The pelting rain against our barely standing rooftop seemed to thrum to the sour note that ended my day. Nothing, and I mean nothing could turn my once beautiful world into a complete utter shit hole than this. I could still see the resentment and the slight guilt that clouded those beautiful green eyes as Mason handed me that crumpled note. He hadn't even cared to give me something neat to end our five year relationship. And it was a fuckng note. A piece of paper with hastily scribbled words that had decided to ruin my future plans to be Mrs. Westley. I remember the slight down turn of his chapped lips as he murmured those fateful words that sealed the deal to our destroyed love story. "I think it's time we stop torturing ourselves..." Torturing. That's the word he used to describe our once blissful love, the love that left us breathless, or soaked to the core with the passionate fire that lit our everlasting candle. Torture. I tortured him with my love.
It's funny. When you look up heartbreak on google you get: 'To know true love, you must know heartbreak', quotes by stuck up authors on their painted views of heartbreak, and the definition of the very thing that was destroying me bit by bit. 'Broken heart, the emotions felt after the end of a romance, or grief, or disappointment.' My aching had been shrunk into words, a meaninglesss definition that was plastered on Wikapedia to downplay the real agony of it all. It's crazy how you look back on things that were once never really acknowledable, but now see as memories cherished. The way he'd look at you when you'd catch him staring, the goofy lopsided smile that made your heart skip, those deep mischievous eyes that brought out your inner child, those nights huddled in the grass staring at the night sky, the soft chafing of his five o'clock shadow, and even the dusting of hair that brushed against your cheek whenever he'd whisper into your ear.
I hadn't realized it, but throughout my little episode, I found myself sobbing loudly. Heart wrenching sobs that shook my entire body as I bit hard into my pillow to try and muffle the noise. What was the point? Everyone already knew. Maybe that was why no one had entered to check to see if I was alright. It didn't matter anyways, nothing anyone could say would soften the blow my heart had taken a few days ago. Three days and the pain hadn't even demolished a little bit. With a blown out sigh, I'd roll onto my back to let out the pent up frustration. My chest ached like there was a hundred pound weight resting on it and my nose was a constant runny mess. God knows what my hair and face looked like. Puffy swollen red eyes, a rat's nest of chestnut hair, and snot. Charming.
With a grunt, I finally hefted myself out of my bed for the first time in two days. I must smell like sewage, but the thought only brushes by with a hint of acknowledement. There was no one to impress anymore, was there? The shuffling of my feet combined with the popping of my joints is comforting enough as I made my way to the bathroom I shared with my suite mates. Living in a dorm was by far the most annoying, yet enjoyable experience I've ever had. Sharing this room with two other girls was cringe worthy all on its' own, but sharing one toilet and one shower with five girls in total was absolutely devastating. But, we made it work with our schedules. Flipping on the sink light, I went blind for the first ten seconds before my plain brown eyes finally adjusted to the atrocity staring back at me from the mirror. Dear god. Was that me? The girl staring back was definitely not the care free one just a week ago. The one with the doe like brown eyes, soft full lips, thick brown hair, and kick ass eyeliner. No...definitely not that one. What stared back was the empty shell of what used to be that girl. With a huff of irritation, I'd remove my gaze from the mirror to the water running out of the faucet. A quick splash here and there, then I'd be ready to move on. Right? Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. But I was finally movinig around and pretending to be a functioning human being. That was all society called for anyways. After about an hour or two, I was leaving my dorm looking somewhat decent. My eyes were still red, not much I could do but drown my eyeballs in Clariton Clear and hope for the best, but other than that I seemed normal enough. My eyeliner still kicked ass, but it was all I had at the moment. Exiting the hall and up the stairs. Left. Right. Left. Right. Breathe in. Out. In. Out. I felt like a robot, going through the motions of every day life. That was all society called for.
"So... uh... Marnie. How are things?" The voice was obviously walking on egg shells around me, so it couldn't have been anyone other than Noah. Turning my head to the right, I was greeted with a sight I knew I'd find. Sitting next to me, a scrawny short girl with an eyecatching pixie cut, peaked up at me through the strands of her charcoal hair. Her harry potter glasses teetering on her small freckled nose, framing her wide innocent blue eyes. God. Why do you even make people like her? She's just so...cute. In the most innocent way possible of course. Like a doll you didn't want to drop, a masterpiece you didn't want to touch in fear of ruining it. But then again, Noah wasn't all she seemed. The little pixie was anything but innocent, her viper tongue catching most off guard when they pissed her off. But at the moment, she was the soft spoken shy girl that everyone thought was weird. Everyone but me. Noah and I had met earlier that year in Microbiology. Me being a transfer from another major made it a little difficult to make friends in a major where there had already been set groups of friends. Noah accepted me easily, chattering about different things to find out my interests. An easy friend that soon turned into a friendship that crushed all others.
"A shit ton of fuckery." The venom laced in my words even surprised myself, but Noah knew it wasn't directed towards her. A small nod of agreement is all that I'm given in return before the professor enters the class to begin lecture. My bestfriend sits there typing out all of our notes on her tablet, while I retreat back into my thoughts of self pity. It's not long before lecture is over and everyone is gathering their things to leave for their next class for the day. Noah mentons something about her newest discovery in video games, but it's up and over my head. She realizes this before smacking my arm sharply. A hiss of surprise and I'm turning to face her angrily, but the pissed look on her face reminds me that even if I'm taller by a few inches, she'd probably still take me.
"Sorry Noah, rough few nights." It's all I can mumble before a look of sympathy rolls over her softened features as she reaches out to gather my hand into hers. I'm lead out of the class and into the student center where students file in and out to chatter aimlessly amongst each other. It's at that moment that I show more emotion than I've been able to these past few days. My heart races faster than it has ever before and my breath catches, causing me to stumble into Noah clumsily. There not so far away sits Mason Westley, his country charm sounding through the air as he runs his large hand down the side of a gorgeous blonde. If anything could tear me apart more, it had to be when he ran his fingers down the side of her face. The same exact way he used to do mine. The sudden urge to vomit hit me and I think once Noah caught sight of what I had, she knew to rush me away quickly before I made a mess right there on our shoes. The bathroom door is slammed open, I'm thrown inside, where I find an empty stall and unleash whatever resides in my stomach. Which is pretty much nothing, so I'm left dry heaving most of the time. Noah is there holding my hair, glaring at the other girls who walk in, only to have them leave with harsh whispers. Great, that's all I need is suspcions of pregnancy. I'm up quickly, flushing the toilet and washing out my mouth in the sink. Noah says nothing for a long time, her brows furrowed, and lip quirked up in a snarl the entire time. A quick look back at me and the tiny hell storm is suddenly rushing out of the bathroom in a whirlwind that only meant that all hell was about to break loose. I'm quickly following her, rushing to grab her, but when I catch sight of her, it's when her her fist has connected solidly with Mason's square jaw. For such a tiny girl, she had enough momentum in her punch that it sent the large male nearly falling out of his chair. The entire student center has grown silent as I run up to stand at her side, ready to take on anyone else who wants to jump in. But the silence grows on as Mason slowly turns to find a feisty raven headed girl and of course me, who stands there awkwardly fidgeting to grab Noah and drag her out of there while I still had dignety.
"The FUCK?!" Is the roar that's unleashed when Mason makes eye contact with me. My entire being freezes as our eyes meet, but what confuses me is the spark we used to have is suddenly gone. Not from just his side, but mine as well. My heart still aches for his love, but the tiny part of me that just witnessed his actons just days after breaking my heart leaves me feeling a little braver to meet his gaze square on. Noah is shaking her hand, her small face pinched in pain.
"What the fuck is your face made out of? Fucking concrete?" She gripes rubbing her knuckles gingerly, but it's me that finishes what she started.
"No Mason..." I growl with every course of my being, my steps closing in on him as my finger presses into his masculine chest. "I'm the one who gets to be upset, hurt, torn, pissed! Not you! I never did anything to hurt you, but your head is shoved so far up your ass that you couldn't see that! So... so.." Searching for the words to end this was a lot harder that it should have been. The gorgeous blonde stared at Noah and I like we had grown three heads, her hands covering her mouth like our presence would pop her breast implants. Natural my ass. "Fuck your slut. It makes you no better than your father." It was the one thing I knew that would hurt him and I took it. I unrightfully brought his father into this, the one person in this world that destroyed him. The flury of emotions that flew through his eyes were enough for me to grab Noah and get the hell out of there. By the time we were outside in the crisp Fall air, we could practically hear the sudden burst of chatter that rung through the student center at what had just happened. The Mason Westley, quarterback of our football team as well as starting pitcher for our baseball team, had just been clocked in the jaw and told off by two girls. One being his recent ex-girlfriend and the other being her crazy iniature friend. We took off for Noah's car, not long after we found ourselves in the parking lot of a Mcdonalds. Silence took the car for nearly five minutes before Noah would burst out into a fit of giggles and curses.
"OH, OH MAN. Oh dear fuck! We got him so good, that was awesome! Sweet, sweet dicks in my mouth! I have never laughed this hard in my life. Ever! Jesus. JESUS HELP ME." At this point, I was so in shock that all I could do was stare at my friend like she was a lunatic, her spasming body seemingly collapsing into itself as her laughs filled her small 96' Saturn. Soon, I wasn't as numb, my body finally catching up with my mind. Noah had sucker punched Mason. I told Mason and his plaything off. Holy shit. Once it fully settled on me, just how fucked over Mason was with his little 'followers', a burst of giggles finally seeped from my mouth before Noah and I were left crying with laughter in the front seat of her car in the parking lot of a Mcdonalds.
"What do you think it's like? I mean, being surrounded by sexy assassins would be a little tempting you know?" Noah was off rambling again about her new video game, her thumbs mashing on her controller as I finished making us Mac and Cheese. The house she shared with her two other roommates was left empty, cue me spending the night for the next few nights until I felt ready to deal with the hell that was waiting for me back in the girls dorm. God knows who was waiting to tackle me for more information on the whole Mason and I deal. Splitting our portions into separate bowls, I was finally able to fall into the empty seat next to Noah as she let out a stream of curses while mashing a few more buttons repeatedly. Seeing as how she was busy... was she stabbing somone in the neck? Bleck, not my cup of tea. Placing her bowl down on the glass table in front of us, I'd settle down and allow myself to try and get absorbed in this video game obssession of hers.
"So...uh... what's this game about?" Restraining a grin, I'd have to bite my lip to hold back the giggles that threatened to slip as Noah's neck snapped my way in seconds.
"What's this game about?! Why madam, I would be honored to tell you the story of Ezio Auditore and his sexy adventures!" At that point, Noah had placed down the controller and went into descrptive detail about this Ezio character and his exciting story. I had to admit, the beginning was a bit fucked up. Poor guy. About halfway through, the doorbell rung and Noah had to pause our little story telling to go answer the door. Silence hung like a comforting blanket, but the sudden urge to grab that controller was getting a bit overwhelming. I was never one for video games, but... what was it about this one that was making me a little anxious? It felt like the controller was calling me, beckoning me towards it. The pulling began in my fingertips, then moved into my arms, and then my chest. Maybe for just a second... I doubt Noah would mind... Just as my fingertips brushed the controller did I feel light burst before my very eyes. A bright golden light that enveloped my very being, left me breathless, and floating. A face would suddenly flash in the blinding light, a strong handsome face. He had to be of Italian decent, had to. His long brown hair pulled back, whisps of of it brushing his forehead and cheeks, those brown eyes searching in confusion. But those eyes held a danger that made my core shake with warning and fear. Who was this handsome dangerous man? Before anything else could happen, I was swamped by complete darkness.
Had it been mere moments? Possibly hours? It couldn't have been days, but then again it could have been eternity. When my vision had finally resurfaced, I found myself lying face down against a hard, wet surface. My first thoughts were: how I ended up on the floor, to figuring out what the hell could possibly be wet against my face and chest. God, Noah would murder me if I spilled that mac and cheese. She'd probably never let me live it down if I passed out face first into it either. The distant sounds of dripping water caught my attention next, a pigeon cooing not so far away…
Wait. A pigeon? My arms were shaky at first, but I was able to push myself up enough to catch a good glimpse of my surroundings. The brick that surrounded me seemed like it had aged so finely like a good wine, something out of a fairytale. This definitely wasn't Noah's house. My throat felt painstakingly dry, like I'd inhaled a cup of dirt. Along with this realization, I began coughing up a lung there on the floor, my body quaking with each cough. The slamming door just a few feet from me would have scared the shit out of me, but at the moment I was struggling with even catching my breath. I was pulled up by strong arms, shifted to where I was being carried bridal style, and rushed out of the enchanting room. The blinding light from before would hit my eyes, destroying another sense as I turned from it in a vain attempt at keeping whatever sight I still had. My coughs seemed to only get worse, a liquid now coming up with it. My hand would instantly cover my mouth, the bitter taste of metal staining my lips and tongue.
Coming back to Earth after a few more hacks, my sight would return as the person carrying me would begin shouting things in another language. Being bilingual as it was, I knew instantly it wasn't English or Spanish. I took French in high school so it wasn't that, but it sounded strangely like Italian. Or what Italian would sound like to me if I knew anything about it. Where in the hell was I? I was handed off to another pair of arms, which carried my into a new building. The intoxicating smell of incense hit me instantly and I was left feeling a little better. It was soothing, that was until the distant sound of male and overly sweet women voices hit my ears. Where…? The room was colorful, tapestries hanging from one side of the room to the other, women in old style colorful dresses, that made their breasts pool out of the front, moved about with men at their heels. Too much, it was too much for my mind to take in at once. Instantly, I began to fight whoever was holding me. My weak body pushing and shoving as hard as I could against the strong chest beneath my fists. The man carrying me would pull me against him tighter, obviously annoyed at my struggled attempts at trying to get free. Another cough would wrench free from my chest, shaking me to my core. The cough stopped all fighting, and the male would hiss what sounded like a warning to me. I couldn't fight any more if I wanted to.
I was brought up a flight of stairs and into a long hallway with doors lining on both sides. The sounds that emanated from each of the rooms worried me. These weren't just voices talking, oh no, these were moans and screams. Was someone being murdered behind each of these doors or… The instant my mind understood what was going on, a whole new frightening situation had me squirming to get away. With a grunt, the male holding me would growl something again in a language I couldn't catch onto before kicking open a door and throwing me onto a bed. I'd quickly claw my way up and make a dive for beneath the bed, only to have the male catch me mid dive and throw me back onto it. The last thing I could do was let out a scream, a scream so shrill that it hurt my own ears. With my eyes closed tightly shut, I'd allow everything to come with the scream. My anger, the agony my chest was causing, and the confusion. Suddenly I was cut off my a sharp stinging in my cheek, my face suddenly forced to the side. My screaming would stop and the pain in my cheek would take over enough to cause tears to brim in my eyes.
A beautiful woman with brown hair, dressed in all red would watch me with intense eyes. She didn't look angry or irritated, more like filled with wonder and curiosity. It took me a moment to realize she'd been the one to slap me, but when it finally registered in my mind I was a little pissy about it. "Who the hell do you think you are, you crazy bitch?!" My screech would echo in the room, the woman still looking me over in wonder before turning to the male, who'd retreated to the door to watch, and giving him orders. With a curt nod, the male who was shrouded by shadows would look my way before turning his back on me and walking out into the light of the hallway. Dressed in white robes, his hood thrown over his head to hide his face from me, he'd retreat with the door closing firmly behind him. This left me in the room with the crazy witch who'd slapped the crap out of me moments before. My hand rested against my cheek, rubbing the tenderness away as I scanned the room for any other escape routes. All I was left with was a closed window and from what I remembered, I was on the second floor.