Shattered
A/N: As usual, Huey is modeled after Bryan Fenkart, because he's the cutest thing I have ever seen and I love him.
This is basically an alternate ending. Sort of. I love these, don't I? XD It's really more of a 'What If…' scenario. But call it whatever you want. ^^;;
This starts right as Huey and Felicia kiss after his proposal is rejected. Enjoy!
Now, without further ado, I present 'Shattered'!
I don't know how I didn't see it coming. A dark street corner, no one around…having lived in Memphis all of my life, you would think I'd expect something like this to happen. My daddy had warned me about downtown Memphis, hadn't he? Not about this exact kind of thing, of course…he had warned me about the blacks down in this area. But he had warned me all the same.
And, of course, being the crazy ol' fool I am, I ignored him completely. I wasn't thinking straight and I let this happen.
One moment I'm kissing Felicia tenderly, feeling her body against mine, and the next second, we're apart.
"Huey!" I heard Felicia scream.
I opened my mouth to say something, to try and figure out what was going on, but I was cut off by a hard shove to my front. Before I could even process what was happening, I was on the ground and a man was on top of me, his eyes and the paleness of his skin being the only thing visible in the sudden darkness. Had they knocked out the lights or something? Well, that wasn't good. At all.
I heard another scream, but this one was full of pain. My eyes widened and I twisted my head to the side, trying my hardest to see Felicia…and immediately regretted it.
A wooden bat, caked with blood, suddenly rained down onto her body, crashing into her with a sickening 'crack'.
"FELICIA!" I cried out, immediately beginning to thrash. They were hurting her, and just because she was black! Was this what we white folk had turned into? Savage killers? The mere thought made me sick. "HELP! SOMEONE!"
The man who was holding me down raised his arm and punched me hard in the face, causing my world to spin and my cries to cease. I yelped in pain, but it was nothing compared to the shrieks coming from my right. There'd be a blood-curdling screech, then a brief pause. And I mean brief. Maybe one or two seconds. Then, another screech. Each one sounded even more pain-filled and tortured than the one before it.
Even in my dazed state, I still kept on kicking and squirming, desperate to free myself. I needed to get those heartless sons of bitches off my Felicia! It wasn't right – not at all! People should not be judged by the color of their skin, but the love and kindness they showed others! And Felicia…God, Felicia was one of the sweetest people I knew! This was the reason that I had started broadcasting rock n' roll on the radio; to spread the truth. And the truth was that who a person was was who they were on the inside, not the outside.
Another punch, this one to my other cheek. I could taste the blood that was filling my mouth – metallic, bitter. I didn't give up, though; I was fueled by my love for Felicia. She wouldn't stop fighting if our positions were reversed, would she? Her screams were still ringing in my ears, though they were growing quieter…oh, God. I had to fight…for her!
"HELP! SOMEBODY! PLEASE!"
Of course, that didn't mean I was going to win.
He slammed his fist into the cheek he had hit the first time, and I saw stars. I howled this time, and spat up a good deal of scarlet on the man's face. I smiled smugly, unable to not feel a bit proud of myself, but this quickly disappeared when he pressed hard on my wrists and put his face close to mine. His breath smelled absolutely terrible, and if I wanted to puke before, the need to do so was stronger than before. "Shut up." He snarled, tone like venom. I tried, and failed, to hide my fright.
"H-Huey…" A weak sob. Felicia was no longer screaming.
There was a final strike. She just cried.
Before I could even say a thing, they're gone. I'm lying where I was - on the curb, half of my torso on the sidewalk and the rest of me on the asphalt. Everything is silent, save for the snivels to my right.
"Felicia…!" I got to my feet and stumbled over to her, wondering why there was two of everything.
She was curled up in a bloody ball, her once-gold dress stained red. I could only see her back and some disheveled hair from my angle, so I kneeled down by her side reached out to turn her onto her back. As soon as I made contact with her, however, she protested:
"N-No, Huey! Don't! You c-can't see me l-like this…"
I shook my head and turned her over anyway, much to her dislike, and ceased to breathe at what I saw.
Maybe I shouldn't have looked.
Her face was smeared with scarlet, causing some of her gorgeous black hair to stick to her forehead. Her entire front was trashed; her dress was ripped and drenched in her own blood, as were her arms. There were already-forming bruises on said arms, and a particularly nasty one on her collarbone. Her bracelet was in pieces on the ground a few feet away…probably ripped off of her during the scuffle.
I felt a lump form in my throat.
"Felicia…" I eased my arms around her body and pulled her onto my lap, her head propped up on my bicep. She whimpered pitifully, but put up no resistance.
"H-Hey, sugar…" She rasped, smiling a little. Tears rolled down her cheeks, creating faint lines through the blood.
"Felicia, God…I'm so sorry…" I said helplessly, feeling my own tears prick at my eyes.
"Don't f-feel sorry, Huey…it's no-ot your fault…" She assured, lifting a shaky arm. I tried to get her to put it back down, but she refused and cupped my cheek with that trembling hand of hers. I put my own hand over it, not even caring about the fact that my cheek was now smudged with her blood.
"But-"
"No, Huey." She pressed, tone surprisingly firm.
I sighed softly, closing my eyes and leaning into her hand. A few tears escaped, running down my face and wetting our hands.
"I'll take care of you, OK, Felicia?" I made to get up, to carry her down the alley and into the nightclub. They had a phone there – they could call an ambulance and get Felicia the help she needed.
Then, she said the words that broke me.
"It's too l-late, Huey."
I stared down at her like she had grown three heads, disbelieving. I shook my head hard, trying not to sob too loud. "No, it's not too late! It can't be too late!" I moved to rise again, but she shook her head and smiled once more. I found myself hating that smile more and more, just because of what it stood for.
"Y-Yeah. It is, s-sugar."
I was shaking terribly at this point, not ready to accept that this was the end. Why was she OK with all of this? I needed her! We needed each other! I loved her…God wouldn't take her from me…would He? "Please, Felicia…don't leave me…you can't…"
She caressed my cheek with that hand of hers, spreading the blood about. That dreaded scarlet. Out of nowhere, she began to sing…and, boy, was her voice still as beautiful as ever. "Some n-night, I'm gonna hurt yo-ou bad; some night, I'll ca-cause you p-pain…"
Cause me pain? All of this was my fault; how could she be turning it on herself?
"Some ni-ight, I'm gonna l-leave you dry-y and cryin' in the rain…!"
I held her even closer, hanging my head and crying softly. Her hand fell from my face and landed on her chest, yet she continued, unfazed, with different lyrics than the ones she sang in the radio station two years ago:
"And s-some night, it-it's here, I-I'm set…"
How could she accept this? How? I didn't want her to leave! Not now!
"But, boy, you're lookin' good…"
I could have laughed through all the tears. I looked good? My cheek was covered in her blood, and my own dribbled down my chin and had already started marking my shirt and leopard-print jacket with little scarlet dots. I was fairly certain that my jaw was broken, or, at least, fractured, because it hurt like Hell. I also probably had bruises forming on each side of my face. And that looked good?
"So, l-let's pr-pretend tonight wo-won't end and a-act like lovers s-should!"
She pushed herself up, albeit weakly, and once I saw what she was doing, I helped her. I carefully adjusted my arm so that her face was near mine.
"I-I love y-you, Huey." She whispered, still smiling. "K-Kiss me…ple-please. This l-last time."
Our tears mingled as I crashed our lips together, me clutching her to my chest like she was the most important thing in the world – which she most definitely was. I put as much passion into that fervent kiss as I possibly could, wanting to make her last her best.
In that one moment, I swear, I could feel our hearts beating as one…we were connected, right then. I felt it…I'm sure I did.
And then…she grew limp against me. That heart of hers stopped, and her eyes, which had closed during the kiss, remained that way.
I bawled. Tears surged down my face, and I did nothing to stop them. I just wept, clinging to Felicia's lifeless body, unable to move. I couldn't walk, I couldn't stand…I couldn't even move my face from where it was buried in the crook of her neck. My body convulsed with each sob, shaking both me and my now deceased lover.
I must have sat there for a real long time, because once I was cried out, her skin was stone cold to the touch. Sniffling, I rose, cradling her in my arms like she was a small child. I then proceeded to walk – well, more like trudge – towards Delray's, dreading his reaction to his sister's death.
I had to face it, though. Felicia wouldn't back down just because she was scared. And it wasn't me that was important right now; it was her.
I took a deep breath and opened the door with my foot. I only had to take one step inside before the music came to a halt and everyone turned to look at me.
"FELICIA!"
A/N: ;_; I almost cried writing this.
Review, please! Even if it's to tell me how much of a horrible writer I am, lol.
Love you guys!
~Muse
