worry. "Liz," he said. "Thank God you've come."
Jessica sat down next to Elizabeth. "Hi, Ricky," she said very softly. "How is she?"
"I don't know," he answered, looking down at his feet again.
"What happened?" Elizabeth asked anxiously.
"She took a bottle of pills. ... I don't know what they were," said Ricky. "1 gave the doctors the bottle."
"Have they told you anything yet?"
Ricky shook his head. "I told her never mind what they'd done to her and what they were saying," Ricky cried. "But I guess it was just
more than she could handle She's only a kid, you know. How much can a kid take?"
Elizabeth watched Jessica sink back in her chair, a look of panic on her face.
"I just had a terrible feeling when she was absent from school again today," Ricky continued. "I can't explain it. I felt this horrible chill go through me. I cut last period and went over to her apartment--I've visited Annie there a few times since she ... since the tryouts. I rang the bell. I rang and rang and knocked on the door. Then I went to a pay phone and called. Why did I waste so much time?" he raged at himself.
"But you couldn't know," Elizabeth soothed, trying to calm him down.
Finally, Ricky related, he had raced back to the apartment and broken down the door. "I found her on the bathroom floor, white and clammy and not breathing. I don't know how long she'd been unconscious."
His voice cracked as he explained how he'd called for an ambulance and tried to revive Annie. "I yelled at her and shook her and prayed a lot," he said. "She mumbled something once, and that was all. Finally the paramedics got there, and we rushed right over here."
Ricky was drained by the ordeal. He sat there exhausted, yet unable to relax or let go until he knew how Annie was.
"How could they do this?" he snapped suddenly, sitting up. "What kind of stuck-up, mean kids could do this to a poor, scared girl?"
Jessica was crying now, tears running down her face.
Ricky saw her and slumped back into his chair. "Oh, no, Jess, I didn't mean it. I--you--I don't know what I'm saying!"
Jessica's sobs were audible now. She leaned her head over on Elizabeth's shoulder and wept uncontrollably.
"Stop it, Jess," Elizabeth whimpered tremulously. "You'll have me crying, too."
"I can't help it," Jessica sputtered. "I did this. You know I did. I'm the one who put Annie in there."
"Now, Jess, just take it easy," Elizabeth said, fighting back her own tears.
"She wanted to be a cheerleader, but oh, no! High and mighty Jessica Wakefield wouldn't let her," Jessica agonized.
Her sobs had hardly quieted when suddenly a distraught, wild-eyed Mrs. Whitman rushed into the Emergency Wing followed by her boyfriend Johnny.
"Where's my baby?" Mrs. Whitman screamed, turning wildly around toward anyone who would listen. "Where's the doctor?"
"Take it easy, Mona," said Johnny, catching up with her.
"Don't you tell me to take it easy," she yelled, pulling away from him.
A stern-faced attendant in a starched white coat walked up to Mrs. Whitman and spoke sharply to her. "Please, madam! This is a hospital."
Finding someone to direct her trouble to, Mona
Whitman grabbed the woman with both hands. "Where's my baby! What are you doing with her?"
"Who are you talking about?" the attendant asked calmly, extracting herself from the clutching hands.
"Annie Whitman!"
"Oh, yes," the attendant said. "She's in the emergency room now. They're doing all they can."
"Is she going to be all right?"
"We don't know yet, Mrs. Whitman. There's nothing to do but wait."
"Wait?" cried Mrs. Whitman. "I can't wait! Oh, my kitten! My kitten! Why did you do such a thing?"
She staggered to a chair and collapsed into it, breathing raggedly and digging into her purse. She found a pack of cigarettes and took one out with shaking fingers. Johnny lit it for her. Only then did Mrs. Whitman notice the twins and Ricky.
"Ricky," she said, jumping up and hurrying over to where he sat with Elizabeth and Jessica. Ricky,
Jessica sat down next to Elizabeth. "Hi, Ricky," she said very softly. "How is she?"
"I don't know," he answered, looking down at his feet again.
"What happened?" Elizabeth asked anxiously.
"She took a bottle of pills. ... I don't know what they were," said Ricky. "1 gave the doctors the bottle."
"Have they told you anything yet?"
Ricky shook his head. "I told her never mind what they'd done to her and what they were saying," Ricky cried. "But I guess it was just
more than she could handle She's only a kid, you know. How much can a kid take?"
Elizabeth watched Jessica sink back in her chair, a look of panic on her face.
"I just had a terrible feeling when she was absent from school again today," Ricky continued. "I can't explain it. I felt this horrible chill go through me. I cut last period and went over to her apartment--I've visited Annie there a few times since she ... since the tryouts. I rang the bell. I rang and rang and knocked on the door. Then I went to a pay phone and called. Why did I waste so much time?" he raged at himself.
"But you couldn't know," Elizabeth soothed, trying to calm him down.
Finally, Ricky related, he had raced back to the apartment and broken down the door. "I found her on the bathroom floor, white and clammy and not breathing. I don't know how long she'd been unconscious."
His voice cracked as he explained how he'd called for an ambulance and tried to revive Annie. "I yelled at her and shook her and prayed a lot," he said. "She mumbled something once, and that was all. Finally the paramedics got there, and we rushed right over here."
Ricky was drained by the ordeal. He sat there exhausted, yet unable to relax or let go until he knew how Annie was.
"How could they do this?" he snapped suddenly, sitting up. "What kind of stuck-up, mean kids could do this to a poor, scared girl?"
Jessica was crying now, tears running down her face.
Ricky saw her and slumped back into his chair. "Oh, no, Jess, I didn't mean it. I--you--I don't know what I'm saying!"
Jessica's sobs were audible now. She leaned her head over on Elizabeth's shoulder and wept uncontrollably.
"Stop it, Jess," Elizabeth whimpered tremulously. "You'll have me crying, too."
"I can't help it," Jessica sputtered. "I did this. You know I did. I'm the one who put Annie in there."
"Now, Jess, just take it easy," Elizabeth said, fighting back her own tears.
"She wanted to be a cheerleader, but oh, no! High and mighty Jessica Wakefield wouldn't let her," Jessica agonized.
Her sobs had hardly quieted when suddenly a distraught, wild-eyed Mrs. Whitman rushed into the Emergency Wing followed by her boyfriend Johnny.
"Where's my baby?" Mrs. Whitman screamed, turning wildly around toward anyone who would listen. "Where's the doctor?"
"Take it easy, Mona," said Johnny, catching up with her.
"Don't you tell me to take it easy," she yelled, pulling away from him.
A stern-faced attendant in a starched white coat walked up to Mrs. Whitman and spoke sharply to her. "Please, madam! This is a hospital."
Finding someone to direct her trouble to, Mona
Whitman grabbed the woman with both hands. "Where's my baby! What are you doing with her?"
"Who are you talking about?" the attendant asked calmly, extracting herself from the clutching hands.
"Annie Whitman!"
"Oh, yes," the attendant said. "She's in the emergency room now. They're doing all they can."
"Is she going to be all right?"
"We don't know yet, Mrs. Whitman. There's nothing to do but wait."
"Wait?" cried Mrs. Whitman. "I can't wait! Oh, my kitten! My kitten! Why did you do such a thing?"
She staggered to a chair and collapsed into it, breathing raggedly and digging into her purse. She found a pack of cigarettes and took one out with shaking fingers. Johnny lit it for her. Only then did Mrs. Whitman notice the twins and Ricky.
"Ricky," she said, jumping up and hurrying over to where he sat with Elizabeth and Jessica. Ricky,
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