Can We Find A Way Out?

2. Skylar's POV

Damon and I sat in the waiting room, waiting for the green light from Rian and Zack, who had gone to talk to the receptionist, to see Jack. I dreaded the moment I'd have to see Jack's heart break. The look of disbelief on his face, his screams, his tears... I knew him all too well. He and I were alike in the way in which we showed our pain... or rather not showed it.

The seconds that only continued passing made everything seem like an eternity. I just wanted to get things over with. The sooner Jack could accept it, the sooner he could help me convince everyone else that I wasn't crazy. Because Alex's murder could not continue being covered up by a lie.

"Okay... we can go in." Zack said as he approached Damon and I once again.

I nodded and stood to my feet, gripping Damon's arm for support. I was still weak. But not from the accident. I hadn't ate in days... I hadn't gotten much sleep either. Maybe I had fallen into a depressive state but I was doing such a good job of hiding it from everyone, even from myself. Every night, when I fought to get some sleep, my thoughts wandered in and out. Some went beyond healthy thoughts. They went as far as to create a theory that Alex wasn't dead. He was still alive, breathing the same air, I just had to find him. And if a night came when I did get sleep, my nightmares would wake me. Every single time, the same one:

It starts in a pitch black room where the darkness goes on forever. It appears as if I'm leaning against a wall, standing up with no where to go. I can see nothing, except for a bright flashing red light in the ceiling... I assume it to be the fire alarm. I start to move my hands around the wall, feeling around for a light switch. After several minutes, I feel something on the wall... a light switch! But... it's wet, some sort of liquid. I flip the light switch, immediately the room brightens up and what I see is beyond my worst fear.
In the middle of the room, tied to a chair, is Alex. His head hangs low like he has no strength to hold it up. His face cut open and bruised, blood every where. I then look at my hands and realize the liquid on the light switch is his blood. With trembling whispers I call his name. His head shoots up, eyes landing on me.
"Help me!" he yells in an ear piercing scream.

I wake up crying every time. I can't take it, it has resulted in staying up all night, pill after pill... I mustn't sleep.

"Sky!" Rian shouted in my ear.

I blankly looked over at him and frowned. "Yes?" We had been walking over to Jack's room, only I was too deep in thought to process anything else and had accidently bumped into him.

Rian tried to smile, only for his lips to curve downwards. Nobody could smile anymore. Nobody wanted to smile anymore.

"Ready?" he asked me, putting his arm around my shoulder.

I nodded, though I was far from being ready. I didn't want to tell Jack his bestfriend was dead. I didn't want to keep having to lie to everyone because of a stupid police report. I didn't want to hide how truly broken I was. But I didn't want help, I wanted Alex.

I reluctantly entered the room, seeing as Jack lied in the hospital bed, looking out the window. He had that same, signature grin across his face when he saw us.

"Sky! Oh good, you're okay!" he exclaimed when he saw me. He reached his arms out and began making grabby hands at me.

I tried to smile, maybe hide my sadness and pity, but I doubt it was much of a smile.

I went towards him and hugged him, perhaps a bit too desperately.

When I pushed back, he frowned. "Where's Alex?"

I sighed and looked over at Rian and Zack.

They looked away. This wasn't my responsibility, to tell Jack that their bestfriend was gone. They were putting all this pressure on me, I didn't need it. I had enough to deal with as it was.

"He's um... not here."

He chuckled. "Obviously. So where is he?"

I grunted, running a hand through my hair as I turned to face the others. "I can't do this, Zack, Rian! You tell him!"

"Sky, calm down." Damon mumbled.

I turned to glare at him, insinuating that he should back off. But he only stood his ground.

"Don't you guys understand how hard this is for me? Why should I tell him? It's not even the truth."

"That's enough, Skylar! You can't make up a lie to occult your pain, when it hurts everyone else!" Rian shouted at me, meanwhile Jack was looking between us with a look of confusion.

"What's going on?" He asked.

I fiercely wiped away my tears, my lip quivering as I tried to respond to Rian's rude comment.

"Sky, what's wrong?" Jack called again.

I looked over at him with tear stained eyes. "Jack... what do you remember from the accident?"

He shrugged. "Not much. All I remember is a black truck heading straight towards us with their headlights blinding me. Then everything went dark."

I triumphantly looked over at Zack, Rian and Damon, though it wasn't much of a win. "Black truck." I mumbled, my eyes not leaving their's. "You tell him." was the last thing I said before storming out of the room, all eyes on me.

I didn't want to see Jack's reaction when he found out. It would break me and all the walls I had built around myself.

___________________

I shall make it my mission to update every Friday or Saturday. At least once a week because I know I've been slacking with updates sorry smh

~Kim