The Pain to come
Having seen the pain in Marti's eyes, Dan shot Savannah a quick look and rushed out after her. He couldn't see her when he got to the street, but he got in his car and drove. He needed to make sure she was okay. He didn't know where to start looking, but he just put the car in drive and started down the road. He considered heading to the gym, but being that the Hellcats had just had to forfeit Nationals, he doubted she was there. He picked up his phone and dialed her number. She didn't pick up. He tried again, but he got the same result.
"Damn it Marti, where did you go?" Dan asked himself as he drove and looked out for her. He kept thinking about how much he wished that Marti had rushed out of the room and straight towards him. He wanted her to have fallen into his arms for comfort, or asked him to come with her. Or even just picked up her phone and say something along the lines of, "Dan I need you, meet me." He thought about how much he loved her. He had always loved her. Knowing that she was out there and hurt killed him. "Damn it," he screamed inside of his car, upset with himself for letting her slip away that night, and every night before that.
There was nothing else he could do except drive and try to find her.
Marti was lost. She had just found out that her father was alive, and in contact with her sister, who yet again lied to her. She felt so betrayed and alone in the world. Her own family had lied to her multiple times. Deirdre, her mom, Rex, even Dan lied to her and then left her. She pedaled harder and faster. She didn't know exactly where she was headed, but she knew she needed to get away from Cheertown as fast as possible.
Before she realized it, she found herself on Julian's street, and in another instant she was stopped in front of his house. She ran up the stoop, tears running down her face, and knocked on the door. Julian opened it and Marti fell into him. He held her, feeling her tears soak through his shirt. They remained like that, in the doorway, for moment, until a voice from inside shouted out, "Julian, who's at the door?"
Marti pulled back from his embrace slightly to see whom the voice came from. Through her still teary eyes, Marti saw a well-dressed woman, around Julian's age, walking towards them. Marti looked further into his house and noticed the lit candles on the table and the dimmed lighting.
She pushed away from Julian, realizing what she had just intruded upon.
"Marti, it's not what you think," Julian said.
"Yeah oh course. It's never what I think. Because nobody ever lies to me, it's just me never getting the full picture," Marti said in a shaky voice, trying to push back the tears she felt coming. She turned away from the house and ran down the stoop. Julian ran after her, trying to catch up.
"Marti. Marti, please, stop. Marti!" Julian shouted after her as she hopped back onto her bike and peddled down the road. Julian ran down the street, but she kept getting further and further ahead.
The rain began to come down harder, but she didn't care. Marti peddled faster and faster. Now she was really lost and didn't have anywhere to go. There was nobody left for her to turn to that she would find comfort in, and she couldn't go back to Cheertown. Her head felt like it was going to explode and she didn't feel any pain, but at the same time she felt nothing but it. Tears rolled down her face and she felt her phone buzz in her pocket and questioned whether or not she should answer it. Who could it be and how much more pain could they cause her in one night? She continued peddling, and with every thought peddled harder and faster, hoping her body would just find its way somewhere she could feel safe. Her phone wouldn't stop buzzing and she finally gained the courage to take it out of her pocket and answer it, maybe just enough to tell them to go away. She looked down from the road for a moment, just long enough for a car to run the red light and head straight for her. Marti looked up when she heard someone shout her name across the street, leading her to stare directly into the car that had run the red, and was about to hit her.
She flipped off her bike and onto the hood of the car and then onto the street. She felt pain radiate all over her body and then everything went black.
Dan had already checked The Rat, Wanda's place and was at his last resort, Julian's house. He hated the thought of Marti going to him, but just prayed that she was there. That she was safe and not out in the horrible rain. He ran up the steps two at a time, and knocked on the door in a frantic manner. Julian ran to the door and threw it open.
"Please tell me Marti's here," Dan said, almost pleading.
"She's not. What happened? Is everything okay? She came here, crying, but before I could ask her she saw my ex and ran out," Julian said, worried.
"Shit. I've been out looking for her. Something happened with her sister and she stormed out and… Well I saw it in her face. She has only had that look a couple of times before and it has always been bad. I can't find her and I've been looking for like 20 minutes. Do you have any ideas as to where she went? Did she give you any hints?" Dan said, pacing on the stoop completely stressed out and panicked.
"I don't know where she is, but can I help you? I've been trying to call her ever since she left and she won't pick up," Julian said.
"Fine, just get in my truck. I need to find her. Last time this happened, well, you don't want to know."
Julian grabbed his jacket and ran out, almost not even locking the door behind him. Dan got into the drivers seat and quickly started the car and drove off. He followed something in his heart that told him where to go, even though he really didn't know where that was. They drove in silence for a few minutes. Both boys were in love with her, but knew they messed up. Marti needed them, and they couldn't be there for her. Julian kept calling her, hoping she would pick up. Needing her to pick up.
Then they saw her. She coming down the street the opposite way they were. Julian rolled down his window and called to her.
"Marti, I…," and that's all her could say before the car hit her. Dan pulled over and they both ran to her, feeling their heartbreak and not knowing what they would do without her.
She was unconscious and looked badly beaten up. Blood soaked her clothing and hair. Julian called an ambulance as Dan ran up to her, he grabbed her hand and kept whispering, "It's going to be okay, Marti. Stay with me. Please don't leave me. I need you."