Coffee// A.I.

Chapter eight: Downfall

Vanessa's POV:

-

I hadn't even realized how good things actually were. I had friends. I had Ashton. But every time I started thinking positive, I thought of the bad. I thought about all the bad things I did. I'm a murderer, and I didn't deserve to live. This Friday actually started out great. I still couldn't seem to understand how it ended up as it had.

As the weather got colder, I got sadder. All the trees and leaves lost their color and excitement, leaving behind nothing but dullness and grey.

-

School went normally and boringly as it always did. I ran into Ashton a couple of times, and he sat with us at lunch. At the end of the day was when things really started to change.

Matt, Ashton, Evelyn and I walked outside, feeling a blast of coldness as we opened the school doors. We all went to our individual cars, except for Matt who looked around cluelessly.

"Matt, you okay?" I asked turning around.

"My car... Where the fuck is it?"

My eyes widened as I looked around. The parking space where Matt's car was this morning was gone.

"Matt, oh my god, did someone steal it?"

"I- um I don't know maybe"

He pulled out his phone and began typing on it.

"Oh god", He said.

I looked around once again, but this time I saw his car, pulling into the school parking lot.

"Matt, wait", I said and he looked up.

"Is that Spencer?" I asked.

He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"DAMMIT SPENCER", he screamed.

Spencer pulled Matt's car in front of us and got out.

"Sorry baby bro, had to borrow your car. Good thing I have a key", he said smiling.

"Spencer, don't you have your own two cars?" Matt said.

"Yours looks and smells better."

"Where's your car, how did you get here?"

"Nikki drove me"

"Who's Nikki"

"Eh, just some pretty one night stand. But hey, your car's back and theres nothing to worry about."

I had a lot of questions that I didn't feel like asking. Like why Spencer was the way he was, or why he had to use Matt's car. I thought I should stay out of it.

"I worry about you Spencer", Matt said looking at the ground.

Spencer laughed. "Well, you shouldn't."

-

That night, I went to Matt's house. I wanted to know that he was okay. Spencer was a jerk and Matt didn't deserve this.

We sat on the couch and turned on the tv.

"So, are you okay?" I finally asked.

At first he didn't answer, he just looked at the ground and half-smiled.

"Yeah. I'll survive."

"Good."

He turned away from the tv to look at me. "You uh- you never told me that you tried to commit suicide."

Shit.

I closed my eyes and thought before speaking. "It's not a big deal, really. I'm okay."

"Stop lying."

"I'm fine! Ashton is there for me. He always is. So are you."

I was about to say more, until Spencer came in the front door. We both stood up.

"Guys, keep it down, I could hear your argument from outside. What's going on?"

"Like you care", Matt said.

"Geez, fine. You're right, I don't. But if you guys are gonna fuck or something, please do it quick I'm having company over."

"tHAT IS IT SPENCER", Matt yelled as he stomped over to him, and punched him in the face, just like that.

"Woah Matt", I said as he continued punching. Spencer began to fight back, sending Matt to the ground. I tried pulling Spencer off, but he didn't move.

"Spencer come on, stop!" I said.

He continued punching, and I was just about done.

Kat finally broke through and took over every vein in my body.

She punched, kicked, and screamed at Spencer, probably injuring him. I tried to stop her, but at the same time I wanted her to keep going.

That's the last thing I remember.

-

I could hear mumbles, that eventually turned into Matt's voice.

"Vanessa, it's okay, come on please wake up please."

I could also hear unfamiliar voices, along with Spencer's.

"Sh-she attacked me! She tried to kill me! She needs to be locked up again", Spencer said.

Then Matt spoke. "Spence come on, you know she didn't try to kill you. She punched you a couple times, chill the fuck out."

I opened my eyes and sat up.

"Vanessa, thank god", Matt said, rushing toward me.

I saw my parents in the room, along with a few people from the mental hospital.

"She needs to go back", one of them said to my mom.

"No. No no no please no", Matt said.

I didn't wanna go back. I'd rather die. The mental hospital will do nothing more than ruin me even more. I needed to be out. I needed school, I needed my friends, and I needed Ashton.

While no one was looking, I pulled out my phone and texted Ashton to come to Matt's house, and that it was an emergency.

The doctors came toward me.

"Vanessa, we're sorry. We're just trying to help."

"Please don't make me go back, please", I begged.

I stood up and ran over to my parents, and hugged them.

"Please no, please."

"Honey, it's what's best. I promise it will be okay", my mom said.

"No, it's not. She needs to be out, she's been doing so much better", Matt said.

"I saw her with my own eyes. She's not at all well. She needs to go back", Spencer said, and Matt shot him a dirty look.

As they walked me outside into the darkness, I said goodbye to Matt, and we headed toward the hospital van. I could feel it starting to rain.

My last hope, a pair of headlights, appeared. Ashton and Luke got out, and Ashton came running toward me.

"What the hell is going on?!" He yelled.

"Please let me say goodbye", I asked one of the doctors.

"I'm sorry, you can't see her right now", he said to Ashton.

He continued toward me anyways.

I ran toward him, and gave him a hug.

"They're making me go back", I said into his shoulder.

"It'll be okay, we'll find a way out of this", he said. He was about to say something else, when I was pulled off of him.

As we entered the van, I looked at Ashton once more. His hazel-brown eyes glowing in the darkness as the rain came down. He ignored the cold water coming down, and looked at me as if it was the last time he would ever see me. Time seemed to stop.

"Drink some coffee for me", I said, as the van door closed.