i've got your runaway smile;; hallie

[megan lynn aldridge]

From a young age, Megan had been brought up learning to run from tough situations, as opposed to sticking it through and figuring out how to fix it. Her mother had disappeared when she was fourteen, which to Megan meant that she had dealt with the family long enough and wanted nothing to do with them any more. Then, her older sister had left, unable to handle the pressure of the emotions her family had been feeling. Even her father had showed the same trait, breaking down and giving up in the aftermath of her mother's disappearance. All in all, it was nearly impossible for Megan to even consider an alternative to simply ditching and getting away from all the situations that were happening. Pretty much as soon as she realized what had happened between her and Hallie, she had left from the castle to stay in France.

Usually, Megan only stayed for a few days at a time just to let off her stress and get over whatever problems she was having or get a break from all the schooling that she went through. However, this time was different. By now, she had been gone for just over two months, the longest that she'd ever disappeared for, and she hadn't bothered to talk to anyone from school about it. It was rare that she just ditched like that and two months was a particularly long time, but it was working for Megan. She was away from any conflict that could arise and was able to do whatever the hell she wanted with whoever the hell she wanted. It had taken a good bit of alcohol, but eventually she had completely forgotten about the existence of her problems and let go. It was dangerous for Megan, to be that completely carefree, but it wasn't like there was anyone there to stop her.

With that freedom to do as she wished, Megan had been around the world and back multiple times. Every night, she'd been somewhere different with someone new that she met in whichever bar she happened to show up at for the day. It had been a whirlwind of apparating and getting drunk, with little regard for the consequences of such a thing. She'd seen no one that she knew and that was exactly what she had needed. At least, at first it had been. However, as the time dragged on and she continued to go out each night, she started to miss Peyton. It had been a small thought at first, but it had quickly turned into a nagging feeling that she couldn't get away, no matter how much she drank or how many people she hooked up with across the globe. It wasn't the same.

Considering the fact that, in general, her refusal to admit to any feelings for Peyton had been the source of her outburst of hatred against Hallie and thereby her reason for avoiding the school, it was difficult for Megan to accept. So, she continued to try to find a way to push those thoughts of Peyton from her mind completely. At first, it had just been trying to drink more. She'd gone to bizarre locations and had new crazy alcohols with locals, drinking well beyond the point of intoxication and sometimes blacking out, only to wake up in the home of some strange local that had taken her in for the night. Much of what had happened was forgotten in her mind, since the drunkenness had made it easy to forget. However, it didn't repress the things that she was doing her best to try to forget.

Next, Megan had tried sex as a coping method. The alcohol wasn't enough, so she turned to stalking through the bars and finding attractive men and women across the world to go home with for the night. However, that didn't work either. She still woke up, looked over and wondered why the hell she wasn't back at the castle with Peyton. The longer it continued to pop back up in her mind, the more desperate Megan became. She'd left the castle to get away from it, yet it continued to haunt her everywhere that she went. Not sure what else to do, Megan went home to France. It was the house she'd grown up with and the house that she frequently threw raging parties at with any number of people making an appearance. Always, it was a bash that you'd never forget.

Tonight, it was all that and more. It was mostly the same crowd as usual, but there was the added group of people that Megan had picked up through her excursions across the globe. Not having been the most careful, the type of people that she'd come to meet weren't always the best crowd to be around. In fact, some of them were downright dangerous. Even when they showed up looking a bit sketchy to her house, Megan didn't send them away or question them in the least. She knew she'd partied with them somewhere and that was enough for her. Some of the others showed concern, but Megan quelled it with a wave of her hand. Whoever they were, they couldn't be all that bad, after all. Besides, even if they were, who cared.

The party raged on around her and Megan found herself oddly attracted to the strange, newcomers that everyone seemed to find a bit odd. Before long, she was back in her room, vegged out on the bed along with the two foreigners. They spoke relatively decent English, so she sat there vaguely talking with them and sipping at her firewhiskey. Looking over at one of them as they dragged something out of her pocket, Megan gave them a questioning glance. "The fuck is that?" she asked as they started to pass it around. The older woman looked over at her and rolled her eyes a bit," "Never seen drugs before kid?" No, Megan hadn't. While she was a complete party girl, she'd never gotten that hardcore with it. She was dumb, but she wasn't that stupid. However, she was desperate.

If alcohol and sex couldn't bring a solution, maybe this could. Besides, the other two were doing it and they seemed alright. So, she gave in and gladly went along with it. A little a first, but before the night was over, she was completely strung out. The other two had left long ago, but Megan was still there in her room, now passed out and dangerously close to overdosing. It probably hadn't been the best of ideas for her to sit around mixing alcohol, drugs and Merlin knew what else together, but it had worked. She hadn't been worried at all about Hallie or Peyton or anyone and for a short while, she had felt kind of happy for the first time in two months. Of course, that happiness had come with a price and that was a danger that Megan hadn't had the foresight to consider.

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[hallie beatrix cauldwell]

The Saturday morning sun danced across Hallie’s face. She awoke happy, like every other morning. Typically, it was very difficult to bring Hallie down, especially on a Saturday like this. She got out of bed, and walked the small distance to the window. She smiled as she looked over the lush green fields, complete with blooming flowers. Spring was her favorite time of the year. She started to pick out her clothes for the day, when she noticed her owl Sorren looking at her. With a confused look on her face, Hallie went to examine the owl more closely, and found a note attached to his leg. It was addressed to her, from the very Talan Warrington, someone she didn’t associate with much. Curious, Hallie opened the letter, only to find that it read I’m not sure what’s going on, but you likely should check up on Megan. I was at her place this afternoon and she seems to be a bit…not alive? Her first reaction was to stop breathing all together. Megan… Hallie hadn’t heard that name in over two months. Even Peyton and Sydney, both very good friends of Megan, managed to respect Hal’s feelings towards her former best friend, and tried their best not to mention anything about her in Hallie’s presence. It wasn’t a form of sheltering, and Hallie knew she would even have to come face to face with Megan, but she didn’t think it would be one of desperation.

The last bits of sleep were being replaced by a feeling a dread and anxiety at an alarming pace. Hallie quickly sent Sorren with a message to Talan, only to receive one back in a couple of minutes. As per Talan, there were supposedly drugs floating around Megan’s mansion, which induced panic in Hallie. She knew that Megan could drink her weight, and she’s gotten drunk to the point of passing out and more, but Megan’s never done drugs. This meant that she wouldn’t know not to mix alcohol and drugs. Hallie realized that she had been shallowly breathing, and gasped for air. She didn’t know what to do. Considering that the two sisters acquaintances weren’t speaking anymore, Hallie knew that she could just walk away. This wasn’t her problem anymore. If Megan wanted to drink and do drugs, and potentially kill herself, it wasn’t Hallie’s responsibility. Hallie knew that she could tell Peyton or Sydney, and they’d be running to France to save their friend. Opening the window, to let Sorren go back to the owlery, Hal wondered why Talan hadn’t done exactly that. Why did he come to her with this problem? Was it possible that Megan specifically requested for Hallie to come save her? Hallie shook her head. Talan didn’t have any interaction with Megan, because he couldn’t get her wake up. And anyway, the entire school knew that Megan and Hallie were tight. Well, before the ball at least.

Deep down inside, under all of those surface feelings—like the ones she felt for Braden—Hallie realized there was still some compassion left over for Megan. As much as she hated the girl, she knew that the girl was family. And she couldn’t let family just die off, especially if she had the ability to save them. If it was Peyton or Sydney in this situation, as much as she might have been fighting with them at the time, Hallie knew she would run to their rescue. And Megan wasn’t any different. Looking once more over the lush green fields, Hallie thought she spotted Bray tending to the biting flowers. She smiled, letting her mind travel back to the day of the performance, then the night of the ball. Although Hallie built a wall around the memories concerning Megan Aldridge, she felt the emotions slowly rush over her. She remembered that this whole thing started simply because Megan was placed on the entertainment committee, and Hallie asked if she could at least cooperate. Hallie frowned at the mental images. Megan had stupidly gotten drunk once again, because Hallie yelled at her, but then something snapped in her, and she went on a rage to destroy their friendship. So maybe it was Hallie’s fault, maybe it was Megan’s fault, maybe it was both of their faults. Regardless, Hallie didn’t want to play the blame game anymore.

Glancing over towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hallie remembered the time when the girls played truth or dare, and Megan was dared to spend ten minutes in the Forbidden Forest. Of course, being the badass that she was, she did it in a heartbeat, but made the first year Hallie stand out there with her. Hallie was visibly terrified of the dare, seeing as how she was shaking, but Megan walked out smiling. Hallie smirked at the memory. She would never forgive herself if she let Megan kill herself, regardless of whether or not she was talking to her former best friend at the moment. She flew around the room, trying to pack the essentials for the trip to France. But she knew if she forgot something, she could go to the store or have Megan let her borrow something. She quickly scratched something down on a piece of paper, her neat script now sloppy print, and pounced on the second year still sleeping in the bed next to hers. Rachel, you need to do me a favor. Give this to Professor Cauldwell as soon as possible. Like NOW! She watched the second year wipe the sleep out of her eyes, and hurried out of the room. She gathered up her bag with the few clothes and toiletries she needed. I’m coming Megan. She said to no one in particular.

Hallie apparated straight to Megan’s mansion in France. She would have traveled the muggle way, in order to get her thoughts together, but if Talan was right, this was a desperate situation. Although Hallie wasn’t seventeen, and she didn’t have her lisence, she learnt how to do it from her sisters. And Hal could care less if the Ministry of Magic came after her. They were technically the reason Megan was doing drugs now. It had taken the energy out of Hallie, but she was running on adrenaline at the moment. Even though she was on a mission, she was still breath taken at the sight of Megan’s mansion. It was gorgeous, and the inside was the beautiful creation of Megan. Hallie quickly hurried up the stairs, and rang the doorbell. Hallie was thankfully that Daisy, the house elf, answered the door, because she wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to say. However, the relief quickly turned into disappointment as Hallie saw the flood of people inside of the mansion. This was going to take forever to find Megan.

Hallie traveled through the kitchen, the various living rooms, the formal dining room, in a failed attempt to find Megan. She went up to this one guy, with a multicolored Mohawk and numerous piercing, to ask if he’s seen Megan. The unnamed man looked at her with an amused grin on his face and asked Who is this girl you speak of? Hallie could clearly tell he was drunk, and was taken back by the fact that he didn’t know the person who was throwing the party. You know, the girl who owns this place? Ohhh, yeah. I still don’t know who you’re talking about.. That was the response Hallie received. She moved on to another guy with a large quantity of tattoos on his body. But she got the same answer. She moved onto a girl, who was decent looking, but evident by her answer, the chick was high on whatever drug was circulating the house. Numerous rooms, countless questions, many strangers, and absolutely no answers to the whereabouts of Megan’s location.

Hallie was starting to panic, but the flow of adrenaline was beginning to fade. She traveled to her room, yes her room, at the back of the house. She walked into the room, obnoxiously yellow at a depressing time like this, but couldn’t help to smile. Megan kept the room exactly the same, except for the fact that Hallie’s clothes were strewn all over the floor and bed. Maybe the girl was doing some spring cleaning. Regardless, Hallie crossed the messy room to her clothes-flooded bed. She didn’t have any energy to remove them, so she simply flopped herself down right on top of them. Hallie landed on top of a body, and quickly jumped back up. Oh, I’m so sorry I didn’t see you there. She would normally be more sincere about it, but she was beginning to feel lost. Hallie couldn’t find Megan, and for all she knew, the girl could be dead. She looked down at the body again, and saw blond hair. Wait a minute. Hallie removed several pieces of her clothing, and flung them behind her, until she could clearly see the person’s face. She gasped. Megan?

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[megan lynn aldridge]

In some way, Megan knew that going along with the woman and taking the drugs was a bad idea. Obviously, there was a reason that she hadn't done them before and it probably wasn't a very good idea to start now. However, it was at the point where Megan couldn't have cared less about herself and whatever health issues might arise from it, even death. She was drunk, as it was, so that didn't help matters at all and the decision hadn't taken long for her to make. Pretty much the moment that the woman had offered her some, she'd agreed to it. Be it to spite Hallie and the rest, or perhaps just because she didn't know anymore, Megan went along with whatever the others were doing, with no regard to her own safety.

It had started slowly, but before long, Megan had ingested more than enough to lead to her passing out. It was dangerous, a situation that could easily end with serious repercussions. The two that had started it were gone by that time, wanting no connection to the possibility of a drug related death and not caring a bit about Megan herself. There was a thin layer of sweat covering Megan's body and it was evident that her condition was much more serious than just her taking a nap. Partway through her stupor, she felt someone coming in and prodding her, but she was too far gone to even respond or see who it was in any way. It barely even registered in her mind that perhaps she might actually need someone to help her.

Megan wasn't familiar with this sort of feeling, the complete nothingness that she felt. In a way, she liked it and wanted it to stay forever, but on the other hand, it was unsettling. However, there was nothing she could do about it anymore. Not long after the first person had come and gone, she felt the coming of another presence in the room. This time, it was different. Whoever it was, they felt much more familiar and even in her almost unconscious state, Megan felt like she knew who it was. Feeling the presence moving about the room, she was rather startled when she felt something falling on top of her. A light grunt exhaled from her lips and her eyes flickered open momentarily, catching a glimpse of the person that was now on top of her.

Hallie. The last person that Megan wanted to see right now, or ever, was now sitting on top of her. She wanted to resist it, to throw her off and get her out, but she was effectively too weak to move and certainly couldn't have gotten the girl off top of her. Megan didn't even know what the girl was doing there in her house, especially after the fight they'd been through. Honestly, Megan had pretty much been banking on the fact that Hallie wouldn't show back up in her life again, since it was pretty much her fault that she was where she was anyways. Really, what the hell was she getting at coming around here like that? Attempting to shake off the effects of the alcohol and the drugs, the best that Megan could manage was slightly rolling over and pushing at Hallie's body- a clear signal that she wanted the girl gone. That, however, was more than enough effort to cause Megan to slip back into a steady stream of unconsciousness, looming ever closer to a much darker fate.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[hallie beatrix cauldwell]

Hallie saw the effort that Megan put into getting her out of the room. It was clear to her that Megan didn’t want her there, but Hallie couldn’t determine if that was because she was almost dead—literally—or if Megan actually didn’t want her there. Regardless, Hallie wasn’t going to leave. Megan, hun, I’m not going to leave you. Hallie watched Megan carefully, to see if she was breathing. She became quite alarmed when Megan’s eyes rolled to the back of her head, and Hallie could tell that the little movement Megan done to get her out of the room was the last straw. Rushing to the side of the bed, Hallie placed two fingers on the side of Megan’s neck. She could feel a faint pulse, but it was a pulse none the less.

Someone, I need help in here! Hallie desperately cried out, hoping her small voice would be heard over the loud music and chatter of drunk or stoned party animals. When no one came to her rescue, she turned back to the girl on the bed. Megan, are you up for a little adventure? Remember, remember when you were dared to go into Forbidden Forest. Remember how you did it? Remember how you were so confident? I need that confidence now. I need you to stay with me. Hallie was rambling, and tears were streaming down here face. She had a feeling that if she didn’t get help within the next five minutes, Megan would be gone from her forever. And as much as she might not have like the girl, Hallie couldn’t stomach that. She squeezed Megan’s hand, and continued to talk. That was the one thing she remembered people telling her, that when someone was on the brink of death, you talk to them to reel them back in to reality.

Hallie searched her brain for ideas on what to do with Megan. With anxiety and stress making the situation worse and freaking her out, she couldn’t think clearly. But a voice at the back of her head kept repeating St. Mungo’s. Hallie face palmed herself, realizing that she was thinking of the wizard hospital. Megan, are you still with me? Give me some sort of sign. Hallie really didn’t need a sign, she was just making sure her friend was still alive. Okay, I’m going to take you to the hospital! Hold on.

Grabbing hold of the girl’s arm, Hallie quickly apparated to the St. Mungo’s Hospital. For the second time in a span of an hour, Hallie had broken the rules. But this was a life-or-death situation, so she was sure she could get away with it. With her feet on the cool green tile of the hospital, Hallie began to scream so the nurses would pay attention. Hey! I have someone who needs medical attention! She overdosed on alcohol and drugs! I need your help… Hallie’s vision began dance with black spots. With her energy now gone, the only thing keeping her up was the wall she was leaning on. She heard a doctor rush over, and take Megan away from her. No, Me..gg..an.. Hallie was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. She couldn’t stand up anymore. Her vision completely blacked out, and the last thing she remembered hearing was the doctor say Help the other one, she’s slipping, before she fell onto the cool tiles.

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[megan lynn aldridge]

Any talking that Hallie might have been doing was completely lost on Megan at that point. She had blacked out to the point where she was completely shut off to the world around her and no amount of begging or crying on Hallie's part could have changed anything at the time. However, feeling the light squeeze on her hand, Megan's eyes briefly flickered open to hear the last few words of what she was saying. A sign? What the hell did she want a sign for? Honestly, Megan didn't even realize just how bad the situation was. She recognized that she was a bit worse off than she usually would be after a night of drinking, but the possibility that she was close to death didn't even slightly occur to her at that point and probably never would.

Then she heard the word hospital. Megan was vehemently opposed to being in Saint Mungoe's, since there was time that she had been forced there by her father. After her mother had left, he was pretty much completely convinced that Megan was off the deep end when she started to sleep around more and get into alcohol. So, he stuck her in the psych ward every weekend and made her go to therapy. It was complete bullshit, as far as Megan was concerned, and had turned her off from the place ever since. Hearing what Hallie said struck a chord in her and a small bit of fight came out, leading to her attempt to pull away from Hallie as she latched on to her arm to apparate them away. Of course, Megan wasn't nearly strong enough to legitimately avoid it and before she knew what was happening, they were gone.

The apparation was rough on Megan and the intense feeling of being jerked from where she was knocked her back into her stupor. By the time they had gotten to Mungoe's, Megan was so far gone that it was all they could do to get her from the ground to a hospital room. Whatever procedures, spells or potions they gave her, Megan wasn't aware of it at all. However many hours passed, Megan didn't know anything going on, or how close to dying she actually was. All she knew was that a few hours later, her eyes flashed open and she was on a bed in the hospital. She had a pounding headache and could see a small incision on her right arm from Merlin knew what they had to do to her. Breathing in deeply, Megan saw that no one else was in the room with her, a fact which she was pretty glad about. If no one was there, no one could keep her there.

Even though she still felt relatively weak, Megan pushed the sheets off of her body and then threw her feet off the edge of the bed. The movement brought an intense feeling of dizziness to her mind and the had to sit for a moment until it cleared. It was probably a terrible idea to leave, but there was an overwhelming sense of dread from being there that led her to make her escape. Looking around the room, she saw that she had a jacket from the night before there and she quickly threw it on over the garbs that they had put her in and went to the door to get the hell out of there. Opening the door, Megan slowly slipped out of it and looked to make sure no one was around to stop her. Not seeing anyone immediately, Megan turned down the hallway and started on her escape.

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[hallie beatrix cauldwell]

Nervously pacing the hall, Hallie kept glancing back at the door to the room that held Megan. She woke up a few hours ago, after the doctors flushed out her system with plenty of fluids. They said she was dehydrated, and the shock of the situation didn’t help. Anyways, the nurses said she was good to leave, but Hallie couldn’t stand to leave Megan alone. So she continuously paced in front of Megan’s door for three hours, while the doctors worked on the girl. The head doctor told Hallie if she didn’t bring Megan in for another ten minutes, the girl would be dead, and that terrified her.

The door to the room opened, and Hallie stopped her pacing. She went completely numb in fear, that the doctor would tell her some bad news. Miss Cauldwell? The doctor addressed her, but Hallie was too paralyzed to answer. Miss Cauldwell, your friend is going to be fine. We’ve stabilized her, and she is now sleeping. You may go in if you’d like. Hallie stood in place, processing the information, and then rushed to give the doctor a hug. Thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me. Hallie rushed into the room, and saw Megan peacefully sleeping. Even surrounded by machine and equipment, Megan looked like an angel with her beautiful blond hair lying all over the pillow. What does this mean to me? Hallie couldn’t help but wonder. Would they continue on like nothing happen, like Hallie didn’t just save Megan’s life, or would they try to rebuild the bridge of friendship?

Hallie was still a little tired from her fainting episode before, so she traveled down to the cafeteria to get herself a coffee. She didn’t typically drink the stuff, because she could never get pass the bitterness of the first sip, but she needed something to keep herself awake all night. She wanted to be by Megan’s side, so the girl wouldn’t be confused or afraid. Hallie’s thoughts wandered back to Megan. She had gone two months without thinking of her former friend, and now here she was saving the girl’s life. What did that mean for them? She honestly couldn’t say. She walked back to the room, pondering and organizing her thoughts, while looking around the hallway. She absolutely hated hospitals. They were so white and bright, but it was an artificial happiness, and Hallie often associated the place with sickness and death. Which is why she started panicking when this was the only logical place to take Megan. Walking faster towards the room, Hallie pushed any thoughts related to deaths out of her mind. The doctor physically told her that Megan would be okay. Hallie rounded the last corner needed to get back to the room Megan was in. But the girl wasn’t sleeping in her room like she was supposed to. Hallie bumped into her. Megan? What the hell are you doing?

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[megan lynn aldridge]

As she walked down the hall, the question that continued to bother Megan and pop into her mind was how the hell she had gotten to the hospital. Anything that had happened from the moment she first passed out on the bed back in her house to now was lost to her. Any flickers of cognizant thought that she'd had were now melded together with the complete blankness that accompanied her worst moments of the night. Obviously, someone had brought her here and she damn well wasn't happy about it. Perhaps, were she to realize how close to death she had been, she might have felt slightly different about that matter, but even now she had no idea how severe the consequences of her actions had been. As far as she knew, it was just another night of partying, much like any other.

As a snarl took over on her face, Megan found herself bumping into a figure in front of her, causing her too look up with a scowl. Hallie. Megan was slightly put off by the fact that she was there and the first thought that jumped to her mind was Peyton. Hallie looked fine, so she wasn't there for herself and the first thing Megan thought of that might be a reason for Hallie to be there was Peyton. A concerned look flashed across her face and she stopped in her tracks. "Where's Peyton? Is she okay? What the hell happened?" she questioned, shooting a barrage of questions at the girl and ignoring the fact that they had been fighting for months and hadn't at all seen each other. At the moment, Megan didn't care, she just wanted to know that Peyton was okay.

It wasn't what Megan wanted to be worried about, considering that was exactly the sort of thing that she was trying to avoid. In fact, as soon as the questions poured out of her mouth, a look of irritation crossed her face and her hand started to tense up, looking around for a bottle of alcohol, or even the drugs, anything to stop herself from going there. However, there was nothing there. It was just a long, white hall with nothing but her and Hallie. Not a situation that Megan had the metal stability to deal with and the longer that she stood there in the eerie building full of bad memories, the worse that she felt. Even if Peyton might have been there, Megan needed to leave. Fast. She could come back later if that was necessary.

Her hand clenching itself into a fist, Megan looked around quickly to ensure that there were no healers before grabbing onto Hallie's arm and apparating them back to her mansion. "You talk. Tell me what happened to Peyton. Why's she in the hospital?" she demanded, not even bothering to look at the younger girl. Letting go of her arm, Megan set about busying herself in her kitchen, quickly finding herself the liquor cabinet and taking out a firewhiskey. Definitely not what she needed and a terrible idea at best, but Megan didn't know any better and had popped the top to it without a worry in the least. Tipping it back, she took a long sip before swallowing and shaking her head in an attempt to rid herself of the pounding headache that had set in.

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[hallie beatrix cauldwell]

A look of confusion passed over Hallie’s face as she blinked a few times, just to make sure a very pale-looking Megan was actually in front of her. Satisfied that what she was seeing was real, Hallie breath out a sigh out of relief. It was good to know that the girl was alive, even if Meagan didn’t know how dangerous the situation was. The point was, someone presented Hallie with a problem, Hallie fixed it, and now Hallie could leave. She knew it wouldn’t be that easy, but the pressure that’s been mounting since she woke up was finally off of her.

Hallie stared at Megan, her eyebrows rising in a questioning look. Peyton? What are you talking about? You must seriously be drugged up. Why are you out of bed anyway? Hallie’s motherly instincts kicked in, which happened often when she was around Megan. Especially now, since Megan obviously had every intention of letting herself die without much thought as to how that would affect others. Regardless, Hallie carefully watched the girl, to see if she was physically alright to walk back to her room. Megs, come on. Let’s get you back to bed.

Holding out her arm for Megan to grab it, in case she needed support, Hallie felt better than she had in the last couple of hours. Her plan was to get Megan back in bed, and then send an owl to inform Peyton and Sydney what had occurred. However, things weren’t going to go according to plan, because she felt Megan grab her arm, and then she got the sensation of being ripped from the ground. Hallie had experienced transportation by apparating many times with her sisters, but she still couldn’t get used to that feeling of not being in control of her body.

The two girls landed softly in the kitchen of the French mansion. Megan! What the hell are you doing? Hal watched the other girl travel around the room, obviously looking for something. Then she watched Megan pulled out a bottle of liquor, and took a swig from it before Hallie could stop her. Reaching for the bottle, Hallie shook her head and scowled at Megan. What is wrong with you? Give me that bottle now! Hallie tried unsuccessful to retrieve the bottle from Megan, who began to run around the kitchen. As she mentioned something about Peyton being in the hospital, Hallie stopped chasing her, and a blank look passed over her face as she tried to register what Megan was saying. What? You think Peyton was the one in the hospital? Not knowing if Megan was kidding or truly being serious, Hallie felt like she needed to set the girl straight. Are you stupid? I was in the hospital because of you! Because of what’s in your hand right now.

Hallie nodded towards the bottle of alcohol, hoping Megan was making sense of the situation. You mixed alcohol and drugs together! Do you know how dangerous that was? You could have died! Hallie put extra emphasis on the ‘died’, so Megan would know how serious this was. She felt bad about raising her voice at Megan, but Hallie felt it was the only way to get her point across. Do you know what it feels like to get an owl when you first wake up, from Talan Warrington, saying something about how you’re not alive? That your house is full of questionable people, and there were rumors of you doing drugs. Do you realize how sick I was. I mean we, I meant to say we. Peyton and Sydney didn’t know if you were alive! Do you know how much that seriously killed them? And me. She whispered that last part. Hallie looked Megan full on, like a mother punishing a child. Do you honestly realize that you were on the edge of death? I saved you Megan! And how could you do drugs? What’s wrong with you?! Gasping for air, Hallie felt relieved that she finally got everything that she wanted to say out. She held her hand out for the bottle, hoping that Megan would lay off the alcohol, until she was at least gone. The good thing is, you’re alive. But please, don’t do anything like that ever again!

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[megan lynn aldridge]

The last thing that Megan wanted to deal with at the moment was a motherly Hallie. All she wanted was the facts and then she'd get the hell out of there and figure things out elsewhere. Of course, it was never that easy. Megan frowned slightly when Hallie avoided the questions with some of her own and then some accusations about how she must be on something. Bullshit. "Merlin, Hal. Just shut the hell up and answer me," Megan grumbled, not at all in the mood to argue about it. If something was wrong with Peyton, she needed to know now. There was no way that she was going back to bed. Hell, she didn't even know why she'd been in one of those stupid beds. Obviously, she must have just heard about Peyton and freaked out or something and the rest of the time must have just been a complete blur for her. Whatever the case, she wasn't about to just stand here and let things happen.

Moments later, they were apparating away and tumbling into her kitchen. Her eyes briefly glanced over at Hallie when she asked what was going on, giving her a look that showed how stupid Megan thought that question was. "What does it look like I'm doing, dumbass? I'm getting a damn drink," she said with a low growl in her voice. Pulling the bottle away as Hallie tried to grab at it, Megan gave her a rather irritated look. Hallie typically didn't bother her when she was drinking and whatever it was making her do it now was seriously unappreciated. Moving quickly to get away from her, she shook her head vigorously to reject Hallie's request that she give the bottle up. The shaking, mixed with the moving caused Megan to sway a bit, her head swimming with pain and fuzziness. Stumbling backward, she caught on to the counter to hold herself up. She'd never felt like that before and it took her a moment to gain her balance back enough to look back over at Hallie.

A look of complete confusion passed her face when Hallie said that Peyton was fine. If she was okay, than what the hell was going on?"Well, who the hell else would have been at Mungoe's?" she asked, frowning. Clearly, Hallie was just being dumb. Wait, what the hell did she just say? There was no way that she was being serious, was there? She hadn't been in the hospital for herself, she was...fine. Well, aside from a little bit of a hangover, right? "Wh-what? Fucking bullshit. I'm fucking fine," Megan protested, though she was starting to question that. There was the small incision on her arm, the strange foggy feeling that she had, all things that alluded to the fact that she had been admitted to Mungoe's for something or other that had gone terribly wrong.

The drugs. Megan had known, deep down, that it was a bad idea. Yet, she'd gone ahead and done it and apparently, it had landed her straight in the hospital. Died. Well, maybe she wanted to die? Then what? There wasn't anything that any hospital could do in that case. Yet, was it really that serious? Did she really just want to give up any semblance of a life she had left, just because she was a bit afraid? Who knew. Feeling another rush of pain coming to her head, Megan let herself slide down to the floor where she sat, clutching the bottle of alcohol that she had taken from her stash. Even with what Hallie was saying and even if she could recognize the dangers of the stuff, she didn't care. It was her safe haven, the only place where she felt that she couldn't go wrong. Well, sort of.

Balking back at the severity of what Hallie was saying, Megan didn't want to listen. She hated the possibility that there were consequences to her actions. She wanted to simply live like she had been the past two months and not worry at all about anything. "Just kind of happened, yanno?" she offered. A lame, vague excuse, but it was all Megan could manage to come up with at the moment. Talking was still difficult, for the most part and her mind was still not all there. "Might do it again. They'll probably come...back," she said with a light, clearly weak shrug. Obviously, the group with the drugs were her new friends, taking the place of Hallie, Peyton and Sydney in her life. Not exactly the best replacement, but they worked.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[hallie beatrix cauldwell]

Waiting for Megan to realize that she was the one in the hospital, Hallie stood facing the girl with her hands on her hips. It was often difficult to talk to Megan, unless you liked talking to a brick wall and getting no answers in response, just because once the girl got an idea, she wouldn’t let it go. Megan actually believed Hallie was at the hospital because of Peyton, and not because of her. Hallie frowned. Do you honestly think you’re fine? I just saw you grow faint less than ten seconds ago, and you want to tell me you’re fine? Hallie stared at her friend for a few minutes, in utter disbelief that they could have two totally different opinions on how the situation at hand was.

Hearing a sigh escape from her, Hallie went to sit on the floor next to Megan. She picked at a loose thread on her shirt, not knowing what to say that would get through to the other girl. On one hand, if she kept nagging Megan about quitting, Hallie felt as if she was pushing her friend away even more; but on the other hand, if Hallie didn’t try to help, there was a very real possibility that Megan would do drugs and drink herself to death. Neither of which Hallie wanted, but she couldn’t decide which situation would be best. She knew that it would take a lot of convincing to get Megan to stop drinking alcohol, if Megan even wanted to hear it.

Taking Megan’s hand in her, clearly signifying that she was trying to support her once best friend, Hallie positioned her body on the floor so she could see Megan clearly. Frowning as she looked at the small incision on Meagan’s wrist, Hallie decided it would be better to talk to the girl, hoping that some conversation would get through. Do you understand this was more than just a regular….two months….of partying? And it doesn’t just happen, Megan. You let this happen. Maybe Hallie was coming out a little too strong, but she wanted Megan to understand where she was coming from. Do you honestly think I rushed out here because Peyton and Sydney told me to? No, they don’t even know about this yet. No, I came out here to make sure you were okay.

Watching to see what Megan’s reaction would be, Hallie was starting to be torn in two directions. One that wanted to stay here with Megan, made sure she was okay, and accept the girl with all her flaws like nothing ever happened. The other wanted to walk away, accepting that Megan was safe at home, and let her continue on with her partying ways. Hallie didn’t know which it would be, but one side was going to dominate over the other; and she wasn’t sure yet which one she wanted to win, or if she could even choose for that matter. She placed her hand out once more to receive the bottle. Look, I know things…between us…haven’t exactly been, well, friendly the last two months. But that doesn’t mean I’m not still here for you. I consider you family Megs, and I’ll try to help you in whatever way I can. She knew that she meant the last part, even if they weren’t super close. It was just one of her habits to help someone in whatever way she could.

Giving Megan’s hand a squeeze and then dropping it completely, Hallie looked the girl in the eye. Here’s what I’m advising. Don’t let them come back. For your sake. And, find the source of your desperate need to drink. Everyone has one. Whether its peer pressure, trying not to deal with something, or running away. Whatever it may be, identify your issue and deal with it in more effective matters. And if there is anyway I can help, please tell me. If I’m the cause of the problem, I’ll go away and leave you in peace. But please don’t try to solve whatever it may be with drugs and alcohol. Hallie shot Megan a pleading look. She really was very worried, simply because she knew this was so much more than Megan just wanting to have a fun time. And not being able to put a finger on Megan’s source of depression was killing Hallie. But she knew perfectly well that if Megan didn’t open up to her, she would just send Peyton, or Sydney, maybe even Braden. Well not Braden. He would just encourage her to drink more.

Sighing once again, Hallie looked around the kitchen. I want to help you Megan. I wouldn’t have traveled all the way to France if I didn’t care. And obviously, I’m sitting in your kitchen right now. So I must care about you. Hallie seriously hoped that some of what she was saying made through to Megan. Knowing that teenagers were supposed to have fun every now and then with a drink, Hallie felt like this was different. She felt like Megan was trying to drink her problems, whatever they may be, away. Hoping that she was wrong, Hal couldn’t shake the feeling that she was dead on.

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[megan lynn aldridge]

Even though Megan knew that Hallie was right, that didn't mean she was simply going to agree. She wasn't very capable of admitting that she's wrong on any occasion and even when it was something as serious as this, she would continue to argue her side of the situation. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine. You're obviously just making shit up," Megan replied with a curt nod. It was pretty clear that Megan was definitely not fine and that she probably should have stayed at Mungo's, but she was stubborn. Even if it was very obviously detrimental to her health, she didn't care. She wasn't going back there, she wasn't admitting that she had messed up and she sure as hell wasn't going to agree that something was wrong. As far as Hallie and everyone else were concerned, Megan was fucking fine and that was that.

Her eyes flicked over as Hallie came to sit next to her, revealing a very wary hesitance. At the moment, she didn't trust Hallie. Hallie was the enemy, there to make her realize things that she'd rather not and there to screw with her emotions like no one else could. The hand wrapped around the bottle of alcohol tightened, not about to let Hallie simply come over and take it for no reason at all. Honestly, she sort of just wanted Hallie to go away and leave her be in her little world where everything was perfect and she was just fine. Of course, the odds of that happening were slim to none, since Hallie seemed just as determined to stay there as Megan was to have her leave. It was one of those situations where they'd both likely stick to their guns until one of them caved in.

When Hallie gripped her hand, Megan's body tensed up, but she didn't pull away. Perhaps, even if Hallie was there to correct the mistakes that she'd made, it wouldn't be so bad having her back around. "It wasn't anything different from a normal two months. That's all it was, just...normal," Megan insisted with a light shrug. She was about to protest the fact that Hallie thought it was her fault, but even Megan couldn't really argue that one. Of course she'd let it happen. After all, who doesn't love having the chance to just straight up party for two months? Sure, there were other things involved in it, but that wasn't the point. At it's core, Megan was happy to admit to the fact that she'd let the partying happen. That was a good thing, anyways.

The fact that, even after the shit she had pulled, Hallie still appeared to care about her was kind of intimidating to Megan. She didn't like people to care about her like that, since it kind of obligated her to be nice to them and what not. That didn't come easily to Megan anymore. She had a difficult time letting people in like that and even if Hallie and the Cauldwell's were the closest people that she had to family, they were still just as in the dark about her past as everyone else was. Megan didn't share things with anyone, even if they did mean more to her than the world. Shifting slightly, not sure what to say in response to that, Megan's head feel for a moment. "Yeah, well. Don't tell them about it, alright? Don't need to worry them unnecessarily," she said, biting at her lip a bit.

Shifting to move the bottle out of Hallie's reach once more, Megan subtly kept it away from her. She wasn't quite ready to give that up just yet, even if things were starting to settle down. She couldn't contain the sigh that came forth from her mouth as Hallie started to talk about the fact that they'd had something of a falling out. Really, Megan would rather just let that go. Either put it behind them and forget it, or continue to not talk to each other, anything but the awkwardness that was happening now. "Right, thanks, I guess. I'm fine though," she said with a nod, still sticking to her assured thinking that that she could continue to convince both herself and Hallie that she was fine and that there wasn't any problems going on.

The last thing that Megan needed at the moment was a lecture. She didn't take well to lectures or advice in the direct manner that Hallie was attacking it. She closed off to things like that, blocked it out and ignored it, sometimes even doing everything possible to spite the advice she was being given. "Whatever. I'll do whatever the hell I want. And I'm fine. Perfectly fucking fine," she said, her voice coming out in a snarl of irritation. Hallie was pretty spot on with everything she was saying, but that didn't matter to Megan. She didn't want to listen to it, she didn't want to deal with it, she just wanted it to go away. All the things Hallie was saying just brought everything to the forefront that she had purposely been trying to avoid for the past few months and that was more than she could handle.

Turning her head away from Hallie, Megan leaned back into the wall behind her, letting her head rest on it. "Yeah...well, I don't know what to tell you," she said with a sigh. She could tell that Hallie was really trying here and yet, she was putting up the wall between them, making it worse. However, Megan didn't know what else to do. Blocking off her feelings and shutting people out was what she did best and she didn't know how to do anything else. Just opening up and talking about what was going on seemed too foreign a concept to the girl and no matter how much that might be good for her, she couldn't do it. It was easiest to just stand aside and let her life fall to shit than to step up and do something to fix it.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[hallie beatrix cauldwell]

Who’s gonna catch me when I fall?

Searching her mind for something to say, Hallie felt as if she was fighting a never ending battle. The two girls obviously had very different opinions on the situation at hand, and Hal knew that no amount of begging or pleading would change Megan’s view. There just wasn’t anything Hallie could do to make Megan understand. A sad thought, but true none the less. Especially when the latter girl was so stubborn, and didn’t want to recognize the signs that were right in front of her, which were screaming desperation.

Watching as Megan’s hand tightened around the neck of the bottle, after Hallie tried yet again to get the alcohol away from her. It was a grim situation, one that didn’t seem to have an end in Hallie’s mind. She realized that she had two options: either stay and fight with Megan, possibly getting nowhere and making things even worse between the two of them; or give up, and give in to Megan’s ridiculous behavior. The outcomes for each solution were horrible, because Hallie had reason to believe that this wasn’t going to stop. Whatever she said to Megan went through one ear and out the other, with no chance of Megan giving up her partying. Sighing, Hallie turned back to Megan. Would you care to explain to me in what world two months of hardcore partying is normal? She didn’t raise her voice, because Hallie knew that would spark more anger from the girl sitting next to her.

Playing with her earring, something she only did when she was exceptionally nervous or stressed, Hallie began to gain an understanding that Megan didn’t know how to deal with her problems, whatever they might be. So she turned to alcohol, in the same way that Hallie turned to painting to deal with her issues. Obviously Megan couldn’t see how dangerous that was, because she associated drinking with feeling better. I’m not going to. Peyton would probably encourage you to drink more, and that certainly wouldn’t be beneficial to your health. Feeling the tension build in the room as Hallie mentioned their fall out, she decided it would be best to let that go. Megan was evidently uncomfortable with talking about it, as Hallie heard a sigh escape from her lips. She knew that they’d have to talk about it sometime, because a fight like that couldn’t go untouched. Or maybe they would pretend like it never happened and just move on.

It was difficult for Hallie to remain so sincere when all she wanted was to shout until Megan got how depressing the situation was. Hallie knew that Megan didn’t want a lecture, but she obviously didn’t know how else to get it through to the girl. Yelling obviously mad her more upset, but so did offering advice. It honestly took every bit of energy from Hallie to not get up and walk out the front door, never looking back again. A terrible thing to think, but the only way Hallie knew how to resolve the problem. Because as it seemed, the more she tried to help, the worse Megan became.

Listening to the snarl of irritation in Megan’s voice, Hallie sighed. She was obviously right about what was causing Megan’s drinking binges, even if the girl didn’t want to truly admit it. Unable to stomach the tension anymore, Hallie got up from the floor. Without saying a word to Megan, she got a glass from the cabinet, and filled it up with ice cold water. She then whipped up a plate of lightly buttered toast, and searched the kitchen for aspirin. Not finding any, Hallie called them with magic, and poured two into her hand. She gave it all to Megan. The aspirin will help with the headache, and the toast will help your stomach. She watched the girl’s eyes question her. Just do it Megan. It will help. Hallie sat back down on the floor, but this time across from Megan. Pulling her knees to her chest, Hallie rested her chin on them, watching the girl. Look. I can’t make you do anything. Obviously you’re going to continue your partying, and no matter what I say, that’s not going to stop you. I hope you realize what you’re doing to yourself is a horrible mistake. Because once you die, that’s it…there is no coming back. She cut off, unable to continue on.

Shrugging her shoulders, Hallie realized this was the moment of truth. She knew what she was going to do. Sighing, Hallie just hoped this was the right thing to do. I will never stop caring about you. I’m just going to stop caring about your actions. So please, continue to do what you feel is best to handle what ever problems life throws at you. But just know, if Talan Worrington sends me another owl about your possible death, I’m not coming back. Understanding that maybe what she said was a little harsh, Hallie thought it was the only thing she could do. She didn’t have the ability to stop Megan from drinking, and so Hallie had to accept the darker side of her friend. And even though she didn’t think it was right, it was the only way to make them both happy.

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[megan lynn aldridge]

At Hallie's question, Megan nearly scoffed aloud in amusement. Clearly, Hallie was the one that needed serious help here. It was pretty obvious that everyone else in the world, aside from Hallie obviously, was happy to party and get drunk every damn day of the year. Yet, for whatever reason, the girl still seemed to believe that Megan's habits were some sort of oddity. Hallie was obviously in need of some serious help from some sort of psychiatric doctor or something. "Uhm, in like every world, Hallie. Honestly, haven't you met like..anyone? Cause I'm pretty sure they'd all agree with me," Megan said with a light nod. Perhaps it was partially because she was in denial of the obvious, but much of Megan's insistence on the matter was because she had a very jaded view of the world. Blame it on the lack of parental guidance in her life or the excesses of alcohol she'd consumed, but Megan honestly did believe that it was more than just normal, but expected.

She was slightly comforted by the fact that Hallie wasn't going to go tell Peyton and Sydney about what had happened. Though, in a way she was a bit upset by that as well. She wanted them to worry about her and come dote over her for a few days because of the whole ordeal. But, than again, if they worried too much than that would just get irritating and Megan really didn't want that either. So, perhaps that was the best of the options they had. Well, that Hallie had rather, since Megan didn't have much say in the matter when it came down to it. "Well, good. They don't need to know. Best you don't get them worked up over nothing," Megan commented, as if in some way this whole ordeal were Hallie's fault and she were the one causing the problems for Peyton and Sydney, as opposed to Megan. Her nose crinkled up slightly at the last bit of Hallie's comment, since she definitely didn't see how drinking more would be any bad for her. If anything, Megan was pretty sure that drinking further would be nothing but beneficial overall.

When Hallie got up to do, well, whatever it was she was doing, Megan's eyes trailed after her suspiciously. Whatever she was getting into over in the kitchen, Megan didn't trust her. She was already being irritating with her preachy, tell-Megan-what-to-do sort of talking, so if she was over there thinking up some other way to try to get Megan to behave, than she wouldn't be having that. Scrambling up slightly from where she was lying out on the floor, Megan attempted to get up enough to the point where she could watch what Hallie was doing. However, it wasn't happening. She was pretty much going to be confined to just resting there on the floor for awhile, until she recovered from all of the damage that her habits had wracked on her body in the past day.

Slumping back down to the floor with an irritated harrumph, Megan's face turned down to a scowl as she waited to see what Hallie was doing. As Hallie handed her the plate and glass, Megan looked up at her with an unsure glance. It looked like toast, water and some meds, but she wasn't sure if she trusted Hallie. For all she knew, there was some sort of secret potion in there that would knock her out and leave Hallie to do whatever it was she wanted with her. However, with Hallie's insistence, Megan took the plate from her and sat it down next to her on the floor. Taking the aspirin in her hand, she popped them into her mouth, taking a sip from the water to wash them back down her throat. Picking up a piece of the toast, Megan looked at it with a rather glum look. She wasn't exactly fond of toast, to be sure, but whatever. Taking a bite from it, Megan chewed it slightly and swallowed. Looking back up at Hallie, her face softened slightly. "Err, thanks, mate," she said, though she was slightly unsettled by the fact that she was being so nice.

Megan set the toast back down when Hallie started to talk again, knowing full well that it was likely going to be another lecture. Whatever it was that Hallie had to say, Megan didn't really want to hear it. As much as Hallie may claim that it was a bad idea and that everything Megan was doing was an issue, Megan didn't agree with her. But the mention of death was certainly something that could bring anyone's attention to the matter. The last thing that Megan wanted to do was die and she really didn't think that it would happen. Though, Hallie was intelligent and if she thought it were honestly that serious, than perhaps Megan could at least attempt to listen to what she were saying. Than again, there was a good chance that Hallie was just bullshitting her to make her believe it was something more serious than it really was.

A grim snarl rose on her face, not willing to listen to what Hallie was saying. "Yeah, well, whatever. I don't really give a damn what you do," Megan shrugged. Her eyes glimmered for just a moment with some form of emotion, but it was too heavily masked for it to really reveal anything about how she truly felt about everything going on in that instant. "You should probably leave," Megan added after a moment, looking back up at Hallie for just a second. Feeling slightly better now that she'd had medicine and food in her system, Megan slowly got back up to her feet and prepared to leave. Hallie could say whatever the hell she wanted, but it didn't matter. Megan would be just fine on her own. Always had been.

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[hallie beatrix cauldwell]

Who’s gonna catch me when I fall?

Sitting back down on the floor after giving Megan her toast, Hallie looked at her friend, hoping for some sign that the Megan she knew and love was still there. But as she continued to stare at her once best friend, Hallie began to understand that she knew nothing about the girl sitting across from her. It didn’t make sense how she can spend seven years with Megan, and not know anything about her family or life before she was pretty much adopted into the Cauldwell family. Hallie wondered why Megan felt it was necessary to hide her life. Was it possible that something terrible wrong happened? She shook her head and shrugged, because only the girl could answer that question, and it was evident that Megan was running away from something, even if she didn’t want to admit so herself.

Catching Megan’s eyes, Hallie couldn’t help but frown. The dark circles under the girl’s eyes were only more pronounced by her exceptionally pale skin. Hallie only wanted to help her friend more, but she knew that Megan had to sort out her issues by herself. No amount of begging or pleading on Hallie’s part would speed up the process in which Megan dealt with her problems. Glancing over once more at the girl, Hallie wondered if she meant what she said, about forgetting this part of Megan. Would it really be that simple, to just forget about the fact that she almost died? She wondered about the future, about whether or not they’d be able to rebuild a friendship again. She thought back to the ball, shaking her head at the memory of her assuming their fight was over the stupid performance thing, and then Megan’s blatant flirting with Braden. But now thinking about it, Hallie knew it was so much more, something deeper inside of Megan.

Unsure of how to help Megan, Hallie thought it was best to perhaps just let the girl live life as she wanted. They evidently had different opinions on the matter, as Megan believed this was just a normal two months of partying. But Hallie knew how Megan typically partied, and never had she gone this hardcore. Wondering if the girl actually wanted to die, Hallie shrugged. Will I expect you back at school? Or are you done with that? She doubted Megan would want to come back, but it might be the best thing for her. Obviously the Slytherins knew how to party, but maybe Alfie or Peyton would have the ability to bring Megan in from going to far on one of her drinking binges. That was a big maybe, considering Peyton might encourage her to do the exact opposite, but a person could still hope.

Watching Megan, Hallie saw a bit of emotion passed in her eyes, before the cold blank star settled in again. Within that moment, Hallie knew that her words were getting to the other girl, even if she played hard and didn’t care. But Hallie could see that her words were starting to crack the wall that Megan built around herself, because the latter girl didn’t seem to be resisting as much. Whatever it was, Megan definitely had a different look upon her, at least in Hallie’s opinion. Opening her mouth to say something, Hallie saw that Megan was going to speak, so she waited. But when Megan told her that it’d be best to leave, Hallie’s heart dropped. It wasn’t like Hallie exactly wanted to be there, especially because of the situation the two girls were in. She did, however, want to make sure Megan would be okay, considering she left the hospital well before she was supposed to.

Getting up on her feet, and watching Megan do the same, Hal thought it would be best to respect the wishes of the girl. She shrugged. When I walk out that door, I say goodbye for good. I’m not going to remember these last few hours, or the last two months. I will continue on like we never fought, and I will choose to forget about your partying side. Looking at Megan, to see if there was any change in her reaction, Hallie frowned and continued. Maybe that’s a form of sheltering. I don’t know. But the darker side of Megan Aldridge does not exist to me. So continue on with what you were doing. But I will not, nor do I care to, know about it. Nodding her head towards the bottle that was still in Megan’s hand, Hallie simply didn’t know what more to say. It was over now. She did what she had to, in that she saved Megan, and cleared a guilty conscience. And she did her best to talk Megan out of resorting to alcohol whenever faced with a problem. But this was Megan’s life, not hers. And so she couldn’t live it for the girl. Facing towards Megan, Hallie sighed. I hope to see you at school. I’ll show my way out.

Walking towards the door through a house that was filled with questionable people only a couple of hours before, Hallie wondered if this was the last time she’s be seeing the girl that pretty much became a third sister to her. She wondered if Megan would go back to hardcore partying, or if she realized how close she had come to the brink of death. Regardless, it didn’t matter anymore. At least, that’s what Hallie kept trying to tell herself. Apparating back to the castle, Hallie sat on her bed, the place where she awoke almost fourteen hours ago to an owl baring the bad news. In the turn of events that happened, Hallie understood that Megan had issues with her family, which is why the latter girl is always over at the Cauldwell Castle on holiday breaks. But she wondered if a deteriorating family could really cause that much damage and anger to one person. Uncertain about the future of Megan, Hallie almost considered sending an e-message to Peyton or Sydney. But remembering that Megan specifically asked her not to, she thought that would only make the situation worse. It seems that the only solution to the situation was to let Megan continue on as she pleased. And if that meant her dying, then that’s what had to happen. A sad thought, indeed, but the only way Megan would truly be happy, as Hallie realized now. Because the girl refused to let anyone in to help, and quite frankly, Hallie was done trying.

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