Rain

She had seen him. Take her hand and lead her into the people. Into the hallway. Into a bedroom. There was no feeling to describe the way she felt. Standing there, in her stupid outfit with her girly hopes and makeup. She fought so hard so that the meaningless faces around her wouldn't see the tears fill her eyes. She fought so hard to swallow every single last feeling she ever had deep back inside her. But all she could do was stand there stupidly and stare. She tried to repeat her song to herself again, no one believed it. She couldn't believe it. So she took her glass and looked for more. She wanted to forget that she had ever hoped, that she ever remembered.

"Manny is there something wrong?" JT looked over at her, placing a genuine concern her way. She was sick of this. She wanted so badly for him to see what she was. She wanted so badly for him to stop caring so fucking much about her. She fucking didn't love him.

"Yeah....um everything's fine." Grabbing two more drinks.

"Just out to have a good time." She said to him pushing everything down and giving into everyone. She was going to give everyone exactly what they wanted, she was going to prove them all right.

"I've wanted to talk to you for so long..." She whispered to him as he closed the door. There was something about guest bedrooms, this room held no memories. It was unimportant, identity less. Home to whoever claimed it in the moment.

"So have I, Ash. I really have. I mean I know I've said I'm sorry a million times." He found himself saying, and meaning it, "But I can't say it anymore, because I know I've done something to you that isn't worth a million I'm sorrys" Oh god. Was she going to cry? Shit.

"I know Craig...I know."

He looked away. He didn't know what else to say. And he started to feel the guilt rush back into him. Everything he did had consequences. It was about time he faced them.

"I know..." She repeated to herself, but he knew what she wanted. And he knew that was something he couldn't give her. Looking back at her he brushed away a tear falling down her cheek, from the mess that she was already. Consequences, repeated in his head over and over again. She leaned in for a second; closing her eyes in a brief second she kissed him. He couldn't do anything but pull away. His guilt slid up through his stomach again, and her embarrassment heated the space between them. She bit her lip this time and swallowed hard. She sat up straight and looked into the distance. Into the far wall of the empty room. Behind them was only the sound of rain in their silence.

"You loved her all along didn't you?"

For awhile her words hung there, in the silence. He turned away from her. Biting his lip again and looking away from her. After awhile she got up. All he heard was the door closing. He thought of nothing. Only the words that still hung in his room again, playing in his mind over and over again.

Everything was so blurry. She had forgotten everything. All she felt was happy. She knew she was grinding on someone, to some fast paced Jay-Z song, or was it Nelly? Who cares! She thought to herself. She was the girl that they all had thought she was after all! She was only fooling herself, she was the slut they all had looked at. She was the slut they had all whispered about. She was Manny Santos, and this is what she was.

JT had long left her. After she had told him to fuck off 2 hours ago. Anyways she was with Jason now, or was it Jake? Oh well, she knew her inhibitions were gone. Everything was fine, she thought. She had returned! Slut Santos had done it again. After that everything went black.

He had fallen asleep in the guest bedroom. The sound of the rain had helped him try to block out his thoughts, but there were too many. He woke up to find himself in the dark, laying in his clothes. In his confusion he finally pieced it together, and looked at the glowing red digital clock next to him. 12:59 it blinked back at him. He ran his hand through his hair and sat up on the bed. Finally getting up and opening the door into the lighted hallway. The party was starting to wind down a little, Hazel was trying to help clean up a little alternating that with checking on a very drunk Jimmy. He noticed her then. She was laying on the ground near the bathroom, obviously not making it far enough. Paige was over her trying to get her to wake up.

"Manny, Manny" she said as she hit the side of her face.

She just groaned. Laying there helpless. Obviously way too drunk to comprehend what was going on. She noticed him, standing at the end of the hallway.

"Craig, you have to help me. She's so drunk and I don't know what to do. I found her passed out in an empty bedroom with this college frat jackass, you have to take her home." Paige begged. For some reason it overcame him. He had to protect her.

"Yeah of course." He said as he looked through his pocket for his keys.

"You'll have to lift her up, she's way too far gone to walk." Paige said to him. Giving him a quick hug goodbye. "Thanks so much Craig." She said as she hurried off to go clean up more messes and to go take care of more things that needed to be taken care of. That was her way. He looked at her for a second. She shifted a little curling up into a helpless ball. He picked her up, and all she did was groan faintly. Even when she was drunk...he couldn't help but look at her. She was so beautiful. She was so helpless.

Finally outside in the rain he carried her outside. Both of them were getting soaked. Only one of them was conscious enough to notice. He placed her gently in the front seat of his car, taking the time to make sure she was fine. Turning on the car, the rain drops stuck to the windshield, and she shifted. For a second he looked at her, watching her breathe in and out. That's all he could do. For some reason today had brought them together, in a car at 1:32 AM in the rain. A year after it had all started. He drove through the wet streets; the rain had kept up all night. It stayed in his backgrounds like an empty song. He didn't know why but for the first time in months, he felt at peace. Just sitting with her, this naïve girl who had taken something from him and never quite given it back.

He had almost arrived at her house when he realized he couldn't take her home like this. What was he supposed to do? Knock on her door and say to her parents, "Oh hey, remember me? Well here's your drunk daughter!" Besides, he knew she would be in more trouble than she already was if she returned home in her current state. A part of him deep down also didn't want to give her up...just yet. He pulled into his driveway and gently carried her into the garage, laying her down in the couch. She shifted once more, as he placed a blanket on top of her making sure she was comfortable. In this room where everything had started, where they had both changed themselves, she layed a year later. He realized that she had changed him, she had made part of him how he was. He knew that morning would come and that everything would go back. But he couldn't help looking at her in t his moment, where she was just peaceful. He layed next to her on the ground grabbing an extra pillow from a nearby chair and an extra blanket. She stirred, turning around and mumbled something..."I love you."

YES more's on it's way!! I think there will be like 2 more chapters? I don't know. Review, Tell me what you think.