Saving Caroline

Chapter 6 (picture of Ally)

Waking up this morning would have been easier if I hadn't been up all night; wondering why Caroline had the notebook with her.

When I walk down stairs Caroline is hunched over on the kitchen counter. I run over to her. "What's wrong?" I ask.

She turns around to face me. She is holding her wrist. There is a broken glass beside her.

"I was getting a glass, and I dropped it." She says.

I don't really understand how breaking a glass cut her wrist. She takes her shaky palm off her slightly bloody wrist. I get the first aid kit, and hand her a band aid.

~

I drive Caroline home. Ty is sitting on her front porch.

"Hey." she says walking up to him.

"Hey." He says standing up to hug her.

~

They walk inside, and I go back home. When I get back home Riley's car is in the drive way. I left the door unlocked.

"Hey." Riley says as I walk in.

"Hey." I say.

"Sorry for showing up unannounced." she apologized.

"It's okay. I left the door unlocked just in case." I smile.

"Ally greeted me." she laughs.

"Yeah she'll do that." I laugh.

Ally runs downstairs and jumps on me. So now I am holding her. I fill up her food and water bowel, and sit on the counter. Riley leaves around three to go to the park with Jase. Danny comes over around five.

Danny's cell phone rings; it's Ty.

"Hey." Danny says.

"Hi." Ty replies.

"What's up?" Danny asks.

"Oh trying to get out of watching The Fault In Our Stars." Ty says.

Danny laughs.

"It's a good movie." I say.

"Payton made me watch it with her a few months ago. It's an okay movie."Danny adds.

"Well I better go." Ty says.

"Okay see you later." Danny says, and hangs up.

"Do you want to go on a moon lit walk on the beach?" Danny asks.

"I would love to." I say.

~

It's ten twenty-nine when we step onto the white sand of the Malibu Beach. There are some people having barbeques. Surfers ride there final wave of the night. Danny walks me down to the edge of the water. The wet sand squishes underneath my feet. The waves crash beyond us. The ocean air whips my hair in my face. Danny puts the lose hairs behind my ear, and rests the palm of his hand on my cheek. I lean into his touch and smile. He pulls me close to his warm body, and kisses me. He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around him. He walks into the ocean, until its knee deep.

As we walk out of the ocean I look up, and I see the bluffs. I have a slight flash of fear,and start walking faster and faster to where it is out of sight. I push the thought of my parents car crumbled at the bottom out of my brain.

Danny and I go back to my house. We could have gone to his house, but he didn't know when his parents would be home. His mom doesn't like me. I don't know why though.

When I wake up in the morning Danny is not in bed. I hear his voice coming from down stairs. I put my bra and underwear on, and before walking out of the room I grab one of Danny's over sized shirts. I quietly open the door, and quickly walk to the top of the stairs. Danny sounds angry. I stay at the top of the stairs and listen.

"Mom! I love Payton! You have to except that!" Danny shouts.

"I understand, but we are your parents! We want you to spend more time with us!" His mother says.

"Mom, when are you ever around long enough to spend time with?" Danny questions.

"We are now! She needs to spend time with her family too!" She shouts.

"Mom! Her parents are-" Danny says and then looks up to see me.

His mom looks up,and rolls her eyes when she sees me only wearing my bra and underwear covered by Danny's almost see through white tee shirt that lays just above my knee.

"My parents are dead. They have been for a while now."

I say. His mother looks mad and sad at the same time. Danny stares his mom down.

"I'm moving out." He announces.

His mom looks shocked. She then turns to me, and glares.

~

Danny leaves fifteen minutes of us talking later. He is moving in with me. When Danny knocks on my door around five nineteen in the afternoon with all of his things. I know he was being serious.

He puts his things on my bedroom floor. He hugs me and kisses me on the forehead.

"Thank you." He says.

"It was going to happen one way or another." I admit.

He smiles and hold me tighter against him. He is so warm I could stay in his clutch all the time.

Caroline calls my cell.

"Hello." I say.

"Payton, I need to come over now!" she says and hangs up.

~

Caroline practically flies through the front door.

"What's up?" I ask.

She gives me a bear hug.

She sobs, but through the tears she says, "Ty and I broke up."

I pat her back and we sit on the couch together. "Why?" I ask. "He said it would be easier to be friends, because I'm not stable." She cries. What he said was true, but the last thing you want to do is break up with someone who just lost everything. I was the only thing Caroline had left.