Story Of Her Life.

Coping With It.

<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5">

<tbody>

<tr>

<td align="middle" valign="center">

<table width="600" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1">

<tbody>

<tr>

<td colspan="2" align="left" valign="center">After a few hours, and Martha's many frequent visits, Eric took a seat at the end of Beth's hosptial bed and looked into the broken eyes of his girlfriend. Beth never made eye-contact with Eric, she only sat there in her over-sized hospital gown, staring into space. Her hair was a ratty mess, and her smeared make-up went well with her tear-stained face.

"Beth, will you talk to me please," Eric finally found out about the deaths of his former students, but he still wanted to hear it from her. He was beginning to worry if she'll ever speak again.

"I was so worried," she began, bringing the tears back to her eyes. "I was so worried about you, and our relationship and whether you'd be put in jail, and I'd be expelled that I neglected her. I didn't speak to Dana for weeks on end, and she ran into the arms of Troy for comfort and I lost contact with both of them. They were dating, and I didn't even know. If it wasn't for you, they'd probably still be alive Eric, or... instead of Dana, it'd be me."

Eric could feel her pain. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed loudly. He pulled her close for a hug, but she resisted.

"Get off of me!" She shouted as he tried to comfort her. She banged on his chest, wriggled around in his hug to get free but she couldn't. Finally, she relaxed, and let him hug her. She cried into his nice shirt, smearing more make up and snot on it. Her bandaged hands rested lightly on each of his cheeks. "I'm s-sorry," she said in a more calm voice. She kissed him and tried to explain more, but Eric shooshed her and pulled her close. He didn't know how to talk to her, because he didn't know how she felt. He knew she blamed him for everything, but it was okay. He would too if he were in the same situation.

Eric's chest rose and fell steady as did Beth's head. She was resting, sound asleep almost twelve hours after the accident. This was the only way she'd get to sleep, in his arms.

After a moment her breathing became unsteady. She watched from the side of the road as Dana's body flew from the windsheild of Troy's comero, landing hard on the pavement. The same thing then happened to Troy's body. Blood was everywhere. That's all she saw. She screamed, and opened her eyes, and it was all gone.

Eric stood over Beth. "Beth, it's okay! You're okay, it was only a nightmare," he pulled her close and realized there was something wet between them. He looked down. The bandaging on her thigh was soaked with blood, as well as the sheets and bed. She looked at him with sorry eyes and began to cry again.

"This is the deepest cut you received," the night nurse said as she changed the bandaging on Beth's thigh. "The way you were sleeping had too much pressure on it, which caused it to bleed out even more."

Eric held Beth's hand from the otherside of her, stroking her hair ever-so-often as if to comfort her. It was now three AM, and neither of them had gotten much sleep yet. Bags showed beneath both of their eyes, and they were too tired to even respond to what the nurse was saying.

This was too much for Beth. She was so angry with the fact that Dana was dead she'd taken it out on Eric, who obviously felt her pain because he was still here with her, helping her. She wondered if her mother noticed she and Eric sleeping together whenever she visited that night, if she even did. Beth's mind wondered to the weirdest things in crisis situations.

The next morning Eric drove Beth home, taking the back roads, and actually going the speed limit for the first time. After your bestfriend dies in a car accident, you have a new perspective on safe driving, and safe speeds.

"I'm sorry this had to happen," Eric said to Beth, who just looked out the window silently, flinching or holding her breath everytime a car passed.

The day Beth came home there was a message on her answering maching. Dana's House phone. It was her mother, letting Beth know about the funeral arrangements. Beth cried as soon as she heard Ms. Henderson's voice. Her worst fear was actually experiencing the loss of a friend or family member. She'd never had to attend a funeral or deal with a death, and this was her first. She didn't think about how much it would actually hurt her inside until now.

She spent the next two or three days sitting at home. She looked like shit. She didn't get much sleep, so she just spent the day at home, wrapped in Eric's arms. It had been several days since she showered, and Eric was now urging her to get out of bed and to attend Dana's funeral.

"It hurts too much," Beth whispered. She sat in the center of her bed with the zebra-print covers wrapped around her. "And you can't even hold my hand, kiss me, or whisper in my ear to let me know it's okay. How am I going to do this?"

Eric sat on the edge of the bed and held both of her cold hands in his. "But I'll be there. And so will all of your friends and your mom. You can do this." His slight, Mona Lisa-like smile comforted her. She held a hand out and he helped her to her closet.

The pair arrived slightly later than the rest of the group. Ms. Henderson greeted Beth with the biggest, most tear-filled hug she'd ever experienced. Beth tried to hold it together for the crowd, but when she saw how Ms. Henderson was, she let the tears fall. She hugged her, and took a seat on the front pew next to Laura. Laura. She never saw Laura. Ever. They used to be so close, like best friends, but things were just so different. Laura nodded at Beth and kept her eyes glued on the closed casket, and the large picture of Dana that was placed just beside of it. Beth felt a presence next to her. The person grabbed Beth's hand from her lap and held it. She looked up. Valery smiled slightly over at Beth, and Beth smiled back. She needed a friend right now, but Dana was dead, Eric couldn't be there and there was no one else. She was glad Valery was there. It helped. A lot.

Troy's funeral wasn't as emotionally damaging as Dana's was. His was of course packed with almost every student at North Shore High, since he was the star quarterback and all, and a stand for Dana was also set up as well which made Beth smile. She wondered if they were having fun in heaven, or if they were given any special privlages because they were in love, and died together. She shook the thoughts from her head as a choir member from her school finished the final note in "My Immortal" by Evanescence.

Afterwards, Beth and Eric were sitting in the parkinglot of the bowling alley in complete, awkward silence. Beth looked over at Eric from the passenger's seat of his vehicle, then leaned in and kissed him. She kissed him harder as she hiked up her little black dress and tossed her leg over his lap. She sat there, and as she kissed his neck, she unbottoned the babyblue dress shirt that he loved to wear in class at times. She wasn't feeling him put forth any effort in this kiss so she stopped, and pouted her lips at him. He was sitting there, stun in his face with his hands up in the air as if he were being attacked.

"Woah! Beth!" Eric protested with a hint of giddyness in his voice. "What are you doing? It's broad daylight, and we're in a busy parkinglot!" He said lifting her from his lap by her waist. She sat down in the passenger's seat and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Take me home," She said sternly.

"Beth," He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned in for a soft kiss, but she turned her face towards the glass and pouted. He looked at her for several seconds before throwing the car into gear and backing out of the parkinglot.

He didn't know what her problem was, but he was honestly excited to see the regular old Beth return to him after this whole ordeal was over.</td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td height="100%"> </td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>