Blackness. I was walking forever in it. Everywhere I looked, it was black.

And then, a streak of fiery orange. Heather's head. She laughed viciously, and then disappeared. I was walking again in total darkness.

Suddenly, everything started to get lighter. I felt warmth around my hand and cloth around my body. A bright, white light shined in my face. This new atmosphere was different from the blackness I had just seen. Everything was white.

Then I realized: hospital.

Now, at first I'm thinking Aw Man! Its kinda of wimpy to end up in the hospital after your revenge.

Isn't it?

My thoughts were blocked at the sight of an angel. Maybe I was in heaven, not the hospital. Maybe I died.

Ok, you may think I was a little loopy right at this moment. But you have to consider the fact that I just escaped from unconsciousness. It's confusing. Especially if you find yourself in a place completely different from where you got knocked out.

I finally realized that the angel above me was Casey. And the warmth around my hand was his hand.

But Casey wasn't looking at me. He was talking to someone. Curious, I didn't tighten my hand so that he would still think I was in the blackness and then I could hear his conversation.

"I just feel really… guilty. Like if I was there, I would've been able to stop all of this," Casey said sadly.

"Don't blame yourself, Casey! The doctor says she's going to be ok, good as new," the person responds. Marissa.

"Yeah, man. Be chill. There was nothing you could've done," I was surprised at the other voice. Billy.

"I don't know. She probably won't ever forgive me for not being there," Casey said, tightening his grip on my hand. I wanted to scream Yes, I will forgive you! Always! but my mouth and voice had yet to recover.

It was a good thing Marissa was there. "No, Casey, of course not! She loves you," she said for me.

Casey doesn't respond. I took this as the moment to make my entrance back to reality.

I tightened my grip around Casey's hand. He looked down on me, smiling.

"Hello, Sleeping Beauty." He grins at my wildly blushing face.

"Casey," I manage to mumble out. "How… how long was I out?" I asked weakly.

"A few hours. But everything's ok now," he assures me.

"Heather… that blue convertible… that guy…she's on… she's-" I stumbled. I felt totally fried.

"Just rest, Sams. It's been a long day for you."

"No. I need… I need to talk to Officer… Borsch,"

"Maybe later. Just focus on recovering first."

"Wha.. what happened?"

"You fainted." Marissa said, just to point out the obvious.

I was too tired to scold her. "After… that."

"Heather limped to the convertible and got in. Carrie, chased after- man that girl is fast when it comes to her phone. But she got it. They got a flat."

"How?"

It was Billy's turn to talk now. "We knew that a convertible was Heather's new ride to school nowadays. Granted, we didn't really know which convertible-"

"-so we just popped all of the tires of convertibles down from the school to the alley!" Marissa butted in.

"How did you do that?" I asked. My strength was coming back slowly but surely.

"I stole a pocket knife from the janitor's closet," Billy explained, trying to act cool. He held it out and flipped it real smoothly. Marissa giggled, and Billy leaned over and kissed her right on the lips.

"Whoa. When did this happen?" I asked.

Billy and Marissa were still kissing, so Casey said "Get a room!" The couple walked out, holding hands and snickering. "Apparently you can bond real well when you're popping tires." Casey shrugged.

"I see," I said. But there were more pressing matters to worry about. "What happened to Heather?"

Casey scowled at her name. "She's in the waiting room. Officer Borsch is talking to her right now. She fractured her right leg, sprained her left, stomach aches, and some of the tissue in her shoulder got screwed up. Other than that she's pretty much the same irritating sister."

"Wait a second. Officer Borsch is here?" I couldn't believe it. I could turn in Heather, right now.

"You should rest a little before you see him." Casey had a worried look on his face.

"No, I can-" I tried to get up and walk My shoulder seared with pain. There was a bandage wrapped around it. I flopped back on the hospital bed.

"Sams, just rest. Your shoulder is really hurt."

That wasn't the only part. My head was still throbbing. Mildly, but still throbbing.

"I really need to see Officer Borsch. There's some things about Heather I need to tell him. Things that could land her in jail. Do you mind?"

"If you get her in jail? No." He snorted.

"I meant do you mind if I go and talk to him?"

"Oh, that. Actually, he might be talking to that guy who drove the convertible. I think his name is Derek? Last name Sheffield or something."

Gwen Sheffield's brother. I knew stuff about them, too. Bad stuff.

"Ok, I'm going to talk to Officer Borsch." I tried to get out, but my shoulder and my head hurt. A lot. I let out a small cry of pain.

"Sams, please. Let me get him for you," he insisted.

"Wait. What happened to Carrie and Cricket?" I asked.

"Carrie had to go to soccer practice. She called 9-1-1 and left. Cricket is downstairs, helping Officer Borsch."

"Oh. Well can you get Officer Borsch, please? Just Officer Borsch?"

"Of course." He kissed me. A long, sweet, passionate kiss. Medicine, surgery, and bandages didn't have anything on the healing power of Casey's kisses.

I lay there, daydreaming and thinking about what happened. After a little while, Casey came in, followed by Officer Borsch.

"I'll let you two talk," Casey said and slipped out.

"Samantha, Samantha. The things you get yourself into," he frowned disapprovingly.

"Sorry." I apologized. "But I have something to tell you. It may shock you, but I'm pretty sure it's true."

Oooh, cliffhanger! I'm going to try to get the next chapter up late tonight, but in the meantime, REVIEW!