Changes - Stay with me

Aron

4 years earlier

My phone is ringing.

Shit

I know Liz is gonna kill me if I'm late to our date again. Without looking at the display i answer the call.
„Hello?", I ask. I can hear a whimper.
„Are you at home? I'm sorry."
I know, this isn't a joke. I leave on my shoes although I know our grandma hates it when we're not taking them off, walking through the house and run up the stairs.
„What happend?", ask, scared of the answer.
„I found grandma's wine. I drank it. She is going to kill me."
I knew, she wasn't talking about grandma killing her. She was our code word.
„Where are you?", I ask while I'm running up the stairs back into our part of the house.
Lis is going to kill me.
„Hanging.", she sais. „In the air." She pauses, the she says: „On a rope. Come fast, please."
Oh god, how should I understand that.
I start to think.
She couldn't just make the rope cling onto a wall.
She could be in the living room, where a hook was in the wall because of the hammok she installed over the sofa.
I still don't understand how she's getting in there.

I nearly run against the door of our living room, but luckily I can open it before entering. Heavily breathing I end up the call.

Shit. She almost got hanged.

I look at the bottle of wine on the floor.

It's empty. Fuck.

I run to her, and take her onto my shoulders.
The rope was already around her neck although she tried not to let go.
„Please, stay with me, don't pass out. Please.", I whimper.
„Please open the loop.", I beg her.
„I'm trying.", she says, her voice is rough and shaking.
I try not to panick. How on earth am I going to tell our grandparents how much danger she's in.
I know if nobody is going to watch her, one day, she'll get killed.
„I got it, please let me down.", she says and that's the last I hear before she' passing out.

I lay her down on the couch, shaking her. She has a bloody wound on the fron of her neck, her eyes are closed.

Shit.

„Please, stay with me, please.", I whimper. „I'm sorry, I know I was too hard on you. I was for years. I'm sorry."

I have to go. Liz is so going to kill me.

I shake her. Her eyes flicker.

Thanks God, she is alive.

„I have to go. I'll be late for my date. I really have to hurry." I run down the stairs and get in the car as fast as I can. I can't lose Liz. We're too much alike. We are soulmates. And actually, I love Liz. I really do.
I have to be fast, I don't want her to think there would be more important things in my life then her, because there aren't.

Shit, I'll be late.

I sigh and press the accelerator pedal as hard as I can, I can't be late. I pray to god, he won't let me be late.

Shit, it is Routh's birthday, I should have told her „happy brithday". I totally forgot.

If she would have died tonight, i couldn't have told her happy birthday.

Shit, I'm a mess. I'm just as much of a mess, as she is.

Fuck, there's a car. I'm gonna crash.