"They say we are asleep until we fall in love
We are children of dust and ashes
But when we fall in love we wake up
And we are a god and angels weep
But if I die here tonight
I die in my sleep"
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Benicia slowly walked into the hospital. She inhaled deeply because she knew this hospital. She had been here a long time ago as a patient. She cleared her throat a little uncomfortably as she stared at the check-out desk for a long time. Finally, she exhaled and searched for the room she was looking for.
Her steps were slow as she walked through the halls. Her steps slowly faltered as she took in the young woman outside of her father's hospital room. Benicia swallowed as the woman turned her head to look at her.
"Uh-" Benicia glanced back into the room, "How is he?"
"You're a journalist, aren't you? I've seen your picture in the Bulletin."
"Yes." Benicia wasn't exactly fond that her phone was in the news, "Benicia Duterte."
"Not to be a bitch, but I don't want this in the papers."
"No..." Benicia shook her head and dropped her hand, since she hadn't shaked it, "You're not a bitch. I get it."
"Then go."
Benicia sighed through her nose and set her bag down, "I'm sorry. Look, I'm sorry, just-" She took the seat beside her, "You just don't understand. You think just because you don't want this to be in the papers, then it won't be?"
"If I don't say anything-"
"No, then they'll just make up things that sound good to them." Benicia explained to her, "And then that's what will get written. Then that's what people will talk about behind your back. For the next year. For the next five years. For the rest of your life."
"You talk like you know what this is."
Benicia faltered, "Maybe I do..."
A look of disbelief just crossed her face, "You grow up with paparazzi on your ass? Following you to school?"
"No-"
"Yeah, I did. You know what I learned? I learned that anything I say, anything at all, you people will turn it into whatever you want to anyway."
"I'm not like that."
"Yeah, sure."
Benicia looked at the wall behind them, staring at it's familiar paint job that hadn't changed for years, "Believe it or not, I really do know what you're going through?"
"Your father almost got killed?"
"Nope, he's already gone." Benicia said slowly, "But people said that I killed my friends."
"God..." She glanced at Benicia, "I'm sorry."
Benicia sank back in the chair, "You know when... When my friends died... everyone wanted to know what happened. Wanted to hear everything from me. I-I was in the hospital because I had also been badly injured. But since I wasn't commenting, a story was spread whether it was the truth or not. It was all bullshit. But why should that matter, right? The problem was... once the story got out there it stuck. I-I was grateful that it didn't grow, but it still got to me a lot. What some people started to say about me... it tore me apart. I didn't really know how to deal with it back then..."
