A/N: Here's the next chapter. I know it's short, so I'll put the next one up really soon. Thanks for all of the reviews last time.

Lamb of God

Chapter Three: Hell

After Kate left Lizzie, she went to her room and slowly drifted into a restless sleep. Finally at five, she gave up and decided to take a cold shower to snap her awake. She prayed that what happened to Parker was a horrible nightmare that would just go away, but the cold shower only forced her to remember the horrible even that occurred last night.

She wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the shower in the community bathroom. Just as she was walking towards the door, Miranda walked in, looking completely exhausted and out of it.

"Hey, Miranda," Kate said.

"What the hell's going on? Why was everybody staring at my sympathetically as I walked to the bathroom?"

Kate let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe you should sit down first."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me while I'm standing up."

"No. I think you need to sit down." Miranda glared at her, but found a wooden chair adjacent to the sinks. "Parker got in a car wreck last night on her date and she- she- she's dead." Kate whispered the word dead, still shocked at what was coming out of her mouth. Miranda looked like she had just had the wind knocked out of her. After staring at nothing in particular for sometime, she buried her head in her hands. "Miranda, I- if- I mean..."

"Just go," Miranda said icily without looking up. "Just leave me alone. That's all you can do."

"Are you sure? Isn't there at least something I can do?"

"No, leave."

"I..."

"Goodbye."

"But..."

"Go. NOW!"

"Okay," Kate finally said slowly. She turned towards the door and looked over her shoulder at Miranda who still had her face buried in her hands before she left.

Kate went back to her room, got dressed and put her hair back into a wet ponytail. She didn't care what she looked like. She looked over at her sleeping roommate and wondered if she should wake her up.

Probably, but Kate was tired of breaking the bad news to everybody. She couldn't even talk when she tried to tell Lizzie, and even though Miranda seemed to take it fairly well, she wasn't interested in their reactions. She would tell Claire that afternoon.

Instead Kate decided to see if Lizzie was back yet.

She had left just after two am. and now it was six.

As she exited her room, she saw Lizzie walking down the hall to her room. She looked exhausted, but strangely calm. "Hey Lizzie," Kate said.

Lizzie looked up and gave Kate a small smile. "Hey, Kate."

"I was gettin kinda worried after you were gone for so long."

"Sorry. I went to this coffee house to sit and I met the most amazing guy ever. We must have talked for hours. His sister died in a car wreck four years ago."

"That's great. That you met a guy, that is. Did you give him your digits?"

"No, but he gave me his and told me to call if I wanted to talk about what happened or just to talk."

"Is he cute?"

"He's gorgeous. He's a brunette with bright blue eyes, and he's tall and muscular."

"How the hell do you get by picking up boys by giving them the pity party just after your friend died?" an icy voice said from behind Lizzie.

Lizzie turned around. "Unlike you, Gordo, he was understanding and encouraged me to smile about all of the fun times we had together."

"You are such a worthless looser. You used your friend who died last night to pick up a guy. I can't wait to get to Hollywood this summer to get away from you."

"I'm glad you got in so I don't have to stare at your damn jealous face all summer."

"I'm not jealous. You're a bitch."

"Go to hell. I hope a car hits you in LA."

"Fuck you," Gordo hissed and turned around and left.

A single tear trickled down Lizzie's face as she watched Gordo storm away. Just a few hours ago he had been holding her in her darkest moment and now... this.

"Lizzie, are you okay?" Kate asked.

"I'll be fine," Lizzie choked. "I, uh, better go to class."

"Yeah, me too."

A/N: Okay, it's your turn. Let me know what you're thinking. I'll update again before the weekend to make up for the shortness of this chapter.-EKJ