Find You in the Dark

of the reality we would find ourselves thrown back into when we woke.

Chapter Twenty-Two

    I awoke the next morning to the sound of my cell phone beeping. I had a moment of disorientation as I tried to figure out where I was. Then it all came back to me. I rolled over to find Clay sound asleep beside me, his hand reaching out as if he had been searching for me in his sleep.
    I got out of bed and looked down, realizing I was naked. I went into the bathroom and changed into a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I debated whether I should rinse my mouth out with shampoo but decided against it. Instead, I swished some water and spit it out. I still had demon breath, but it would have to do until we bought some toothpaste.
    My cell phone beeped again. I looked at Clay; he hadn't stirred. He looked so young as he slept. The tension on his face melted in relaxation. I smiled at how good he looked laying there in the bed. I found my phone on the bedside table and turned it on.
    A new text waited. It was from Rachel. Where are you?!?! Your parents are freaking out! You better call me ASAP! I sighed. I quietly left the motel room. Once outside I dialed Rachel's number. She answered on the first ring.
    “WHAT IS GOING ON, MAGGIE?!” She shrieked into the phone. I pulled the receiver from my ear. “Chill out, Rach. You're going to bust my ear drum.” I said lightly. “Don't give me your blase crap. Why did you and Clay take off? Your parents called me at five o'clock this morning and they are absolutely, 100 percent flipping out! You had better have a good reason for all of this.” I could tell she was angry. I would have felt the same way had our roles been reversed. I knew I owed her an explanation.
    I sat down on the curb outside of our room. “Clay is going through some major stuff right now and my parents were being unreasonable. He needed me.” She huffed on the other end. “Not good enough, Mags. Now cut with the bullshit and fess up. Because I swear if you feed me some stupid song and dance about young love I'll bash your head in the next time I see you!” Rachel seethed.
    “Fine, you want to know the truth? Clay has bi-polar disorder as well as something called Borderline Personality Disorder. Don't ask me what it all means, because I really don't know. Anyway, he had just gotten out of the hospital before he moved up here and now his parents are in town and threatening to lock him back up. And his crazy moods and temper are all because he's been on and off his meds. Plus, he really needs therapy, but so far has refused it. We're just trying to figure everything out, okay? He needs me! And I need him to be healthy.” I finished my rambling explanation and waited for my friend's response.
    “Rachel?” I said into the void. “I'm here.” She said quietly. I didn't like the tone of her voice. “I had no idea all this was going on. Why didn't you say something sooner?” She asked me.
    “It wasn't really my story to tell.” I said simply. I heard Rachel cluck her tongue. “But you know you can't save him. He needs serious help. Help from people who know what they're doing when it comes to that kind of stuff. If he's not taking his meds like you said, than there's nothing you can do.” She paused. “Maybe his parents are right. Maybe he needs to go somewhere where he can get some major treatment.”
    I was shocked and deeply hurt by her reaction. How could she side with those horrible people? She was supposed to be my best friend. “No. I can't let them do that to him.” I bit out coldly. Rachel sighed. I could almost see the exasperated expression on her face.
    “How could you do this to your parents? Don't you think they would have understood if you just told them? They love you and they're worried sick.” I felt the guilt flip in my gut. I hated that she reminded me of what I was doing to the other people I loved.
    “You just don't get it.” I sulked. “Oh, I get it alright. You're on a one woman mission to save Clay Reed from himself. I get that you love him. But there are times when love ain't enough sweetheart, and I have a very bad feeling he's just going to take you down with him. Not that he means to. But that's just what happens.” She seemed to be speaking from experience.
    “What do you know about any of this? What do you know about Clay and what he's going through?” I asked hatefully. “Listen. My grandmother suffered from bi-polar disorder as well as a slew of other mental