Sorry for not updating Always For You, but I’ve just been feeling really motivated to write this lately.

I’m going on a trip soon enough, so I’ll be able to finish Chapter Six down in Flordia then upload it when I get back.

Chapter Two

Once her mom had dropped her off, Kailey immediately headed to the family’s computer to see if she could get on. Yes, her mother hadn’t changed the passwords to the account- Kailey could get on.

Signing onto her account, Kailey opened Microsoft Word and began typing what she knew would be her very last story. Too bad she couldn’t finish the others, but she was sure her friends would for her.

Smiling at the thought her friends would actually care beyond the initial shock, Kailey began typing.

Kailey woke up to the sound of her Hello Kitty alarm clock going off- the one she had gotten from her trip to Japan. It showed Hello Kitty in pajamas, clutching a clock to her stomach. When the alarm went off, Hello Kitty would start singing a good morning song in Japanese. It had been the last present-

Lost in the music of Angel, and the magic of her writing, Kailey was started when she saw an IM from Kaye’s cell phone pop up on the screen. It read:

“We’re coming over.”

Not wanting to put on anymore masks, Kailey began typing a message in reply to the other.

“I’m fine, really, just sick, you know, I’m sorry I was in a bad mood this morning, I was listening to a really sad song and so I wasn’t feeling so hot to begin with…”

Eventually, Kaye replied with:

“Just open your door.”

Confused, Kailey reread the message, and then glancing at the clock, was even more confused. School didn’t get out for a full hour! But five seconds later, her doorbell did indeed ring. Waiting a second before getting up, Kailey took a moment to compose herself… she didn’t want to alarm her friends. She had to convince them not to come back.

“Hey…” Rochelle, Kaye, and Steph, Kaye’s younger sister (who was in 10th grade as well) stood on the doorstep, and Kailey’s eyebrows rose. “Don’t you have German this hour?” They were in the same class this hour, and Kailey was quite surprised that Steph had managed to get out of German to come here.

Steph shrugged and grinned. “We were walking to the language lab and Frau and the other Frau were sorta really far behind, so when the class reached the lab, I sorta kept walking.”

Kailey had to grin at the other girl’s nerves, but eventually was forced to let the girls in, all except Kaye, who chose to stay outside on her cell phone. Hurt a bit by it, Kailey simply shrugged and shut the door, thinking, so she doesn’t even say hi…Ah well. I won’t say ‘bye’ so I guess we’re even.

“Yeah… you guys woke me up.” Kailey grinned at Rochelle, who smiled uncertainly back.

“Are you sure, kid? I mean, I don’t want to abandon you if you’re not feeling alright. I don’t want you doing anything stupid.”

Kailey grinned and rolled her eyes. “Naw, just not feeling well.” Fortunately, after about five minutes of the banter, the girls left, and still Kaye didn’t speak to even say goodbye.

As soon as the car pulled out of the driveway and Steph had left, Kailey let her mask melt away, and she stood there, trembling, and whispering to herself. “I was right… they don’t care… There’s nothing for me. I-I just want to go to sleep.”

Going over to her computer, Kailey opened up a new document, and began typing.

Everybody-

I couldn’t take it anymore. I really couldn’t. My sister thought I was a liar, my parents, a failure. And my friends? Who knows what they thought, probably a mixture of the two with a bit of slutiness wrapped up in all of it.

This is my apology, although I guess that people might not understand. I just… it’s been harder and harder to focus, to do what I have to, to smile everyday like everybody expects me to. And I’m, honestly, quite sick of it. I’m sick of the endless days of drama, of everything. Of myself.

About that time both Kaye and Rob, another friend of hers, signed onto AIM and Kailey couldn’t resist IMing Kaye.

“I was right, you really don’t care… you’re probably tired of me hanging out with you guys all the time… well guess what, I’m tired too… I’ll see you later.”

That little thing sent of a tirade of responses from Kaye, and from Rob too, once Kailey had made it apparent she wasn’t going to reply anymore to Kaye. Well, nor was she going to reply to Rob’s questions either.

Switching windows back to her note, Kailey continued with tears in her eyes, obscuring her vision.

I’m dirty, see? I’m not the innocent virgin I was when I was eleven. Nobody would want to marry me, at least nobody that my parents would find acceptable. All I ever wanted was to make my parents proud, to do things they’d be able to brag to their friends and relatives about. But I’m a failure in that aspect too.

I think it’s time that I actually did something for myself. The only people who really care are my parents and Kimberly. But she’s gone, and my parents still have Lauren, who can do everything they want and more. She’s good at swimming, and as soon as she applies herself, she’ll get all A’s… something that no matter how hard I try, I’ll never achieve. I’ve already tried getting them, really tried… and I can’t do it. I can’t do anything my parents consider an achievement.

So I’m curling up with Kitty, and I’ll see you guys later.

With that, she printed off a copy of it, and a copy of her story, which had only reached two pages so far, and then turned off her computer. Instead, she headed upstairs to the closet in which her mother kept all the pills and such, and grabbed the pack of sleeping pills. There were about twelve pills left, and Kailey intended to never wake up to the headache they would give her later.

On her way past her room, Kailey made a stop for her favorite stuffed animal, kitty, a white cat from the TY company and her favorite blanket from her Uncle’s cabin up north. She had gotten it as a gift because her grandparents were selling her great-Uncle’s cabin because of the expenses.

Heading downstairs, Kailey prepared herself a glass of orange juice and opened all the containers. According to the clock and Kaye’s threats, she had approximately ten minutes to swallow these things and go to sleep. Shouldn’t be too hard with twelve of these things.

Swallowing the pills two at a time, Kailey smiled grimly as she finished off the rest of her orange juice and set it down. Going into the computer room to grab the letter and her story, Kailey nearly jumped as the doorbell rang. Glancing at the clock, the drugged girl growled in annoyance. They were early.

Exiting the computer room and glancing towards the front door, she saw Sym standing there… and although it twisted her heart, she turned her back on her. Walking into the family room, wrapped in her favorite blanket, stuffed kitty held securely in her arms… Kailey was content. She was ready to go to sleep. Curling up on the couch, a small smile hovered about Kailey’s lips… the first real smile in awhile.

She was too tired to care when she heard the backdoor open and the voices of Kaye, Betsy, Sym, and Rob intruding on her. The only energy she could muster up to tell them was ‘Fuck off’. At least she managed that with some sort of venom.

But no matter how many times she said the two words, they refused to go away. Eventually, because the four figured she wouldn’t listen to anybody else, Kailey was left lying there on the couch with Sym sitting next to her.

Mindlessly staring at the leather of the couch, Kailey let Sym’s words wash over her, not paying them any mind at all… but eventually realizing that she wouldn’t be able to sleep if Sym kept talking. Grumbling inwardly, Kailey stood, and walked over to the basement, where she closed the door and locked it after herself.

Lets see how long it takes them to figure out I’ve locked the door. Kailey thought, with no small amounts of amusement. Going over to the couch where she slept sometimes, Kailey curled up under the blankets and closed her eyes, grateful for peace at last. But it was short-lived.

The world was just starting to go fuzzy and grey when Kailey’s ears detected muted voices outside the basement window. Groaning to herself quietly, she burrowed deeper into her blankets and clutched Kitty closer to her chest and tried to ignore it. The window was locked, right? Not.

It was only a few seconds before Kailey heard the basement window slide in and a pair of feet hit the concrete floor with a dull thud, but she no longer cared, for the pills were starting to take effect.

Suddenly, arms were around her, shaking her out of her stupor. Mumbling softly in annoyance, Kailey attempted to burrow farther back into the blankets, turning her face away from her friends who had just “broken” into her house via the basement window. There were no voices aimed directly at her, only the quiet murmuring of Betsy talking to Rob, to go tell him too look for the pill wrappers, and Kaye getting on her phone and talking to someone quietly.

Then Sym was sitting beside her, smoothing her hair back from her face and quietly talking. What she said, Kailey had no idea, until something Sym said caused her to look up at her friend’s face.

What Kailey saw there startled her out of her drowsiness, something Kailey had never thought she would see. There were silver tears running silently down Sym’s cheeks. When she saw that, something inside of Kailey snapped. She would do anything just to stop the tears.

Gathering her strength, Kailey flipped over so that she could cling to Sym, burying her face in the other girl’s shoulder and simply laying there, trying to hold back her own tears. Whimpering softly, Kailey didn’t notice when Kaye stepped up to the pair and held out her cell phone to Kailey. It was Kaye’s voice that brought Kailey back to the present.

“Your mom wants to speak to you.” Kailey looked up at Kaye wordlessly, then reached out and with great effort delicately took hold of the cell, bringing it to her ear.

Mumbling something unintelligent so that Irene would know that her daughter was on, Kailey listened to her mother for a few seconds. “Why did you do this, Kailey? What happened?”

Without saying anything further, Kailey took the phone from her ear, snapped it shut, and held it out to Kaye, who also accepted it wordlessly as well. “Kailey’s mom called 911. They’ll be coming soon enough.” This was directed to Sym, who still sat with her arms wrapped around Kailey.

Sym nodded and shook Kailey gently as her head dropped and her eyes started to drift shut. “Kailey. You have to stay awake.” Kailey nodded, a quiet, resigned acceptance that she wasn’t going to die this day, after all. She trusted Sym with her life… apparently these four did care about her. There was a reason to live after all.

Even if the only reason for was other people.

End

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