Caught in the Moonlight

Chapter Twelve

  I started laughing, my face bright red as Alex turned around. "Ronnie, who is this?" Alex asked. "That's Allen," I replied, laughing. Allen opened the door and Alex hopped out, me following close behind. 

  "You must be Alex," Allen grinned, shaking Alex's hand. "Yeah. How do you know me?" Alex asked, looking a little freaked out. "Ronnie told me everything earlier today. I just came back to check on her and make sure everything was alright. From the looks of it, they're going just fine," Allen said, smirking. I rolled my eyes at him. "They were, until you butted in," Alex muttered. I elbowed him in the ribs, giving him a look. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you were alright," Allen waved, turning to leave, but I called him back. "Give me a hug," I demanded, arms stretched wide. He grabbed me, giving me a long hug and rubbing my back a little. After a few minutes, when we were still hugging, Alex spoke up, "That''s quite a long hug." I laughed a little but didn't really care- it was nice to have a long hug. After another moment like that Allen broke away, going back to his truck and driving off as Alex stood with a firm hand on my shoulder. "I don't like him," Alex disapproved, hatred in his voice.

  "Why not?" I asked, turning around and placing my hands around his neck. "He hugged you a little too long," Alex replied, still staring after where the truck had gone. "So you don't like him, because he gave me a long hug?" I questioned, disappointed. "It's my gut instinct," Alex tried. I rolled my eyes, turning to walk away. "Ronnie! Can we please just go back to where we were before?" Alex pleaded, wistfulness shining in his eyes. "You mean you want to go back to making out in the back of a car, about to have sex, when I'm fifteen? I don't think so." I called over my shoulder, striding across the parking lot. "You said to take the lead," Alex reminded me,  jogging behind me. "That doesn't mean we immediately have sex! Right now, I'm not ready to take any more big steps," I told him as he caught up with me. I lengthened my strides, making him walk even faster to keep up.

  "I never said we did," Alex claimed. I shook my head, sighing as I reached the stairs. "You're acting like it," I responded as I began climbing the staircase. "Fine, fine- let's just go back to how we felt about each other before today," Alex persuaded. Suddenly it hit me- just this morning, Josh slaughtered Alex's dog. Just this morning, I hadn't even remembered Allen. Just this morning, everything had been different, and my biggest worry had been Moonlight. I stood on shaky feet for a moment, trying to take a step up the stairs. I slipped and fell, my head banging against the cement wall. "Ronnie!?" Alex's shouted question was distant and faint. I couldn't focus; when I tried, I saw double. Something sticky and warm dripped down my scalp and trickled toward my back, slipping down the back of my neck. "Ronnie, what happened?" Alex exclaimed, still distant. I felt myself sliding across the wall downward and slung my hands up, trying to grip the railing. My hands didn't want to cooperate and Alex caught me, calling for Andy.

  I looked up, catching Alex's eye for half a second. I tried to focus in on his face but all I saw where his eyes. The deep blue grew bright, turning to a neon turquoise type of color. Everything around them faded to white, making my head hurt more. Eventually the turquoise brightened to white as well, and then everything turned blank. The blackness consumed me, and the last thing I heard before I was all the way gone was a faint, yelled, "Ronnie!"

  The hospital room blurred around me; everything was foggy and distant and doubled. A loud beeping was killing my ears and I strained to focus my eyes so hard that my entire head hurt. Was that why it hurt? It had hurt before that, I think... I suddenly noticed someone standing beside the bed, and multiple people were sleeping around the room. My eyes began to focus and I realized it was Allen beside the bed. He was holding my hand lightly, brushing his thumb across it and looking down. Alex was asleep in his own little corner. Beth lounged on a small recliner, her eyes closed. Tessa and Lily were passed out nearby, on either end of a loveseat. Behind them, a darkened window was shielded with blinds. It was obviously late and I wondered why Allen was awake.