Breathing
I started this a while ago and finally finished the third and last chapter today. I hope you enjoy it, the next chapters will be up soon.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Scarlett and the plot.
She sits staring miserably out the window as the rest of the people surrounding her laugh and joke as they drink and then refill the glasses that they are clutching as they mingle amongst the rest of the guests at the party.
She hasn't been given an option about attending the New Years Party which Mitchie is throwing. The first reason being that she is a famous music producer and has to make a public appearance at the social highlights of the year. The second reason is that she is supposed to be meeting Mitchie's new boyfriend at this party. The third reason is that she lives here. And the fourth reason is simple- Mitchie is her best friend.
"Caitlyn." Mitchie bounds up to her, to where she sits perched on the window sill in the living room, dragging a laughing man behind her. It took Caitlyn a second to place the man and then she realises that it's Shane Gray, one third of Connect Three. "This is Shane, my boyfriend. Shane this is Caitlyn, my best friend."
Shane does a double take at her and then immediately tries to hide it. But Caitlyn can't blame him she knew that she didn't look like the type to be best friend's with someone as cheerful and positive as Mitchie but at one time she had been the lively one.
"Pleased to meet you." Shane extends his hand which she shakes and offers her own polite smiles and greetings. She makes conversation with them for a few minutes and she knows that while she may be fooling Shane she sure as well isn't fooling Mitchie with her false party spirit.
And then she catches sight of a blond haired girl wearing a red strapless dress with matching stilettos clearing a space in the throng of people and start to dance calling to the surrounding people to join her.
And somewhere at the back of her mind she sees another blond dressed in a similar colour and style dress clear a space and begin to dance.
Without warning the familiar tears spring to her eyes and she pushes past Mitchie ignoring her worried cries and shoves open the patio doors leading to the garden and collapses on the nearest garden chair.
And then her head goes down on the table and she begins to cry loud gasping sobs that if anyone steps out for a bit of air cannot fail to hear. But no one does come evidently the cold, sharp air puts them off as they prefer to suffer in the stuffy heat of the living room.
Her tears begin to fade and her head goes back up only to find that the cold, sharp air hasn't put this curly haired guy off and he's sitting opposite her waiting for her to stop crying. As her shocked eyes meet his concerned one she can't stop the blush from spreading across her face.
"You okay?" He asks reaching his hand out towards hers but the second her skin makes contact with his and the spark hits them both she pulls it back. He looks hurt as she drags his eyes away from his and immediately she feels the guilt spread over her body.
And it's for this reason alone that she hisses at him "Just leave me alone." And with that Nate Gray walks back through the double doors and into the joys of the party.
She knows that she can't let him get too close because then she'll care, the guilt being evidence that she already does, and if she cares then he'll slip away and she'll never get him back.
It's the principle she's been using for two years, three months and eleven days and the only exception is Mitchie because a) she knows why Caitlyn's doing it having witnessed it herself and b) she's been her best friend ever since they were seven and there's no way Mitchie will let Caitlyn go like that.
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"What did you do to Nate?" Mitchie asks the next morning as Caitlyn helps her clear away the empty bottles, wash the glasses and plates, get the trodden food out the carpet and rearrange the furniture back to its former home.
Caitlyn almost drops the glass she's drying up and then realises that Nate is Shane's brother and Shane is Mitchie's boyfriend and so it's obvious that Mitchie will know the whole story. "Why are you asking when you already know?"
"Because I want to know why you pushed him away when he was only trying to help."
Caitlyn raises her eyebrows at her best friend and takes the next glass from the draining board. "You can't keep pushing everyone away." Mitchie tells her tipping away the water now that she's finished the washing up.
And then she catches sight of Caitlyn's face and she knows why Caitlyn did it. "Caitlyn not everyone's going to die on you."
"You don't know that."
"And Nate doesn't know why you were so rude to him." Mitchie points out slipping her arm around Caitlyn.
Caitlyn opens her mouth to speak but before she can get the words out the doorbell rings and Mitchie disentangles herself from her friend and pulls the door open to see the whole of Connect Three standing outside.
Caitlyn stands there watching as Mitchie throws herself into Shane's arms and almost wishes that she has what they have. But she doesn't and she never will because she doesn't believe in love. She used to but now, now her little sister's dead love has just slipped out of her life.
"You know most people at your age don't still have their teddies in their living room let alone hug them when they have visitors." Nate smirks at her and she glances down in surprise to find that she's unconsciously clutching Scarlett's teddy that she gave her on her first birthday.
She feels the anger flowing through her at his snide comment and then has to remind herself that he doesn't know. And so she tries to laugh it off and then follows Mitchie and Shane through to the kitchen.
"What the hell are they doing here?" she hisses at Mitchie once she has sent Shane through to ask his brothers what they want to drink.
"You like Nate." Mitchie states so simply that Caitlyn wonders if anyone can ever fool her.
"No I don't." She denies because admitting it to Mitchie means admitting it herself and she doesn't believe in love.
But Mitchie just raises an eyebrow at her and hands her a glass of water. "And I want to spend time with my boyfriend. Why what's wrong?"
Caitlyn shakes her head and holds the worn, old, loved teddy up so that Mitchie can see it. "Nate…he…" And then Mitchie properly looks at her and immediately gets what she's trying to say and knows what passed between them.
It's the same thing that happened with Sander the first time Caitlyn invited him back to their house. He was the first and the last guy she dated since the accident. "I'm sorry." Mitchie's arms go around hers for a second before she pulls back. "But if you want to be happy then you've got to try, tell Nate."
Shane saves Caitlyn from having to answer by re entering the kitchen with an order of two cokes and one water. And so Caitlyn leaves the two of them too it and joins Jason and Nate but not before she's made a detour to her room to return to sit the teddy back on her bedside table.
She makes every effort to join in the conversation during lunch and to keep her eyes away from Nate. And while she succeeds in the first attempt she fails drastically when it comes to the second one. Every time he speaks her eyes stray that way and several other times as well and her eyes always linger longer than they should on him.
As conversation is prone to do when you put two singers, one guitarist, one singer/instrumentalist and one music producer in a room together the talk turns to music and their careers. "What was your first song?" Shane asks his girlfriend.
"This is Me." She answers remembering the first song she ever wrote. "It was also Caitlyn's first time producing a song."
"And filming one." Caitlyn adds as the memories of the problems she had had with the video camera flash before her eyes. "Although it was the last time I ever filmed anything."
"Can we see it?" Jason asks eager to see the homemade video of Mitchie's first song. Mitchie nods and disappears into her room to find the tape and Caitlyn has a sinking feeling in her stomach but can't find the reason behind it.
It's only when they're half through the video Shane giving Mitchie adoring looks as her eighteen year old self sings to the screen that Caitlyn remembers why. In the background of Mitchie singing they hear the sound of a whispered argument and the camera shakes slightly as Caitlyn loses her concentration with the filming.
Eventually the camera regains its control and a blond haired girl of about twelve enters the shot and grins and Mitchie and starts to dance. From the look of Mitchie she had forgotten this and so had Caitlyn but the shock of seeing her sister again is too much.
"Scarlett." She breathes and she bolts out of her seat and crouches in front of the TV. "Damn it." She shrieks and she reels back and punches the wall in front of her. "Damn it Scarlett why did you have to leave me. Why did you choose that street to cross?"
And then the sobs let themselves rip and she curls up on the floor hugging her knees to her chest as the memories flash before her. She's not aware of Shane, Nate and Jason leaving talking in hushed tones, of Mitchie promising to call them later and of her best friend crouching down beside her and wrapping her in a hug.
And all that time the curly haired teen continues to film, the brunette continues to sing and the blond continues to dance.
Sorry for any mistakes. I have proof read but I can't guarantee I spotted everything. Thanks for reading.
Tacxxx
