New Girl - By Paige Harbison Page 0,94

the tears and rain out of her eyes. She tried to speak, but couldn’t.

Johnny’s face softened, and he closed the door. “I’m sorry. Just…just come inside.”

She shook her head violently. “I can’t. I can never see those p-people again. I—I—I can’t. Johnny, I’ve never felt anything like what I have with you. Please, just, just…” She was hyperventilating. “I’m begging you. I’m begging you…tell me we have something real… I know we do, I love you…I love you....”

“Becca, please, calm down.”

She was shaking so bad she couldn’t move. She let out a pathetic moan over the thunderous waves and the pounding rain. Blood was pulsing through her body. She couldn’t feel okay.

“Something is—is really wrong, I can’t…breathe....”

“You’re probably just having a panic attack. Just try to breathe. You’ll be okay.” He ran his hand over her hair. “It’s okay.”

“I can’t—please, Johnny, I can’t— I’m going to lose it—please…”

JOHNNY

He’d never seen her like this. She was weak and miserable. She’d always been so strong and sure of herself. It had been nearly impossible to stay away from her these past few months, but he’d thought it was for the best. He’d never have imagined that she’d be anything but okay.

She was laboring to breathe. Johnny had his arm wrapped around her tightly but then slowly unwound it. “I’ll be right back.” He stood and ran into the boathouse.

“Ricky, come here.”

Ricky followed Johnny. “What’s up, dude?”

“Do you have Xanax or something? Something to calm a person down?”

“Sure.” He went to his box and grabbed a pill. “Wait, who is this for?”

He didn’t want to say who it was really for. That’d make her feel even worse when she found out. “Uh, me. I’m just feeling all panicky for some reason tonight.”

“All right, all right.”

“Thanks.” Johnny patted him on the shoulder and was set to go back outside.

“Whoa, dude, only girls don’t pay. Thirty bucks.”

“Dammit,” Johnny said under his breath. He pulled out his wallet and threw it at him. He ran outside, to find Becca lying in the wet sand, being rained on. She was still crying. Her blond hair was clinging to her face, and she looked like she had no idea where she was.

“Becca, take this, it’ll make you feel better.”

She shook her head. “Nothing, it’s not… No, I can’t.”

Her breathing was still labored, and she looked like she might pass out at any second.

He put the pill on the tip of his tongue and leaned over her body. He kissed her. She kissed him back.

Damn, he’d really missed that.

He pushed the pill into her mouth with his tongue. She seemed too out of it to notice. He picked her up, and carried her up the stairs and all the way to her room.

DANA

It was hours later, and Dana was drunk. She’d heard that Max and Johnny had fought over Becca.

Fucking great.

Dana had done everything in her power to stop herself from freaking out. And she hadn’t. She hadn’t been anything but good about it all so far. She lay in her bed, silently seething at the girl in the bed only a few feet from her.

Becca had everything. Dana didn’t need everything. All she’d wanted was Johnny. And Becca had of course gone and taken that, too.

Suddenly there was a movement in the dark. Becca was standing up and walking…to the door? She opened it. And then shut it behind her. She was in her white slip—the one Dana had always admired.

I can’t let this go, Dana thought. I have to talk to her, even if it’s in the bathroom while she gets sick.

She put on a jacket and ran out into the hall. But Becca was gone. She looked in the bathrooms and in the dining hall before stepping out of the door and looking out in the rain. She saw Becca’s white slip catch the light of one of the lights along the field. She was walking down to the boathouse.

Dana wondered with a pang if this person who she’d never been anything but nice to was going to meet Johnny. She wouldn’t say anything, then. She’d just wait until they were both together and then she could confront them both. That was better anyway.

Dana followed her silently. She stepped down the stairs, as quietly as she could. Once on the sand, she looked around for Becca, but only caught a silver glint, in the sand, by her feet. Bending down to pick it up, she saw it was the locket from Max. Why…?

She hadn’t heard the