Hearts And Locks

23. discoveries

          June ran out into the darkened hospital parking lot and caught Paula right before she got into her car.
      She quickly moved between Paula and the drivers door so she woudn't be able to get in, just as Paula reached for the handle.
     In one swift move, Paula's hand flew from the door handle and right across June's cheek, delivering her probably the most painful slap she had ever received in her life, causing her head to snap back and almost dislocate from her neck.

        "Don't say a word to me" Paula said, her eyes looked dangerous.
        
          "I guess i deserved that" june said, her hand instinctively covering her cheek which was now most definately red, it felt so warm to the touch.
      
         "Just, let me-"

       "What June? Let you what?  Explain? Okay fine, explain. Explain to me. Explain  to me why you are standing in the middle of a hospital waiting room kissing my boyfriend, but first make me understand what the hell it is you are doing here, explain to me why he called you first and not me his girlfriend  and I had to find out from a neigbor who saw the ambulance pull up, explain to me why even after I begged you, you still went for him because really this is just too facinating. Tell me June! Make me understand" By now Paula was shouting and a few people were staring at them strangely.
    Most walked past with sad shakes of thier heads. This was probably not that uncommon for a hospital parking lot, they probably thought she was breaking down over the loss of a loved one.
     Little did they know how accurate they were. She was breaking down over the loss of a loved one, two loved ones infact. 

     "I'm not trying to justify myself"  June said holding up an arm to, what, protect herself?  Paula seemed really unstable this morning.
  
             "Don't bother" Paula said "I thought we could be friends and move on from it. I thought you would be a better person than this, i thought we were closer, but apparently not, all you care about is yourself."
     She punctuated each sentence by jabbing her finger at Junes chest,  each jab more painful than the rest, and June felt the pain all the way to her heart, although the pain came more from Paula's words than from her physical touch.
           " You're so dammed pretty June you could have any guy in the entire school, hell the entire   country but no that was not enough for you waa it because you just had to go for mine."

       "I'm not fighting for him Paula" June said
"Of course you're not" Paula scoffed. "That's because you already won. He called you June, in this moment when he needed someone next to him he called you, I'm so stupid I don't even know why I still bother. You can have him June, you two deserve each other, but don't you dare think I still consider you a friend because we will never, ever be friends again. I hope you rot in hell"
"Paula please"
"Please what? Please forgive you for betraying our friendship? Or please turn away and allow you and Beck to continue whatever it is that you're doing? Or please forgive you again just so you can do it again? Please step out of the way, feel free to explain to Beck how he is a single man now"
June stepped aside and watched hopelessly as Paula got in her car and drove away. She felt a clenching feeling in her throat and it felt so familiar and welcome.
    The first sob escaped her before she even knew it was coming and the others seemed to flow freely after that, one rolling into another until her shoulders shook violently and she had to crouch in the hospital parking lot so she woudn't lose her balance.
     She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked up to see an old woman smiling down at her in a sad way.
      "It's okay sweeite" the lady said. "They are in a better place now, and they will live on forever" she leaned forward and gently poked June's chest. "In here" she meant her heart.
    The lady smiled and walked away, most likely satisfied with her work. She was wrong in asuming June was crying because someone died, she guessed it also wasn't all that unusual to see someome break down in a hospital parking lot, but she was right about one thing,  Paula would always be in her heart.

          June walked back into the waiting room and sat back in her seat. Now what was she going to tell Beck? He was already going through so much with his mom, she coudn't bring in any more drama right now.
    She cleaned her eyes and tried to look as composed as possible. She tried to whole away the time by using her phone but she was too diatracted. She absently flipped through her gallery and paused on a particular picture.
      Junior year spring break. Paula and June had gone with Paula's eldest brother and his wife to the family lakehouse. 
         There was this gorgeous lifeguard at the club pool and both girls had taken an instant liking to him. It almost caused a fight between them,  and they hadn't talked for days, then they found out he had a girlfriend and wasn't even into either of them and they had felt so stupid. That night they camped out by the lake and made a pact to never let a guy come between them ever again,  no matter how ohmagurdly handsome and breathraking he was. Then they took a best friends picture, more because they wanted to show off how much fun they were having with thier spring break but also because they wanted to remeber. 
      That was the same picture Paula had poated on her inatagram page on Junes birthday with a beautiful caption about how awesome June was and how thier friendship was what kept her going each day. What an irony that was now.      
            It was hours later when Beck finally came back out. At this point her eyes were almost not swollen anymore, but one look at his face and she knew there was a lot more crying to be done.
      "She's gone" was all he managed to say before he broke down in tears and June felt her eyes tearing up too. Who knew she had so much tears in her system? 
      She hugged him with all her strength and he cried against her body and she wondered if she really had the strength to go on, and if he did.