A Blue Charlotte

Chapter 6

A loud bang erupted. Blue could feel the knife fall on her shoulder, slicing through the skin. Her whole body ached, slices left and right. She was bleeding out. She wanted to scream the rest of her breath away. She opened her eyes, looking at Red's face. She was frozen. Blood oozed out of a bullet hole in her chest. She was smiling, her breath getting more hollow. "I'll see you in hell, Old friend" She said once again, but this time, it was sincere.

One single tear slid down her cheek and landed on Blue's nose. Red fell forward, her head laying on Blue's chest. She was completely motionless. Blue felt a huge pang of grief and pain, other than the wounds. This girl, laying on her chest, dead, was her best friend for years. Her sister. She came back from the depths of hell to say goodbye one last time.. Red.. I'm so sorry. Tears rolled down the side of her face, landing in her ears. She could hear the ocean, a ringing in her ears. A figure came into view. She couldn't tell who saved her life, her eyes closing. She had nothing in her to stay awake any longer. She heard the bell ring. That was the longest 2 minutes of her life...

She was in and out of it. She was picked up and put on a stretcher. Then, she was being wheeled away, first in an ambulance and rushed to a hospital. She heard voices, some urgent, some shaky. She tried to open her eyes, but her lids felt 500 pounds heavier. She wanted to let them know that she was alright. A mask was put over her mouth and nose, fresh air being sent through her lungs. She could hear her father, Tara, and Matt hurrying beside her. Her whole body ached.

"Dad..." Blue croaked, trying to lift up her hand. A sharp pain ran through her whole body like electricity. "Shh... My baby. You're going to be okay" He said, his voice slurred in her ears. She felt oddly calm. The next time she woke up, she was in full consciousness. Matt was laying next to her, curled up in a ball. He was asleep, his face red and his eyes swollen. He was crying... JJ was laying on a couch, asleep also, and Tara was sitting on a chair next to Blue, half awake, half asleep. She looked exhausted.

"Hello, sleepyhead" She said softly. Blue's body was still aching all over but she was relieved to see Tara, Matt, and JJ. "Wh-Where's Dad?" Blue asked, her arms shaking as she tried to lift herself up. Jolts of pain ran through her body. "Shh.. lay down.. He's talking to the doctor. We heard what happened.. It's a stupid question but.. How are you feeling?" She asked softly, laying a hand on Blue's forehead. So much has happened in just the span of 2 weeks.. "I'm... okay, I think" Blue answered honestly. She smiled a little, tears streaming down her cheeks. The tears didn't sting, but soothed her eyes a bit.

"So much has happened in just a couple weeks... Gosh.." Tara chuckled, wiping the tears off of Blue's cheeks. She felt cold. "Does my mother...?" She was about to ask before the door opened. "Your mother is in Jail. Theft and roofying the poor man. She's waiting for a spot in prison to open up. I don't know how long, but I just wanted to say sorry for your loss... Even though she was a B I C T H" Dad laughed. Blue giggled softly, not wanting to feel even more terrible. He spelt it wrong on purpose.

Her mother was finally gone... "Does that mean... I get to live with you guys?" She questioned, her heart pounding. Tara smiled and nodded. Blue smiled so hard, not caring about the agony she felt when she sat up. The pain couldn't measure how happy she was. Things were starting to look a little brighter. And all I had to do was get stabbed 3 times... Matt rose slowly from her moving. He rubbed his eyes, his face a little less red; More of a pink. "Blue?... Oh god!! B-Blue!!!" He yelled, giving her a huge hug. She winced and flinched.

She was hesitant about physical contact due to literally getting stabbed in the back. Her wounds were pounding, aching, almost like a heartbeat. But, she hugged back. Matt sobbed, kissing her all over the face. "I love you, Sis" He whispered, pressing his forehead against hers. She smiled. "I love you too".

She hugged him for a while, her wounds still throbbing, but a little less each second she went without movement. She could stay here forever... Just in this moment. Soon, she realized that someone was missing from the room, if he cared enough to want to be here. "Where's Noel?" She asked, glancing at JJ. He was still asleep. "He went to get food for everyone," Dad said, kissing her on the forehead. "What a nice boy.." Tara smiled. Yea... Matt looked at Blue. "So, you have a sister?". Tara smacked him on the arm. "Matt! She almost died by the hands of that girl!" She hissed. Blue smiled. She's never seen Tara so worked up. "It's okay, Mom," She said.

Suddenly, she froze. Tara stared at Blue, shocked. "I-I'm sorry! Too soon!". Blue covered her face in embarrassment, a jolt of pain in her arm. Tara put Blue's arm down gently. "N-No... I love it" She beamed, her eyes filling with tears. Blue smiled back. Noel then came into the room, slamming the door on accident when he saw that Blue was awake. "Blue!" He yelled, his eyes going glossy. JJ startled awake, his eyes puffier than everyone else's.

He looked like he stayed awake all night, worried. He probably was... wasn't he... "Hey, Noel" She fake smiled, looking down at her hands. "Are you okay?" He asked, kissing her hand, then her cheek. She was disgusted with herself. A thought came to her so quickly, like a punch to the gut. "Yes.. May we speak in private?" Blue asked, clearing her throat. Everyone was hesitant, but left without any argument. Noel looked at her intently.

"What's up?" He asked, sitting on the chair that Tara was sitting on. Blue sighed. Maybe.. This is a big misunderstanding.. And I just haven't been hearing right... She looked at him, glancing down at her hands a couple of times. "How come... you don't stutter anymore?". Noel frowned, hesitant to answer. "What do you mean..? Maybe because of your help?" He said, his voice cracking. He was nervous. She cleared her throat, making herself look him in the eye. It wasn't a fluke. "Was it all an act?" She frowned. She didn't want to look him in the eye when he answered.

She looked down at a specific scar. When she was 7, her dad took her fishing and the hook got caught in her hand. "....I.... Yes. I'm so sorry" He whispered. Blue gaped at her hand. She couldn't look him in the eye. She lost all respect for this boy. For 3 years... she helped him. For 3 years, she wasted time for nothing, helping a fully functional kid when she could've helped someone who really needed it. "You lied to me for 3 years? I cared about you... How could you?" She asked, her eyes finally stinging. These were tears of anger. Rage. Noel looked down.

"I know... I'm ashamed of myself.. But I just wanted to get close to you..." He said, only glancing up for a second. His brown, dull eyes showed. He really was sorry. Blue's face turned red from anger. Blue struggled to raise her hand, which took every ounce of her strength. The pain that she felt was unbearable, but she didn't care. She wanted him to hurt like she did, she felt like that was what mattered the most. She held up her hand, slapping him across the face as hard as she could. She was very angry with him, and felt he had that coming."There are other ways to get close to someone, Noel! Pretending to have speech problems isn't a way just to get close to someone you like!" Blue barked, her hands shaking. He held his hand on his cheek, still looking down.

Her whole body shook, causing her wounds to get sore and burn." I don't even like you! What happened that day was a mistake. I was sad and scared and needed to get away" Blue said, finally coming out with the truth. "What..? I thought you liked me.." Noel whispered, his pupils going shaky.

Blue squeezed her hands into fists. Why is this.. Making me so sad? "No! You assumed! I'm in love with someone else! I don't need the weight of your stupid problems on my shoulders, okay?! I've already been through enough, Noel. This is the cherry on top. I'm really getting sick and tired of everything!" She yelled, crying into her hands. Everything was quiet, besides her gasping for breath while she silently sobbed. "I guess now we're even," Noel said coldly, getting up and leaving the room.

She couldn't let this end off like it was. She got up, ignoring the pain and grabbed his arm. He looked at her, startled, "Go back on the bed, Blue!!". She shook her head, her face drenched in tears. "I can't do this, Noel! You have no right to be mad at me. I never said that I liked you, you just assumed. It ain't my fault. And it isn't like I acted to like you for 3 years! You need to understand that it's your fault, not mine, not JJ's, but yourself, okay? Is it selfish that I want you to hurt inside as much as I am, because of what you did? It isn't fair! So, please. I don't want to talk to you unless you've understood what you did, Noel. We are no longer friends. Please leave" She cried, turning around and stumbling back to the bed. She grabbed the blankets and threw them over her, covering herself.