***Ali’s POV***

                I sat with JJ in the waiting room. Ben had gone to Chris’s house and overdosed. Chris and Jay had called 911 in a panic and now Ben was in the hospital.

                The doctor came out and sighed. “How is he? Is he okay? Please tell me he’s okay,” JJ begged, jumping up. I jumped up as well, JJ’s questions the same as mine.

                The doctor came over to us. “He’ll be okay. He got lucky that the ambulance arrived when it did. It could’ve been a lot worse. Mr. Jarvis, go home. I’m sorry but I can’t allow him visitors tonight. We’re going to be monitoring him through the night to make sure he stays stable.”

                JJ was shaking. He nodded slowly. “Thank you so much,” he said quietly. The doctor offered him a reassuring smile. “Mr. Jarvis, he’ll be okay. Paramedics got to him in time,” he assured. He left the room and JJ staggered back into a chair.

                “JJ, let’s go home. Jeydyn’s going to be scared. She’ll want you,” I said softly. He nodded and stood up. He pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m sorry Ali. I’m so sorry I always take everything out on you. You’re great to the kids and you pull a lot of the weight,” he whispered.

                I weakly hugged JJ back. “JJ, everything you say about me is true and it doesn’t bother me,” I said softly. “Now let’s go home. I’ll drive.”

                I drove us back to the house and we entered. “Where’s Ben?” Jeydyn cried, running to us. She flung herself into JJ’s arms, a terrified look on her face. Ben had been hospitalized after his mom and her boyfriend had beaten him when I was pregnant. Jeydyn was the one who had found Ben half dead on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

                “He’s in the hospital Jey,” JJ said softly. “Why?” she whimpered. “What’s wrong with him?” She was shaking violently. My heart went out to her. Jeydyn didn’t deserve this. What the hell was wrong with Benjamin? He had a little sister and 2 kids who looked up to him and he pulls a stupid thing like this?

                Boy was I going to bitch at him when he got better.

                But for now, I was scared shitless for Ben. Overdosing on random pills was nothing to joke about. How could he be so stupid? The pill game was extremely dangerous. He was so lucky that Chris could remember what pills had been in that bowl.

                There was a knock on the door and I opened it. Chris stood there with a guilty look on his face. A man and a woman stood behind him. They looked at me. “Is Ben’s father here?” the man asked. I nodded and motioned for them to come into the house. They must be Chris’s parents.

                “JJ, I am so terribly sorry this happened to Benjamin. I feel absolutely awful that I left the boys unattended in the house with the pills and the alcohol so accessible,” Chris’s father said sincerely.

                JJ sighed sadly and shook his head at Mr. Saccento. “It was Ben’s choice to take the pills and drink. Although I’m very disappointed in you and Jay too!” he said, giving a disapproving look towards Chris. I’m pretty sure JJ wasn’t a big fan of Chris.

                Chris shrugged nervously. “Christopher Saccento, what do you have to say for yourself?” Mrs. Saccento growled. Chris sighed.

                “I’m really sorry we did that JJ. It was stupid of us,” he said quietly. He glanced at me and I could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t sorry he did it. He was sorry Ben got hurt. He was sorry they got caught. He was sorry he was in trouble.

                But Christopher Saccento was not sorry he had done it.

                “You make me sick,” I hissed. His eyes widened in surprise. So did his parent’s. “What?” he demanded, narrowing his eyes at me. Chris had never really liked me. He was just an asshole. Always had been, always would be.

                “You disgust me Chris. You’re not sorry you did it. You’re sorry you got caught. And I know you so well. You’re going to do it again. You’re going to pressure Ben into doing it again. Because that’s just the kind of person you are. You pressure your friends into doing things. Hell, I bet you pressured half of the kids at your party to drink. Ben wouldn’t do half the things he does if he didn’t hang out with you!”

                JJ was giving me an approving look by the end of that. Anger exploded in Chris’s eyes and his parents seemed too shocked to say anything.

                “Shut up Ali. Ben’s my best friend. I don’t pressure him into anything. He does what he wants and only what he wants,” he snapped. I shook my head, clenching my fists. “You pressured him into drinking at your party. You’re the one that pressured him to have sex when he was 12. You pressure him to smoke. And I can guarantee you pressured him into playing the pill game.”

                “SHUT UP!” he exploded. “Christopher!” his dad said sternly, giving Chris a sharp look. Chris was absolutely furious with me right now. The hate in his eyes was impossible to miss.

                “You’re just a dirty bitch! You’ve got Ben whipped and you’re the one that puts him under so much stress! You don’t know me you dirty whore. So fuck off!” he cried angrily.

                “CHRISTOPHER ADRIAN!” his mom roared. “Shut up mom! This bitch thinks she knows everything and someone needs to let her know she’s wrong!” he screamed.

                “Mommy?”

                The boys were peeking at me from the hallway with Claire standing next to them. They ran to me and I knelt to hug them. I looked up at Chris and forced myself to speak calmly.

                “Get out of this house Chris. Stay away from Ben. And think of your own damn health for once. All this partying and the pill games are killing you. And one day, you’ll take it all too far and then it’ll be you in the hospital. And you might not get as lucky as Ben,” I said.

                Chris clenched his fists tightly. “You made him lose himself. He was fine before he knocked you up. I never liked you. I never will. You’re just a stuck up bitch. I really hope those kids don’t end up like you. You think the whole world revolves around you. Ben was better off without you! Fuck off!” he screamed and stormed out of the house.

                “I’m so terribly sorry about his language and his behavior!” Mr. Saccento said desperately. “This whole situation is stressing him out. He didn’t mean anything he said!”

                I felt bad for Mr. and Mrs. Saccento. They would make really great parents if they would just discipline Chris for once. He was the one who thought the world revolved around him. He was the stuck up one.

                But he was also the one who had more influence over Ben than JJ or I wanted to admit.