Alright people, this is an entry to the “Side Characters Contest” JFW1415 is holding.

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My back began to ache as I sat up and ran my hand through my knotty, unbrushed hair. I yawned, eying the board I had been napping on; it was exploding with dark and dreary colors. The sign read, “Paper Cut.” Three tall individuals with pale skin and incredibly sharp teeth were drooling over the title with hungry eyes.

The board itself was an advertisement for the highly-anticipated movie of the summer. It had two sides to it, both supported each other in a triangular fashion. A pillow I had brought with me sat on the ground, making me the slightest bit more comfortable when I rested my bum.

My friend and I were camping out in front of the movie theater until “Paper Cut” tickets were being sold. I glanced at my watch and sighed, leaning back down on the board. We still had to wait five more hours, which terribly boring if you couldn’t fall asleep.

I decided to lean over a bit farther, straining my neck as I did so. The line for the movie was longer than I thought. Tomorrow was opening day of this movie, and we were first in line. For months people have been chatting relentlessly about this film, and I simply got sucked in, along with Jared. We both had to see it.

A building stood across from the spot Jared and I were camping out on. It's foggy windows mixed with the darkness, along with the multiple shops aligned next to it. The paint-jobs all over were depressing, but, in my opinion, it just gave the city character.

A snore rose from next to me and I looked over, glaring at my friend. I felt like punching his stupid nose. He rolled over and dug his hands out from under himself, using them as a pillow. Obviously I wasn’t going to be able to get to sleep, so I continued to lean up against the board and take in my surroundings.

A scream sounded from across the street. I jolted up, surprised by the sudden noise. I glanced over and saw a woman tugging desperately on her purse. The silver sheen of the pocket book bounced off the moon and shone straight into my eyes, making the woman and the wannabe thief barely visible.

I shook my friend, and he snorted as he opened his eyes. “What?” he slurred, scratching his head groggily. He yawned and sat up, his eyes opening wider as he took in the scene across the street. “Jesus.”

“Somebody should help her!” a man called heroically, and he dashed over to aid the woman with a few of his friends following him. They leaped across the street, dodging a couple of irritated oncoming drivers, and tackled the thief.

The thief lay face-first of the ground, groaning. The woman had her arms folded around her belonging, and was smiling triumphantly, watching the purse-snatcher struggle to get up. “Shouldn’t somebody call the police?” I wondered aloud. My friend looked at me and shrugged.

“I don’t really care,” he mumbled, slowly positioning himself into his former position. “Wake me up when the movie opens.” I glared at him, but I dismissed my annoyance. It was never a surprised when Jared didn't care for something. Rolling my eyes, I once again positioned myself against the board, keeping a full view of the scene happening across the street.

Within a couple minutes, it was over, and the hysteria faded into the night. My friend’s snoring overwhelmed the air, causing multiple eyes to crack open and glare at the source of the noise.

*~*~

My watch flew up to my face probably twelve times in the last minute. I was standing in front of the ticket booth, hopping from one foot to the other while excitement raced through my veins. I’ve never done something like this before, pulling an all-nighter. I didn't expect something so foolish to cause so much adrenaline.

A squeak came from the ticket booth next to me and I spun my head, watching the sweaty teenager open up.

“Two for Paper Cut,” I spluttered before he could have a chance to glance up at the long line awaiting before him.

His eyes drifted up to mine and he sighed, shuffling around in the small space the booth allowed him. I slipped my credit card under the small opening and he swiped it, handing it back to me with two tickets.

My grin stretched across my face as I spun around and gave my friend his ticket. His smile rivaled mine as we stepped inside and entered the movie theater. We raced to the screening room, not bothering to get any snacks, and plopped down right in the front row.

The previews began to start, followed by the highly-anticipated movie itself. I heard expectant crunches of popcorn behind me, the sounds accelerating as the title sequence faded into the dreary gray sky. My friend nudged my arm, hopping the slightest bit in his seat.

~

“Jesus, Annie!” I simply smiled at the exclamation. “Didn’t you love that movie?” he asked, clutching my hand as we led ourselves out of the theater so we weren’t separated in the sea of vampire-obsessed teenagers.

“It was good,” was the only opinion that entered my thoughts. He glanced at me and expressed an unconvinced frown. “It was, I swear! Great movie, fabulous movie; I loved it, Jared.” Jared rolled his eyes.

“Sure you did,” he pretended to sulk. Like I cared whether or not he chose to embarrass himself in public.

“Whatever,” I dismissed the subject, annoyed with his childish actions. “Let’s go over to the café across the street; I have money left over from not buying any snacks.” Jared shrugged in agreement and we paused at the end of the sidewalk, waiting patiently for the cars to pass. We sprinted across the street when we got the chance and halted once we stepped onto the other side.

“Shit,” I heard Jared mutter as we stepped into a bakery. We had just started to be overwhelmed by the aroma of fresh bread. I took advantage of the moment and wafted the smell through my nose, enjoying the brief sensation. “I forgot my glasses.” The sun was relentless today, so we had both brought sunglasses with us. “I’ll be right back,” he turned back outside and I didn’t bother waiting for him. I slid up to the counter to order a scone.

“Two-fifty?” the boy at the counter asked, and I dug into my purse to retrieve my wallet. The sound of change dropping onto the counter collided with an incredibly audible honk of a horn and the desperate squealing of tires.

My head spun in the direction of the noise, and my eyes spotted several groups of people flocking to the car. “One sec,” I told the employee, and I dashed across the street to join the large group.

The street was relatively empty; I didn’t have to wait for the cars to pass. I reached the crowd and pushed past a large woman, so I could look upon the source of the driver’s crash.

My eyes lay upon the alleged source, and I broke into tears.

~

Strong hands were leading me across the street. Gulping my sobs, I tried to concentrate on the road ahead of me. "Calm down, Miss," the police officer urged me as I seated myself in his cruiser. "He'll be fine."

I found myself shaking my head strongly in disagreement. The disagreement would have been verbal, but my tears swallowed up any words I could have mustered. He shut the door quietly before plopping into the driver's seat. Sniffing, I looked out the window and spotted a poor man shifting his position up against a dank wall. He looked vaguely familiar, but I dismissed the thought.

We drove behind the ambulance the entire time, which was torturous beyond end. The constant reminder shot my memories back to the horrendous image I saw several minutes ago. My best friend sprawled upon the sidewalk, bruises decorating a large portion of his body. I clasped my hands over my arms as I shuddered relentlessly, unable to shake the image from my mind.

I wanted desperately to ride in the ambulance with him, but the medics thought I was too hysterical. My shoulders were shaking violently as I choked and sobbed to one of them. All the while the paramedic couldn't stop looking at Jared, and his eyes searched him frantically. He gave a half-hearted attempt to comfort me before rushing me off to a police officer; he didn't seem to want to be near me at all.

My seatbelt was driving me to the brink of insanity. Normally I'm all for vehicular safety, but at the moment, any kind of restraint pushed me off the edge. My breath exceeded it's current pace by several times, and sweat flowed from my palms. I ripped my seatbelt from its socket and threw it across the back seat. The policeman twisted around to look at the seatbelt, and I reluctantly put it back on, continuing to agonize.

We arrived at the hospital several minutes later; the cruiser had to go faster than usual to keep up with the ambulance. We swung into the parking lot as I watched Jared being flung out of the ambulance in a stretcher and rushed through the hospital doors. I lunged at the door to race after Jared, but all I heard was an annoying click when I tried to escape.

"Let me get that," the officer offered, and got out of the car. How could he possibly be so calm? The policeman walked around the side of the car and smiled at me nervously as he opened my door. I didn't thank him - it was his penalty for taking his time - and sprinted through the hospital doors.

~

No matter how bad a situation was, some people always felt that you could forgive somebody in their sleep. The peacefulness overwhelmed the room effortlessly, and I felt at ease. His eyes were closed, his breath steady, and the room a clean, crisp white.

I loved it.

What I didn't love was the white box beeping inconspicuously next to him. The sound snuck up on you when your thoughts shallowed up, and I glared at it half the time I was in there. The box was as clean and smooth as everything else, but the rhythm failed to be the same. The line was uneven and worrying, and my eyes wouldn't tear away from it. Jared's heart rate was completely unpredictable - to me, at least. The doctors said he would recover in due time.

"Annabelle?" I spun my head around, meeting with the concerned eyes of a doctor. He looked like the paramedic that didn't want to comfort me; I suppose everybody dressed in white looked the same.

"Yes?" I answered in the most composed tone I could create. The doctor approached the bed cautiously as if he didn't want to spark any strong emotional reaction within me.

"We have to run some tests," he explained. "I'm sorry, but for the moment, you must leave your friend alone." Tears threatened to sting my eyes. I tore myself from my seat and sulked over to the door, stalling as I dropped my hand onto the knob lazily. At a weak moment of curiosity, my eyes wandered to the doctor. A look of impatience masked his face, and I quit stalling and brought myself to leave the room.

A couple passed me when I gave into my tears. They both shot me pitiful looks as the color of my face escalated to a deep shade of red. Hurrying to the bathroom, I slammed the door and searched frantically for the paper towels. They were dry and brown, but I could care less. The staleness of the paper rubbed against my skin uncomfortably, and I threw the tear-stained paper into the trash bin.

I splashed water onto my face and glared at the mirror, staring into my own eyes. Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine. I raised my hand to wipe another oncoming tear from my eye when a gust of wind blew my hair into my line of vision.

My gaze slipped over to the open window just as a swiftly moving silhouette left my sight. At least, I thought I saw a figure. My paranoia was getting to me. I never knew a person could become so unstable after one event.

I wanted to give in to my paranoia. All I had to do was see Jared's face one more time and assure myself he was alright. I exited the bathroom and entered the hallway, taking a deep breath when I reached for his door.

Upon entering, Jared's disfigured form entrapped me immediately. His neck was mercilessly ripped open, and his eyes were open wide with horror. Blood was absolutely everywhere; dripping from his neck and pouring onto the floor.

The thick red liquid reached my sneakers, and I looked down, unable to figure out how I was supposed to act in such a state of shock. A formerly snow-white coat was thrown onto the back of a chair, now drenched in blood. I couldn't breathe. And if I could have spoken before, I definitely couldn't now.

I didn't have the energy to scream.

~*~*~*~

Sorry about the vampire thing - it seemed to go with the movie and the white-ness.. I was tempted. That's right. I tempted myself. I'm pathetic. I know this is probably the fifteenth vampire story you've read today, but you'll simply have to deal with it. I was to uncreative to think of a better ending, even if it is a little random.

Poor Jared =(

I hope you enjoyed it!