Give Me Some Love" Part 2

Sunday passed like any other. She and her sister went to church, even though she didn't feel the need to. Lately, she'd been losing faith in the existence of God. If he existed, why hadn't he ever answered her prayer for her father to come home normally? There had been another argument this morning. He suddenly wondered where she'd been so late. The argument had resulted in Nadine getting a black eye. She wondered how she would show up at school with a face like that?

On Monday morning, she'd tried to cover up the dark circles under her eyes with powder, then foundation, but it looked even worse than it had without all those girly ideas. She washed it all off. She put on sunglasses. Luckily, the sun was shining today, so that might be a good excuse. Zack was already waiting for her in the locker room.

"Nadine... I... I'm sorry

." Nadine looked at him. Could he remember all this even though he was drunk? No one else was in the locker room yet, so they could talk freely.

"Zack, please tell me what's going on?"

"Nadine, but this is so..." he trailed off. "We're not going to talk here." Come to our place, okay?

Nadine just nodded. She quickly changed her shoes and followed Zack. They sat down by the chemistry room, behind a large pot with a huge flower. They used to sit there and talk to each other about everything and nothing. About little things and about the really important things.

"I'm listening.

" "So... just please don't get upset..."

She didn't answer. "Shouldn't she be upset?! He treated her so terribly on Saturday, and she shouldn't be upset?!

"I... Nadine, I was drinking that Saturday... I didn't remember anything, only later did someone tell me everything..."

"I happened to feel it when you forced yourself to kiss me!" Nadine was getting more and more shaken. "

That's not all, Nadi... I... last week... I took Amphetamine for the first time.

" Nadine felt as if someone had slapped her on the cheek. Was he on drugs? No... you're joking... that's impossible.

"Why? What did you need that for?" The girl was close to tears.

Zack didn't look at Nadine. He didn't dare meet her eyes.

"I didn't want to be worse than them…"

"WORSE?! Zack! What are you saying?!" she said, getting carried away.

"I… I was such a bad student… I thought that if my grades went up, I'd be even more…" He stopped.

Nadine couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

"Zack, don't you know why I love you?" she said calmly. She'd always believed that whether something was said loudly or quietly, the result was the same.

"Don't you understand? I loved you just the way you were. Good grades or bad, it didn't make any difference to me.

" Zack remained silent. Nadine didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do.

"Nadine... help me. I want to break up with this. I know I may not have the right to ask you for anything... but please... help me." Nadine looked at Zack and saw tears in his eyes. "

I've only been taking it for a short time... but I already feel like I HAVE to take this stuff. I can't live without it."

"Were you only taking amphetamines?"

"Mainly... I also smoked marijuana, sniffed glue... you know, the little

things." "Nothing is little. A drug is a drug," Nadine stated firmly.

Zack fell silent. "

I'll try to help you. But first and foremost, you have to deal with it...

" "Nadine... I know I may no longer have the right... that maybe I shouldn't... but can... can I hug you?" he asked shyly

. In response, Nadine wrapped her arms around him. Suddenly, the bell rang, announcing the start of class. Zack jumped up and awkwardly said goodbye. Nadine wiped the tears slowly streaming down her cheek and went to her classroom.

During the next break, Nadine was standing by the windowsill when Marc approached her.

"Hey," he said, "how are you feeling?

" "Okay," Nadine replied.

"Why do you wear those glasses? Don't the teachers make you take them off?"

She didn't answer. Yes, they do, but she sits at the back, so no one pays her much attention.

"Nadine? What's wrong? Why do you need those glasses?

" The girl didn't answer. She took off her sunglasses and showed her car. Marc was speechless. He stared as if spellbound.

"Who… who did this to you? Tell me who, and I'll remember you!

" "Yes? Then I invite you to my house!

" "What?

" "Yes," Nadine said angrily. She didn't like talking about her home. She always associated it with her father's drinking.

Fortunately, the break was over, and they both went to their classes.

And this week, Nadine rarely saw Zack. She couldn't keep following him around because she had to study. She'd just had such an unlucky week that she had to study until late every night. But she wasn't really managing. She was constantly worried about Zack. And he seemed to be avoiding her. Suddenly, he had an important test coming up, suddenly her mom wanted to go somewhere with him. It was slowly getting on Nadine's nerves, but she knew she couldn't leave Zack alone now. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She caught up with him at school on Friday. She asked him to meet her in the park after school. When he refused, she demanded his presence. They met at their usual meeting place, by the entrance. This time, Nadine didn't have to wait long. Zack appeared quite quickly.

"What did you want?"

"I wanted to talk normally. Hi, honey," she replied sarcastically.

"I don't have time to talk.

" "I won't take up much of your time… Zack… just tell me… how are you?"

"Okay, so how's it supposed to be? I'm cramming all the time, you know how it is these days, high school exams are coming up soon...

" "ZACK!" she interrupted abruptly. "You know what I mean..." she tried to be gentle.

Zack looked at her. For a moment, Nadine thought she'd gotten through to him. That, just like recently, he'd tell her everything that was on his mind. It was all in his eyes. Unfortunately, it was very brief. Brief enough for him to answer,

"No, I don't know, and I don't intend to know. Is that all?

" "NO! Zack! Don't you understand? I'm worried about you!

" "No need! I'm fine!

" Zack was about to turn away, but Nadine grabbed his hand. Tears glistened in her eyes.

"Why can't things be like they used to be?" she whispered. "You've changed. Be the old, dear Zack. Please

." In response, he lashed out and slapped Nadine on the cheek with his open hand, then walked away.

Nadine stood stunned for a moment longer. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. She wondered how many more tears she would cry because of Zack. She sat down on a bench. She wasn't in a hurry. She wanted to sit there for the rest of her life. And not think about anything. Not worry about whether Zack would finally get out of this mess, whether his father would come home sober for once, whether he would cope at school? She stood up abruptly and started running. She didn't know where, why? She simply ran. She paid no attention to anything. She passed the park, the stadium, the cafeteria, the school... She was tired, but she didn't stop. She wanted to get as far away from all her problems as possible. And suddenly she heard the loud screech of car tires, then a woman's scream. She felt a sharp pain in her leg. She fell to the ground. She saw the face of a terrified man above her. He was shouting something at her, but she couldn't hear him. Everything began to swirl before her eyes. And then it all… vanished.

At that same moment, Zack was crossing another street. He walked with a quick, determined step. He was furious. At himself. How could he have hit Nadine?! Why had he done it?! He kept asking himself these questions. If only she hadn't been so insistent. Why had he even confessed to her? So what if Marc had threatened him that if he didn't tell her, she'd regret it? He could have easily dealt with him! And yet… what if they could go back to the old days? If they could come to Nadine with a red rose, kiss her, walk hand in hand through the park… Just like they used to. If only it were all that simple. He was the one who had made it all so complicated. "I have to fix this somehow. This has all gone too far… I had no right to hit her!" He entered the house and quietly closed the door. He wasn't sure if his eighteen-month-old sister was still asleep. He took off his shoes.

"Zack? Is that you?" he heard his mother's voice

. "Yes

." "Where have you been again?" she asked, concerned

. "Nowhere," he replied casually

. "Watch Samantha for a while, okay?"

In response, Zack picked up his little sister and led her to his room. He set her down on the floor and said,

"Here, little one, do whatever you want

." Sam sat down at his desk and buried his head in his hands. He could still see Nadine's terrified face in his mind. Her eyes filled with so much love and so much pain. And he was causing her even more problems. Not only did she have a drunk father, but a drug-addicted boyfriend... NO!!! "I'm not an addict, I can stop this, even today... I can, I definitely can," he told himself. He began frantically searching through his pockets and drawers. He took out everything that reminded him of drugs. He didn't know what to do with it. He only knew he wanted to get rid of it. He had to get rid of it! For Nadine. He started rummaging through another drawer to make sure nothing was left. At that moment, the door to his room opened and his mother came in.

"How's Sam? A good girl would..." she began, but stopped when she saw what was on her son's desk. She slowly walked over and picked up a small bag of amphetamines. Then a syringe, which Zack had only used once.

"Zack... son..." she stammered, but couldn't get anything else out. She scooped Samantha into her arms. She did it so quickly, as if she were afraid Zack would do something to her.

"You'll wait here for your father. Then we'll talk. And THIS"—she pocketed all of Zack's "equipment"—"I'm taking this with me, so you won't be tempted again

." She left, slamming the door. After a moment, Zack heard the door slam shut.

"This is the end," he thought. He collapsed onto the bed. He didn't know what to think. What to do. How to explain himself? Everything was jumbled in his mind. He waited for his trial, and time dragged on endlessly. And then he felt that terrifying feeling. Something inside him desperately wanted another taste of the drug. Something was driving him to inject himself again. It was so strong. He got up and began pacing the room. He scratched his arms nervously. Just the last dose, the only one… He rushed to his closet and began searching through it. Maybe there was still something left. Maybe he hadn't taken everything out… No… there was nothing left. "That's impossible! How can you be such an idiot!" He began biting his nails in frustration. Finally, exhausted, he lay down and fell asleep.

A sharp jerk on his shoulder woke him.

"Get up!" he heard his father's menacing voice.

Zack sat up abruptly in bed. "It's started," he thought. His father angrily threw all of Zack's "tools" onto the bed.

"What's that supposed to mean?!

The boy remained silent. He had no idea what to say.

"Come on! Why aren't you saying anything?"

His father stood up. He began pacing the room just as Zack had a few hours ago. He put his hands behind his head and took a deep breath.

"Zack… have you ever lacked anything? Did we not give you enough love? Or maybe you didn't have enough material goods?!" He shouted the last sentence. He grabbed the first thing that came to hand: a Disc player. He threw it at Zack. Zack ducked, and the Disc player fell onto the bed. He looked at his father in horror. Zack went berserk. He knocked over his shelf of records, sending them crashing across the floor. A moment later, they heard a loud cry.

"You woke Samantha," Zack said calmly.

After these words, his father walked over and slapped Zack across the face with his open hand.

"We'll think about what to do with you… until then, you'll stay home, in your room." Got it?

Zack didn't answer again. His father slapped him again. Zack remained stubbornly silent. His father pushed him to the floor with all his might.

"Granted?

" Zack finally relented. He glared at his father and nodded. Zack left the room, slamming the door and locking it.

Zack slowly began to collect his CDs from the floor. Some were broken, some completely destroyed, but some survived. He heard the phone ringing in the hallway.

"Excuse me?" Okay, just a moment…

The door to his room opened, and he saw his mother.

"Zack, come to you," she said without looking at her son. As if she was afraid he would see hatred in her gaze.

"Wait!" his father said from the next room. "I'll stand here and listen to whatever you're talking about.

" Zack shrugged and quickly walked over to the phone.

"Yes?" he asked hoarsely .

"Zack? This is Kirsten, do you recognize her?

" "Yes. Sister Nadine. Is something wrong?

" "Nadine had an accident." Her voice was trembling

. Zack didn't immediately grasp the meaning of these words. He stood by the receiver, unable to utter a single word.

"Are you there?

" "How is she doing? What's wrong with her? What accident? Where is she? Which hospital?"

"She's on White Street. They just brought her in, she's unconscious." Kirsten could barely contain herself from bursting into tears. "Will you come?" "

I'll try, thanks," he said groggily, and hung up the phone. He looked at his parents. He wasn't sure if they'd let him go. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Nadine had an accident. She's in the hospital. Can I go see her?"

They were silent. They looked at each other uncertainly. They didn't know if they could trust their son anymore.

"I have to see her! I have to!" he began repeating frantically. He no longer cared whether he could see her crying or not. It didn't matter to him. He only knew one thing: he had to see Nadine.

"Please," he added quietly.

After a moment of silence, his father began putting on his shoes.

"I'll take you there," he said dryly.

Zack looked at him in disbelief.

"How can I be sure you'll get from home to the hospital, and from the hospital straight home?" he explained impatiently.

So that's what this was all about... He'd broken his parents' trust. He didn't even know if it was permanent. Without a word, they got into the car and drove to the hospital. Zack, not waiting for his father, ran inside. "

Excuse me, I'm looking for Nadine Bluerame. She had an accident, she just arrived here. Where is she?" he asked the first nurse he met in the hallway .

"Nadine Blurame?"

"She's such a pretty girl. She has long black hair, she's slim...

" "Second floor."

He hurried up the stairs. There, at the end of the hallway, he saw Kirsten.

"Zack, it's good you're here

." "What about Nadine? "

"We don't know yet, they're still operating on her..."

"Operating?" he repeated dully. "How did this happen?

" His voice trembled. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks. He couldn't think of anything else now. All that mattered was Nadine and her condition. "

She was hit by a car. The driver said she ran into the street..." she stammered.

"It's my fault!" A voice spoke in his head. This was their last meeting, and he... No! Not their last! He couldn't accept it. "I'll stop doing drugs and we'll be together again! Definitely, definitely..." he repeated in his mind.

He, Kirsten, and his father stood there, looking hopefully at the closed door. The silence was broken by the sound of his father's phone. He quickly stepped aside. At that moment, the door opened, and the doctor emerged. They immediately ran to him.

"What about her?" Kirsten asked, concerned.

"Are you family?

" "Yes," Zack replied without hesitation.

"And Mom or Dad? A guardian? Someone of legal age, anyway?

" "Me," Kirsten said .

"Please, follow me

. Zack is left alone. Since they asked for an adult, is it serious?"

The door opened. About four people emerged, pushing a wheeled bed. Nadine lay unconscious on it. Zack walked up to her and walked beside her to the end of the corridor. He stared at her closed eyes. He still hoped they would open soon. As always, cheerful, with a glint of light. Yet they remained closed. "You've always been stubborn..." he muttered to her. He stopped in the middle of the corridor. He let her continue. After a moment, he approached the large window beside Nadine's room. He looked at her. Her hair, tied in a thick braid, hung down her body. He glanced around at the equipment surrounding her. The ventilator beeped intermittently. The nurse who had emerged from her room spoke to Zack.

"Would you like to go in?"

Zack glanced at her. He nodded slowly.

"Then come in. She really needs it now..."

Then she left him alone. Zack walked over to Nadine. He stroked her cheek. He grabbed her hand. He sat on a stool by the bed. He looked around the room. The walls were painted pastel colors. Flowers stood on the windowsill. "At least she's in a nice room..." he thought grimly.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered. Nadine lay still. Zack was talking to her, but he wasn't sure if she could hear him.

"Nadi... I'm so ashamed. I'm sorry... I'll never take it again. It's all my fault. "

He continued to whisper. His voice kept breaking. He cried like a small child. After a moment, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Kirsten? What's wrong with her? When will she wake up?"

"I don't know...

" "What do you mean, I don't know?! So what did that doctor say?!

"Calm down, Zack... if she doesn't wake up soon, then..." she trailed off

. "Then what?! Tell me!" Zack was growing increasingly distraught. He stood up.

"Coma," she whispered,

Zack feeling dizzy. Coma… coma? So he might wake up tomorrow, or maybe even in a few months? He looked at Kirsten with terrified eyes.

"No… it can't be like that," he said, then quickly ran out of the room. Nadine, she'll definitely wake up soon! She definitely will! "I still have to bring her red roses…" As he ran down the hall, he bumped into his father. "

Your mother and I have already decided what to do with you," he said dryly.

What will they do with him? "Am I something you can do whatever you want with?!" he thought angrily. "

You'll leave here. To a special facility. It's not far. Only 100km.

" Zack stood as if he were frozen in place. Will I leave? Now? "I can't! I have to be with Nadine!" he wanted to scream, but he remained silent. "

We're going home," his father stated firmly.

"No!" "Zack shouted loudly and quickly returned to Nadine. She was alone. Kirsten went out to call home.

"Nadine... I'm so sorry! For everything! I'll come see you. Whenever I can..."

He kissed her.

He left the hospital. He got into the car. On the way, his father noticed Zack nervously scratching his hands again.