Dancing with Molly - Lena Horowitz Page 0,47

tube from the IV bag into the arm of the person on the stretcher. Two medics jerked upward on the rails of the stretcher as they lifted it onto the edge of the pool and climbed out. The legs and wheels underneath the gurney unfolded, and they started rolling the patient past us toward the ambulance.

As they passed, I saw that the person on the stretcher was Jess. I slipped my hand out of Carson’s and ran as fast as I could. I was within a couple feet of the stretcher when someone stepped into my path, and as I tried to push past them, I felt two arms wrap around me and heard my name.

I looked down, blinking, and saw that it was Kelly. Carson, Reid, and Sara caught up with me, and we were all shouting questions at Kelly at the same time. She waved us all over to the hole in the chain link and we congregated by the picnic tables. Kelly explained that Jess hadn’t had enough water to drink and was just dehydrated. I was crying and kept yelling JUST? She’s JUST DEHYDRATED? Kelly kept trying to shush me, and that just pissed me off, but Carson finally wrapped both arms around me and walked me away from the group. We sat under a tree, and he explained to me that we had to let the paramedics take Jess to the hospital. That she’d be okay.

All of this was a blur to me at the time, but eventually, he handed me his cigarette and I took a few drags and calmed down. Kelly called her brother, Kyle, who called Jess’s parents and told them she was headed to the hospital. Then he came to pick us up. It was still dark, but the sky was getting a shade lighter as we all piled into Kyle’s white SUV. Kelly told him to take me home first, and we were all pretty quiet as we drove through the predawn streets. There was no traffic that early in the morning. Carson put his arm around me and whispered that he was sure Jess would be okay. I couldn’t stop the tears from slipping quietly down my cheeks. It wasn’t so much that I was sad as I was scared. Scared for Jess, and scared about what had just happened.

When Kyle pulled onto my street, I told him to stop where Jess had picked me up earlier, and after one more kiss from Carson, I slipped out of the car, walked up the street to the side gate, and let myself into the house. I didn’t even care about getting caught anymore. I just wanted to get to my room so I could take a shower and be by myself. I tiptoed across the living room and when I got to my room I slipped out of my sweaty clothes and took a long, hot shower. I thought I’d want to go directly to bed, but I still must have some of the drugs in my system, because I just lay there, wide awake. That’s when I decided to get up and write it all down.

I guess there’s nothing left to do now but sleep and maybe pray. Pray that Jess will be okay.

Later . . .

ASHLEY IS A PAIN IN MY ASS.

She just left my room. I had just crawled back into bed when the door opened and Ashley came in and turned on the light. I sat up and looked at her—not quite understanding what was happening. She glared at me and said, I know what’s going on.

My mind was racing because I didn’t know what exactly she was referring to. Did she know that I’d snuck out? Did she somehow know about Jess? I wasn’t in the dark long. She was whispering at me—a loud, angry whisper. She started off by telling me that I wasn’t fooling anyone, especially HER. She told me that she’d gone to get some water last night and she saw me as I was crossing the backyard to let myself out the side gate.

She said she knew I was going out to do more molly and if I didn’t promise to stop rolling she was going to tell Mom and Dad that I’d snuck out. That threat, that ultimatum, made all the things I really hate about her come rolling over me. All of her popular-girl prettiness and how left out I’d always felt spun around in my chest and made