Author's Note: i'm still debating on keeping this book going. i wrote it such a long time ago and just threw everythng together and its so overdramatic and unrealistic. just ugh. idk. lol. oh and btw i know Spinner would never do this stuff, but yeah...
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I blinked my eyes open into a bright room. I could hear some hushed voices - they sounded blocked by a door. I could hear someone breathing quietly - they sounded close. I looked above me. The room was bright and the ceiling was blue. I could see a clear tube that ran along the floor and I tried to follow it with my eyes. It was in my nose. Above and behind me, I could see a bag filled with yellow fluid and another tube that I followed to my hand. The beeeping noise was getting on my nerves. I looked across the room to see a sink, heart moniter and medical equipment.
A hospital. Great. I groaned and someone grabbed my hand.
Eli was sitting in a swivel chair next to my bed. "Hey, sleepy-head," he smiled.
"I cant believe you brought me to a hospital,"
"I had to. Spinner was taken away in a cop car. There. It's done. He wont hurt you anymore,"
"You just ruined his life, Eli,"
"Maybe," he agreed. "But I saved yours,"
"I was never in any real danger," I argued.
"No danger?" his voice raised. "No danger! What do you call this?" he jerked a hand towards me in the bed. "You call this no danger? He knocked you unconsious, Julia! And that isnt danger? He would have gotten worse and worse until you were dead! Is that dangerous enough for you?"
I blinked back tears and looked away. "I dont care what he did, he's my brother!"
"Well I do care," he said, calmer now.
"Do you realize what this means?" I yelled, my head whipping back to look at him. "Not only have you ruined Spinner's life, but you've ruined mine! I'm seventeen. I have to go to a group home now! Dont you realize he was my only guardian! I have no one now," I whispered the last part. A few tears escaped my eyes and I wiped them away.
"Julia, you're gonna be eighteen in two months. You'll be okay,"
"And then where am I supposed to go? The court wont let me out without a stable home,"
Eli looked away, not meeting my eyes. "You could come and live with me. I'm eighteen. I'm gonna be nineteen in a couple months. I've been living on my own since I was sixteen. I have an apartment. A job. We'd be okay,"
I tried to meet his gaze, but he wouldnt look at me. "You'd want me to move in?"
"Yeah," he shrugged, looking around the room. "I think we'd be okay. And you'd be eighteen. Legally free to do whatever you want,"
Eli put up a pretty good argument. I had to admite, it sounded pretty good to live with him. We were in love, so we'd be okay.
"Sure. I mean there is the court issue, but I'd love to live with you,"
Eli finally looked me in the eyes and smiled.
.
.
.
I was admitted from the hospital about a week later. I was legally not able to see Spinner, so - as I thought - I was put into a group home.
It was a scary thing. The police drove me there. I left my bags in the car and walked with the cops to the door. They knocked and a short older man answered. "Hello. You must be Julia. I'm Todd. I know you'd much rather be anywhere but here, but for the two months you are here, we'll try to make it nice,"
I nodded.
He took me on a tour of the house. There were kids everywhere. I loved having an older brother and a younger brother, but all of these kids were just too many.
"And this is your room, right next to-"
KC Guthrie came out of the next room.
"KC?" I asked.
KC had gone to my school three out of the four years I've been there. He was junior. We've never been friends, but I never knew he lived here.
"Julia? Julia Mason?" he asked.
"You two...know each other?" Todd asked.
"Sorta," KC answered. "We go to the same school,"
"Well, maybe a frienship can be born,"
.
.
.
That night I went into the bathroom and pulled out my razor blade. I took a deep breath and pressed it to my wrist. I felt my skin start to break open and -
"Julia," KC whispered.
I looked up really quick and dropped my razor blade in the sink. Some drops of blood fell into the sink with it.
KC grabbed my arm and looked at it. He didnt seem shocked or mad or sad or surprised. He seemed...understanding.
I yanked my wrist away and grabbed my razor, then ran to my room. I threw my razor back in my bag and hurried around for a tissue. I settled on a washcloth and held it tightly to my wrist. It wasnt bleeding bad, but I didnt want to get any on my clothes or the bed or anywhere someone could see.
With the washcloth wrapped tightly around my wrist, I went over to my bed and laid down.
There was a quiet knock on my door. "Go away!" I hissed.
Whoever they were, they came in. KC walked around and sat on the foot of my bed. He grabbed my wrist, but I yanked it away.
"Did it stop bleeding?" he asked.
I ignored him, looking pointedly at the wall and not at him.
"You know..." he began, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt. He slowly pulled it up. "The first step is admitting you do it to other people," he pulled his sleeve up all the way and I looked at him arm. KC had scars everywhere. Not nearly as bad as mine. They were criss-crossed and over-lapping and horizontal and vertical. They went from his wrist to the crease of his elbow.
"KC," I whispered, sitting up.
He touched one of them. "I stopped about a year ago, but it still hurts,"
I swallowed and unwrapped the washcloth from my wrist. Mine werent as nearly as bad as his.
"So what's your story?" he asked. "Everyone has one, or else you wouldnt be here,"
"My mom and younger brother are dead. My dad's in jail and my older brother is on his way. Death and jail just revolves around me,"
KC nodded. "May I?" he nodded to the pillow I wasnt using.
I moved over and KC laid down next to me. "Would you like to hear my story? It's a long one,"
I nodded.
author's note: yeah...