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SAMANTHAPOV
"Samantha!" A voice cut through the cold breeze.
I was walking out of the Jolls building, when I heard Brandon calling out my name. He was out of breath and his voice sounded paniced.
I turned to find him bent, his hands on his knees, breathing like a person who had run a marathon. I let out a laugh, shaking my head. This kid had so much drama. What could have possibly happened to make him run this much?
"What now?" I asked, going back to where he was.
"I... it's—" The kid could not even get words out. My phone started to vibrate. It was Chase calling. Chase was calling? My heart skipped. This was not good.
"Hello," I said, as soon as I picked up the phone.
"Where are you guys? Hurry up!" Chase screamed on the phone. I was right—this was not good. The Chase I knew was always calm, no matter what. I hung up, and started running back into the building.
"It's Jolls. There's a commotion at her house. It sounded like things are being broken," Brandon managed to explain in the elevator. I clenched my fists. I should never have left her alone. Not after Brandon had explained how he had seen her coming back from Sandy.
"Didn't you say she was alone?" I asked, my voice shaky. I couldn't let anything happen to her. Something made me feel like she was my responsibility. I wanted to protect her in any way I could, to make everything okay. Her pain was always visible, even when she tried to hide it. She always looked like she was drowning all the time. It always made my heart ache. No matter how much I tried to cheer her up, it was still there.
"She was," Brandon said, as we got out of the elevator. Chase was at the door, banging on it. He let out a sigh when he saw us.
"Have any ideas? She's not opening," he said, moving to give me some space.
"Do you know how to pick a lock?" I asked, as I took his place and banged on the door. My hands were sweating and shaking. What could she be doing in there?
"Just a minute." Chase left, going back to his apartment.
Pum.
The noise came from the house. It was like something had been thrown, and landed on the floor.
"Jolls, open up!" I shouted, my voice shaky. "I'm not asking again!" I tried to sound as brave as I could. Brandon was pacing behind me, scratching his head.
"What do you think she's doing?" he asked, biting his nails.
"How would I know, when we're both on this side of the door?" I asked, my voice sharp.
"We should call her friend," he said. "Maybe she'll listen to her."
"And what makes you think she will? You said it yourself, she was in bad shape right after she went after her." I paused, taking a deep breath. "She's probably like this because of her."
What could have happened? This is the second time she's so broken because of Sandy. I'm really starting to not like Sandy. Can't she see how much she's hurting her friend?
"Good point," Brandon said, digging further into his nails. The place was now quiet—no movement. It was really scary. We didn't know what had happened. I was starting to wish for the noise to come back; at least then, I'd know she was still there.
"This is your last chance!" Brandon shouted, his voice authoritative. I don't think, for the whole time we'd been friends, I'd heard his voice like that.
Then—
"Go away!" A scream came from the room. It was scratchy, and she sounded like she was in pain. I clenched my fists, trying to contain my emotions. "Leave me alone!"
I let out a long, loud sigh. She was at least still there.
"Please, just hold on a little longer, Jolls. I'll be there before you know it," I whispered, starting to pace, rubbing my hands together.
"If you don't open this door, I'm going to call the police!" Brandon shouted, threatening.
"Move," Chase said, and I moved, leaving him the door. He had a pin in his hand. He knelt, and started to pick the lock.
Two minutes had passed now, and the apartment had been quiet as ever. Brandon rushed to his house, and a few seconds later, he came out with a bat.
"What is that for?" I asked, completely confused.
"I'm going to break down the door." I almost laughed.
"Are you out of your mind?" Chase asked. "We are not trying to help someone, just for you to get yourself in trouble."
"Go and ask the caretaker to come and open the door, if he has a spare key," Chase ordered, while still trying to pick the lock. Why hadn't I thought of that all this time?
"Jolls!" I shouted. Still nothing. This was not good. Neighbors were opening their doors, and peeking to see what was happening. Some even came and asked what was going on, but none of them bothered to help. They just walked back to their houses.
After what seemed like forever, Brandon was back with a man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties. He had his head shaved bald. Thankfully, he didn't ask questions; he just opened the door, and left after telling us to notify him if there was any problem.
I rushed into the house. There was no one in the living room. My heart sank when I saw all the blood on the wall.
"Jolls!" I screamed, getting into the kitchen. There were things scattered all over the place—glasses shattered, juice spilled all over. It was a fucking mess.
"Shit!" Chase cursed, in panic.
"Jolls!" Brandon called out, this time following me into her room.
"I'll check the other one," Chase said, rushing to the spare room.
The door to her room was open. We got in, and there was no one there, except for the awful smell that filled the room. My heart was now pounding. Where the hell is she? I wiped my sweaty palms on my top, as I looked under the bed. Nothing.
"Jolls!?" I heard Brandon scream from the bathroom. I rushed over—and there she was, lying on the bathroom floor. No movement. There were bite marks, with blood on her arms. Her knuckles were injured too. I clenched my arms tighter, digging further. My eyes were now burning, and a second later, tears spilled over. Brandon was beside her, shaking and calling her.
Why would she do this to herself? Thank God we didn't call Sandy. This is all her fault. I went beside her, not minding that there was puke beside her. I bent over, and put two of my fingers on her nose.
"She's breathing," I whispered, letting out a sigh.
"What do we do?" I asked, my voice shaky, tears still coming out. Why the hell do I care this much for her? I couldn't stand the thought of losing her. I just met her, for heaven's sake.
Chase got out of the room as fast as he came in. While still pacing in my mind about what to do, Brandon slapped her. I suddenly had the urge to slap him back. What was he thinking, slapping an unconscious person?
"Why did you slap her!" I asked, clearly angry. While he was giving an explanation that I didn't even hear a word of, Chase came back.
"Here, try this," he said, handing us a basin filled with water. I was about to ask what it was for, when Brandon suddenly took it and poured it on her. Jolls suddenly shot up, cursing immediately. I felt relief wash over me.
"She's fine," I kept whispering the same words. She looked exhausted. Her eyes were swollen, and very red. I suddenly threw my arms around her, holding her tight. Not long after, Brandon's arms wrapped around us too. I don't think I've ever been this afraid for someone in my life.