Lexi was in the middle of a nightmare when she was jolted awake. She looked up to see Erick's sandy blonde hair handing over his face as he leant over her shaking her looking intensely concerned.

"Lexi you were dreaming. I was in Lynn's room and I heard you screaming," he stood there unsure what to do as the girl who always seemed so fierce sat there shaking uncontrollably. He was thrown off, but it only got worse as her entire body shook with sobs. He'd never seen Lexi Hartman cry before, especially not like this.

"Shhh Lexi it was just a dream. You're in the hospital, everything's fine," he lied. Everything wasn't fine, but that wouldn't help her hysteria.

"It wasn't a dream. I...I remember everything," she fell forward and buried her face in the blankets trying to drown out the pain of the realization of what she'd done.

"Remember what? Lexi you need to breathe," he was done second guessing what he should do. Erick followed his instincts, climbed onto the bed, and just held her as she shook.

"You don't understand. It's my fault. Lynn's coma is my fault. She wasn't at the party. Anna was supposed to drive us, but... but she drank, so I called Lynn. I should've been watching Anna. I shouldn't have called Lynn. It's... all my fault," she choked the words out through her sobs as she tried to push him away. She didn't deserve to be consoled especially by her sister's boyfriend who of all people should be pissed at her.

If Lynn didn't wake up she'd never forgive herself. The thought and the guilt gave her the sudden urge to be sick.

"Lexi it wasn't your fault," Erick insisted.

"You don't understand," she tried to climb out of his embrace, but he just held her tighter.

"The police came by earlier today. The driver of the car that hit you was drunk. They were driving under the influence. It was their fault not yours," he watched half a dozen emotions flash across those blue eyes in a matter of seconds. Confusion, realization, relief, guilt, pain, and finally blinding anger.

"How could they? How could someone be so incredibly selfish? Lynn's lying down the hall because some asshole refused to call for a ride? And are they in the hospital? Who was it?" she was shaking for a completely new reason.

"They're not in the hospital. Their injuries were minor. I'm guessing they're in custody at the police station now," Erick was treading carefully.

"Erick who was it," Lexi knew by the way he was avoiding eye contact that he was choosing what to leave out. She also noticed that he wasn't saying if the driver was a he or a she.

"Lexi it was Ryan Pearce. According to his friends he saw Lynn pick you up at the party and in his drunken state convinced himself that if he didn't tell her he loved her right then and there he would never have the guts again. He wasn't a big drinker, and he underestimated the effect it all had on him. He mumbled something about a shortcut before running to his car. Apparently his friends made some half ass attempt to stop him, but he was gone. He crossed paths with you at the light after you dropped off Anna. He caused the accident," Erick watched her warily.

Lexi wasn't the only one who was angry, but he'd had several hours to compose himself, if composing yourself included bruising your knuckles punching a wall that is, but right now it was her turn to be livid.

Ryan Pearce as in the Ryan Pearce who was announcing the girls' football game just a few days before. As in the captain of the basketball team who was receiving offers to play in college. As in the member of Habitat for Humanity who spent his weekends in the spring building houses for the homeless. As in the guy who ignored all of the girls that realized what a great guy he was because he only had eyes for Lynn. As in the Ryan Pearce who was too good of a guy to interfere with Lynn's relationship for three years despite his feelings for her.

None of that mattered to Lexi.

To her he was now and would always be Ryan Pearce, the guy who made a selfish, life altering mistake that put her sister in a coma.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but there's one last thing. I don't want to keep anything else from you. The location of impact on your car was right where Anna would have been sitting if you hadn't dropped her off beforehand. She wouldn't have survived it Lexi. That whole side of the car that she and Lynn were on, particularly where Anna was sitting, was crushed. Needless to say she's shaken up and probably won't be visiting for a while. The guilt is killing her. She was supposed to be the designated driver. She hasn't left her room since Lynn walked her upstairs," Erick explained as he gauged her reaction.

"I can't... I can't," she tried to process it all, but her head hurt and she'd never been so angry. She sighed and tried again, "I just need some time."

"I know. I have to show you something. Call it a way to distract you," Erick glanced down at his phone before shooting off a text.

"Show me what?" she pulled her sheets up over her hospital gown, suddenly self-conscious.

"It's a surprise," he helped her into her chair before wheeling her out the door and down the hallway. It was late, much later than she'd expected. Most of the patients were asleep. As far as where her parents were, she had no idea. As she passed the nurses' station several of the nurses on duty whispered to each other after she rolled by.

"Erick what is going on?"

"Patience," Erick let out a sigh of laughter as they made their way into the elevator.

"I hate that word," she muttered to herself. She tapped her foot against the footrest of her chair as she watched the floors tick by. Finally the doors opened, and her eyes instantly widened in shock.

The waiting room was filled to capacity, but not with patients. Dozens of teenagers dressed to the nines filled the room. Some were sitting in the chairs and others were pacing about restlessly, but every single one of them turned toward the elevator when the doors slid open with a crisp ring.

Lexi was suddenly extremely self-conscious of her messy hair and bruised face.

"We were at Homecoming, but everyone was worried sick and desperate for news, so we figured we'd wait it out here," Jerry stepped forward to explain their presence.

"That was very sweet of you all," Lexi glanced back at Erick helplessly. She and the rest of them didn't seem to know what to do now that they were all there.

"Why don't you update everyone on how you and Lynn are doing," Erick prompted her gently.

"I only have a concussion, some bruising, and I had surgery on my arm. Lynn is... she's in a coma," Lexi's words caused shock whispers and concerns to erupt around the room.

"The doctors are doing everything they can, and they hope she'll wake up in the next few days," Erick tried to assure them. It was clear the line about the doctors did their friends more good than it ever did Lexi.

She sat there in her wheelchair, for she was still too unsteady to stand for too long, as people came up to ask her more questions and offer their pity. It was only day two of the whole disaster, and she was already tired of the pity.

Erick was receiving the same onslaught of questions, and she could tell it broke his heart every time his fears for Lynn were echoed on each person's face.

People decided it was a good time to tell all of their favorite stories about Lynn. From all the times she'd tutored people out of the kindness of her heart to offering rides whenever asked to the fact that she always had her backup bag with anything you could need in a pinch from lotion to band aids.

Obviously it's pretty socially unacceptable to talk poorly about a girl in a coma, but Lexi knew negative comments were rarely uttered about Lynn anyway, and if they were they fell on deaf ears.

This was exhausting, the small talk, the explaining, the sad looks shot her way. Lexi was grateful when Erick sat beside her and squeezed her hand, looking equally defeated. At least someone else who loved Lynn almost as much as she did understood what Lexi was going through.

Lexi was grateful for the concern and support of her friends, but she was tired and racking her brain for an excuse to leave when a conversation nearby caught her attention.

"Has anyone heard how Ryan's doing? Is he alright?" some girl asked innocently.

"Ryan is fine," the words that shot out of Lexi's mouth were clipped and laced with fury. "Ryan drove drunk. Ryan is the reason Lynn is in a coma. Ryan is the reason my sister has potential spine damage. Ryan is the reason everyone is here right now, but thank God out of everyone in the accident fucking Ryan is fine," Lexi spat before shoving the wheels of her chair toward the elevator.

She didn't care that the room behind her was silent. She didn't care that the girl who asked the question was weeping. She didn't care if they thought she was careless. She didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that one idiot made a split second careless decision, but everyone else seemed to be punished for it. How the hell was that fair?

Erick slipped into the elevator right before the doors closed. Lexi was facing the back wall, refusing to look back at the stunned faces in the waiting room.

"Anna shouldn't have been drinking as the designated driver. Ryan absolutely shouldn't have gotten behind the wheel drunk. His friends shouldn't have let him. There are plenty of people who screwed up, Ryan being the main one, but we still wouldn't be here, Lynn wouldn't be here, if I had stayed home, had stopped Anna, or had called someone other than Lynn. Lynn is going to hate me, if she wakes up that is," Lexi deflated as the anger wiped her out.

"You know Lynn won't hate you," Erick squatted down next to her so they were at the same height. His eyes searched hers, begging her to believe him, but knowing she wouldn't.

"Well then I hate me enough for us both."

What are you thinking right now??  I want to know, so please comment your reactions to everything that they just threw your way!!!  What would you have done in this situation if you were Lexi?  Don't forget to hit that star button.  This book is going to be full of twists and turns, this is just the first of many my friends.