Why Me?

Chapter Eight

Zak arrived at the hospital about five minutes later, rushing in about to ask a nurse about me when he saw me sitting near the swinging gray doors with my head in my hands.

"Jessabelle," He started with relief flooding his voice as he practically ran to me," Thank God you're alright!"

I didn't reply to him at first, I was too busy trying to stop the flood of tears that was desperate to escape from my eyes. My not answering him only made things worse and he kneeled down in front of me, pulling my hands away from my face in the process.

"Jessa, what happened?" Zak asked looking as though he were afraid of the answer.

"Zak, it's Mama, I think she tried to kill herself..." I whispered the flood of tears finally escaping their prison behind my eyes and began streaming salty tracks down my cheeks.

"What!?" He yelled a little to loudly even though the room was empty except for the two of us and a few nurses scattered about.

" I had walked into the kitchen to help Mama finish supper and she was at the sink letting blood flow down with the water. She didn't even bother to try and stop the blood she just let it flow. Thank God the cut wasn't in the right spot to have killed her, but it was way too deep of a cut for it to have just been merely an accident." I whispered quietly.

It was only then that he noticed the blood on my hands and the front of old Mud Predator's shirt. I had forgotten about the tears on my cheeks now, all I could think of is why Mama would want to do something like that! She knows that she is all I have left in the world. How could she be so selfish. I missed all of them too, but I wasn't going to try to kill myself either.

Zak didn't reply to me, he just sat in the chair beside me and slipped his arms around me. I leaned into his chest, relaxing into the warmth and comfort I found there. I had always felt so safe in Zak's arms, even though he was two years older than me we had always been the best of friends. People always asked if we were dating, and we would always laugh it off and tell them that we were only friends. I loved Zak, he was my best friend and I never wanted to let him go especially not on that night as I leaned on his chest in the uncomfortable chair and drifted off to sleep peacefully in his embrace.

I woke up in my room with Zak asleep on the floor beside my bed. I smiled as I got up and stepped over him and went to take my shower. I was washing my hair when I heard a knock at the door. I heard the sound of Zak walking down stairs in his barefeet, clothes rumpled, and his hair a mess. I stepped out of the shower after I washed out my hair.

" What the hell are you doing here? "

I heard Thaniel's voice drift up the staircase from the front door. Oh no, what else would go through a guy's mind when he goes to a girl's house and opens up the door to see another guy there with rumpled clothes and messed up hair. I pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt and ran down the stairs.

"Jessa, who the hell is this?!" Zak asked when I ran up behind him.

"Um, Uh.. Zak, this is Thaniel. Um, Thaniel, this is my best friend Zak..." I said a blush creeping up to my cheeks.

"That doesn't explain why he's here, Jessa." Zak said still glaring at Thaniel.

"Um, Zak, Thaniel and I were paired for an English assignment. We were supposed to finish it up today," I started," And, Thaniel, we can't finish up today. My mom got hurt and I have to go back to the hospital to check on her."

"Yeah, whatever, Jessabelle, I'll see you later." Thaniel said glaring at Zak one more time before walking off the porch and going back down the street.

Zak shut the door as he walked away and turned and looked at me. He didn't say anything he just stood and stared at me like he had just caught me selling my soul to the Devil.

"What!?" I said finally breaking the silence left under his stare.

"Please, Jessie, please say you don't in anyway like him." Zak said still staring down at me.

"What!!? How dare you even ask that, Zak! Even if I did like Thaniel it's none of your business.

"So you do like him" He stated.

"No! Why do you care, Zak, Mama likes him!" I almost yelled at him.

"Isn't that supposed to be the main sign in a teenaged girl that something's wrong with a guy, ' Oh no, my parents like him, something must be wrong with him' , and of course your mother would like him, Jessie, you've barely talked to anyone since the wreck and added to that your mom is fucking suicidal!!!" He yelled back at me.

A loud smack sounded as I slapped him as hard as I could across the face, and ran back up the stairs to my room and slammed the door causing the framed photographs on the walls to rattle a bit. I sank to the floor with tears streaming down my face.

"Jessa...." I heard Zak's voice at my door.

"Go away!" I screamed the tears flowing faster down my face.

"Jessa, I'm sorry, please let me in." Zak's voice pleaded through the door.

I stood up slowly and opened the door and looked up at my best friend. He pulled me into his arms and buried his nose in my hair inhaling my scented shampoo. He didn't let me go, instead he held me in his arms mumbling 'I'm sorry' over and over into my hair.

He let me go when my phone started to ring. I pulled my phone from my back pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

"This is the hospital, Your mother is in labor."