A True Friend

PowerTux <jameshelferty@renc.igs.net>


	It had been a stressful week. Even with Galaxia no longer a problem, 
things had still been wild. The scouts had had to come up with some sort of 
excuse for why they hadn't been to school.

	She walked along, scowling. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry 
for herself. Correction; a lot sorry for herself. She'd lost a lot over the 
past few years; first Darien, then her free time, and now her grandfather was 
upset at her for skipping classes.. She winced. No. That hadn't been the real 
reason. She shook her head, and tried to clear it.

	"Hey Rei, wait up!" yelled Serena. She hopped out of Darien's sports 
car, and ran towards her. Rei quickened her pace. "What's the hurry?" she 
asked, slowing to a fast walk beside her friend. She quickly waved to Darien, 
who waved back, and drove off. Rei didn't seem to notice him.

	"Nothing. I've just got to pick up a few things for grandpa at the 
store," she replied. "Seems Chad somehow 'forgot' to get them last time he 
was out, so.."

	Serena smiled. "Oh well. Hey, it's been pretty quiet lately, 
scout-wise, doncha think?" they turned the corner, and arrived at the bus 
stop. Rei took a seat on the bench. Serena sat down beside her.

	"Sure has.. especially since Galaxia left." She leaned back and let 
out a sigh. Finally she could relax.

	"Were you actually.. dead?" Serena asked. Rei's muscles twitched 
involuntarily. She smiled cautiously and looked over at Serena.

	"I guess so."

	"Do you remember anything?" 

	Rei shrugged, noncommitedly. "Not really." She turned and returned to 
looking into the sky. "Nothing I want to remember, anyways," she whispered to 
herself.

	"Oh?" Serena caught part of it, and her ears perked up. "What 
happened?" she asked, suddenly all ears.

	Rei turned and glared. "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

	Serena nearly fell off her seat. Her face fell, and she turned and 
began to cry. "I can't STAND it. Why are you so MEAN?!" she put her head in 
her hands, and tears began pouring out of her eyes. Rei turned.. and slapped 
her.

	The pressures, pains, and emotions of the week all caught up to 
Serena at once. It was more than she could bear; she turned back towards Rei, 
and slapped her.

	Rei's face registered pain.. and surprise. "WHA-?"

	"I'm tired of you slapping me!" Serena stood up and glared down at 
Rei, her face suddenly turning beet-red. "You've been mean to me ever since 
we met. You should be leader. You should be in charge." She glowered. "Well, 
today, you're being worse. First you ignore Darien, then you start shouting 
and hitting me. Are you insane?! Rei, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!?" she yelled.

	Rei's eyes widened, and then slowly clouded over. Her face lost all 
expression. She slowly tilted her head down, and looked at the pavement. 
Serena realized what had just happened, and all the anger drained from her 
face. Regret drained in like cold water from an eaves. She sat back down and 
silently put her face into her hands. "I'm sorry, Rei. I--"

	"No, it's me that should be sorry," Rei interrupted quietly. "I guess 
it really is all my fault." Serena's ears perked up. Was this Rei talking? "I 
guess it just hit a nerve.. and.. oh.. I.." A tear rolled slowly down her 
cheek. "I guess it just hit a nerve," she repeated, hoarsely.

	Serena turned back towards her friend, and noticed the tear. 
Something was definitely wrong, she thought. She gently put her arm around 
Rei, but Rei shook it off and took a deep breath.

	"You're right Serena. There was something I saw while I was.. there," 
she began. Her eyes clouded over and she visibly relaxed.

	"The tunnel seemed to stretch on for ages. I could see this beautiful 
light in the distance, but just barely. I kept trying to get closer to it, 
but each step I took brought me closer to.." she began to sob. "..to her."

	Serena tried to put her arm around Rei again. This time, she didn't 
shake it off. "Who was it?" she asked carefully.

	"..my daughter.."

	"Your WHAT?" asked Serena.

	"My daughter, Serena, my daughter. My little girl." She turned her 
head back down, and another tear traced it's way down her cheek. Serena's jaw 
dropped, and she watched as another tear travelled the same path as the 
first.

	She shook her head. "Rei, you're speaking gibberish. You've never 
been a-"

	"LET ME FINISH!" interrupted Rei. Serena fell silent, and waited. Rei 
bobbed her head, and wiped her tears on her sleeve. Her voice began again.

	"It was the first year of Junior High, and we were at the school 
dance," she started. "He was one of Chad's friends. I was feeling great. I'd 
worked hard all year, and I was ready to have some fun. Chad introduced us, 
and we got up to dance." Her face held a trance-like pose as she continued. 
"The song ended, and he invited me to come outside with him. He was going to 
show me which constellations looked most like my face, he said." Her face 
grew rigid.

	"Rei, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Serena began. 
Rei turned, her face as unhappy as Serena had ever seen it, but still holding 
back the tears.

	"But I do have to tell you, Serena. I have to tell someone. It's just 
too hard to bear alone." Another tear was forming. She turned back and looked 
down once more. "Once we were outside, he kissed me. I thought the world was 
going to end. He said such sweet things to me, and then.." Rei shuddered. 
"..He took me to his car."

	Serena took up her friend's hand in her own, and gave it a squeeze.

	"We made.. we.." Rei couldn't take it any more. She turned her head, 
and buried it in Serena's shoulder. Serena couldn't do anything but hold her 
friend. 

	Rei waited for her sobbing to subside, and then she tried speaking 
again. "I went home early. Grandpa was asleep, so I just went ahead to bed. I 
didn't tell him at all." She lifted her head off Serena's shoulder and looked 
back down at the ground. "Three weeks later, I still wasn't feeling any 
better, so I went to the pharmacy. They gave me the home-test. I went home 
and.." she closed her eyes. "It read positive. I went and got an appointment 
for an abortion the next day."

	Serena held her friend tightly. She didn't know what to say. Rei had 
been only 14. Surely that was too young to be having..?.. or was it?..

	Rei turned and looked Serena right in the eyes. "I could feel her, 
Serena. I could feel her life being drained as they turned on that sickening 
machine. I could feel her struggling inside, trying to stay alive. I could 
hear that horrible sound as she was sucked out, bit by bit, piece by piece." 
A shiver ran through her body, and she pulled away from Serena. Her voice 
lowered to a whisper. "It's all my fault, Serena. It's all my fault." Rei 
lapsed into silence.

	Serena stared silently at her friend, and then brought her own eyes 
down to gaze at the concrete. "I never knew," she said simply.

	"I know. ..It's just that every time I see you acting like a crybaby, 
or fawning over Darien like that.." Another tear travelled the length of her 
face. "You must hate me."

	Serena looked over at Rei, and managed a half smile on her own 
tear-stained face. "No I don't, Rei. It's just that.. well.. I.." Her gaze 
faultered. She recovered, and slowly looked back up at Rei. "Did she say 
anything to you, Rei?" Her own tears had started coming again.

	A tear rolled down Rei's cheek as she nodded her head slowly. "Yes." 
The tear hit the concrete, soundlessly.

	"...'I love you.'"
