Falling (Bits and Pieces, Book 1) (53 page)

I cringed when she said her nickname for him. The name that I know he hated. A crowd was forming around us. No one was going to stop the evitable between me and her. Adrenaline rushed through me. Fight or flight. I couldn’t run and leave Patrick there. That was
not
going to happen.

“You don’t know anything about him and what he wants.” I glanced quickly at Patrick and was appalled. I sharply exhaled when I realized what she was going to do. I was angry and in shock. “You would have had sex with him, right here, in front of everyone, wouldn’t you?”

“So? What the hell is it to you? It’s the least he owed me after bailing on me at the dance. Do you know how much I spent on that room? $250! Then he breaks up with me. Humiliates me. Hell no! He owed me at least one night for everyone to see.”

She disgusted me. “You would have raped him, right here, in the middle of the party.”

“Raped?! Yeah, right. Guys don’t get raped. Just look at him, he wants it.” She scoffed.

“No, he doesn’t. You know he doesn’t want you, let alone have sex with you. That’s rape, you selfish sick bitch.” My blood boiled over with rage. I slapped her across the face. When I watched her recoil, I noticed our gawking crowd was larger. They had formed a half circle around us. This time I wouldn’t be caught by surprise, not with an audience seeming to respond to every move and word.

“You really want more? I’d be happy to do that.” Becca shoved me.

I took a step back to regain my balance. I glared at her and tightened my jaw. She thought she could do whatever she wanted to whoever she wanted. That wasn’t going to happen here. With me. With Patrick.

“I’d like to see you try.” All the anger and hate I had for her exploded. Primal instinct took over and I went after Becca with all I had in me.

I hit and kicked and clawed and scratched her. I wasn’t quite aware of what my arms, hands and legs were doing. She landed her share of shots, some on my still recovering bruises. It hurt like hell, but I wasn’t going to stop fighting back.

“You’re weak. Paddy feels sorry for you. That’s why he’s nice to you. That’s why he pretends to be your friend.” Becca was seething. She didn’t know what she was talking about. I knew what she said wasn’t true. I hated her more for spewing those lies.

I grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. The heal of her hand thrust into my throat. It felt like I was choking, as if my throat made its way to the back of my neck. I gripped her wrist and tossed it to the side. I threw my fist into her face. We were entangled, rolling around on the ground, teetering close to the pool.

“You think the world revolves around you. It doesn’t. Everyone, including Patrick, sees you for the user and slut you are.” I shrieked.

She reach for me with her arms extended trying to go after my throat. I lunged toward her. My nails ran from cheek, down her neck and caught on the charm. She had this look of anger and shock on her face as she hit me. The necklace remained in my hand as I fell backward. It wasn’t my fault that it broke, it was hers.

I didn’t think it was possible for her to be any angrier with me, but it was. Not that it mattered, besides the feeling was mutual. I pushed myself back up and wrapped the chain around my fingers.

“You keep taking what’s mine. Give it back
. Now.
” She ordered.

“No, you keep losing what doesn’t belong to you.” I yelled back.

“That’s it!” She screamed. Her fist made contact with my cheek and I landed on the cement. The rings she was wearing cut into my face. My skin burned. I put my hand over it and felt the inferno of blood. Time moved so slowly and quickly at the same time.

She stood over me and began kicking me. I rolled to my side and staggered upwards. I locked onto her eyes and, with both hands, pushed her with everything I had. She stumbled several steps back. Becca lost her balance and started to fall backwards. Water flew everywhere. She had flopped into the pool. Good. She deserved much worse. I stood there for a long second enjoying the site of her flailing in the pool.

I heard the partygoers laughing and hollering at Becca. I saw Emily and Cassie trying to push through the crowd to get to me. The guys weren’t far behind them.

Emily got to me first. She helped me get up and I involuntarily cringed. “Liz! God! Are you okay? I should have come out here with you.”

I shook her off. Adrenaline still coursed through my body and my voice trembled. “I’m fine.”

I turned quickly and hurried over to Patrick. I shoved the broken necklace into my pocket and knelt down beside him. He looked giddy and tried to sit up. His hand fell through the webbing on the chair. His laugh was over-exaggerated. “Hey, Liz! You done singing?”

I was glad he knew who I was, but my heart broke every time he asked the same question about me singing. I helped him get his hand uncaught from the chair and sit up.

“Yeah, I’m done singing.” I leaned into him and whispered loudly in his ear. “Fix your pants.”

He looked at me confused and then down at himself. Patrick was able to pull up his zipper, but couldn’t button his pants. Close enough, at least it was closed and they wouldn’t fall down.

I grabbed the nearby cup, wrapped my arm behind him and tried to get him to stand up. Emily and Cassie gasped when they saw the condition he was in. I turned to them and saw the guys, “Help me.”

Bobby went on the other side of Patrick and lifted him up. “Up we go.”

“I don’t understand. Do we have to go?” Patrick slurred.

“Yes, we do.” I said urgently.

“But why?” It was like talking to a four-year-old. He was clueless.

“Because I want to leave.” I looked at him and searched his eyes, hoping to connect to the Patrick that might understand me on any level.

He nodded obediently. “Okay.”

The normally charismatic, coordinated, great at everything guy that was my best friend couldn’t walk straight. He couldn’t
walk
. Patrick kept tripping over his own two feet. Bobby shouldered most of Patrick’s weight, lifting him when he stumbled.

It wasn’t until we got to Patrick and Jason’s cars that I realized the entire crew was around us. Patrick pulled his keys out his pocket and futilely attempted to put the key in the lock.

Bobby put his hand out, “Give me the keys.”

Patrick finally got the door unlocked. Bobby stood in the way of Patrick opening up the driver’s side door. Patrick tried to push Bobby aside, but Bobby wouldn’t give. “What’s your problem, Bobby? It’s my car.”

“You shouldn’t be driving.” Bobby was staring him down.

“I’m fine.” Patrick turned to me and flopped against the car. “Tell him.”

I shook my head. I didn’t want to fight with him too. “No. Please, just give me your keys.”

He started to slide down the side of the car and looked dizzy. Bobby propped him up and took the keys from him. Bobby unlocked the rest of the doors and I slid into the back seat. I put the cup in the holder. Bobby helped get Patrick into the back with me. Emily ran over to the front passenger seat. Kraig, Cassie and Tony piled into Jason’s car and they were going to follow us.

The problem was we didn’t know where we were going. Bobby started the car and pulled away from the curb. “Where am I driving? We can’t take him home like this.”

Patrick leaned against me. He felt so hot, like he was burning up. He was having a harder and harder time holding his head up. His eyes glazed over.

“Let’s go to Liz’s. Your parents aren’t home, right?” Emily frantically suggested.

“No, they’re not, but… I think he needs real help.” I imagined the worst happening. No, my house was not a good idea.

The three of us went back and forth as to what to do. All of a sudden, Patrick felt like dead weight on me. I shook him and yelled at him and he was completely unresponsive. Patrick was barely breathing. Terror enveloped me. I screamed at Bobby to take us to the hospital.

Bobby rushed us to the hospital, but it didn’t seem fast enough. Those were some of the longest minutes of my life. I kept checking to see if he was breathing and alive. He had to be alive. He had to be.

I begged him, not that he could hear me. “Stay with me. Patrick, hang in there, we’re almost there. Please, stay with me. Patrick! Please! Don’t leave me.”

37. NOT ALONE

Bobby pulled up the emergency room doors. Emily jumped out of the car and ran inside. She came back out with some nurses with a gurney. They got Patrick out of the car and onto the gurney. I followed them inside the hospital.

The nurse asked me if I knew what happened as they wheeled him through the ER. I filled her in. She made me stay in the waiting room. The crew quickly flooded into the waiting room and were at my side. I could hear them talking, saying
something
, but I couldn’t make it out. I didn’t try. My head was throbbing. My heart was racing. I felt sick to my stomach when I realized what I had to do next.

I had to call his parents. I wanted them to hear it from me, instead of the hospital. Not that I knew what his condition was. God, he has to be okay. Please, let him be okay.

I took out my cell phone and dialed his home phone number. The line rang and I wanted to throw up. Mrs. Connor picked up. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mrs. Connor.” I managed to stammer out.

“Liz? What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” Her tone went from polite to worried instantaneously when she heard me.

I knew that delaying what had to be said wasn’t making it easier on either of us. But her world was perfect before I called and now I was sending it into a tailspin. “Uh… no. It’s Patrick. We’re at the hospital.”

“Oh, God. What happened? Is he okay?” She yelled to her husband and I could hear her frantically moving.

“I don’t know… I don’t know.” I mumbled and rocked back and forth in my seat.

“Liz?” Mr. Connor took the phone from his wife. “We’ll be right there. Where are you?”

I told him which hospital. They were on their way. I desperately tried to keep it together. Kraig sat down next to me and tried to comfort me. He tried to convince me to get myself checked out. I didn’t want to hear it.

I should have been there sooner. It should never have happened. I should have gotten him out of there quicker. God, I hurt. My head was throbbing, my face stung. My sides hurt. I think the adrenaline was wearing off.

* * *

I saw Patrick’s family come in. They saw us immediately. I guess I should have cleaned myself up a little, because I really freaked his mom out when she saw me.

She ran up to me and hugged me. “Oh God, look at you. What kind of accident was it? Have you heard anything yet?”

I screamed in pain and she let go. “They haven’t said anything.”

Mr. Connor nodded and went off to get information on Patrick. Mrs. Connor apologized for hurting me. “What happened?”

I looked at her, Lindsey and Andy. Andy looked so frightened. It must of have been what Patrick looked like when Lindsey was hurt so many years ago. I would do anything to spare his family this heartache. But I couldn’t. I didn’t know how to. How could I explain what happened in front of Andy? This was definitely something that he shouldn’t be subjected to.

I bit my lip, which stung because it was swollen and cut. Kraig took Andy by the hand and walked him over to the other guys that were just a few seats away. At least we could spare one of them the imagery. Emily and Cassie stayed with me. I told his mom and Lindsey what happened to Patrick. “I’m sorry.”

I never saw them angry before, but I knew they were beyond that. His mom tried to keep her composure, probably for the sake of Andy, but Lindsey couldn’t. “That bitch! I want to beat the shit out of her!”