Castaways

nineteen.

A n g e l l e

"What the hell?" I said, trying to hold him up. 

"Angelle, Luke? Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me!" Sierra breathed out, throwing her racket across the room. 

"Us? You're the one who knocked your boyfriend out with a tennis racket!" 

"Right! Um..." She grabbed Luke's arm, draping it over her shoulder, and I did the same until we could drop him on the couch. 

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry." She cooed, pushing his blonde curls away from his face. "What happened with you guys?" She turned to me, as I plopped down in the chair by Luke's head, crossing my legs on the chair.

"Um, well, when I woke up, Liz was leaving for work, and so I started cooking, and-..."

The words got caught in my throat. I couldn't tell her what happened. It was one thing ending my entire friendship with Sierra, I could live with that. I almost did a despicable thing, and I deserved that. But there was no way I could blow up Luke and Sierra's entire relationship. Especially not with Luke passed out on the couch, possibly with a concussion, unable to defend himself. 

"And what?" The look on her face was pure confusion. 

"Um..." I looked at my best friend's face, so trusting and unsuspecting, and here I was, betraying all of what made her Sierra. "Then one of those things burst in, and now we're here." I forced a smile. 

"Wait, how did you get away from it?"

"I may have used a sort of... frying pan?" I trailed, off and she stared at me for a solid minute, then she busted out laughing. 

"And that's why you're my best friend!"

"That's the only reason?"

"Pretty much yeah. Frying pan, oh my God!" She started another laughing fit, clutching her stomach. "Classic Angelle!!" 

After she calmed down, she stood up, plopping down in my lap. 

"But, really," She said, with tears in her eyes,"I'm glad you're okay." She looked bak at Luke, still unconscious on the couch. "Both of you. I don't know what I'd do if I lost one of you." She said, wrapping me in a hug.

"Yeah." I agreed, hugging her back tightly. "Me either."

And I really meant it. 

-

L u k e 

Ok, look, I know I have like short-term memory loss, but this is ridiculous. Can anyone tell me what happened? The last thing I remember is seeing my beautiful, alive girlfriend, who I just so happened to screw over that morning, and then, the next thing I know, I'm jolting awake on her couch. I could see Angelle in the chair next to me, throwing her book next to the chair. I didn't even blink before she was kneeling by the couch, running her fingers through my hair, knowing it calmed me down. 

"Hey, hey, it's ok." She whispered, now drawing circles on my jaw, next to my ear, and I all but purred. I know that sounds weird, but when I was little I was sick a lot, but I was terrified of needles. Whenever I had to get a shot, or I was just scared, my older brother, Ben, would pull me into his lap, and do that exact thing, and it was the only thing that calmed me down. I realized that I was leaning into her, so I pulled away, guiltily. 

"Is he awake?" Sierra made her presence known, at the doorway of the hall. She looked beautiful as always, but also worn down. Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail, away from her face, her eyes were wide, and rimmed red, and she just looked exhausted overall.