Fallen #34
"He's bluffing… He's got to be bluffing!" I thought frantically as I watched Sucre storm away. However, just in case he wasn't I followed. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs watching as he marched over to where the others were sitting watching T.V. Sucre walked right up to the T.V. shut it off, turned around and glared at me. "Hey!" They yelled indignantly in unison. Sucre ignored them. "Well… Should I do the honors?" He asked in a deadly tone. "Don't do this, Sucre!" I ordered as I made my way closer to him. "Someone has to! You sure as hell aren't going to!" He yelled. "It's been taken care of!" I yelled back, pausing after each word. "What are you two on about?" Westmoreland asked, voicing the question that was on everyone's mind. "Nothing… It's nothing." I finished in a defeated tone. In my heart I knew the truth would come out. It was foolish to hope that they would ignore the argument that was taking place, but still, I hoped that they would. "Why don't you show everyone what nothing looks like, Cali?" Sucre said smirking. "This is none of your business, Sucre. So stay out of it!" I screamed at him as I closed the gap between him. Now the two of us stood in full view of the others. "Oh, it's my business! In case you forgot, if it weren't for me you would have more than a couple broken ribs right now!" He replied making sure to announce my broken ribs loud and clear. As soon as he finished that sentence my fist collided with his jaw. It was like I didn't even think of what I was doing before I did it. He had betrayed me, and I would not let that go unnoticed. "Cali!" Lincoln yelled as he grabbed me from behind, unknowingly putting pressure on my already damaged side. "Don't touch me!" I screamed in pain and anger. Immediately, he let go while Sucre gave me the evil eye as he rubbed his chin. "You want to see what nothing looks like?" I yelled as loud as I could, barely holding back tears. "Do ya?" I screamed, turning to the group flinging my many shirts off, too angry to acknowledge the pain. Before I knew it I was down to my sweats and sports bra, my hands behind my head so everyone could get a clear look at my black, blue, and swollen side, along with the few bruises on my back. There were several gasps and eyes as large as saucers, as they gazed upon my beaten body. "Happy?" I asked Sucre emotionlessly, receiving no reply. "What… How did… Who?" Lincoln stuttered, to shocked to form a full sentence. "Ask Sucre. He seems pretty dam eager to get things out in the open." I said venomously before storming out of the basement.
I walked up the stairs and headed outside. Not even stopping to get a shirt, or jacket, nothing. I was so angry that I just let my feet carry me away, not caring where I ended up. Not that I really had to worry, the nearest house was at least a mile away. I couldn't believe that Sucre had done that! Sure, I knew that eventually they would find out but I had hoped that it wouldn't be for a while and that I would be healed by the time it was revealed. Sucre had said that he wouldn't tell them and then he pulls a stunt like this!
After nearly an hour walking my anger off, I decided to call it a night. Praying that I would not see anyone until the next day, which in my opinion would still be too soon. I stopped by the bathroom to grab the extra ace bandage that I had found and proceeded to my room. I flipped the light on surprised to find L.J. asleep in my bed. I quickly shut the light off and made my way to the bedside table and turned on the lamp. I sat next to his sleeping form, wondering why he had come to my room, wondering why us, wondering what we did to deserve all that had come our way, wondering why our lives had become so dangerous, so terrifying. It didn't matter how hard I thought about it. These were the cards we were dealt, and we had to play them.
"L.J. wake up!" I said quietly as I gently shook him. "Five more minutes!" He grumbled sleepily. "L.J. come on! Get up!" I said shaking him with a little more force. It wasn't working, so I did the only thing I could think of. I would subject him to the worst noise in the world… The dreaded alarm clock. It makes me nauseous just thinking about that sound! I set the clock so that it would go off in one minute, placed it next to his head, took a few steps back, and waited.
5…4…3…2…1… and then it happened. A sound so devastating cut through the silence like a hot knife through butter, my hands instinctively clasped tightly over my ears. He bolted upright, grabbed the clock, fighting with his sleepy fingers for a moment to turn it off before finally succeeding. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, unaware of my presence. "So, "I said making him jump "why are you sleeping in my bed?" I inquired as I sat back down next to him. He made brief eye contact before focusing on his hands. I waited for his answer, but it never came. "Jr. it's not a big deal. You know that I would share my room with you any day. I wouldn't want to share a room with your father and uncle either." I joked "I was just cur…" "Why didn't you say anything?" He asked quietly looking at me through tear filled eyes. I sighed "I don't want you to worry about that L.J. It's over now." I said softly. "I do worry, Cali! I do! It never would have happened… if I hadn't come here." He finished sadly. "What! L.J. this has nothing to do with you! What happened was not your fault!" I exclaimed forcefully. "Yes it was!" He yelled standing up and pacing the room. "You were so worried about me that you didn't take the time to be worried about you! I lost my Dad, my Mom, I just got my Dad back and I can never get my Mom back! You're only human, Cali! I can't lose you too!" He cried, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. I sat there stunned. I never imagined that L.J would blame himself for what happened to me. Suddenly the physical pain I felt seemed irrelevant. I would one day remember that I had hurt, but would not be able to recall exactly how it felt. The pain that L.J. felt emotionally would always haunt him. He would always be able to recall that pain and feel it just as much as he did today. Even if just for a minute. "L.J." I said walking over to him "I know that you miss your Mom, and if I could bring her back I would. I promise you, you're Dad will not be taken from you again, and neither will Michael, and neither will I." I said crying as I embraced the young man who had been forced to grow up too soon. Maybe I was wrong to promise him such a thing. Some may say it was a promise that I could not keep. Maybe it wasn't, but it was a promise that I would fight to fulfill. I would make sure that L.J. had those three things in that order. First and foremost he would have Lincoln, then Michael, and lastly me, and if that meant that I would have to die to give him those two things, I would do so willingly. Even if it meant breaking the promise that I would never leave him.