Beautiful: Truth's Found When Beauty's Lost Part 7

"Sure?" Ellie asked. She didn't know if she should stay, but she really wanted to go, and quickly.

"Yeah, we'll keep him here."

"Thanks."

Stasia and Ellie turned from the house and started down the driveway.

"Maybe I should take his car." That would ensure that Ryan wouldn't escape and drive off, though that was more of a boyfriend/girlfriend thing to do. Tonight had probably ended that status.

"They'll take care of him," Stasia rea.s.sured her. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for this."

"No problem. Why I came to this thing in the first place, I have no idea."

"It was boring anyway," Ellie said.

"Yeah, 'cause you don't drink. And I can't drink. Or at least, I can't drink enough to enjoy the party, only enough to make me tired."

"I didn't know you had diabetes."

"Since I was twelve."

Ellie followed Stasia down the driveway, wis.h.i.+ng she had Ryan's jacket.

"I had to park sort of far," Stasia said as she typed into her cell phone.

The heels of Ellie's shoes clomped along the driveway. Stasia had come to the party dressed in jeans and a sweat s.h.i.+rt and running shoes. Her hair was in a ponytail, which only served to make her round face appear rounder.

Stasia was one of those pretty girls the guys wouldn't notice until they were older, Ellie thought. Or like in a teen movie when the girl who was always the "friend" suddenly had a makeover or came home from college, and all the guys went crazy. That could be Stasia. Ellie remembered going to one of her birthday parties when they were little. Stasia had been into horses back then. Ellie wondered if she still was.

Stasia pointed ahead. "Look. The neighbors are going to love that." There was a beer can tower at the entrance to Mitch's driveway. "Wow, I can't believe the cops haven't come."

Stasia's car was a four-door Honda, red with silver rims.

"Cute car," Ellie said.

"It's not as cute as yours."

Ellie laughed. Her green Karmann Ghia was an adorable wreck. "It's broken down half the time. There's something to be said for a car that's less than twenty years old. But I had to have it."

"You know, Ellie, Ryan will call you tomorrow."

Ellie shrugged, glancing behind them and pulling her sweater closer around her chest. "I think it might be over anyway."

"Seriously? Why?"

"I don't know. We see everything so differently. In the beginning maybe I was flattered that he liked me."

"Why would you be flattered?"

Ellie laughed. "'Cause I don't have a ton of guys knocking at my door."

"Don't give me that. Now, I don't have any guys knocking at my door. The guys see me as their sporty little sister."

She clicked the key fob to unlock the doors, and they hopped into the car. The leather seats were cold.

The heater blew cold air, and Ellie felt the chill down to her bones. Ryan hadn't come after her, and of course, in his state of being, he shouldn't. Still, she felt a longing to see him rush toward her-the Ryan she knew so well, not the drunk one-and wrap his arms around her, tell her it was going to be okay. Instead, she'd left him. Left him when he needed her most.

Stasia adjusted the heater vent, looked at Ellie, and asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"He'll be fine. He'll be embarra.s.sed, but fine. It will be better."

Ellie nodded, but she didn't believe it. These were supposedly the best years of life-or so her Uncle Henry always said with a wistful look in his eyes. Enjoy these times, Elspeth. They're the best. Simply the best.

Stasia turned on the radio-it was playing country music. "Why are you ending it with Ryan?"

"I'm not. Or maybe I am." Ellie didn't want to talk about it. Ryan would say that was because she didn't like to open up. "You know," she said, changing the subject, "we should hang out more."

Stasia smiled as she drove down the road. "We should. High school is so crazy. I don't really do much with any of my friends anymore. Life's short, so we should enjoy it."

"Exactly."

The heater warmed slowly from the first blasts of cold. Ellie would take a hot bath when she got home; maybe she'd even light candles. The aunts were leaving in the morning. Her well-organized life could get fully back on schedule. In a few months she'd start applying to colleges. In a year she'd be settled nicely into university life and pursuing the studies she anxiously waited for: political science, international studies . . . Maybe she'd go abroad her second or third year, at least for a semester-France or j.a.pan or Italy.

"I didn't hear what you wanted to major in," Ellie said.

"I don't know. I like little kids, so I think about teaching. My mom wants me to follow in my dad's footsteps and become a CPA-I am good with numbers. But I doubt I'll know for a while. You didn't fool me in there. I bet you already have your future pretty well planned."

Ellie smiled. "Not exactly. I'd like to eventually be the head of a humanitarian organization or something in international law to stop war crimes." Ellie didn't usually tell people the extent of her plans, but Stasia seemed like someone who could hear it without thinking she was aspiring too high. "Maybe even run for office, though Ryan says I'm too nice for politics."

Ellie typed Vanessa a text: I think Ryan and I just broke up. Sorry, I know you wanted the homecoming thing.

"We could use a few nice people in politics. Where are you going next year?" Stasia asked.

"Stanford, I think. I hope. Depends on a lot of things though." Her voice drifted off as they saw flas.h.i.+ng red lights ahead.

"Looks like an accident," Stasia said.

An ambulance was parked to the side, and three highway patrol cars were at different angles off the road, with lights on, one flas.h.i.+ng. A spotlight shone on the back end of a truck that was down the embankment and at the river's edge. An EMT was in the back of the truck, while several police officers leaned in through the side windows.

"Can you see anything?" Stasia asked, craning her neck as they drove by.

Ellie strained to see what was happening. "Not much. One paramedic is looking in through the back window. I can't see anyone though."

"Scary," Stasia said. "Hope it isn't anyone from the party."

Ellie glanced over at her and then back toward the truck. She pictured it being Ryan down there, which of course was impossible. "I don't recognize the truck."

They continued forward, and the lights of the accident disappeared behind them. Ellie was glad that neither of them had taken a drink. Sobriety checks were common in Redding on the weekends now. Stasia was telling about an accident her brother had been in the year before as a song by Foreigner came on. "Waiting for a Girl Like You"-it was one of Ryan's favorites, and he'd sing it out loud when they drove.

A text beeped on her phone.

Vanessa: No way! Why? What happened?

The road grew dark again as they went through a long stretch of country with few cars. Stasia reached for the stereo. "I'm not an Elvis fan."

"Watch out!" Ellie yelled as a deer ran across the road. The deer paused in the stream of the headlights. Stasia cranked the wheel and hit the brakes. The car turned sharp, too sharp, and Stasia tried to turn it back. Ellie put her hands on the dashboard and caught a look of shock on Stasia's face.

Then the world was whirling around. The sound of metal crunching and someone screaming. They were turning over and over. Ellie felt like an outside observer, yet something in her head said this was her, this was really happening.

Then just as suddenly, it was silent, but not really silent. Eerie quiet surrounded them. The heater was still running, but the engine wasn't. Ellie didn't know if they were upside down or what. Stasia's car was upended, scattering everything. Chapstick, money, receipts, a stuffed animal of some kind. She couldn't find her purse or her cell phone.

"Stasia?" she called in a little voice, maybe no voice at all. "Stasia!"

There was no answer, but Ellie heard a vehicle pulling up. Her cell phone rang, Ryan's ringtone, but the song came from outside the car.

Light beamed through the back window, and she heard voices outside. Someone was calling 911.

Ellie couldn't get her arm to move. It was stuck, and something felt wrong. She couldn't move, and there was pain from somewhere echoing through her like the long call of a train's whistle in the deep of night.

Soon people were yelling outside the car. But it was like she and Stasia were inside a sh.e.l.l, stuck inside with the others outside. And Stasia wouldn't answer. Ellie couldn't see her either.

"Help!" Ellie cried, and then she caught the scent of smoke. Why wasn't Stasia answering? Why wasn't she calling back? Ellie's right hand crept along her stomach, following the seat belt till she reached the buckle. Pus.h.i.+ng with all her strength, she released it with a click. Ellie fell forward, which meant the car had come to rest facing downward. Maybe it was stuck on something or going off an incline.

Then Ellie saw Stasia. Something was wrong with her. She wasn't conscious, and there was blood trailing down her face.

The scent of smoke grew stronger, clogging her lungs, making her cough. Ellie thought how strange and unexpected it was to die right in the middle of life like this, yet it wasn't nearly as scary and terrible as everyone would think.

And just as instantly, she thought how this couldn't be real. She'd been living her life and going along, and now it was over?

People were shouting right outside the window. She reached for them and realized the gla.s.s was gone.

"It's going to be okay," someone shouted to her, taking her hand, while another person was yelling frantically.

"It's two girls! One's awake. We gotta get the fire out. Does anyone have a crowbar?"

"Throw dirt on the fire!"

Ellie started coughing, and she fought to free her body.

"We've got to get them out! They won't make it. We gotta get them out now!"

Chapter 4.

THE OUTSIDER.

The Anonymous Blog about Life at West Redding High October 19

Comments: Does anyone know what happened? Someone told me that two girls from Redding High were in an accident and one of them is dead.

I heard it was two girls from Riverside not Redding.

Where's the Outsider?

It was Stasia and Ellie. But I think they're both okay.

No, I heard it was Ellie and Ryan.

It was Stasia by herself.

Ellie got a ride home from Stasia, someone said.

Heather's dad works for the fire department. He said it was two girls, but he didn't tell Heather who. One girl is dead and another in critical condition. But it was a red Honda. That's Stasia's car.

The call was from Dad. Megan said h.e.l.lo just as she thought it strange that he'd call so late, especially when he believed she was staying the night at Lu's. Dad couldn't know she was at James's apartment that he shared with three other guys. Naomi and the drummer were off in a room, and she and James would already be "checking out his old alb.u.m collection" in his room except that James and Will had started talking about Bob Dylan.

"Meg, your sister was in a car accident."

Oh, brother was her first thought. Then Megan tried to think what kind of car Ellie could be driving. Wasn't her car broken down again? The sister who had to have a clunker old Karmann Ghia because it looked fun. That car was something she would like, not Ellie. Ellie belonged in a four-door, safety-tested Volvo or an ecofriendly Smart car.

"Meg? Are you there? Stay calm, okay?" Dad's voice again.

She almost laughed at how funny he sounded. She tried to focus, but it wasn't easy to think. Her mind moved in slow motion.

"Can you meet us at the hospital?"

That brought the concern and clarity. "Why? Have you talked to her? What happened?"