Up At Night

7

- Lauren -

"'I don't mind,

If you're with me,

Then everything is alright."

I wrote down the last lines on the paper and I smiled. This is it. Wow. I put it on my pin board and I smiled. I went outside and just walk. I saw this abandoned church and just walked around it. I realized that the door that wasn't there is not blocked with wood. I walked inside and just froze. Someone's been here. With the fresh cigarette butts on the floor, snickers wrappers, few empty bottles of coke and a copy of The Outsiders. That's Olivia's favorite book. I just walked around the church. I reached the back of the church and somehow, it's getting hotter here. I started walking back to the door and the ceilings is on fire, with some bar of wood already on the floor, on fire. Crap. I'm trapped. I tried to push out the wood on the windows but it's not working. "HELP ME!" I yelled. No. No one will hear me. Fuck. The burning ceiling bars started to fall behind me and my leather jacket started to go on fire.

- Olivia -

"Thanks." I said and walked out of the store. I started walking back to the church and I saw a smoke near the hill. Crap. Shit. I ran to the church and it's on fire. Oh no. "HELP ME!" a familiar voice yelled. Lauren. Oh no. "LAUREN!" I yelled. No answer. I dropped my bag and pulled open the wood from the window and smoke comes out. I jumped inside and yelled for her name again. "LAUREN!" I yelled and I heard a heavy cough for 5 times and I went to the source of the sound. There's Lauren. Lying on the ground. "Lauren... I told you to not look for me..." I said as I picked her up. I heard sirens and then someone pulled the wood from one of the nearest window. It was the firemen. "Here, I'll help ya." he said and I pass Lauren to him. He held her and I jumped out. He took her to the ambulance and I just watch the firemans controlling the fire. I jumped into the ambulance with Lauren on the bed and I held her hand. "Are you a friend of her?" The ambulance nurse asked. "Yeah. I guess..." I said. "I mean, we used to be friends, but I don't know what happened between us." I said. "Okay." she said.

We got to the hospital and I just wait in front of the ER. Fuck. Lauren... This is what you get for not listening to me. I heard running footsteps and it was Tristan and Connor, my brother. "Olivia." my brother said and I ran up to hug him. I just stayed in his arms. "I miss you, Olive." my brother said. "I miss you too, brother." I said. I heard the ER door opened and they took Lauren out of the ER. "Hey! Where are you taking her?" Tristan asked. "We're moving her into a room." one of the nurse said. "What number?" he asked. "469." the nurse said. "Alright." he said. We got onto the elevator and went to level 4. We got to the room and Lauren is there, sleeping peacefully. "Olivia Bradley?" the doctor asked. "Yeah?" I asked. "May I talk to you outside?" he asked. "Sure." I said and the doctor and I went outside.

"What happened in that church?" he asked. "I was coming back there from a store and all I know I saw it on fire and I found Lauren there." I said. "That's an abandoned church, why were you coming back there?" he asked. "I ran away from home." I said. "Okay. Do you smoke?" he asked. "Uhh.. no." I lied. "Well, the firemans said they found cigarette butts inside the church." he said. "Okay. I don't know who smoke there." I said and he turned around. "Wait. Doctor, is Lauren will be alright?" I asked. "She has second degree burns in her arms and back, but she'll be alright." he said and I smiled. "Thanks doc." I said and went back inside the room.

Then, I saw Lauren was awake, talking to her brother. Her face lit up when she saw me. I smiled and I ran up to hug her. "Hey Ollie." Lauren said. Her voice is weak. Tristan and Connor had left the room, leaving Lauren and I alone. "I miss you." I said. "Me too." she said. I sat on the chair near the bed and just stare at her hazel green eyes. "I told you to not try to find me." I said. "I wasn't trying to find you. I just found the church and I decided to look inside." she said. "Okay." I said. "Can you read The Outsiders to me?" she asked. "Why?" I asked, as I search the book in my bag. Oh. Shit. I must've left it in the church. I spent 30 dollars on that book! "Because I want to hear the book from your voice." she said. "I left the book." I said. "Oh." she said. "I'll ask my brother to get one." I said. I text my brother, Hey, Connor. Can you get a copy of The Outsiders for me? Thanks. Olive. "Okay. There." I said and Connor came seconds later. "I brought your copy from home. So here." he said and threw the book to me. "Thanks, Connor." I said. "I brought your clothes too. It's on the table here." He said and I smiled before her left.

- Lauren -

I want Olivia to read me The Outsiders because I know that something happen to an abandoned church in the book. "So here we go." she said and flipped the page. "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. I was wishing I looked like Paul Newman--- he looks tough and I don't--- but I guess my own looks aren't so bad. I have light-brown, almost-red hair and greenish-gray eyes. I wish they were more gray, because I hate most guys that have green eyes, but I have to be content with what I have." she read and I smiled at her. "What?" she asked. "I have green eyes. Do you hate me?" I asked. "No, I don't Lauren. That's why I helped you out of that fire." she said. "Okay. Let's continue." I said. "My hair is longer than a lot of boys wear theirs, squared off in back and long at the front and sides, but I am a greaser and most of my neighborhood rarely bothers to get a haircut. Besides, I look better with long hair." she read and took a breath before reading the next bit.

I had a long walk home and no company, but I usually lone it anyway, for no reason except that I like to watch movies undisturbed so I can get into them and live them with the actors. When I see a movie with someone it's kind of uncomfortable, like having someone read your book over your shoulder. I'm different that way. I mean, my second- oldest brother, Soda, who is sixteen-going-on-seventeen, never cracks a book at all, and my oldest brother, Darrel, who we call Darry, works too long and hard to be interested in a story or drawing a picture, so I'm not like them. And nobody in our gang digs movies and books the way I do. For a while there, I thought I was the only person in the world that did. So I loned it.

She read that part and smiled. "Like you. You don't even open a book." she said. "I read books, Ollie." I said. "Yeah. Sure you do." she said and I laughed. "Stop, I do." I said. The door opened and it was the doctor. "Hey Lauren, your dad wants to see you." he said. "I don't want to see him." I said. "Okay then." he said and left. "Why don't you want to see him?" Olivia asked. "I don't want to see my dad because he makes me sad." I said. "Alright. I support your decision." she said and got up. "Where are you going?" I asked. "I need to shower. I smell like smoke." she said and got the clothes from the table. "Okay then." I said and she got into the bathroom. I'm wondering. Those cigarette butts... Are those from Olivia?
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A/N Hey! How are y'all doing? I've been sick for the past 3 days so I haven't written much but here's 7! Thanks.