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"You leave, you'll never see me again," her cold voice calls from behind me and sends shivers of fear over my skin.
I stop running immediately. Fuck, I know she's serious. What she did this week was a cry for help, but after what she's told me today and what I found out from her brother, it's painting a picture of just how unstable she is. I slowly turn around to a furious Darcy. Her nostrils flaring, a knife in her hand.
I hear the others calling my name from inside the house; her scream would have woken them. "Darcy, we need to get you back to the hospital. They can help you there." I don't know what else to do so I start trying to negotiate with her.
Her eyes bore through me. "I'm not going back there. This ends one of two ways tonight. Either you tell Brad it's over for good and come with me, or you don't… and you will have my blood on your hands. I'm ready to end it, Andy. I'm done with feeling like this. You're the only one who can stop me."
My heart is pounding. What am I supposed to do? I believe every word she says. But I don't like either of those options. How has everything spun out of control so quickly? I stare at her, hoping something will soften. "Okay, Darcy. Let's just talk then. This is all just a misunderstanding, I'm sure. I'm your friend, remember? We've been through so much together. You can trust me. Let's just talk about it." I plead with my eyes for her not to do anything stupid.
"Why did you run if you care so much then, Andy? Are you making this all about you again?"
"You had me a little freaked out, Darc. That's all."
She takes a few steps closer to me, running the knife up and down the length of one of her bandages. It sends the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. I don't want to see her cut herself again. "I want to talk to you properly, and this might be the only way I can get you to see things from my perspective. You are very good at manipulating me, Andy, you know how to get me to do what you want, but not this time. Now it's my turn for you to listen to me. You have no idea how hard the last few months have been on me. Watching you and Brad together, making love right here in the same house as me. It was so hard for me. You must have known that, knowing what we had, but you don't care about anyone but yourself, do you?"
I cringe at the words she's saying, knowing that she was the one taking the photos of us in compromising positions, watching us. The things she would have seen. It's so disturbing to think about. "That's not true at all. I care about you and your feelings, I just didn't realize this is the way you felt."
She glares at me, her eyes now glassy. "How could you not know? Because you only think about yourself. Andy, the superstar. Andy, the pretty one. Andy, the team hero. Andy, the one with the loving family. You have it all, and now you have our coach as well."
Is she right? I can be pretty self-centered at times. Maybe if I had paid more attention to what was happening with her, I would have seen this all for what it was. But if I think back, all I remember is her saying things like she had a hot date with this guy or that. She made it look like she was out having fun all the time. "But you've been dating like crazy all year, Darcy. You're always out partying with someone."
"Maybe that's what I said to you. But most of the time, my hot date was spying on you and Brad while I ate takeout food in my car."
"Oh." That is so creepy. We can hear Jasmine's, Luna's, and Brad's voices getting closer, and I can see how on edge it makes her. She looks over her shoulder at the back door.
"Enough. You need to go back inside and break it off with him for good. I'll be able to hear every word you say so don't fuck this up."
I nod and walk slowly into the house. I can feel Darcy behind me, but she stops in the doorway. Probably doesn't want them to see her like this or they will know there is something wrong instantly. I see Jasmine first, and I can't help it, a tear runs down my face. I want to hold it together, do what Darcy has said so I can help her, but I can't. I'm not strong enough. I'm losing it. My hands tremble even though I will them not to.
"Andy, what's wrong?" she asks, looking toward Luna who's standing in the doorway of her room with Nala in her arms.
I shake my head, trying to signal to her not to say anything. "I'm fine, nothing's wrong," I say as confidently as I can.
She looks at me, confused, and I tilt my head to the back door. Realization dawns on her and she nods her head as if understanding what I'm trying to say.
"Oh good, sorry, we were just worried, we heard a scream," says Luna.
"Sorry to have worried you both. I'm fine, though," I say like a computer.
Brad arrives in the room. I can tell from the look on his face he already knows this is bad. He doesn't say anything, just walks right up to me and drops his head to my ear. "I saw the security footage. I know Darcy is out back with a knife. The police are on their way."
I look at him, scared. Oh fuck, at the first sound of sirens she's going to freak. Another tear slips from my eye and rolls down my cheek because I think it's too late. I can't help her anymore.
"Tell him it's over, Andy. Tell him now," she demands in a harsh voice, slowly emerging from her hiding spot.
"Brad," I start to say. Their faces show the shock when they see her. Darcy looks like death with pale sunken skin and a knife held to her wrists. She has removed the bandages, and the sight of her stitched-up wrists makes my stomach turn.
I look at Brad. I know what I have to say, what she needs me to say to stop what she is about to do to herself, but I can't get the words out, not even if they're fake. The fear has taken my voice.
"Tell him!" she yells angrily. Her eyes are wild as she stares at me with all her focus. Her hands tremble, the blood dripping like a leaky tap from her thin wrists.
Brad walks toward her and stands in front of me, so he's in between us. No fear at all that she's holding a knife. "Darcy, you need to put the knife down so we can get you some help, okay?"
She shakes her head. "You're not in charge here, Coach."
"I'm not, you're right. But look at the scared faces of your friends. They love you and don't want to see you do this to yourself. Don't do this to them."
She glances at us and it's as if she has a moment of clarity or a realization. She looks back at him. "You're right." She goes to hand him the knife. Just before it reaches his hand, she moves and plunges it toward him. "You're right, Coach, I don't want to die today. I just need you out of the picture to get what I want." He drops to the floor, gripping his chest. And I realize she's stabbed him.
