Twenty-Three Years Old

Annalisa paced the floors in the condominium she shared with her boyfriend, Nathan. They had gone to college together and after a lot of convincing, Annalisa agreed to finally give dating Nathan a shot.

The two were currently living in California, far, far away from their hometown in Florida. Annalisa was working as an accountant and Nathan worked building airplanes and even though they were just starting out, together they were making a lot of money...

Nathan had been gone for the past few hours and Annalisa was getting worried. Where on Earth could he be?

All of the people from their graduating highschool class where in California this week for a really big school reunion at Disney in two days, so could he be hanging out with the people at a bar or something? Annalisa had something really important that she needed to tell him and she figured that the sooner the better...she finally picked up the house phone and called up his cellphone. After a few rings it was finally answered.

"Hello?"

"Nate! Where are you?!"

"No where.."

"You must be somewhere..."

"Annalisa, can you go me a HUGE favor and just relax?" Annalisa looked down before she heard something in the background. Her eyes widened as she heard booming music and tons of laughs and screams.

"Are you at a party?

"Yes I'm at a party, okay?! God! You're always worrying, I'm a big boy and I can handle myself so get that through your head and stop suffocating me, Annalisa!"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Annalisa felt as though her heart had been crushed right then and there. She still had no clue where he was and because she was a caring girlfriend, she had the right to worry. Plus, its not like she worried all the time...actually, most of the time he was the one worrying about her! Not the other way around...

Could he be drunk? He didn't sound drunk but then again, he never got drunk while he was around Annalisa so she wouldn't know how he acted when he was drunk. Did he slur his words? Did he hiccup a lot?

Well, most people slurred there words when they were drunk and he sounded pretty sober to her...

Maybe I really am suffocating him without me even realizing it! She thought. Maybe I shouldn't talk to him until he gets back home... However, she quickly dismissed the thought because what she had to tell him really was very important.

Annalisa called Nathan again about 15 minutes later.

"Hello?"

"Nate?" Nate groaned causing Annalisa's heart to sink.

"What is it now?"

"Well, you see...there's something really important that I need to tell you."

"Well get on with it!" Annalisa opened her mouth to confess when she hear a clear, loud, female voice on the other end.

"NATE! They're finally done with the bedroom, its our turn. Do you have a condom or should I borrow one from someone?"

Annalisa paled and felt her throat constrict. It's not what it seems, she thought to herself, more then willing to give Nathan the benefit of the doubt.

"Nate, what's going on over there?"

"Nothing, Annalisa! Now what do you need to tell me?!" Annalisa fought the tears so that she would be able to speak clearly when she heard the same female voice again in the background.

"Never mind Nate, I just borrowed one and that way if you have one then we could probably go twice instead of once."

"N..Nate?" Annalisa stuttered and she heard Nathan groan.

"Hold on, Christina!"

"Christina? Oh god...Nathan! What's going on over there?! Please don't do anything stupid, please?!"

"Oh God, Annalisa! That's it! If you can't relax and if you're gonna be all over my back I think that we need to break up!"

Annalisa's breathed hitched in her throat for the second time that night.

"...Are you really serious about breaking up?" She whispered knowing that there was no way she'd be able to hold in the tears much longer.

"100 percent, Annalisa."

Annalisa remained silent as she stared at the ceiling, the phone remaining at her ear as tears cascaded down her face.

Nathan laughed.

"Wow. I would have broken up with you sooner if I had known that it would have finally made you shut up. Now, hurry and tell me what you needed to tell me!"

"I-I...never mind. I'll just give you the letter later."

"Whatever. Later."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Seven Hours Later

Nathan groaned as he awoke. His hair was disheveled, his clothing removed, and Christina was leaning on his chest fast asleep in bed...wait, Christina?

Nate looked around, his eyes widening and his face paling as he remembered what he had done with Christina last night. He felt sick and his stomach was churning when he realized that he had cheated on his girlfriend...his girlfriend whom he loved, Annalisa.

Shit.

Nathan got up and threw on his clothes as he worked to try and regain his memory back from last night, what had happened before he slept with Christina?

Nathan froze when he remembered that he had broken up with Annalisa and angrily ran his hands through his hair as he swore quietly.

He hadn't planned on getting drunk I mean, he wasn't even planning on attending the random party that Dylan had thrown in his hotel room for all of their old friends. However, Dylan, being his best friend and all, had somehow managed to convince him to come to the party where he then proceeded to convince Nate to have a drink and one drink led to another and...

Nathan himself felt like crying but he blinked them back as he made up his mind on what to do.

He needed to get home to Annalisa ASAP and apologize profoundly, probably make her breakfast in bed and try to convince her that he didn't mean it when his drunk self broke up with her...maybe even give her that big, diamond ring he was planning to give her on one knee at the big reunion.

His thoughts were broken however when his cellphone began to ring. Without even looking at the caller ID he flipped it open, praying that it was Annalisa.

"Hello?" Nathan was surprised that all he heard on the other line was someone crying.

"Annalisa?" He asked hopefully and yet his heart was heaving at the thought that if it was Annalisa then he was probably the reason for the tears.

"Oh God, Annalisa. I'm so sorry. You don't even underst-"

"It's not Annalisa! It's Ashley..."

"Oh...Ashley, why are you crying? I think you meant to call Annalisa, here I'll give you her cell number in case you lost it-"

"No! I'm calling because of Annalisa!"

"Wait, what? What's wrong? What happened?"

"Just get down to the hospital now!"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Ten Minutes Later

Nathan ran into the hospital and burst through Annalisa's hospital waiting room where he found Ashley waiting for him. She looked up at him and he immediately noticed her red, puffy eyes and her runny nose. She went up to him and hugged him before letting go and explaining.

"Annalisa...she's in a coma right now..." Nathan's face drained of color.

"What happened?" He demanded anxiously while resisting the urge to barge right into Annalisa's room and find out himself.

What happened? Well, Annalisa was very upset that Nate had broken up with her and had called up Kelly. She had asked Kelly to come pick her up so she could just get out of the house for a while, and sensing that her best friend was upset, Kelly had climbed into her car and drove off to get Annalisa.

The problem was that Kelly was drunk. She had come from the same party that Nate was at and had gotten a little to involved with those Smirnoff's. Now, thankfully she made it to Annalisa's house safe and sound.

Annalisa was on her doorstep crying when Kelly came for her so she quickly got into the passengers seat. They must have been on the road for about five minutes before Kelly suddenly started to get tired and began to see double; she lost control of the car sending them flying at about 60 MPH right into a tree. Kelly and Annalisa were both in intensive care.

"...And that's what happened." Ashley finished explaining as Nate fell into his seat with his face in his hands. It was his fault. The fact that Annalisa was hurt was his entire fault.

Oh God...please don't take her away. He silently prayed. I'm all she's got...She's all I've got.

"Can we see her?" Nate asked after a few minutes of silence. Ashley nodded softly.

"Yes, but only for a second. There's a doctor in there whose still examining her so be careful."

With that they both walked into her hospital room. Her head was bandaged, her right leg was fractured, her left arm was broken, her neck was broken, her ribs were broken...she was just so broken.

The doctor was taking some notes as he and the nurses quickly moved around her body. Nathan and Ashley stayed in the back of the room as the doctors made their final notes before they both left. It was out there that Nathan broke down into tears...

If I hadn't gone to that stupid party...she had made me dinner and instead of going home, I went to that party...please don't die, Annalisa. I need you.

"Mr. O'Donner? Miss Peters?" The doctor addressed Nathan and Ashley suddenly; they both stood up awaiting the news...

"Yes doctor? Is she okay? Please tell me that she's going to be okay." Ashley pleaded.

The doctor looked down and slowly shook his head.

"I'm so sorry but, it seems that Miss LaTerrio has passed." He said, referring to Annalisa. Ashley stood there for a second or two and just stared at the doctor before she finally just dropped to her knees and started to sob. Nathan continued to stand there unwilling to believe him.

"This...isn't happening...you're lying." He muttered but the doctor slowly shook his head again.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. O'Donner. Her body...it just couldn't fight its way back. Did Miss LaTerrio have any living family?" Nathan, still in shock, shook his head.

"Not that I know of...her parents died some years ago...I was the closest thing she had..." He spoke quietly and the doctor smiled sadly.

"Very well...Oh, and Mr. O'Donner? This was found in Miss LaTerrio's coat pocket..." He handed Nate an envelope addressed to Nathen O'Donner before quickly walking away.

Nate stared at Annalisa's familiar writing before carefully opening the envelope, ignoring Ashley's sad cries on the floor.

Nate,

If you're reading this then it means that I chickened out of telling you in person or something. I told myself that I'd tell you this no matter what and I really wanted to do it in person so I really wished that it hadn't come down to me handing you this note.

Well, I just wanted to let you know that I truly love you. Not just the kind of love that boy and girlfriends are supposed to say to each other but the kind of love that means 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you.' I understand if you don't feel the same way, I just needed to put my feelings toward you out there instead of keeping it hidden like a deep dark secret of mine. I, Annalisa Rudy DuLillen, love you, Nathan Joseph O'Donner. I really do and I always will. Please don't ever forget that.

Love,
Annalisa

Nathan put the letter down as he dropped to his knees beside Ashley.

He felt the same way. He was in love with Annalisa. He was going to propose to her. They were going to lead a loving life together. Now they can't though. Ever.

He could imagine it, but it would never happen. All because of him and his stupid hormones. This whole mess could have been avoided but he was an idiot...as usual.

He loved, correction, loves Annalisa and now he knows that she loved him too...but now this bit of information did no good to him. Why? Because of his stupid mistakes, she was dead. Gone forever and never returning.

Back to Present

Nathan choked back his tears as he stood at the grave. They had just put the body underground and everyone had already left for the after party. The after party was supposed to celebrate Annalisa's life but Nate couldn't convince himself to join then, not when he was the reason that her life was cut short.

If he hadn't slept with Christina, if he hadn't gone to that party, if he hadn't broken up with the love of his life...

Nate remembered when the doctor had told him that her body just couldn't fight any longer and he knew why it could no longer fight, it was because her heart had no will power left. Nathan knew that he had broken Annalisa's heart and it killed him to know that he had hurt her so much.

As far as he was concerned, Annalisa died of a broken heart.

Nate pulled out the letter that Annalisa had written him, it went everywhere with him and he knew every line by heart. As he stood in front of Annalisa's grave, he read the note once more before looking at the grave.

"I love you Annalisa and I'm so sorry." Nate smiled sadly as he felt himself start to swoon. He pulled the empty bottle of pills from his pocket, the pills that he had taken all at once before the burial of his girlfriend.

His vision started to black and his heart started to slow and he turned so that his back was leaning on the headstone of Annalisa. He slowly slid down the gravestone and there he sat like a rag doll upon a mantle, the love letter from Annalisa in one hand and a content smile on his face as he finally stopped breathing.

At last, Nathan could be happy again.

End.