I woke up, the lights were extremely bright, the ceiling bare and white. I opened my eyes, looking around, there was a nurse across the room, speaking to a doctor. I sat up, then immediately laid back down. My head was pounding, and I was starting to feel pain in my left side. I groaned, closing my eyes.

There were footsteps, and when I opened my eyes the nurse was standing above me, a sad look on her face. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked softly.

"I . . . no not really, my whole left side hurts and my head is throbbing." I said, "What happened anyway?"

"You and your friend got hit by a semi-truck, but before that—"

"No I know that, I'm saying what happened to Shaunee, my friend, the one driving." I said.

The nurse sighed, "She was drunk, she was not paying attention, and hurt you both." she answered.

"Where is she? She was hit first," I said.

"I'm very sorry, mam," she said, "she passed, it was quickly after the crash. I'm so, so sorry."

I froze. No. It . . . no. No, she was my best friend, she was my Shaunee, my long lost sister I always wanted, my twin and my opposite, she was everything, my only family, my only friend, she had always been there. She still was I just know it. She's going to pop out from somewhere at any moment and say surprise! Then I will actually kill her. This was not funny.

"Mam?" she said, sounding worried.

"Where is she, seriously," I said, my voice was low and angry, "This . . . is . . . not . . . FUNNY!" I screamed at her, as if she was the reason Shaunee hadn't yelled SURPRISE! yet.

"I'm very sorry, but I am not joking," the lady told me.

I burst in to tears, "I'm sorry, I—" I sobbed, not able to finish my sentence. It was true, the lady wasn't lying, of course she wasn't. Shaunee was hit head on, by a semi-truck. She was dead.

I sat at my science desk, laying my head in my arms. I slumped over as more tears fell from my eyes. I would never talk to her again, never again here her laughter, or her babbling, or see her beautiful face and eyes and hair, and . . . and . . . she was gone. Ms. Bunt was right, one of us weren't here. I was though. Shaunee wasn't. If only it was the other way around, but it wasn't. She was dead, and I was not. She snuck vodka, and I didn't. She got hit dead on by a semi-truck and I didn't. Yet we both payed a price, hers being death, and mine being sorrow and despair. Mine being loss and hurt, and depression. Mine being because of hers. It had been less than a day and I missed her.

The old saying, you don't know what you've got til it's gone, well, it's true. I haven't stopped crying since I first accepted it. Once I accepted, there was no going back. I now knew I would never again have my best and only friend. I couldn't take it.

"Head up Miss Denning!" it was Ms. Bunt. I lifted my head, but put it right back down. "Where is Miss Erin anyway? Was I right, did she leave?" she asked sarcastically.

The class gasped, they knew the truth, Ms. Bunt did not. I could feel the anticipation in the room for my usual snarky comments. "Yes," I answered, shakily.

She laughed, "What was that?" she asked, knowing perfectly well what.

"I said YES!" I shouted, "She's GONE she's NEVER coming back EVER are you HAPPY!?"

She smiled evilly, "Yes, very," she replied.

I shook my head, tears pouring down my face. "Excuse me," came a voice from the front.

Ms. Bunt turned, walking towards the person who spoke, "Yes?" she said.

"I'm a newly enrolled freshman," the guy said.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Hanner," she said. "Take the seat next to the girl with her head down who was just screaming at me."

"Okay," he said.

I heard the chair move, feeling someone sit next to me. Everything was quiet for a minute, then I lifted my tear streaked face and said, "Listen to the news before you open your idiotic mouth again." My voice held as much hatred I think was humanly possible.

"Excuse me!?" exclaimed Ms. Cunt.

"You heard me," I said.

"Detention, plus two more for missing yesterdays." she said.

"No." I answered.

"Excuse me!?" she said again.

"You. Heard. Me." I said.

"Yet another detention," she said smugly.

"Again I say . . . no. Now . . . tell me why Shaunee isn't here." I told her.

"Shouldn't you know," she asked.

"I do know," I answered, sadly.

"Then why ask me?" she asked.

"She's dead." I said.

It was quiet, no one spoke.

Then, Ms. Cunt started laughing, "Yeah right," she chuckled, "Don't ever do anything like that—"

"Turn on the fucking news if you don't believe me!" I shouted.

She raised an eyebrow, "Do not swear at—" I abruptly stood up, and walked to the T.V., I turned it to Channel 9.

" . . . girls that go to the local college were hit by a semi-truck. One of them actually passed away not long after the crash, this is a picture of both girls," they put up 2 pictures, both right after the crash, Shaunee was covered in blood and I had a fair amount on me, "the first girl is the survivor, and it appears the one that died was drunk at the time."

I shut it off, "Proof enough for you?" I asked.

"I . . . I'm sorry," she said. I just stood there, did I hear that right? She's sorry? WHAT!? How is that even possible? I walked to my seat, glancing over at the guy now sitting there. I paused for a minute, then kept walking, it was the guy from the store. The one who's friend hit me.

I sat down, glancing at the guy, then I put my head back down and started crying again. At the end of class, the guy poked me. "What?" I asked.

"You're the girl from the store right? The one my sister pushed?" he asked.

I sighed, "Yeah, what about it?" I asked

"I just wanted to know," he answered, he didn't laugh or anything, he sounded serious. I looked up, nodded then looked back down. I could appreciate his understanding on me being sad, but that did not mean I had to like him.