When We Were Young

Don't blame me...

The weekend was boring and nothing exciting really happened, the night after Dalton stayed the night he went home and went radio silent. I was getting dressed for school when my phone started going apeshit. I ignored it, grabbed my backpack, and went out to catch the bus.

My damn phone kept ringing and I finally answered. "Hello?" I answered as I looked down the street. "Don't come to school unless you can fight, I'm serious." I recognized the voice as Emma's and just rolled my eyes before hanging up.

The ride to school was uneventful and as I was getting off the bus I felt my backpack getting grabbed. "With me now." I was confused and turned to see my cousin. "What are you doing?" I finally got out of her grip. "This is the only warning I'm going to give you, the game tonight the players are walking out with the cheer team, it's something for homecoming. Abby has to walk with Dalton because they were a power couple last year. I need you not to react because she has it out for you." I just rolled my eyes and headed inside to the bathroom.

I was tired of this Abby chick trying to get in the way of my happiness. Digging through my backpack for painkillers my fingers brushed against something smooth and cold. "No fucking way.." I pulled the switchblade out of my bag and slipped it into my pocket. "No, I'm telling you I haven't seen her today." I looked up in the mirror and was taken aback once I saw Emma and Abby walking in.

"Oh shit, it's you, time to end this huh?" Abby walked up behind me and tried to grab my hair. Quickly I moved and instead, she hit the sink. "You know, I'm getting really sick of you." I scoffed as I turned to face her. I was being cocky but I knew that it wouldn't get me far. "You stupid bitch, I broke my nose." As I was stepping back, paying more attention to Abby, I didn't feel Emma grab me until I was pinned to the ground. "Fuck you, both of you!" I screamed, thrashing on the ground. "Oh shut up already." Abby sent a hard kick into my ribs before leaning down to look me in the eye. "Don't blame me, love made me crazy, and Dalton will always be my baby." Abby grabbed my hair and pulled my head up looking at her closer. "Now, tonight is the big homecoming assembly, I will be walking with him, not you, got it?" I nodded but was managing to move my arm, trying to break free. "You are to go home and never come back." I felt my fingers brush the metal of the knife in my pocket. "Can you stop moving?" Abby slammed her foot against my arm, the healing cuts screamed in pain as I felt stabs break open. "Are you bleeding?" Emma stated as she pulled me up and held me against her chest. "So you are a freak?" Abby almost tore the sleeves of my hoodie as she pulled them up. "You didn't even do it right, fucking attention seeker. Let me show you how it's done."

"Oh sweet you brought something to help me. You're so smart." She giggled as she grabbed the knife from my pocket, opening the blade and squeezing my arm tightly. The blade ran from the base of my hand to the pit of my elbow. "Stop! Please!" I was crying from the pain. "Just a little deeper. Maybe you'll learn this time." I felt Emma's grip on my torso loosen before I was dropped to the floor. "I get you hate her, but that's my cousin you prick." My head was spinning as I sat up slightly. "Emma?"

I don't remember much before my head hit the tile floor, last thing I saw was Emma on top of Abby and Abby begging her to stop.

"I see no improvement Doctor." My head was spinning as I blinked my eyes slowly open. "Oh, this one is waking up. Good morning sunshine." I heard a sweet voice from somewhere near me. "BP and O2 are stable, let's take her off the ventilator." The weird sliding feeling filled my throat and I started to cough. "What the hell happened?" The nurse sat my bed up and I looked around. The room was a pastel yellow, one side full of flowers and balloons, and another patient in the bed next to me. "We don't know much outside of the fact both of you were brought in days ago." "Wait both?" I looked over at the other bed one more time and I saw it was Abby. "I remember her trying to slice my arm open in jealousy but I don't remember anything other than that." The doctor takes some notes and then unwrapped my arm. "Healing fine, no infection, nurse can you radio psychology and let them know Ms.Merriweather will be down tonight."

They got me up and unhooked and gave me a pair of black scrub-like pants and a black sweatshirt. "I'll come back in an hour to get you for transport just try and stay comfortable." I nodded and pulled a chair up next to Abby.

"Hey Abby, I know we don't see eye to eye, like ever. But I'm sorry for whatever Emma did to you." I reached out carefully for her hand. "I hope this all ends and we can go back to not knowing each other." Squuezer her hand one last time I got up to walk around. Looking at all the flowers and reading the tags. "They really love you huh?" I picked up a small bundle of wildflowers with no tag on it. "This one must also be yours, no name though, I didn't take you for a wildflower person." The door to the room opened and someone cleared their throat. "You're up? That's good to see. Also, those are yours, but I didn't think you liked flowers." I turned and saw a face I hadn't seen in what felt like forever. I ran at Dalton and wrapped my arms around him. "Hey there, I haven't seen you in forever. Where the hell were you?" I pulled away when I didn't feel him wrap his arms around me. "What's wrong?" I asked and he just moved away from me. "I just came to see if they woke you up, but I have work soon so I have to go, I'll tell your grandparents." Tears welled as I watched him walk out of the room as quickly as he came in.

I tried not to cry but walked back to my chair next to Abby's bed and sat there. I was numb all over again. "Don't blame me...Love made me crazy." I muttered the words as my voice broke before the doctors came back to take me to my new room.