Eventually we arrived at the familiar diner with its large cartoonishly oversized elk on the outdoor sign. We all disembarked, once the van was finally parked, and made our way inside to the comfortable air-conditioned interior and fluorescent lighting of the ‘Horn-A-Copia Grill’.

Beth and Scott both hurried off to claim our regular booth in the corner, as I contentedly followed along behind them.

After they both crashed down onto the vinyl wrap-around bench seat, Beth gleefully declared. “Corner booth acquired!”

“It’s not like there was huge competition for it. Still not super busy here during the weekdays.” I told her, pouring some cold water onto her thrilling conquest of the corner booth.

“A victory is still a victory.” She said while sticking her tongue out at me.

“Alright, alright, let’s just relax and chill for a bit.” Scott told us both.

“Sure, but who’s paying the bill today, or are we splitting things.” Beth asked while looking between the two of us. “Cause, I’ll be honest, I’m kinda broke.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re looking for a job then.” Scott concluded.

“One of the reasons, I guess. I do still really want my own ride though.” Beth said earnestly.

I had a bit of cash on me from the allowance my parents gave me, but I was also pretty destitute as well. Maybe I should also start thinking about how to fix that. Although, a traditional part-time job would take away a lot of time from my studying and other schoolwork.

There was the other maybe more significant concern, taking time away from my…supernatural extracurriculars. Though thinking about it, I wonder if I could earn some money from that side of things. Does the IDPA even pay me a salary? I feel like they should if I’m going to be risking my life regularly with this stuff. Also, can I like, maybe sell monster parts or other magical things that I find?

I’ll just ask Gunderson next time I see him. If his car was anything to go by, they could afford to compensate me some for my time. Maybe they can even give me a vehicle of my own to have.

As I started staring off into space and daydreaming about driving around in my very own jet-black high-end and brand new sports car, a devious smile began to form on my face.

“What are you grinning so slyly about?” Beth asked.

“Huh, oh nothing, just daydreaming about stupid stuff.” I explained.

“Uh-huh, like what?” She pressed.

“Nothing.” I insisted.

“Hmm, you know I heard an interesting rumor at school yesterday.” Beth informed me. “I heard that you had a meeting with some FBI agent.”

Oh frick, even more annoying rumors cropping up to give me a headache.

“And this same FBI person gave you a ride from school in his snazzy red convertible.”

“Some guy gave you a ride in his convertible?” Scott asked, taking his eyes off the menu for the first time since sitting down.

“No, well yes, he did, but yeah, he was an FBI agent.” I explained poorly. “I had a meeting with him and the principal about what happened…what had happened at the party.”

Oops, I’d broken our unspoken taboo of not talking about the party. Both Scott and Beth seemed to have gone noticeably quiet after a mere mention of it. Was it really that bad that I said anything? We couldn’t just ignore the topic forever.

“So what did you tell him?” Scott asked. His voice was level, but I could tell touching on the subject affected him.

“Uh, I told him what everyone knows, basically.” I carefully hedged, not knowing what they knew or at least what they thought they knew.

“Ah, that's good.” Scott said uncertainly before looking back down at his menu and itching his still-healing arm reflexively.

Noticing where I was looking, Beth spoke up as well.

“How’s your arm doing?” She asked

“It’s feeling better I guess. Each day it’s a little better than the last.” He explained.

“That’s good. I…” She started to say before giving me a cautious look and then continuing. “I was worried that Luke might’ve done a poor job bandaging up your arm after I had left you.”

Back then, I had forced Beth to stop treating Scott and instead go help Letitia, who was bleeding out rapidly at the time and much closer to dying. I had forced her to risk her close friend's life to instead maybe help save the life of someone she didn’t even really like all that much.

“Uh, yeah. He did fine, although he didn’t seem to be super happy or even very confident about what he was doing.” Scott explained, nervously itching his arm again.

“Your first aid skills were honestly pretty amazing back then, Beth. You saved Letitia’s life, and you helped save Scott’s, even if Luke had to finish up for you.” I told her, hoping my sincere compliment and explanation would ease some of the tense emotions she was giving off.

“Luke had to finish for me, huh?” Beth asked me pointedly. The look she gave me then stung a little, but I understood how she felt. At least, I think I did. I hoped that I did…

“Beth…I'm sorry for forcing you to….” I started to say.

“You didn’t force me to do anything.” Beth swiftly countered before I could even finish my sentence. “It was my choice. I didn’t have to listen to you if I didn’t want to.”

“I know.” I told her weakly. “I just wanted to say that you were amazing when you were saving Letitia’s life, even if you don’t like her.”

“It was just basic first aid, the EMTs that came charging in later were really the ones who saved people’s lives.” Beth coolly replied.

“But without you, they might not have survived long enough for the EMTs to help them.” I said while knowing for a fact that they wouldn’t have. The side quest I’d gotten made it reasonably clear that if they didn’t get some kind of help within that small window of time, it would have been too late for the EMTs to save them.

“Maybe.” Beth responded dispassionately at my praise.

“You really did do a good thing back then Beth.” Scott added. “I know you were annoyed at us for…suggesting you go help Letitia instead of me, but it was the right call. She needed your help more than I did.”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“Whatever.” Beth said a bit snippily. “So, your arm’s healing okay then?

“Yeah, like I said, it’s doing about as well as you’d expect, considering.”

I took another look at Scott’s left arm, and the cast and sling he had it in. Looking at it made me feel awful, like somehow his arm being injured was my fault.

“You know, maybe we really shouldn’t have let you drive the van here.” I told him, careful to keep my voice neutral sounding. “I know it’s yours, and you’ve driven it a million times, but being stuck driving one-handed is still an unnecessarily risky thing to do.

“Eh, I mean, we got here alright, didn’t we?” He replied, seeming unconcerned about the danger and unperturbed from my critique.

“One of us can drive instead when we leave. I volunteer.” Beth said while raising her hand high up in the air. A bright smile back on her face. She was clearly very eager for any chance at driving Scott's van.

This prompted a smile out of me. It was good to see her bounce back from the foul mood she had been in a few seconds prior. Seeing her mood improve also seemed to bolster mine a bit as well.

After looking at me for my opinion and thinking over things while staring at me, Scott finally said. “Gah, fine, you can drive.”

“Yes! Oh, hell yeah!” Beth shouted a bit too loudly. Doing a celebratory series of fist pumps while still sitting in the diner booth.

With that decided, my thoughts returned to Beth’s first aid skills that she’d learned from her mom. They were honestly pretty impressive, even if she didn’t want to accept our compliments about them. Thinking about it, I wondered if she or even her mom could give me some pointers about first aid and medicine.

With my life now seemingly being stuck in a permanent state of danger from fighting monsters and who knows what else, knowing some first aid could save my life, or the lives of others. It might annoy her to turn our discussion back to her first aid skills, but I think it's worth it.

“So, your mom must’ve taught you a lot about first aid then, huh?” I inquired deftly and with superb subtlety.

“Huh, yeah, I guess.” She said while shrugging her shoulders. “She’s made a point to go over the basics with me whenever she and I both had some free time, which isn’t super often, honestly.”

“Well, you were lucky that she taught you as much as she did.” I told her truthfully. “Truthfully, I’d kinda like to learn some things about first aid myself.”

It was Beth’s turn to scratch the side of her head awkwardly. “I mean, yeah, that’s true, I guess. My mom says everyone should learn at least the basics.”

“So, would you or your mom be willing to go over that stuff with me sometime?” I asked with only a slight hint of desperation in my voice. Having this information and potentially even a skill from it could keep me alive.

“Me?” Beth asked with surprise. “You want me to teach you?”

Her face looked like I had suddenly just turned into a little green alien from another planet or something.

“I mean yeah, you.” I told her. “You obviously know what you’re doing, and we’re friends, so it seemed pretty obvious to ask you first, right?”

“I want to learn too.” Scott declared while raising his good hand up in the air, volunteering himself to join our impromptu first aid seminar.

Beth started to scratch her cheek nervously for a bit before she was saved by the waitress finally coming over to take our orders.

“So what’ll you lot be having today.” Our usual waitress Maggie asked. “Nice to see your little group here again. How are ya doing then? I heard about what happened.”

“Eh, we’re alright. We got off lucky with only minor injuries.” Scott informed her while gesturing with his injured arm.

“Oh yeah, that looks pretty nasty.” She said while wincing at seeing his arm in the sling.

“Eh, it's not so bad, but I’d feel a lot better with a Jumbo Bacon Cheeseburger with extra bacon and extra fries.” Scott said with his bright and endearing smile.

“Hah, yeah fine, that’s no problem. What can I get for you other two then?”

“I’ll have the same.” Beth told her. “And even though I still have two good arms, I’ll also petition for some extra bacon and extra fries.”

“Sure thing sweetie.” Maggie replied with a smirk on her face. “It's no trouble, and you?”

“Uh, I guess, um….” I hadn’t even looked at the menu yet. Should I just be lazy and order the same thing as them, or should I get something else? “I’ll uh, have a BLT, I guess.”

“Do you want extra bacon, then?” She asked with a grin.

“Um, sure, if that’s okay?” I asked, my voice conveying my clear hesitance in even asking.

“No worries sweetie. It’ll just be a minute.” Maggie told us before loudly clicking the pen she’d been writing with, sticking it back behind her ear where she usually kept it, and walked off to put in the order.

“So you guys really actually want me to teach you some stuff about first aid?” Beth asked, still sounding skeptical and hesitant about the idea.

“Yeah, I really want to learn this stuff, and learning it actually seems legitimately important, like your mom said.” I told her earnestly. “I…I want to be prepared if I’m ever in a situation where someone’s life is in danger again.

Beth didn’t respond to what I said right away. I knew she’d heard me since we weren’t that far apart, and it was also relatively quiet inside the diner. No, she was just processing what I’d said to her and still deciding how she should react to it.

“I’m not the one who saved everyone's lives back then, you know.” Beth finally said in a quiet voice.

“What do you mean?” I asked her incredulously. “I know for a fact that the reason that Letitia is doing okay right now is because of you. Also, you were the one who started bandaging up Scott before Luke was forced to take over.”

“That might be true, but I’m not the one who’s responsible for them still being alive. You are.” She said while making direct eye contact with me. “You’re the one who saved all those people’s lives Jenni.”

I didn’t know how to respond at first. The intense emotion Beth's eyes were directing at me felt slightly overwhelming, but I couldn’t accept it. I didn’t deserve it.

“You’re wrong. I didn’t save all of those people’s lives. Two people died.” I said in an even lower and more quiet voice then hers.

“But dozens, if not more, are alive and okay because you were brave enough to face that animal and drive it off.” Beth insisted. Her voice was strong, and her look towards me was unwavering.

So, she also didn’t really know what happened. It was what I assumed would be the case, but having it confirmed was still depressing. I looked in Scott’s direction to see if he had any reaction to what Beth said, specifically about the untrue parts.

“She’s right, Jenni.” Scott said, his voice a warm and soft timbre. “I would’ve been dead if you hadn’t stopped that…animal from coming after me.”

Him as well then. Again, I wasn’t surprised, just disappointed. Part of me knew they couldn’t see the truth yet. Still, another part of me hoped I’d be able to at least talk to my two closest friends about what really happened that night, and about what was really going on in my crazy, messed-up life.

“You saved my life, Jenni. Thank you.” Scott's warm, heartfelt words pulled me out of my depressed thoughts and back into the present, with both of my friends giving me such…grateful looks. The feelings quickly overwhelmed me, both from the warm bubbly feeling that my friends loved and appreciated me, but also still feeling guilty that I didn’t deserve any kind of thanks because of the lives I didn’t manage to save back then.

Maybe they’d feel different if they knew the truth, but I still don’t think I have the experience points to unveil things for both of them even if I wanted to. In the end it’d still be better to wait, even if it's hard and it hurts me to lie to their faces.

What I did know was that I couldn’t keep going on without these two people right here with me at my side. If I ever lost either of them…I don’t know what I’d do.

Maggie had started to make her way back over to us with the food we had ordered.

“Thanks, guys, I’m just…I’m just glad you two are still here with me.” I told them both with raw emotions clear in my strained almost choked up voice.