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Chapter Sixteen

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Her hand twitched. Marco didn't make a big deal out of it. Every so often her hand would move but it didn't mean she was going to wake up.

The doctors said she wasn't in a coma but was more or less unconscious. No major injuries were recorded. He just had to wait. So Marco did, for the following days, whenever he could. Summer was here and school was out. The seniors graduated, and were on their way to colleges and high paying jobs. The boy took hold of the small hand beside him and rubbed it with his thumb, in a similar way to how Dylan had to Marco's. But Marco wasn't going to be thinking about him, just not right now. Maybe not ever.

Sean Cameron had stopped by earlier, with flowers in his hands, and wanting to know how Ellie was doing. Marco reassured him that she wasn't getting any worse, news he had bugged out of the nurse, and saw to it that Ellie's boyfriend left with no worries.

Her hand in his grasp contracted, then grasped his fingers mildly. Her brown eyes opened slowly and she whispered, "It's too bright in here."

The Italian boy looked at the ultra bright sunshine glowing through the window nearby and quickly shut the curtains. "Better?" he asked.

Ellie nodded and sat up very gingerly, placing a hand to her head. Marco rushed over and she muttered, not angrily but in a tired sense, "I'm fine Marco."

"Fine? You are not fine. Fine would have been seeing you in school on Monday. What is not fine is finding you on the floor of your goddamn bathroom, bleeding to death."

She clenched her teeth weakly, "I get it Marco." Marco shook his head.

"No, El, I don't think you do. I thought you were dead when I found you, that it was the final straw and that I'd never be able to talk to you ever. Sean was a wreck. I had to tell him over and over everyday that you weren't going to go into a coma. Everyone was scared for you, even Paige was worried about you. You think your life is so meaningless and that no one is being to be affected by what you do to yourself and you thought wrong." Ellie rolled her eyes, seeming to gain some strength over the time he took speaking.

"You don't get it, you don't understand what my life is like."

"That because you never tell me anything anymore! If your life was such hell then why didn't you talk to me about it!"

Her eyes were obscure as she said in a low voice, "...You think it's so easy. Okay, you want to know about my life Marco? Why I cut, why I would do such a horrible thing?"

"There's so much to tell, so many reasons. One of them being insanely jealous of how much attention you give to everyone else but me. You spend all your time with your other friends and Dylan this year that you hardly could see that I was there. I could understand that it was a tough year. It was for me too. I was tired, I was nervous, I wanted to control my pain and cutting was my only pain I could control. I was also jealous of how you thought of Dylan and how I knew that you would never think of me that way ever. It's not your fault... but that doesn't take the pain away any less. My life has been hell ever since I was little. My mother was drunk a lot, and still is. Yeah, she's a drunk. That's why I was afraid to bring you to my house. My mother and my dad use to beat me up when I was little in their intoxicated rage until I could learn to avoid it. My dad stopped when he got into the army. I don't hate him for hitting me or leaving my mom and I while he went to save other people's lives. I'm just scared one day that I'll get a phone call saying my dad died in the army, then I'll have to support my mother until people figure out what's going on and take me away from her. She'll die by herself. I know it. Just how my grandmother had, and her mother before. I just... want to be away from it all. Everything. Away from the pain."

She finished a little whisper. Marco stumbled back into his chair. Ellie had poured her heart out to him, saying every dark secret about her life. He didn't know what to say to her. Tears streamed down her face, making stains on her face. "Now...you know everything..." Marco didn't get a chance to say what he wanted to say. The silence was broken when the door opened and Sean's head poked in, "Marco, I just wanted-" His eyes found hers and he ran inside, throwing her into an embrace, "Oh, Ellie." Her face grew content as she allowed herself to be taken into her boyfriend's arms. T

he other boy took his moment to leave them alone. He walked out into the bright day, wandering aimlessly. Where he ended up was in the park. Marco found the sprawl of grass where he had fallen, where he had been beaten out of pure sport. Where hurt and pain had spited him so easily. Where he dreamed of returning in his deepest nightmares.

Marco sat down on this area, skimming his hands over the blades of grass. He tilted his face up, letting sunlit warmth fill his face as he closed his eyes.

"...you two are so oblivious to how much you mean to each other sometimes..."

"She was crying for help right in front my face, and I couldn't even see it..."

"There's nothing going on between Mikey and I. I promise you..."

"Marco, I don't understand it. I don't know if I ever will...all I know is that you're special to me..."

"...love isn't just something that happens. It's built up over time, on trust, on work, and lots of it..."

A/N: I'm done. Now on with the sequel! YAY! Will Marco and Dylan come back to together? What will it take? You'll all see in the sequel! Now, I'd like to thank all of my wonderful readers and reviwers...

Elaine, green eyed dragon, Kenshin'sLuver51593, BishonenMarco, Kaitlin, meravigliata, Vanessa Cleveland, Yelak, marie, CGE, Starry-Eyez888, Milagro Gonzales, WhiteSummers, Read300300, Remora, Mein Dame, Lillei, VixenDragon16, KaitlinBell, dylanlover, StitchMy-Mouth, AKGundam, kivalovenkiba, skyeler, fiorae, howdyrockerbaby, AquilaRemy, smoothNCreamy, Sonomi-Chan, firerebel10, Towenaar, Neostar1, Visitor-to-the-Echoside, 12 of 14, HeathBB616, Dom, Ms.-Pink-Princess, bleedingmoon89, DaysGraceKido, Krinklecut, AdamoRuggierosgurl2003, Kayli, Granberg, DegrassiLuver4Ever11, and Kayla!

I love YOU ALL! I'll see you for the sequel and hopefully around other stories!

Val