanted all of you to know that I hope you're enjoying the story, I'm having a lot of fun writing it. Please do me the favor of reviewing. I need to hear your comments and concerns. Thanks! XOXO

Alex. P.S, this chapter is a bit messy, and more than a bit disturbing. Just a warning.

Chapter three- A Box Full of Sharp Objects

Marco certainly drank that night. He drank, and blazed and drank more, and blazed more… Craig became more than a little worried. Spinner also was concerned, but he figured it was nothing more than a tough day.

"Relax Craig, man, he'll be fine." he reassured his tall friend. Craig wasn't so sure.

By the time he left the ravine Marco was wasted. He could barely stand, let alone walk, and Spinner carried him back to the car. Craig drove the unconscious Italian boy home, carried him to the door and knocked. Sasha opened it, wearing a sports bra and a pair of sweats. She had paused her workout to get the door.

Craig looked at the stunning, tiny girl.

"Hi." he said sheepishly. "Um, you're that new girl, Sasha right?"

"Yeah, I am." she said. She looked at Marco, asleep in Craig's arms. "Um, I'm guessing you want to put 'im down. I'll take you to his room."

Craig followed her up the stairs, carrying Marco. Sasha turned on the lights and pulled the blankets back on Marco's bed. Craig laid his friend down gently. Sasha carefully took off Marco's shoes and laid them on the floor. She pulled the blankets up to his chin. She absentmindedly brushed way the hair that had fallen in the boy's face. He looked so angelic.

"Come on, we should let the poor thing sleep. Got 'imself quite drunk didn't 'e?" she said to him quietly as they left the room and she turned off the lights and shut his door.

"Yeah, and high too." Craig replied.

Sasha sighed, which was a beautiful sound to Craig's ears. He was fighting an urge to flirt with her. She was beautiful.

"Um, ya know, I never introduced myself did I?" he asked. "My name's Craig."

"Well Craig, it's very nice to meet you." Sasha replied. She smiled as she offered her hand. He took it and they shook firmly.

"Now, I should probably go. I got another friend at the ravine, promised I'd give him a ride home." Craig told her.

"Oh, in that case, you'd better get back there." Sasha said. " I'd like to see you again soon though. Come over for coffee sometime."

Craig's heart leapt t those words. Was she flirting with him? Or, maybe, more likely she was being polite. Regardless… "I'd love to." he told her. "I'll call you or something." they were at the door.

"Right then. See you soon." she said.

"Bye." Craig replied. He left and drove back to the ravine, where he proceeded to tell Spin about the lovely little Irish girl that Marco had as a roommate.

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Sasha went back to Marco's room after Craig pulled out. She wanted to check on him and make sure he was alright. She remembered oh to well the funeral of her best friends brother. He'd gotten himself drunk and high and was dropped at home, alone, to sleep it off. He never woke up.

She opened the door quietly to reveal Marco sleeping in bed, breathing fine and looking so adorably innocent. He had rolled onto his side and curled up. Sasha managed to keep the "aw" that was on her lips from slipping out. He's fucking adorable! Too bad he's gay, I'd snog him in a bloody heartbeat. She thought to herself. Se settled for brushing his hair back gently, kissing his forehead and whispering lightly:

"Sweet dreams love." And then she left the room quietly to go and finish her workout.

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Marco awoke the next day feeling absolutely miserable. His head was killing him, he felt sick, he was still confused, and the feeling that had been haunting him for weeks was personified by his current miserable state: He had no boyfriend, no significant other, no one. His life had been spiraling and he was sick of it, sick of life. He knew what he needed to do.

It was late in the morning and neither of Ellie or Paige's cars were in the driveway. Marco saw that the door to Sasha's room was closed. He heard music coming from behind the door. She was preoccupied. He didn't have to worry about anyone trying to stop him.

He went to the kitchen and grabbed the small paring knife from the set kept on the counter. It was sharp. Very sharp. It would do just fine. He put it in his pocket and went up to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He turned on the shower, letting the hot water pour from the shower head to the drain. He watched it run.

Then he took the knife out of his pocket. He looked at it for a moment, this little tool he would use to end his misery. Then he pressed it to the skin of his left wrist, just below the heel of his hand on the side where his thumb was. He pressed the blade hard into the soft flesh, watching blood appear on either side of it. And he slowly dragged it on a diagonal, all the way to half way down his forearm. The cut was huge, and deep, and he felt the blood leaving him, he watched it run down the drain like the water. And that's when the reality hit him.

He was bleeding to death. He was dying, by his own hand. He was going to die.

"Oh shit, what was I thinking?" he asked aloud. "No, I don't want to do this. I don't want to die!" he was terrified, his breath came in gasps, his heart was fast, bringing him ever nearer to the threshold of death. He began to yell. "HELP ME! PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME!" He shouted, over and over. And he remembered that Ellie and Paige were out, that Sasha was blasting punk-rock in her room. "I'm fucked." he sobbed. "Oh God, why was I so fucking stupid?" He gave it one more try, one more heartfelt shout. "PLEASE HELP ME!" he begged desperately. And he was answered.

Sasha kicked in the door, saw him and her eyes went wide. But she was a quick thinker, and quite level headed, especially in emergencies. She grabbed the towel from the rack on the wall and pressed it tightly to the wound. She shut the shower with her other hand.

"Marco, you're gonna be just fine. Just stay with me love." she soothed.

Marco was panicking. "Sasha, Sasha, I'm freezing, I- I can't breathe. A-and, if you take time to the hospital, and they find out what I was trying to do… if I live through this-"

"You will make it through this, just breathe Marco. You'll be alright." she reassured him. She lifted him up she placed the bloody knife in her own pocket. "We'll tell them you slipped on your way into the shower and you fell on the track of the door. You don't have to worry, just hold the towel on your arm as tight as you can and keep breathing, nice and steady." she commanded.

She lifted him up gently in her arms, a combination of muscle and adrenaline making him feel light as a feather. He couldn't hide his amazement at her picking him up so easily. She carried him down the stairs and to the kitchen where she set him down carefully in a chair so she could grab her keys and purse and write a note to Ellie and Paige. She put no details, only said that she had needed to take Marco to the hospital. Then she lifted Marco back up and brought him out to her car. It was a black Nissan 350Z that she had received as a gift.

She opened the back door and laid Marco down on the seats gently. She shut the back door and jumped into the driver seat. She turned the key in the ignition, backed the car out of the driveway, put it in drive and her foot didn't ease up on the gas once on the whole way to the hospital. She was a talented and notoriously fast driver, but even she'd never gone so fast on town roads before.

During the ride she never stopped talking to Marco, her rearview mirror turned so she could see him. He was bleeding heavily, his eyes fluttering, his breathing labored. He was slipping in and out of Italian as he responded to Sasha's commands to stay awake, to stay with her, to keep breathing…

Sasha kept her voice light and even as she spoke to Marco. She was managing to at least act calm up till the point that she got him into the hospital, the doctors took him away and she explained the cover story to a nurse. Then she fell into a waiting room chair wringing her hands and struggling against breaking down crying. It wasn't helping that his blood was all over her.

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An hour and a half later Sasha's cell phone rang. It was a frantic Ellie who had seen not only the note on the fridge but also the bloody bathroom. Sasha told her the story of Marco falling on his way into the shower. Ellie said she was already driving to the hospital, she'd be there soon. When they hung up Sasha dropped her face in her hands. She couldn't believe this was happening. She just needed him to be alright. She desperately hoped he'd pull through…

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Cliff hanger!!! Please review! Chapter 4 will be up ASAP!!