Samantha dressed up in a black skirt and a pink sweater. She was going to a trial to testify Kevin, the guy who had sexually assaulted her and her best friend, Alyssa, so many times. She brushed her hair back into a ponytail, but then decided to leave her hair down. That way, I'll look more mature, Samantha thought. She shrugged and grabbed her keys and purse. She nearly ran out of the house, afraid that she was going to be late. And she also had to pick Alyssa up. She arrived at Alyssa's house 10 minutes later. Alyssa was waiting outside, also wearing a black skirt, but with a blue sweater. She smiled weakly as she got into the car. Samantha looked at her, puzzled.
"Why so down?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Samantha shrugged and drove off. 20 minutes later, Samantha pulled into a parking spot in front of the courthouse. They quickly walked in, found their seats, and settled themselves in. Samantha observed the courtroom carefully. It was large; the roof was high up, and the room itself was long and wide. There were many seats, probably able to house at least 1,000 people, Samantha guessed. She looked at Alyssa and smiled.
"Nervous?"
"Mm-hm."
Alyssa was wringing her hands over and over. She twiddled her thumbs and fumbled a lot. She seemed really nervous. Samantha took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She tried to relax, but millions of things were going through her head. She opened them again and the room was fuller than before. She couldn't find anything to talk about with Alyssa, which was a rare occasion, and the silence between them felt awkward. Finally, the guard said "All rise for the honorable Judge Hawkins" and the judge came in. The judge sat down and told everyone to sit down again.
The judge was a tall, young guy with brown hair. He had a small face, with a small mouth and nose to go with it. Samantha quietly laughed at her own thoughts, but straightened up when she caught the judge's eye. The judge cleared his throat and Samantha's long court trial began. The judge rambled on about the trial and called forth Kevin's lawyer to defend Kevin. What seemed for hours was only one and the room began to get warm.
***
A couple hours later, Samantha and Alyssa walked out of the courtroom. Samantha was glad that Kevin was guilty and was to be put to a death sentence. He wouldn't cause any trouble for them or any others. Alyssa didn't look so happy though. She seemed occupied with something.
"Alyssa? You okay?"
"Yeah."
"No, you're not. You don't look okay. What's up?"
"Listen, I've been going to counseling and I've been fine, until today. When I woke up this morning, I felt depressed."
"Nothing wrong with that."
"No, Samantha, listen to me. I felt so depressed that I wanted to kill myself. I nearly cut myself with my razor blade. I felt like I didn't want to live anymore."
Samantha was shocked. She never knew that Alyssa had been feeling like this all day. It was unlikely that Alyssa would be depressed.
"What are you depressed about?"
"I don't know. I think it's because of all that I've been going through. I just can't take it anymore. I want to die. I don't want anything else to do with this life anymore."
"You can't kill yourself. You can't do it. You just can't. I mean...if you kill yourself, it will affect everyone. Everyone will notice and everyone's lives will be affected and hurt."
"But I can't stand life. I mean, raped by Kevin, devestation with Vincent, lots of horror and drama. It's like I'm in a nightmare story. I want to get out of it. I want to escape."
"This is real life. You can't escape. Alyssa, you can't give up that easily. That's not the Alyssa I know. The Alyssa I know would do all she could to make things better."
"I've tried. I went to counseling. I tried to keep my mind occupied with school. I talked to my parents. I tried to not think about anything, except school. It's just not working. I don't know what to do anymore. I just want to die."
"Alyssa, this is serious. You need help and fast. Look, we're taking you back home. Are your parents home? Well, that doesn't matter. You got your house key? Good. We'll take you back home and I'll sit there with you while you call a suicidal hotline or something. Your depression has gone really far. It's dangerous. You could kill yourself and no one would know it. That would be horrible. You need serious help."
"That's what I've been trying to get! I've tried every hotline I know and none of them's helping me out."
"I have an ide-oh my gosh..."
"What?"
"Are you doing drugs?"
"No," Alyssa responded quickly. "What made you say that?"
"Your breath stinks horribly. No offense, but I think you're doing drugs. Alcohol? Any alcohol? Well, never mind that. We need to get you help. I know a clinic down the street we can go to."
Alyssa's eyes filled with tears. Here was Samantha, being her great best friend, and here she was, thinking about killing herself. Tears streamed down the side of her face. Samantha looked at her, and handed her a tissue. She gratefully accepted. She wiped her eyes and sniffed. They got into Samantha's car and Samantha drove down the street. She found a parking spot right in front. They both got out of the car and Samantha locked the doors. They went inside and were greeted by a short, young lady who smiled at them.
"Welcome! What can I do for you today?"
"My friend, Alyssa, is suffering from depression and thoughts about suicide."
"We can help you with that. The doctor will see you in a few minutes. Your name is...?" She looked at Alyssa, whose face didn't look too well from her crying.
"Alyssa," she choked out.
"Right...Alyssa? Can I have you fill this form out please?"
The lady attached it to a clipboard and handed it to Alyssa. Alyssa took it, shakily. She had never felt like this ever.
"Like I said earlier, the doctor will see you in a few minutes. You may take those empty seats in the corner of the waiting room."
Samantha nodded. "Thanks."
She led Alyssa over to the empty chairs and they both sat down. Alyssa found a pen and started to fill out the form. Samantha watched patiently. Someone appeared at the door.
"Alyssa?"
Alyssa looked up to see a smiling face. It was the doctor. He smiled at her. "Are you Alyssa?"
Alyssa nodded.
"Okay, I'll see you now. And your friend can come with you if it brings you any comfort."
Samantha tagged along, just to make sure Alyssa was okay. They were led down a long hallway and into a small room. There were 2 seats, a desk, and a few file cabinets. The doctor pointed at 2 seats.
"Have a seat, please," he said, sitting in a chair by the desk.
Samantha and Alyssa sat down.
"Now, Alyssa, are you done with the form?"
Alyssa nodded and handed the clipboard to him. He took it and looked over it quickly.
"Mm-hm. Interesting. Very interesting."
"What is?" Samantha burst out.
"Her history. Ahh...all reasonable to cause depression."
"You will be able to help her, won't you?"
"Of course, but it will take a long time."
"I'm ready," Alyssa said, softly.
***
Alyssa stepped out of the building, and inhaled deeply. She was glad to smell the fresh air. Samantha was right by her side.
"See? Wasn't the clinic a good idea?" Samantha asked.
"Yeah, you were right."
"Come on. I'll take you home."
Samantha took Alyssa home.
"Samantha?"
"Hm?"
"Did I ever tell you that you're my best friend? The best friend no one else can ever have?"
"Yeah, you did. Just now."
Alyssa laughed. "You're the greatest."
"No problem. That's what friends are for, duh!"
They shared a good laugh before Alyssa went into her house. Samantha waved good-bye and drove home. She went upstairs to her room and fell back onto her bed, with a huge grin on her face.
"It's great to have Alyssa back," she said to herself.
She turned over and took out her diary and fuzzy pink pen.
Dear Diary,
Several things have happened in my life. But none as great or big as what I have experienced over the past few months. I feel as though I've changed into an entirely different person, but I haven't. I started off by dating this really cute guy, who turned out to be a sexual assaulter, but neither me nor Alyssa had a clue. Alyssa got raped and ended up in the hospital, when we met an awesome female, Liz, who had also been raped. We shared many adventures and experiences and Alyssa eventually got a new boyfriend, Vincent. All four of us went to the mall after Alyssa and Liz were released from the hospital, and Alyssa got into a fight with Vincent. They broke up not too long afterwards, but I think Alyssa was way too sensitive about that. We helped Alyssa recover from it. Then we took a trip to the ice skating rink, where we had a blast! I had trouble getting Brian to notice me though... But anyway, everyone left except me, because I wanted to stay around a little longer. But as I left, I was kidnapped by Kevin, and he tossed me into a room. But Alyssa was there too! She was also kidnapped. We made a quick and easy escape, by removing bricks to make a hole in the wall. We reported it to the police and they arrested Kevin. We went to court and he was put to a death sentence for so may sexual assaults. Alyssa and I came out, but she was depressed. I took her to a nearby clinic and discovered that Alyssa had been suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts. She was also taking drugs to help ease her pain. The doctor offered a problem that would work for her, to help her recover from everything so she could start out as a fresh new person. I took her home and knew she was much happier and back to her normal, cheery old self. Glad to have a friend like her. Well, I'm exhausted from this long day, so I think I'll skip dinner and shower instead. Meanwhile, I can get myself ready for school. Who knows, maybe I can get Brian to notice me this time! It could happen.
Love,
Samantha
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