Crash Course

Chapter 10

"She won't respond." I could hear people talking, but I didn't understand what was happening. A light flashed in my right eye, then my left. My body felt numb.

"We should take her to a hospital."

"No, we can't." I felt it happen, like my soul left my body and suddenly I was watching everything from above. My body was laying almost stick straight in my bed. Andrew, Luke, and Kristy crowded around me.

"What happened?" Kristy asked Luke.

"I've already told you. All I saw was her trying to drown herself. She went under the water for so long." I could see the fear in Kris and Luke's eyes. Their past connection was a suicidal girl, they didn't need that to be the only thing they had in common.

"I wasn't trying to drown! I needed to think!" I tried to shout at them. No sounds came out

"There is no way she was trying to drown herself. The water calms her, she was probably about to have a panic attack." Andrew said. Thank God for Drew.

"Why? What could Liam have possibly said?" Kristy asked. Get up. You need to get up! I kept yelling at myself.

"Andrew, I really think need to go to the hospital." Luke said. I stared down into my own eyes, they were so empty, there was nothing there. Come on, stop worrying everyone, you were doing so well. Suddenly I had control again. I blinked, and adjusted to being back in my body.

"Bells?" Andrew perked up. "Bella." I struggled to find my voice.

"I-I'm o-okay." I stuttered. Kristy flung her arms around me.

"Oh thank God." She almost cried. Luke ran his fingers through my salt water hair, studying me. I moved to sit up.

"Can I talk to Drew quickly?" I asked, shaking a little from the cold. Kristy and Luke both nodded and left the room. Andrew sat closer to me on the bed. "Liam knows." I said, understanding flashed in his eyes.

"How?" He practically whispered.

"Ethan told him. Gave him an old family picture of us."

"Well what is Liam even going to do? Dylan already knows where we are." Andrew said.

"That's not the worst part. He tried to connect with me, tell me that it was no big deal. When we first met he took me to these beautiful cliffs, told me they meant a lot to him, if I wanted to figure him out those cliffs were the key. He just told me that Makala jumped from those cliffs. In front of him. Yet, he had the nerve to take me up there and kiss me." Tears began to roll down my face. "I didn't handle it well. I knew he was having a psychotic break, I could see it in his eyes, it was the same way my dad used to look at me and my mom. What if Liam goes off and tells the whole school who we are? Or worse, what if he starts working for Dylan?" Andrew's expression was conflicted. He looked angry, sad, confused, all in one. "Andrew. I'm scared." We sat in silence before I continued. "What if everyone knew. Luke, Kristy, Nate, James, none of them would look at us the same."

"We need a cover story, about today, then we can figure out our plan." He said. "One step at a time." I nodded. "We'll tell them Liam got into detail about Makala's death with you, and it was triggering based on your past with your dad."

"Okay." I said, glad that one of us could think clearly. "Can you handle that? I'm going to shower and change." I said, the clothes on my body were becoming stiff and uncomfortable. Andrew nodded, rested his hand on my cheek for a quick moment, and then left me to my thoughts.

When I climbed out of the shower and went back into my room, Kristy was sitting on the bed. Her eyes were sad. "Andrew told us what happened." I sat down next to her. "I'm so sorry Arabella. I should've told you the whole truth, not just the most convenient parts."