Chapter One

“Oh fuck her man. Just give me a cigarette!” Andrew groaned, as he was obviously craving one.
“You know what? Fuck you! You always say you’ll be there for her! You always bullshit you’re way around her! You always talk shit about her behind her back! You always flirt with her one day then fuck some other girl in the ass the next to get her off your back! Do you even actually care about her? Do you even actually know how much you mean to her? She thinks about suicide everyday of her life! All because of you! You’re everything to her! Yeah, I do a lot to help her. But I could NEVER help her as much as you could! She lives off of you! You’re the only thing that keeps her going! And now if you don’t fucking mind I’m going to go hang out with her instead of your uncaring ass!” Paul screamed as he grabbed his skateboard and took off in the opposite direction to call Sydney without Andrew.
“Yo! Wait!” Andrew called grabbing his skateboard and taking off after Paul.
As Paul dodged between traffic he heard Andrew calling after him when suddenly all he heard was a scream and the squealing of tires. Paul spun around just in time to see Andrew flying through the air.
“Oh shit!” Paul gasped as he ran back to Andrew. Without even thinking he pulled out his phone and called Sydney.
“Hey Paul—“Sydney mumbled through her hair tie.
“Syd! Andrew’s been hit! The ambulance—“ Paul gasped.
“WHAT! Where!?” Sydney screamed dropping everything.
“Go outside turn right and RUN!” Paul screamed, “Yo man! Stay with me! Don’t die on me! Andrew! Answer me!”
“Paul… I… I really do… Care about her.” Andrew whispered just before he blacked out.
“Paul! Paul! Where are you!?” Sydney called hysterically.
“Syd! Over here!” Paul screamed back as she ran over, hair still wet from her shower and sloppily pulled back from her face, no makeup anywhere, tears streaming down her face like waterfalls, her t-shirt thrown on backwards, no socks or shoes, just a pair of flip flops tossed lazily to the ground when she knelt beside Andrew. And the only thought running through his mind was how beautiful she looked as she knelt beside him cradling Andrew’s face in her hands.
“Andrew! Andrew! Oh my god! Andrew answer me please!” Sydney cried as she pulled his hair back from his face as she kissed him.
“Syd, he blacked out. Look the ambulance is here, step back—“ Paul said as he tried to pull her away but he couldn’t get her to budge.
It hurt him more than anything to watch her sit there brushing his hair form his face and holding him. Because he was silently wishing half heartedly that it was him in her arms instead of Andrew. Because no matter how hard he tried to deny it, he still loved Sydney more than anyone or anything. But he knew just how she felt about Andrew, and he knew just how much she loved Andrew.
“Miss you’ll have to step back. Miss?” Said one of the ambulance loaders.
“You can ride with him back to the hospital but you have to let us load him up so we can help him.”
Silently Sydney stepped back, but only long enough for them to load Andrew onto the stretched. Then like magic she was by his side.
“Paul, can he go with?” Sydney whispered.
“He has to tell the police what happened, but then they’ll give him a ride up we promise.” Reassured the same ambulance loader as she helped Sydney on board.
The other was more concerned that she was getting off duty in an hour so she hurriedly closed the doors and yelled up front, “Let’s go!”
Sydney felt beyond hopeless as she watched them prep Andrew for the ER. As she held his hand she stared at his face and she reached up to brush the hair from his eyes revealing a gash across the left side of his temple. Quickly they set to cleaning it as Sydney pulled back crying. Suddenly the lady that spoke to her before nodded to her and Sydney placed her head lightly on his chest and began to listen to his heartbeat.
“Andrew I love you. If you don’t make it I swear I’ll never forgive Paul. They put a brace on your bad knee; apparently you landed on it when you fell. If you can’t walk again let alone skate, I don’t know what you’ll do, skating is your life. They put you on a back board for your ribs in case they’re damaged… You’re wearing a neck brace, in case that’s fractured. They told me you’ll be going in for a full body x-ray to make sure everything’s the way it should be. You have gashes across the left side of your temple, they’re pretty bad but they said you’ll be fine. I hope I can trust them because if you don’t come out of this 100% I’ll never let Paul hear the end of it. I do have to ask though Andrew, why? Why were you two dodging through traffic? Why would you guys put yourselves at such a risk? Especially knowing what it would do to me if either of you ever got hurt. Why would you do something so stupid and reckless, just for fun? Or was there something more to it that just for the hell of it? Don’t tell me it was another fight… You always end up getting hurt in the end. That’s what it was… I know it; it’s the only thing that makes sense. Oh Andrew….”
“Remember that night we both slept over at Paul’s? Paul went to bed upstairs, and we crashed down on the couch. We stayed up for another 4 hours compared to Paul, and we just sat there talking and laughing. I don’t want that to be the last time we ever do something like that. Don’t let that be the last time.”
“Miss, it’s time to take him in.” The lady whispered to Sydney as the doors swung open and they began pulling out the stretcher. And before Sydney let go of Andrew’s hand so she could jump down from the ambulance, she left a slight squeeze from his hand, like he was trying to say he heard her but didn’t have the voice to put it into words.
As they rushed Andrew for the x-rays Sydney gave the receptionist his name, and a number to call to get his mom. Soon after his mom arrived, she was only down the street at a friend’s house so it didn’t take her long. Upon her arrival Paul arrived.
“Syd! How is he?” Paul asked as he gently took her hand.
“What happened to make you two dodge through traffic like that? I know it wasn’t just for fun. You two got into a fight again. What was it this time?” Sydney demanded as she jumped and pulled away from Paul.
“Syd… I… Sit down and I’ll tell you,” Paul cracked as Sydney slowly sat down across from him, “He asked for a cigarette, and I only had one left. I told him I was saving it for you and he said… He said ‘fuck her just give me a cigarette.” So I kind of flipped out on him and started running off. He took off after me and well… Then the next thing I know is he’s saying something to me just before he blacked out.”
“Oh my god…” Sydney whispered, “What did he say?”
“I uh… Didn’t catch what he said…” Paul lied. He hated lying to Sydney but he didn’t want her to know what Andrew had said.
‘I have enough trouble trying to be alone with Sydney as it is and he didn’t want her to know that Andrew felt the same about her as she did for him. Or at least that’s what I think Andrew meant? He did say that he really did care about her… What if that wasn’t really what Andrew meant? What if he only meant he really cares about her as a friend? Oh I’m so glad I didn’t tell her what he said, god only knows how bad that could’ve been. Let alone how bad it would end up being when she found out he really didn’t care about her THAT way…‘
“Oh…” Sydney paused, “Do you think Andrew will be okay?”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’s always fine no matter what he gets put through,” Paul said comfortingly as he lightly hugged Sydney, “Why don’t you take a nap? It’ll be a few hours before we hear anything.”
With a slight nod Sydney put her head down on Paul’s chest and listened to his heartbeat as she fell asleep, noting how his was suddenly more rapid than usual.
As soon as Paul was sure she was asleep he kissed her forehead and whispered, “I love you Sydney, even if you don’t love me. I still love you. And I just want you to be happy.”
Shortly after Paul dozed off his phone rang. When every head turned to him he realized, hey hospital, phone off. Rushing outside to answer it after seeing it was Sydney’s phone, which could only mean she didn’t bring hers, and her mom found it and was worried.
“Hello-“ Paul answered.
“Is Sydney with you!? I called Andrew but he didn’t answer. Is she okay?” Her mom asked hysterically.
“Yeah she’s fine. But Andrew’s not. He got hit by a car and Sydney sort of dropped everything and ran. We’re at the hospital now. Andrew went in for x-rays soon as he got here. His mom is here too so everything’s okay for now. Buy could you bring some things up for Sydney? Looks like it’s going to be a long night for her and it’s getting chilly in the waiting room.”
“Thank god she’s okay. But yet Andrew’s hurt… Don’t worry Paul, I’ll bring up some things for her. Does she have shoes with her?”
“A pair of flip flops she held in her hands as she ran… But she could use her sneakers.”
“I’ll remember to grab those then. Thank you so much for looking out after my daughter, and you’ll call me soon as you guys can go back to see Andrew and then right after you get back? I want to make sure he’s alright.”
“Sure thing.”
“Alright I’ll be there in about half an hour.”
“Bye.”









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