I watched as he provoked her decision to get in the car. Nothing I could do or say could possibly change Steph’s mind. She made her choice the moment she laid her pretty blue eyes on him.

The “him” I speak of was a rough looking boy with dirty blonde hair and devilish eyes that we met outside our hotel. Every word he spoke sank deep in her heart as she got lost in his mesmerizing eyes. At first he seemed like a normal beach boy that we are approached by each time we come down. But after awhile things started to get weird.
“Why don’t you come with me” he said to Steph with a sly grin on his tanned face. “But not you” pointing his boney finger at me. “Only you” he blurted as he winked at her.
All Steph could do was nod and giggle as she began to walk to the car. I grabbed her small wrist pulling her 10 feet back.
“Steph, what are you doing?” I cried hoping she would recognize the terror in my voice. “You don’t know him, what if he tries to hurt you?”
“He wont Ali, he’s nice” she assured with a smile.
She wiggled free from my clutch and got in the passenger seat. Tears of uneasiness ran down my face as I mouthed “Please don’t do this.”
But before she could react to my pleads, he slammed the door, turned to me and grinned.

***

“Hello?”
“Hello mam, am I speaking to uh, Ali R.?” a deep voice asked from the other line.
“Yes.. Yes you are” I said uneasily
“You were visiting the ocean with..” a long pause occurred before he said “a Stephanie P., is that right?” I could sense the trembling in his deep voice.
Tears rolled down my face. “Is she ok? I mean yes I am on vacation with her. Is she with..” But before I could ask anything else he cut me off.
“Mam, can you come down to North Point Hospital. She insisted we call you and no one else.”



I ran into the hospital busting through the door in which held Steph. I found myself in the ER room. I gazed at Steph wrapped in white gauze with only her razored face showing. I began to sob at first glance of her. “Steph are you ok?” the words barely broke through my loud cries.
She looked at me through her bloodshot red eyes and spoke softly “He hurt me Ali.”
I cried louder from hearing those words come out of her mouth. She touched my face to signal me to look up at her.
“This is what is keeping me alive” she announced to me as she pointed at the slowly beeping machine.
“I hurt Ali, I’m in so much pain that I don’t want to live anymore.”
I was confused at first, not knowing what she wanted.
“I gave them permission to cut me from the machine.” She looked away as a small tear ran down her once beautiful face.
“I just wanted to let you know”
I looked at her eyes sensing all the pain she was in and I understood, no matter how much sorrow it put me through.
She looked at me for the last time of her short lived life and said softly “I should have listened to you”