Burnouts

Leave You Like They Left Me Here

Scene 1: Addington High

Heather Blakely

We make eye contact and he sighs before sending his friends off.

I approach him already willing to plead my case, "Leo, I am so sorry."

"What happened to you? I stayed there forever even after everyone left and you still weren't back."

"Oh, my god, baby— I'm sorry."

"Where'd you go?"

"To the hospital...Jace overdosed on pills, and I had to see if he was okay."

Leo shakes his head in disbelief, "Jace? You walked out on your birthday to go check on him?"

"It was the only way to get information."

"What, you've never heard of a phone?"

"I would've had to wait a day or two to get in touch with someone who knew and could tell me how he was."

"So? Wait. It's not like it would have made a difference."

I step back, surprised at his lack of sympathy. "You're being really harsh, Leo."

"After you didn't come back to the room, I searched the whole party for you. I stayed down there asking each person if they'd seen you until finally someone said you left. I was scared something was wrong, and it was just fucking Jace," he huffs. "Your mom and dad let me hang out on the couch for hours because they wanted to know where the hell you were too."

I reach up to caress his face, "I understand why you're mad-"

"I'm not mad," he moves my hands away from him.

"I thought I'd be back sooner, but he was in a bad place, and his parents were too emotional to be of any use to him."

"What are you a shrink?"

I roll my eyes, "would you stop?"

"You just sat there all night with him for what?"

"We were watching tv, we fell asleep."

"What? Where? There's no way you dozed off in one of those shitty chairs." Guilty. Okay. My gaze shifts down. "Come on," he laughs dryly.

"It's not how it sounds, I promise, but I was wrong for not at least telling you before I left. I acted on impulse. I was scared he might have been in a coma or on life support— what if he ended up like Ryan?"

"Heather, that's-" Leo shakes his head and steps back. "I don't want to hear that right now. I'm going to go."

"We have to talk or-"

"I just don't care. Call me an asshole, whatever, but I don't give a fuck what happens to Jace." He walks off down the hall leaving me too stunned to do anything else. Chasing after you will only make it worse, so what do I do now? He turns to look at me again before he's too far, "And you know I don't like that guy. You know how I feel about you and him because it's you who always stops me from doing something about it!"

My stomach twists at his tone. He doesn't usually yell at me...

And now we're on display for the judgmental eyes of the people around us. 

"You know you have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah," Leo scoffs, "try saying that without sleeping next to him first."

Scene 2: Guidance Counselor's Office

Alison Sinclair

Dear, God...