Trigger warning
"I will never stop marching to reach you
In the middle of the hardest fight
It's true, I will rescue you."
Song: Rescue ~ Lauren Diagle
***
20. Dying While Still Alive
You're not dead.
You can see the darkness around you, but you're not dead.
You didn't overdose Shayley.
Open your eyes.
Please...
My eyelids fluttered open, but quickly shut again. It was like they were attached to anchors, pulling them down.
Don't give in.
I swallowed, and then attempted to push myself up off the floor, but I couldn't.
Someone walk in please, anyone.
Hang on Shayley.
You didn't overdose.
You're not dead.
I heard the door open, and I felt relieved.
"Shayley?" I heard Renée call. "Oh my God, Shayley."
She rushed over to me and brushed my hair out of my face. "Fucking hell Shayley, what were you thinking?"
"I wasn't," I mumbled.
You can talk. You're responsive. Good sign.
She pulled me up and I leaned against the bed. My chest was heavy. I could feel it coming.
When a person overdoses on drugs, it takes about one to three hours for the symptoms to kick in and kill them.
In the case of depressants, I knew the symptoms very well.
Shallow breathing...which was what was happening to me right now.
Then other things, like the lips and fingers turning blue.
Unconsciousness, and then unresponsiveness.
And then finally, the heart stops.
I didn't overdose, but I was close.
Very close.
"I'm calling 911," she said.
"No," I whispered. "Just...get me to the bathroom."
Someone knocked at the door.
"Get in here," Renée told whoever it was.
"Everything okay?" Jacob asked.
"What does it look like?" she remarked.
He saw me, and then immediately came to my side.
"Shayley?" he called, frantically searching my face.
"I don't think it's an overdose," Renée said. "She's talking so that's good."
"No, but it might very well be," he stated. "A couple more and this would be really bad."
He took the container from the floor and looked at the pills. "Xanax. The depressant is slowing her body down, we need to keep her awake."
"What do we do? She doesn't want me to call 911."
YOU ARE READING
This Summer (DMBB Spin-off)
Teen FictionCollege so far has been one word: terrible. But you know what, this summer, it wasn't going to be as terrible. This summer, I was going to be alright. This summer, I was going to smile and laugh and have fun with my friends. This summer, nobody was...
