Chapter 34
“Desire, Desire. Are you awake?”
“Jen, is that you?”
“Yes. It's me. I'm here.”
“Thanks.” I struggled to speak.
“The doctor said that you'll be okay.” Tears came to her eyes. “And the police, they arrested that man. He was crazy. I can't believe he did this to you,” she cried. “He kept saying you gave him something. I knew he was lying though. He had to be lying because how could you possibly . . . ”
Jen kept going on, and on, and on, and on. I wanted to stop her, but I was too weak, and I had the hardest time getting her attention.
“I was so scared when I saw all that blood.”
“Jen.”
“And he was so adamant about you givingâ”
“Jen!” I managed to yell.
“Yes, yes, Desire. What's wrong? Is something wrong?”
I shook my head no.
“Oh, you scared me,” she said, grabbing her chest.
“Listen to me. I have to tell you something.”
“Go ahead.”
I turned my head to the side. I didn't want to cry, but it hurt. It hurt that I was about to tell my best friend the truth. I looked back over at her.
“What is it?”
“The guy who beat me up . . . ”
“Yes, I told you the police got him.”
“No, listen.” I coughed.
“What? You don't have to worry about him.”
“Jen, he's not lying.”
“What do you mean, he's not lying?”
“I gave him HIV, Jen. That's what I've been doing. That's why I was sleepin' around.”
“What?”
“I got it from Malik. Shyne has it too. Nobody knows though.”
She just stood there. “You must be overmedicated or something.”
“I'm telling the truth.”
“So you're telling me you were giving people HIV on purpose?”
Tears streamed down my face as I looked at her all hurt and confused.
“You put people's lives at risk with HIV?”
I closed my eyes without giving her a response.
“So he wasn't lying,” she cried out.
I opened my eyes and looked at her. “You have to kill Shyne.”
“What?”
“Shyne . . . he can't grow up with this disease.”
“I will not kill my godchild! Are you insane? I can't believe you! You are definitely overmedicated.”
“Just do it, Jen.”
“No, no. I'm not like you, Desire. You can't just take people's lives and think it's okay. You played me. You played me. All this time you had me hooking you up with guys, and you were infecting them, and you infected your baby. You're sick! You're plain sick!”
“Man up, Jen. You've always been so scaredy. He's only a baby.”
“He's only a baby. He's only a baby. I don't kill people, Desire. I don't fucking kill people!”
“Your brother killed me.”
“You are so . . .
Ugh
! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”
She kept going on about hating me. Then, next thing you know a pillow was covering my face, and I was struggling to get air.
“You're the one who needs to die. Die, Desire. Die!”
I managed to push her off of me, gasping for air.
The nurse walked in. “What's going on?”
“Nothing,” Jen answered. “I was just leaving.”
“Jen,” I yelled.
She turned around.
“Just do it.”
“Yeah, you know what? I will. It's about time I man up!”
I watched her walk out hoping she was going to be true to her word, or I was going to have to do it myself. I'd have to kill Shyne and move on like nothing happened. Only now, since Jen knew everything, I may have to kill her too.
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That Girl Is Poison Copyright © 2012 Tia Hines
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ISBN: 978-1-6228-6096-8
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