The Nerd Duchess

Chapter Thirty-One

"You are an idiot!"

"Why am I?" Anya asked, looking up from the book in her hands.

"Can't you see that this is hurting you as much as it is hurting him?" Elizabeth asked.

Everyone had already left for the night, leaving the two of them alone in the hospital room.

"Why?" Anya asked. "Why is he hurting? I'm the one that found out my life was lie. That I caused the death of someone. Do you know how heavy that guilt is, Elizabeth? The guilt of knowing how you're the reason that someone's life is destroyed. Do you?"

Elizabeth remained silent as she watched her best friend tirade on her hospital bed. Thankfully, she had remained on the hospital bed. Elizabeth would have a heart attack if she had to wrestle Anya back to the bed before she could cause any complications to that entire thing she is feeling.

"Do you how I feel, Elizabeth?" Anya asked. "Of course, you don't. You have experience this. I can do this on my own. You don't know anything. I don't need your help. I don't need some stranger with a diploma's help. Stop forcing me to do things. Stop smothering me! I don't need your pity." she screamed the last part, glaring at the brunette at the foot of her bed.

Elizabeth had to bite her tongue not to lash out at the stupidity her best friend was currently having. She has had it with her. She needed an intervention and she was going to give it to her; willing or not.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at the watch wrapped around her wrist. Mentally counting back from ten. She slowly released her breath before looking up.

"You done?"

Anya looked taken back by the change of her best friend's demeanor.

"W-w-what?"

Elizabeth held the coldest expression Anya had seen on her best friend's face in all the time she knew her.

"Are you done with the pity party you are throwing for yourself?" Elizabeth asked. "Because it's my turn and I'll be quick. I only have less than fifteen minutes before the nurses kick me out anyways."

Anya remained taken back on the bed.

"I didn't know you could be this selfish, Anya." Elizabeth started. "I didn't even think you could sink so low as to become narcissistic and think that everyone pities you. We do not pity you. You don't deserve that. You don't need it."

She gave a paused and watched as the words slowly sink in her best friend's face.

"However, what you need is the support to push through this and move forward and that is what we are giving you. Don't mistake our support for pity. We are not smothering you. We are not forcing you. However, we strongly advise that you take on someone with a psychology diploma's help."

"You are surrounded by people who love you, why are you so fixated on the one person who is not here. Your brother is dead, Anya. But that does not mean you don't have another one who is still here. You other brother, Ryan, is still here with you. Your parents, Aunt Tasha and Uncle Edmund. Your grandfather. Me. I'm your best friend. Hayley. Adam. Even Anthony. And Charles. The boy loves you. You are hurting everyone around you. Why can't you see that we are worried about you?"

"No, he doesn't" Anya said silently. "And even if he did, he deserves better than someone who is a ball of confusing emotions."

"That is why you need help from someone professional because we don't know how to deal with this and we want to help you."

Elizabeth sat down on the bed in front her taking her uncast hand on hers. She added. "We want you to be back to that badass girl who secretly is scared of spiders and loves baking. Don't let this hurdle be you downfall."

"But..."

Elizabeth let go of her best friend's hand when they heard the door opening and nurse poke her head announcing that visiting hours are over.

Elizabeth stood up. "Think about it okay?" She said, hugging the red-head to her chest. "I miss my best friend back."

"Good night, Anya. I'll be back next week."

She didn't wait for her best friend's reply before she walked out of the room. Knowing Anya, she would need to digest everything that had been said to her.

Elizabeth hoped that Anya took everything she said to heart. She knew everyone is tired of the situation. She hopes that Anya really is going to be able to take that one step towards healing.

When Elizabeth arrived the next week, she was surprised to see that Charles had made it to the hospital first after they arrived in Italy. They had taken the same flight from England. Unfortunately for her, she had been delayed by a visit to a business associate of her parents who heard she was coming to Italy for the weekend. She had thought that he may have passed his family home even for a few minutes. He was still dressed in his school uniform.

It was even more surprising to find the two in a middle of a very serious conversation.

Once they spotted her, they stopped.

"Elizabeth!" Anya greeted her, waving the hand that had been in a cast just a few days ago. "I missed you. " She opened her arms wide for suggest a hug with her best friend.

"Anya," she said burrowing herself in her friend's arms. "I missed you too."

"I'm sorry, Lizzie." She heard her friend choked out. "I'm so sorry. I'm so selfish. Forgive me, please?"

Elizabeth pulled away looking at the pleading face of her best friend. Elizabeth smiled. "Of course, I'm your best friend, aren't I? I'm always here for you."

"Where are you going, Charles?" Anya answered over her shoulder. Elizabeth turned to look at the retreating form of the silver-eyed boy.

"I'll give you some privacy." He replied with a smile.

His smile seemed much more sincere now. Gone was the forcedness in it. It would seem as if the two patched things up.

"Good!" Elizabeth silently nodded.

"Don't," Anya said as she extended her hand towards him.

"I have something to tell you." Anya said seriously as she detangled herself from Elizabeth. "I am planning to tell my parents and Ryan this. However, I couldn't have considered this without you two so..."

Anya took a deep breath and released it as Charles returned to his place on Anya's other side.

"I decided to seek help from a professional about my problem."

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