Fast Times at Clairemont High

Jaime stormed in with Tony.

"WHASSUP MY BITCHES!!! And Azalea." He said. I laughed. When I was getting up to hug him, my notepad fell out of my pocket and opened to a random page. I wrote the song when my parents were fighting and blamed me for everything; that day I wanted to die.

Vic picked it up and started reading it.

"Vic, no!" I yelled, slapping the pad out of his hand. I bent over to pick it up when Jaime did. He thought it would be funny to read it out loud.

"I've been crying all day
My stupid parents won't go away
I want to die
All I can do is lay and bed
and feel dead.
Thanks mum, thanks dad
for putting me on this Earth.
Now take me off it." Jaime read.

"Jaime!" I started sobbing. Vic tried to grab my arm, but I got out of his grasp. I ran out the door and into the street. It was pouring rain, which was cold and peculiar. I realized I had left my songbook there, and they were probably all reading it and laughing about my stupid rhymes.

I finally stopped when I knew I was completely lost. I checked my phone to see I had been running for 10 minutes straight, and that everyone had called me at least five times. I wanted to throw my phone on the ground and smash it. I wanted to disappear.

~

I sauntered over to a park in my sopping wet clothes, with tears running down my face. I think I felt true embarrassment today. Thanks to Jaime.

I heard everyone's footsteps as they splashed in puddles, running to find me. Well shit. I quickly got up from the oak bench I was sitting on and started running again.

Vic was waiting at a corner and he found me. He didn't shout or anything, he just motioned for me to come over there with his hand. I walked there gingerly and snuggled into his warm arms. I sobbed into his sweater, and he ran his fingers through my hair. I felt him place the notepad back into my back pocket. He picked me up and I fell asleep in his arms. Right as I started to fall asleep, though, I heard him call Mike on his phone.

"Hey, I found her. She's asleep. Tell Jaime I'm gonna kick his ass." Vic said. I just pretended to be sleeping. I let out a little snore, and Vic laughed a little. He gave me a kiss on the top of my head and kept walking.

~

I woke up in Vic's bed, wearing a warm sweater of his and some of Viv's loose sweatpants. I was wondering who had changed my clothes; probably either Lyric or Vic.

Lyric opened the door and shook me, thinking I was still asleep.

"Huh?" I asked groggily. She climbed onto Vic's bed with me and gave me a hug.

"I'm sorry, Lea. Vic was so pissed at Jaime, he literally snatched the songbook out of his hands and ran to find you. Right now, he's yelling at him." Lyric said. I got up and grabbed her hand. I pulled her out of his bedroom to see Vic and Jaime fighting. I saw this shit enough at home, I didn't want to see it anymore. Especially not with my friends.

So, naturally, I walked in between the two. They kinda just stopped in their tracks, and Jaime wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm sorry, Azalea. I didn't expect that to be so personal." He said.

"Well, I cannot forgive you. If I didn't let Vic read it, it must have been pretty goddamn personal. I just don't know if I can trust you anymore." I said. Inside, my heart was shattering. I didn't want to forgive Jaime because I didn't want to be taken advantage of. I didn't want people to think I was gonna let them walk all over me.

"I actually thought it was quite beautiful. May I ask what compelled you to write it?" Turtle asked.

"My mum and dad were blaming me for their fighting. They called me a bitch and so I ran up to my room and poured my heart out into my songbook. I wrote it a few days ago when I came home late and they started screaming at me. The real reason they are fighting is because in Long Beach, where we used to live for about 2 years, my mother was having an affair. My father made us move to cut her connects to the dude, but it turns out she skips work and drives out to his place everyday." I said. My life wasn't actually that bad; at least my parents didn't beat me.

My phone rang and I saw it was from my dad. Something was telling me to answer it, so I did.

"Azalea, we're in the Emergency Room. Your sister stopped breathing." He said. It was obvious he was crying.

"Vic, can you drive me to the Emergency Room?" I asked, my eyes flooding with tears. He nodded.

~

I ran into the room where my sister was. She was breathing again, and her heartbeat was steady. She just wasn't awake. I grabbed her hand.

"Audrey...what happened?" I asked, even knowing full well she as asleep. A nurse walked in.

"Hello, are you Azalea Mitchels?" she asked. I nodded. "This is addressed to you." She handed me a note.

Dear Azalea,

If you are reading this, you probably found my lifeless body on the floor. I couldn't take Mother's and Father's constant fighting. You helped keep me alive this long, but when you were gone I couldn't take it. It didn't help how they talked about you in their arguments. they said the meanest things about you when you were gone. Just know that I love you, and it's not your fault.

~Audrey ♥

She tried to commit suicide. Oh my god. Vic walked into the room and Audrey's eyes fluttered open.

"Oh Audrey..Audrey..." I said, sobbing and scooping her up in a big hug. She started crying and hugged me back.

"I so sorry Lea. I couldn't take it anymore." She cried. Vic came over and held on of her hands.

"Hi, I'm Vic." He said, slowly shaking her hand. She giggled a little and jumped on him.

"Hi, I'm Audrey!" She said. Vic laughed and lowered her down onto the bed. His sleeve went up his arm, and his scars were revealed. He didn't notice until Audrey started tracing them.

"Hmph, Azalea has some of those, but they are on the inside. She may have a kind heart, but it's shattered and won't heal." She said, laying her head down on the pillow and falling asleep.

"Is everything okay?" Lyric said, poking her brunette head into the room. I nodded, still crying. She embraced me into a hug.

Notes