◇The Hybrid◆

chapter 36

"do you really think this'll work?" i ask, scrunching my nose up from the dull pain every now and then from the needle in my arm attached to a tube taking my blood and filling a white Styrofoam cup. 

"honestly.. " dany consentrates on the blood filled cup. "i have no idea. but he does only have to drink a little.. and even if he spits it all out he will atleast get a little in his mouth and that's all we need" 

i nod and sqeeze my eyes shut when his fingers fumble with the needle to stop the blood from flowing out. the cup being two thirds full with the dark red gooey liguid from the vein in my arm. 

dany sets the needle in a small cup filled with rubbing alchohal as i put a bandaid on my arm where the barely noticable red hole was. 

i sighed as dany popped the blurry-clear lid on the cup and shoves the straw in it angrily. he lets out a shaky breath and puts his head down on the counter. i bite my lip and go over to him, hesitantly putting my hand on his back and rubbing it soothingly. his breathing gets steadier and he lifts his head and takes my hand from my back and squeezes it in between both of his cold shaky hands. 

"he's my best friend, you know?" his eyes look around the room with a manner like it would all go away and he would never see it again. "it just makes me think that.. if i loose him. what else will i loose? and he won't listen to me.. so if i do loose anything else will it be under my control? or can i even..--"

"you're a great friend dany" i say and pull him into a hug. "i don't want to loose him either" i shake my head. he buries his head in my neck and sobs softly. my hand finds its way to the back of his neck and my fingers move in a swift pattern at the edge of his neckline. 

if we were together.. this would be a heart fluttering couple moment. 

but dany's just my friend.. and jay's best friend. 

this is kind of weird now that i think about what i'm doing.. but it seems to calm dany down and he thinks of me like a little sister, as i think of him as an older brother. so it's not uncomforatably weird. 

he soon pushes me away and grabs the cup from the counter along with the bag of fast food we got for jay, walking to jay's room while wiping at his eyes. 

i follow him. when we reach the closed door, he was about to open i when i stopped him. 

i reached for the bag and cup, taking it from his hands. "let me" 

he nods and wipes at his eyes again while taking a deep breath. "i hope this works" 

i nod and sigh. "me too" 

i open the door and quietly walk in, sitting on the edge of his bed. he sets his book down on his lap and looks up at me and dany. 

"what's this?" he asks, gesturing to the white and red bag labeled with a big yellow 'm' and syrofoam cup in my hands.

"we got you lunch" i smile sheepishly. 

"mcdonalds?.. i'd actually rather have some of the chicken soup stuff you made for me yesterday.." he says to me, his voice trailing off. "but i guess i'll eat the greasy food for my last meal" he chuckles a little at himself. 

he tries to hide it but me and dany can tell how much smiling and laughing hurt him. he wouldn't dare tell us how much it hurts him. 

i try to smile as i hand him he bag and drink. he was about ot take a drink before he skeptically looked at it through the blurry lid. "what is this?" he asked us curiously, swirling the dark liquid around. 

"rootbeer" the word rushes out of my mouth and he raises an eyebrow. 

it actually looks like rootbeer through the blurry lid and i know how much he likes rootbeer. 

he sniffs it through the straw. "it doesn't smell like rootbeer.." 

"probably because it was sitting with the food for a while" i say the first lie that came to mind. 

my palms were starting to sweat. i just wanted him to drink the damned liquid, was it so hard to do one simple little thing? 

i could tell he wanted to ask more questions.. but instead he shrugged and put his lips on the tip of the straw and i soon saw the dark red moving up the clear straw and into his mouth. as soon as it reached his tongue his eyes widened and he spit it all out. and just let me say.. it went all over me. 

in shock, my eyelashes fluttered and my body shook. 

"WHY WOULD YOU PUT BLOOD IN HERE!?!!" 

ignoring the bloody spit all over my face and white shirt i stared at him with an emotion in my eyes that could be rocognised at none other than annoyance. "we had no other choice!"

"i told you it wasn'tan option layla. why couldn't you have just stayed out of it!?" 

"you know why" i say, the tears starting to come again.

dany had already retreated the doorway, not even three steps away from the door before he broke down in sobs. 

"don't say it" jay warned through gritted teeth.

"but jay, what else can i do?! you won't drink it willingly, you won't drink it if we switch out your freaking rootbeer out for it, you won't drink it if we try and force it down your throat, you won't drink it if i ask.. repeatedly. i don't know what to do anymore.." the tears this week were overwhelming. i've tried everything to try and save jay.. i guess he just doesn't want to be saved. but there is one thing i havent tried. the only thing that he said that he couldn't go through with dying if i said it back.. it was the only thing he asked me to never say to him but since he will ignore all of my requests.. why can't i ignore his? "because.. i love you"

"no, no, no.. no you don't" he puts his hands over his ears and squeezing his eyes shut as if it would make the words go away. 

"yes" i put my hands over his and took them away from his ears. when he opened his eyes they were filled with tears. "yes i do. i love you jay. and nothing derek can do or say will change that.. so please. just drink it" i hold the cup in my hand. 

the tears roll down his face. "please.. don't make me" he shakes his head. "if you love me.. you won't make me" 

"i'm asking you to.. because i love you" 

"no" he whispers and shakes his head. " i love you so much layla. and i can't even stand the thought of drinking your blood.. i-i i cant" more tears coming out of his eyes. 

"please.. just drink it. we can be together.. all you have to do is drink it" i whisper, tired of raising my voice with him. 

he looks around the room and licks his lips after taking a long breath. "you promise?" his voice cracks.

i nod and the tears roll down my cheeks. his hand moves up and cups my cheek while his thumb wipes away my tears. i lean into his hand and close my eyes. he caresses my skin in a loving gesture. 

"give me the cup" his voice was barely audible.. but i heard it as clear as day. 

i open my eyes and look at him seriously while handing him the cup. "i love you" i say. 

"i love you" he repeats before popping the lid off and scrunching his nose before taking a big breath and chugging the dark liquid.