A/N: I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! Just summer and distractions, plus a lot of drama. Well, no more excuses. R&R&Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-One

~Chloe~

I was grabbed from behind and I froze in terror. Somebody had found me eavesdropping.

Then I recognized Derek's hands. Oh. So he was the one who'd found me. Relief coursed through me. And then anticipation. I also felt a little guilty for getting caught but I ignored that mostly. When we were farther away, he demanded,

"What were you doing?"

"N-nothing." Derek stared at me. I squirmed under his gaze until he sighed.

"Are you going to tell Tori?"

"Yes. I mean, it has to do with her. And she deserves to know Simon does too. They're brother and sister and-"

"Chloe."

"S-sorry." Derek leaned down and kissed me. Though surprised, I was happy and I kissed him back. His tongue flicked against my lips and I gasped in surprise.

Just as sudden as it had begun, it was over. I was breathing hard and so was Derek. A part of me was glad to know that I wasn't the only one affected.

"Derek." I reached out to touch him but he brushed my hand away.

"No, Chloe. We can't do this." I froze. My heart cracked. Surely-

"What do you m-mean?"

"Us. We can't be together."

"N-no. P-please d-don't do this." Tears started to well up in my eyes. It didn't make sense. Weren't we both attracted to each other? Unless it was just all me.

"Yes, Chloe. It's over." No This couldn't- why was his doing this? This couldn't be happened. Denial raced through me even as I knew that this was real, that it wasn't just my imagination.

Derek brushed away the tears that had started to fall my cheeks. I wanted to scream, shout or throw something. Anything to drown out what he was telling me. But I couldn't move or say anything.

Then he brushed a kiss on my forehead and walked away. The cracks in my heart grew larger and then my heart shattered into a million pieces.

My knees threatened to collapse but somehow they held me up. I started to walk; I had to get away. Nobody stopped me. Tori and Simon still in their rooms, the adults wrapped up in their super-secret conversation, and Derek- No.

Somewhere in my head, I knew that if I'd liked Simon instead of Derek, my heart would've been safe. But I didn't care. It was all done.

Then somehow I was in the middle of the forest. I was finally alone. I could let go

So I let go.

I opened my moth and screamed at the sky. Screamed my anger and sadness, even as I wanted it all to just be a dream. It wasn't.

There was a flash of light and I blacked out.

~Derek~

It broke my heart to do that to Chloe. But it wasn't safe for us to be together. With the Edison Group lurking god knows where, relationships would just get in the way. If I- If something happened to me- No. That wouldn't happen. I wouldn't let it.

I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a bowl of Wheaties. They were tasteless. How could I have an appetite after I'd done that?

I was pulling an Edward, doing this. But I would stay here, unlike that pathetic useless fictional character, and protect Chloe. Even if she hated me, I could at least do that.

Why did I even know about Twilight? Dumb ads always on TV.

"Hey," Simon said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing some OJ out of the fridge. I nodded to him.

An earsplitting shriek interrupted our breakfast. Simon and I shared a look. We knew who it was.

Tori stormed into the kitchen.

"Why the hell is there a hole in the wall?" Simon and I ignored her. "Dog," Tori addressed me now. "Why. Is. There. A. Hole?" I looked up and put on a clueless face.

"How should I know?"

"And," she continued, overriding me, "the room is trashed and I can't find Chloe!"

"Chloe's missing?" Simon asked, the concern in his voice ripping straight into my gut.

"I just saw her 10 minutes ago in the hallway," I said, annoyed, even as my heart clenched. Ten minutes ago, I'd just broken up with Chloe.

"I was just in the hallway," Tori snarled. "She's not there."