"Hey Marshall." DeShaun said, next morning. Marshall was hanging around outside the post office, where Lataya and DeShaun and him used to meet up in the mornings. He wanted to talk to Lataya, she had never called him back. He was glad that she called, but Kim was there and he didnt want Kim to know who was on the phone, because Kim would start purposely insulting Lataya, and he felt bad for that morning, and wanted to protect Lataya from the things that Kim had to say.

"Hey DeShaun." He said, looking around. "You know when Latayas getting here?"

"I called her all night last night. She wasnt answering the phone, I dont know if shes coming to school today. Im kinda worried." DeShaun looked down. "Maybe we can stop by her house for a few minutes on the way, and just knock on the door and see if shes ok."

"Sure. I gotta talk to her anyways." Marshall agreed. "Alright, lets go."

"Okay." DeShaun said as they started down the alley behind the post office, and hopped the fence to her backyard. Marshall slowed down and DeShaun walked up to her back door, and knocked.

A few seconds of silence and a huge man came to the door. He looked down at DeShaun and cleared his throat.

"Um, is Lataya here?" He asked.

The man looked at him and then answered. "I dont know."

"Are you her father?"

"Yeah."

"Um, well do you mind if you could like, check if she was here?" DeShaun asked.

"No, Im late for work." Her father said, brushing past DeShaun and walking down the stairs. "If your here to walk to school with her, just go see if shes in her room, otherwise she left early." He said getting into the car. Marshall watched him drive away, hate filling his viens. He had never seen her dad before, but he heard all about him from Lataya, and after seeing him, he believed every word. And since when did her father work?

DeShaun looked back at Marshall and shrugged, opening the door and stepping into the large kitchen. Marshall figured that he should follow him, for some odd reason, and stepped up the stairs and walked into the kitchen behind DeShaun. The counters were stacked with cups and dishes, and the table had plates on it with left over remnants of food. Papers and cardboard boxes and food containers covered the rest of the table and counters, and dishes were starting to pile up in the sink. The kitchen was dark, and the floor was dingy and dirty.

They walked through the kitchen to the livingroom, and up the stairs. The livingroom was in the same state as the kitchen, messy and unkempt. Stepping carefuly up the stairs, DeShaun cleared his throat.

"Lataya?! You up here girl?!" He yelled. He didnt hear anything as a response, so he kept walking, maybe she hadnt heard him. Marshall was behind him, looking around. The house looked dark and empty, not warm and dimly lighted like it had the last time that he was here. Things felt different, quiet and almost scary.

"Laya?" Marshall yelled as they got closer to her bedroom door that was closed. "Laya are you here?" He asked.

DeShaun stepped forward and knocked on the door lightly. A second later he knocked a little hard. "Lataya? If your in there answer!" He looked at Marshall and they both felt that something was wrong. But neither knew what. "Should I just open the door?" He asked, looking at Marshall. Marshall nodded. "Okay."

DeShaun pushed the door open and they both looked inside, expecting the worst. But it was clean. "Her rooms clean, something is definatly wrong." He joked. Marshall chuckled lightly and then stopped abruptly as his eyes locked with Latayas.

"Fuck." He muttered, feeling himself get neasus. Lataya was laying on the floor, her eyes fixed on the doorway where Marshall and DeShaun stood, laying in a pool of her own blood, her wrists slit open and the blood was starting to scab itself. The blood on the floor was drying up, but stained the floor. Her throat was slit open, and like her wrists, they were starting to scab over from the blood. Scissors laid next to her, and the phone was near her feet.

DeShaun gasped and immediatly felt himself have to throw up at the sight. He ran away down the hall towards her bathroom and bent over the toilet, throwing up. Marshall couldnt do anything but just stand there and stare blankly at the site before him. The site that made him want to puke and cry.

The phone, next to her feet, struck somewhere in his heart. He remembered, not 2 days before, when he told her that if she ever felt suicidal or felt like she was going to do anything stupid, she should call him. And she had called him. Now that he thought of it, her voice sounded like there was something wrong. He felt really sick all of a sudden.

He could have done something to stop her from doing this, she had called him. Called him for help. And he ignored her, hung up on her, because Kim was there. His lower lip started to tremble and he took a deep breath, closing his eyes breifly. She called him looking for help, and he turned her down for Kim. She could be alive right now, if he had just listened to her. If he had just been a good friend, and listened to her. He loved her, and now, she was...moving?

He raised an eyebrow and walked into the room towards her. "Lataya?" She didnt answer, but he could have sworn he saw her hand move just a little bit. He rushed forward and kneeled beside her, touching the side of her face. She wasnt cold. She was alive.

"DESHAUN!" He yelled frantically. "DESHAUN GET YOUR ASS IN HERE! SHES ALIVE!" He screamed, losing all of his emotion the first time that he talked. Excitement rushed through his viens at the hope that she might be okay, and he heard DeShaun run up behind him.

"What?" He asked. "But, shes-"

"Fuck, I just saw her move. she must not have cut deep enough, CALL 911! NOW!" He yelled. DeShaun grabbed the phone and dialed 911, explaining to them what had happened.

Marshall didnt know what to do, but he was relieved and glad that Lataya was alive. He just stayed by her, and brushed her hair back off her face. What was he supposed to do? He never had this happen to him before. His uncle had committed suicide years before, but he had actually done it. He hadnt lived, unfortunatly. But now, Lataya did. It was like she had a second chance. Marshall had a second chance to help her, take care of her and make sure she never did this again.

"Um, sir? Is she ok?" DeShaun asked Latayas father as he walked into the waiting room. He had just come from Latayas hospital room, and Marshall and DeShaun were in the hospital, drilling the doctors, nurses and secretaries for information, but they wouldnt give it to them because they werent family or a legal gaurdian.

"Yeah, shes awake." He said blankly, walking away and out of the hospital.

"Lets ask if we can see her." Marshall whispered.

"Okay, hold on I'll ask." DeShaun said, walking up to a nurse. Marshall stayed behind and watched as DeShaun argued with the nurse for a few minutes. Finally DeShaun walked over to him and shook his head. "We arent family, so we cant."

"Hold on a second." Marshall said, walking over to the nurse. "Hey, um, my sister is Lataya Woodson, can you tell me what room shes in?" He asked innocently.

The nurse smiled at him. "Sure thing hun. Im sorry about her by the way. Im Nurse O'Conner. Im assigned to her room, its number 46."

"Thank you." Marshall said grinning and walking over towards DeShaun. "C'mon." He said as they took off down a hallway trying to find room 46.

"Good idea." DeShaun said as they reached her room. He reached up and knocked. A nurse opened the door and looked down at the two boys.

"May I help you?" She asked politely, although she looked annoyed.

"Yeah, Um can we see Lataya Woodson?" DeShaun asked.

"One at a time kid, and you have 5 minutes. She needs to rest." She said, guiding DeShaun by the shoulder into the room. "You can wait over there." She said to Marshall pointing to a bench across the hall.

"How come Im not getting any rest if I need it so badly? If you people would stop sticking needles in me I might be able to get some, but NOOO." Latayas voice floated out from the room, filling Marshalls ears with the most wonderful noise he had ever heard. It sounded raspy, and some of her speech was broken, but its just because of the damage done to her throat.

"Dont tell her Im here." Marshall whispered as DeShaun nodded a response and walked into the room with the nurse. Marshall sighed and walked over to the bench in the hallway to sit down and wait for DeShaun to finish with her. The minutes seemed to drag by, torturing Marshall beyond belief. He knew that she was ok, and he was glad, but he wanted to see it for himself, and he couldnt wait to talk to her, and see that she was alright.

A few minutes later the nurse came out, followed by DeShaun. DeShaun took his place on the bench and Marshall stood up. The nurse looked him over as he walked into the room, and she walked in behind him, shutting the door.

Lataya was staring at the wall opposite the door, and when the door shut, she looked up to see if it was the nurse. She saw Marshall and didnt know how to react. Why was he here?

He walked over to the side of the bed and sat down in one of the 2 chairs next to it. The nurse was staring at him suspiciously, and it made him uncomfortable. Marshall looked down at his hands, and after a minute was wasted, he spoke. "Whyd ya do it?" He asked.

Lataya pursed her lips together and looked at the ceiling. Why did she do it?! Wasnt it obvious enough for him? "I dunno." She lied. She knew very well why she did it. But if he had to ask, why should she tell him.

Marshall looked back at the floor and another minute went by. Now he had 3 minutes left with her, 3 precious minutes that were ticking away too fast. He looked up again. She was pale, sitting up against the pillows, a scar going across her neck, and from what he could see of her wrists. She looked miserable, and tired, and sick. He swallowed hard.

"Im glad your ok." He said quietly. She didnt look at him.

"At least one of us is." She replied blankly.

"Dont say that." He said, shaking his head.

"You want me to lie then?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "I didnt think you would care, to be HONEST with you."

"Course I care." He replied, frowning. "Why wouldnt I?"

"Thought you would be too busy with Kim. Thats all." She sighed, rolling her eyes at Kims name.

"No, I care." He said slowly. "More people care than you think."

"Well, the only people that have been down here to see me, is my dad, DeShaun and you." She said, looking over at him. "Its like Kim said yesterday. I have 1 friend." She bit the inside of her cheek and looked away.

"What?" Marshall asked, feeling a pit in his stomach.

"Yeah, I heard her in the hallway talking to you." She nodded and held back tears, remembering what Kim had said. "Thats for sticking up for me by the way. Its appreciated, real good to know people care."

"People do care. I care about you, DeShaun, your dad-" He listed.

"My dad doesnt even care. He came in here, asked if I was alright, talked to the doctor for a second, and then said goodbye to me and left. No, 'I love you Lataya, why did you do this?', No, 'Honey, I, glad your alright' just, 'Are you okay?' and 'See you later.' He doesnt care."

"Yes he does. I care about you, DeShaun cares about you and he cares about you. Do you know what you did to us when we found you?" He asked.

"No, silly me, I was unconscience through most of it." She said sacastically.

Marshall looked at his watch. 2 minutes. "Lataya, DeShaun ran in the other room puking, and I couldnt even move. I was to scared and upset, and I felt awful. Why didnt you call someone? DeShaun, me, even your dad? No one would want you to do that."

"I did." She said simply, glaring at him.

"Im sorry. I should have talked to you. I should have listened, but I didnt. And I felt really bad about that."

"Good." She said, although she didnt really mean that. She was surprised that he cared enough to be upset, and that he felt bad.

"You know Lataya, I didnt think you would do something this stupid." He said shaking his head.

"Why not?" She asked boredly.

"Because, only selfish people commit suicide." He said.

"My MOTHER committed suicide." She said defensively, as if challenging him to say something else.

"And she didnt once think of how it would effect you and your father, did she?!" He asked, raising his voice.

"Get out." She said quietly, but sternly. He didnt move, the nurse just sat there watching. His 5 minutes were up but this was the most drama she had seen all day.

"Your not a selfish person! Did you think about what it would do to your friends, at all?! What about DeShaun? Me?" He asked.

"I thought of you the whole time." She said slowly. "Believe me."

Marshall bit his bottom lip. She was basically just saying that the reason she attempted suicide was because of him. It was his fault that she was laying in a hospital bed with needles in her arms, and scars on her neck and wrists. Scars that werent just on the outside. The damage done to her emotionally would take a lifetime to heal. "Lataya-"

"GET OUT!" She yelled, the blood pressure monitor machine beside her bed suddenly shooting upwards. The nurse saw this and stepped forward, grabbing Marshall by the arm and pulling him towards the door.

"Times up kid." She said, tugging his shirt.

"No!" He yelled turning back to her. He didnt want to leave yet. "Lataya, we can talk more when you get out of the hospital. Okay?" He asked.

"No, we cant." She shook her head.

The nurse was still pulling his shirt and he ripped it away from her hands. "Why not?"

"Because, the doctor reccomended I be put in a mental facility. And my dad agreed." She said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Goodbye Marshall."

"Lataya, Im-" He started.

"Hey Marshall," She called out, interrupting him. He looked up. "Your lover, your friend."

"I got your back to the end." He finished it, feeling a strange feeling come over him. She still cared, or else she wouldnt have said their thing. Thats what they called it, their thing.

"Bye Marsh." She looked down at the sheets and smiled weakly.

"Bye Laya." He said quietly, letting the nurse push him into the hallway.

The nurse slammed the door behind him, and went to try and calm Lataya down a little, and DeShaun saw him and stood up. "Hey, you were in there a while. Howd it go?"

"Not so good." He said, swallowing the lump in his throat that had formed when she told him that she wouldnt be going home. That was probably the last time he would talk to her again, who knows when they would let her out of the mental hospital?

"Im sorry man. Um, maybe we should get going, she told me to tell you some things for her, that she might not have told you while you were in there." He said, as they stood in the hallway, staring at each other. Marshall nodded and they walked through the hospital halls, trying to find their way out. It was like a maze or something, but finally they found their way out.

"Did you know," Marshall said when they finally found their way out of the building,"That she is going to a mental hospital, and shes not going home?"

"Yeah, she told me." DeShaun looked down, missing his friend already. They were best friends since the 5th grade, thats 5 years, and now she tried to kill herself and was being put in a mental hospital because of it. He missed her already, and he had just seen her 15 minutes ago.

"I know, Im going out with Kim and everything, but like, I still really like her. I mean, I just dont want to be like Joe, thats all." He shrugged.

"Ok, who the fuck is Joe? I been meaning to ask you that." He said, looking at Marshall like he was crazy.

"Joe, you know, um her ex boyfriend, she was playing him and he found out and she said it wasnt her fault...Just what happened with me and her, except, he took her back." Marshall explained, giving him a summary of what Kim told him.

"Ok, I have known her since the summer between 4th and 5th grade, and in all the time that we have been best friends, I have never heard of her going out with someone named Joe. She went out with some kid named Matt, um, Dom, and you. And thats it. You and Dom were the only really serious ones, Matt didnt last long." He said slowly.

"DOM? Dom, as in, hangs out with D'Angelo and Darnell?" Marshall asked increduously.

"Yeah...They went out for like, 4 months, but Dom was also going out with this girl named Sheryl on the side, so, needless to say they broke up." He said, shrugging.

Marshall looked down. Dom went out with Lataya? After all the horrible things he had said to her back in elementary school? He couldnt believe this. "How did he treat her when they went out?" He asked, hoping he treated her well, but doubting it very much.

"Like shit, but really, what do you expect? He was playing her behind hre back. You can always tell, if someones playing you or if they arent. He obviously was because he treated her like crap, I saw it, she saw it, but she didnt do anything about it until I saw him with some other girl and told her. She said she suspected as much but didnt want to say anything to him. Its lik, if someones playing you, they treat you like shit. But like, you treated her so good, like she was everything to you. Yanno? So, it was obvious you werent playing her." DeShaun explained. "See kuz if your playing someone, you dont care how you treat them or if they dump you or what, because you have someone else. Right?"

Marshall nodded weakly, letting his words sink in. 'See kuz if your playing someone, you dont care how you treat them or if they dump you or what, because you have someone else.' Lataya always treated him like he was everything to her. And after today at the hospital, he realized that he was a really big part of her life. She wasnt playing him behind his back. Kim had lied, obviously.

Kim had lied, and everything had spun out of control in Latayas life. Marshall dumped her, she attempted suicide and was now going to be in a mental hospital. Because of Kim. Suddenly, Marshall felt himself getting really mad at Kim.

"So like, I dont know." DeShaun continued. Marshall was jolted out of his thoughts. He had forgotten DeShaun was talking.

"Yeah. I know." He looked down at the ground, not knowing what DeShaun had said.

"I just dont think its fair she should go into a mental hospital. You know? I mean, people would say that shes getting help and that its good, but they dont know her. You know, we are really the only ones that really know her. And we both know shes not insane and she shouldnt be in one of those places. She just needs to get her life back on track. Yanno?" He said, looking over at Marshall.

"Yeah." He mumbled.

"Okay, well," DeShaun started. "She wanted me to tell you a few things that she didnt get to tell you. And they are kind of important, so...Um, yeah, where should I start?"

"Anywhere." He shrugged.

"Ok well, first of all, she said to tell you one more time that Ryan made her kiss him, and that she would never do that to you. And she also said that um, she loves you, but like, shes mad because you wouldnt listen to her and you went out with Kim like that same day that you dumped her. And like, also that she tried to call you before she attempted to kill herself but like, you had Kim there and you hung up on her, and that she felt really alone and shit." He said.

"Aw fuck. Look, I didnt know she would try and kill herself, I mean, I would have talked to her, you know I would have. And, the Kim thing..." He trailed off.

"I know, I know, its Kim Scott. But like, I gotta admit that was really mean. Like rubbing salt in the open wound. Not cool man, not cool. But, yeah. I guess." He shrugged. "That day in the cafeteria, that probably killed her. You should have seen her face."

"Okay, lets stop putting guilt on me. I feel bad enough. Just, Yesterday, when she kissed me, it wasnt like I was TRYING to rub it in. That was all Kim." He said defensively.

"Yeah but you could have done something to stop it, yanno? She was really upset about that. I mean how would you feel if she walked up to D'Angelo and kissed him?" DeShaun said, kicking a beer can into the street.

"Like shit." He said, sighing.

"See?" He said.

"I know," Marshall sighed as they stopped in front of his house. "Is that all she wanted to tell me?"

"Yeah I think so, I forget, but if its not, Ill remember it tommorow or later tonight." DeShaun nodded.

"Okay. Then I guess I'll see you tommorow, in front of the post office right?" He raised both eyebrows.

"Like its been for the past 2 years, she wouldnt want it any other way." He nodded.

"You make her sound dead." Marshall laughed a little bit, even though he really wasnt in a laughing mood.

"Well, in a way, she is." DeShaun said. "You know, we arent going to be able to talk to her when shes in that place right?"

"Yeah," Marshall said quietly. "Yeah I know."

"Okay. Well I'll see you later, aight?"

"Okay. See ya." Marshall replied, walking up his front stairs and putting his key in the lock. His mom was home, but she locked the door, probably hoping that he forgot his key. He stepped into his house, feeling different. He felt like he was empty, and depressed. His heart just wanted to shatter at the mere fact that Lataya, someone he loved and cared about more than anything, tried to kill herself. And she had tried to call him before, a cry for help that he had turned down, and for Kim.

Suddenly his viens pulsed with anger at Kim, and at himself. Kim was the reason that he wasnt with Lataya right now. Kim was the reason she was laying in a hospital bed, and wouldnt come home. If Kim hadnt been here yesterday, and hadnt said those things about her in the hallway, and hadnt told Marshall those lies, and if she just hadnt been the physcotic bitch that she is, things would be alright right now. But things were not alright. Things were not alright at all.