The Lie
Guilt stains on my pillow
Blood on my terraces
Torsos in my closet
Shadows from my past
- Queen
A flash of light streaked across Rachel's face as she felt her body was thrust forward. Instantly smoke erupted all around her and she struggled to get the oxygen her lungs were screaming so loudly for. In the distance she could hear someone saying her name over and over, a clear panic in their voice.
Coughing loudly she turned to see Trey struggling to get her seatbelt undone. It was then that she realised what had happened…Rachel could smell the gas, not yet burning but she knew that at any moment it could happen.
"Trey…" she whispered, her voice faint. "Trey you have to get out."
"Come on Rach, help me out here girl," she heard him say though the sound was distant. "We've gotta get you out of this."
Rachel looked away and saw red from her shoulder and disappearing below her shirt to her chest.. She tried to force her mind to work, to register anything. Forcing her brothers hands away she unbuckled her seat belt but was yet again overcome by another coughing fit.
"Come on," Trey began kicking his door open and climbing out.
Rachel turned to her own door as the smoke filled her lungs. There was no way that it would open, not in the state that it was in. She turned back to Trey who was waiting for her to move. She could hear the sirens in the distance, getting closer by the second. She could hear people screaming.
"You can't stay," Rachel managed looking to her brother. "They'll find you, they'll take you back."
"I don't care Rach, you just have to get out. Come on, move."
Rachel coughed again. "Please, just go, I'll be fine."
"I'm not going."
"You have too!"
A silence fell over them then as Trey stared at his little sister who seemed so vulnerable at that moment. He looked out across the road. He could now see the flashing lights as they gained on them. He knew that if he had a chance of ever seeing Rachel again, he would have to leave her for this moment.
"I…" he began, the words choking in his throat.
"Trey if you love me, you'll go," Rachel pleaded. She didn't think she could stand to see him be taken away by the police.
Trey took a step away from the car, no words escaping his lips. He watched as Rachel forced herself into the drivers seat, trying to set the scene that she had been alone in the car. He heard her forcing back the cry of pain as she clutched her side, the blood draining freely.
"Rach…" Rachel heard the familiar voice calling her. "Rach, can you hear me?" A hand grabbed her shoulder…
Rachel shot awake with a start gasping for air. She could feel her body shaking. Her chest burnt like a newly lit fire. She could hear someone saying her name and looked up to see Seth's hand was resting on her shoulder, his voice clear now.
"I thought I'd lost you for a minute," he said.
"What…?" she stammered her eyes finally coming into focus.
She was lying in the pool house, the final rays of sunshine peeking through the blinds. There were comic books scattered around the bed, clearly Seth's attempt to entertain her. Swallowing hard, Rachel tried to collect her thoughts, to calm her body. She went to sit up…
"God, you're bleeding," Seth stated looking at her collarbone.
Rachel let her fingers graze over the injury, not quite remembering how it had come to be there. Though the pain seemed unbearable it almost came with a numbness that allowed her to quickly brush away Seth's attempt to help in some way.
Three stitches, she thought. No…four.
"I'm going to get you a towel," Seth said.
"No, I don't…"
"Will you shut up with what you don't need and let me help you?" Seth suddenly burst out.
Rachel flinched at his words, looking everywhere but at him as he walked into the bathroom of the pool house. What had that been? He'd never yelled at her like that, not when he was trying to help her. Not when she'd done nothing wrong and his world wasn't spinning out of control.
What had she done to make him act like that? She couldn't remember anything about what had happened a few hours before she had awoken. Had they been talking? What had she said? Had she pushed him away again? Had she hurt him? Was it because she hadn't called him after the accident? Did he know about Trey?
Rachel closed her eyes for a moment trying to block out his outburst and yet hearing it over and over in her mind. It reminded her so much of…
"Rachel, what happened? Where are you?" Ryan's voice yelled over the line.
"Ry', I can't…"
"Rachel, where are you? Get a grip and tell me where you are!"
She stumbled out of the car, catching herself on the bitumen and coughing the smoke from her lungs. "Down by the old farmhouse museum," Rachel managed.
"What the hell are you near there for?" His voice was so powerful, so hurtful.
"I…" she struggled to breathe as the smoke stuck to her throat. "Ryan please just…"
"Rachel, what the hell is going on?"
"I need…" she let out another burst of coughs. "I need you here Ry'…"
Rachel snapped back to reality and watched as Seth dabbed away the blood, which had escaped from her wound trying not to show the emotions that she felt. Instead she stared blankly as he attempted to reach the very bottom of the gash.
"Rach, you'll have to…" he left the request unfinished.
She knew what he wanted. She also knew what she was willing to give, even to someone that she loved, that she was in completely in debt too because of everything that they'd done for her.
"No," she whispered.
Seth pulled back and looked into her eyes. "I'm trying to help you," he said frowning slightly at her silence. "We need to clean this up and if you have that top on, I can't."
Rachel cast her eyes down almost ashamed to look at Seth at that moment after his request. "Just leave it."
Seth was silent for a time. "I know I shouldn't ask this Rach, and believe me, now that we're not together I normally wouldn't but this is for your own good."
He watched as her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears and she closed them to hide it. There was something about what he'd just seen that chilled Seth to the bone. She'd given him the look that had been on her face the night that she had been brought home after running away. After finding out she was carrying the child of a man who had violated her.
Seth removed his hand from her flesh. She looked scared as though any moment he might force her to do something she didn't want too. Something that could hurt her.
I just tried too, he realised.
Seth placed the towel on the side of the bed before standing and staring down at the girl he loved. He could see the pain on her face, feel it as he stood by her. He could almost breathe in her fear and it made him feel physically ill.
He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her forehead feeling the tears as they ran down her cheeks…
"You've been in a car accident," came an unfamiliar voice from beside her as she felt herself being lifted onto a stretcher. "I need you to tell squeeze my hand if you can hear me."
Rachel squinted her eyes, biting down hard on her lip as a wave of pain shot through her side, burning her ribs and blinding her for a moment. She knew she could move. How else did she get out of the car? She knew she could talk. How else did she call Ryan? But there was something about the request of the paramedic that paralysed her.
"Miss, I need you to squeeze my hand."
It was then that she heard the familiar, worried voice. "Let me through, that's my sister."
"Sir please step back," another voice said.
"Miss, if you can hear me…"
"I have to get to her…"
"Sir, please remain calm…"
"Miss…"
"I'm Ryan Atwood, she's my sister Rachel, just let me see her dammit…"
"…Squeeze my hand…"
Shut up, Rachel thought. Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!
Rachel stood staring at the closed door, her heart beating faster than she could ever recall. She tried to push away the images of her brother as he dashed from the accident. As he disappeared into the smoke, maybe never to return again. There was something about that which had driven her to stand at this very spot.
Knocking lightly on the door she pushed it open and entered when bid too. "Rachel, it's good to see you up and about," Sandy said with a smile on his face.
She returned her own weaker one before looking down slightly. "Can I talk to you?"
Sandy looked at her strongly, his face suddenly very serious. "Of course," he said before offering her a seat on the edge of the bed. "What is it?"
Rachel sat down slowly and took in a long breath, closing her eyes before speaking, her voice soft. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"No, don't say that," Sandy replied.
"Can I just…" He fell silent. "I know that you don't wanna hear it and I know that, if anything you're the last person who will hold it against me but," Rachel stared down at her hands. "I…I am sorry for…everything I've put this family through since I got here…and I know that it sounds stupid and cheap but I mean it. You and Kirsten and…Seth…you let me into this house when you didn't have an obligation too…and…I just…I feel like I just keep letting you down." Rachel looked up to Sandy with sad eyes as his brow furrowed slightly. "I know what happened was an accident but…it just keeps happening and every time you act like it's nothing and that I'm not…causing complete havoc in your lives. Part of me almost wishes that I'd never come here because I've put you through so much when I shouldn't have and…I feel like the one chance I'm getting to have a family and to have a home is just…I just keep screwing it up and…I'm sorry."
Sandy gazed at her sadly having remained silent throughout. He let on a small smile before pulling Rachel into a tight embrace. She rested her head on his shoulder, and for the first time felt as though there was someone out there who loved her as a father should love a daughter.
"Now you listen to me," Sandy said still not letting her go. "We all love you, Seth included and there is nothing more that breaks my heart than to see you bringing yourself down over things that are completely out of your control. Never once has something gone wrong because you made it. Never once have you had any control over the circumstances that you may find yourself in. I know that it may feel like there is always something bringing you down and it pains me, as a guardian, to know that there are things in this world that can hurt you or Ryan or Seth. But something that will never change and that we have power over is the love that Kirsten and I have for you kids. There is nothing that you could ever do that would bring that to change or would make us want to care for you less. So you may feel bad for things that have happened. But the only thing that we can do now is help each other through and work as a family to overcome these problems." Sandy finally pulled away and looked at Rachel strongly. "Kirsten and I love you and you are a part of this family. There will never be anything that we wouldn't do for you, no matter what the price." He smiled before kissing her lightly on the forehead.
Summer stood riffling through the racks of designer clothes before her not really paying too much attention to anything other than the task she had. To find the perfect outfit for the Cohen's party.
There was nothing here that she couldn't afford, or at least her father couldn't. So like a typical girl of Newport Beach she was particular about each and every inch of whatever it was she was going to choose.
Marissa let out a long sigh letting her fingers graze uninterested over the garments before her. She was tired, having spent the entire night on the phone to Ryan trying to get him to work through the recent events in his life. Most of which consisted of Trey.
"Come on Coop, you normally love shopping," Summer said off-handedly. "And we have like all afternoon to kill with like totally nothing to do so…"
Marissa smiled at her friend. "Yeah I know, sorry Sum. My heads just everywhere but here."
"If I have a dollar for like every time my step-mum said that when she was like on a total Valium high then I would be like rich, okay?" Putting the dress she was looking at back Summer turned to Marissa. "Do you like not wanna shop or something?"
"No, I do, it's just…" Marissa ran her fingers through her hair and looked out across the store.
"Look," Summer began. "Ryan can totally take care of himself alright? Sure his brother is like this homicidal maniac who is like totally running loose on the streets waiting to rob the next poor grandma who just like wanted help crossing the street but come on, I'm sure he can like totally handle it." Summer gave her friend a sad look. "Coop, this isn't your responsibility."
Marissa shrugged. "I know."
"So, we're gonna find you a totally hot outfit to wear to Sandy and Kirsten's second wedding or whatever you call it and you're gonna stop worrying about something that you can't fix."
Summer nodded her head, satisfied that her little speech had its wanted affect. But Marissa simply smiled in a fake attempt to make her friend happy. She knew that she wouldn't stop worrying. Not until everything was back to normal.
In Newport? She thought. Yeah, that'll happen.
There was a soft knock at the door before Seth entered, his eyes falling on Rachel who stood staring out of the window.
"Hey," he said before stepping inside. "I thought uh…you might like the company, with Ryan out banging Marissa and all."
Rachel couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips at his words. It took her a moment before she summed up the courage to turn and face Seth.
"I'm sorry," they both said in unison before each letting out a small laugh.
"I shouldn't have pushed you away," Rachel admitted with a solemn look on her face. "I know you were trying to help, I just…"
"Help? I was being an ass," Seth admitted. "I shouldn't have forced you to do anything."
Rachel nodded in understanding. "So we're good?"
Seth smiled widely. "I made you some hot chocolate. Actually it might be more like luke warm now."
"That's nice of you."
"I'm a nice guy."
Rachel smiled. "You are."
A silence fell over the pair as Seth sat himself down on the edge of Rachel's bed and she leaned back against a wall, tilting her head slightly and gazing at him.
"So," he began. "How 'bout them Yankees?" Rachel stared blankly at him for a long moment before she burst into a fit of laughter. "What?"
"Seth you're more convincing talking about Barbies than sport," she stated sitting beside him. "And baseball season's over."
"But I made you laugh, are there bonus points for that? Maybe a chocolate treat or a gold star?" Rachel looked at the mug of cocoa. "I wouldn't drink that. There's a Madcow disease break out at the dairy farm so that milk will have you mooing in five seconds flat."
"Can we try it on you?" Rachel asked looking cheekily into Seth's eyes.
He smiled. "I quite like myself without two stomachs and black patches."
Seth looked down to Rachel's injury, to some extent feeling a little odd for staring at her chest. Pushing the thought aside he let his fingers lightly graze over the top of the small bandage which began near her shoulder and disappeared beneath her top.
Rachel watched him closely trying not to let the feel of him so near to her effect her thinking.
"You look tired," he said.
Rachel shook her head. "I'm fine."
Seth gazed at her neither of them making a move to break their eyes contact. "I should go," he said standing and making his way to the door.
"Will you stay with me?" Rachel suddenly asked.
Seth paused in shock. She didn't just…? She did right…? She wants me too…?
"Sorry?" he asked.
"Will you stay here tonight? Just to keep me company," Rachel asked again.
"Company?"
"As a friend."
Seth locked his eyes with Rachel's his mind flashing back to a time when she didn't even have to ask for him to slip into bed beside her. But this wasn't like that. There was something different, and not just they're new friendship status. There was something about the accident that had really shaken her up.
"I can do that," he replied.
He wondered over to the bed as Rachel lay down and watched as she closed her eyes. After a short moment she said his name to which he replied with a quick, 'yeah I'm here' before slipping under the covers.
It took Seth by surprise when she shifted a little and curled her body up close to his. He closed his eyes taking in the smell of her hair, the feel of her so near to him. This was something he had missed so dearly. Just simply being able to hold her like there was nothing in the world that could tear them apart.
Smiling slightly Seth mentally kicked himself for getting so carried away. Their lives were excellent now, just as friends, nothing more, nothing less. If anything he felt closer to Rachel now than he ever had. She didn't pull away so much. Didn't feel obligated to be perfect for him.
"Tell me about Captain Oats," Rachel murmured ripping Seth from his thoughts.
"Why?" he asked having been taken aback by her request to know about the toy.
"I just wanna hear your voice."
Seth smiled slightly before beginning the tale of his friendship with the plastic horse. After a few minutes he looked down to see Rachel sound asleep. He himself settles down allowing his fingers to glide gently over the side of her face. Finally closing his own eyes Seth felt the tug of the land of dreams.
Friends, he thought as he slowly drifted off. I can live with that
"Get out your books and open to chapter thirteen," Mr. Mekin announced to the class.
Ryan stared out of the window, watching the trees sway strongly in the wind. There was something about the way they moved that made him think about Chino. The roughness of…
"Mr Atwood that includes you."
Ryan looked up with a start, shaken from his daydreaming. Before he had the chance to answer Seth moved and sat down next to him turning his back slightly just enough so that Ryan couldn't see his face.
Ryan turned his eyes to his textbooks which sat stacked in front of him. Frowning slightly he opened the first one only to be confronted with blank pages. He flicked through it. Still nothing. Not knowing exactly what had happened he pulled out the next book. Still the same.
Looking up to Seth he noticed his friend was now sitting on the opposite side of the room laughing with Anna. Every so often he would look Ryan's way with a disapproving gaze only to go back to his conversation.
Suddenly feeling a panic run through his body Ryan began to throw his books from his table, searching through the blank pages before finally standing in a hurry, noticing how the teacher was completely unaware of his actions.
Rachel walked in then, her hair pulled back into a lose ponytail, cross pendent around her neck. Ryan recognised her outfit. It was one she had worn when in Chino. Dark coloured. Lifeless.
He watched her as she walked up to the desk in front of Seth and sat down, elbow on her desk, chin resting in her palm. Arturo was already sitting beside her. Within only moments she was being tapped on the shoulder by Seth who, when she turned around, whispered something into her ear causing her to look at Ryan and laugh.
He didn't understand. Why was he alone, by himself, the single most unimportant thing on everyone's mind? Ryan felt as though he was being isolated by the people he loved.
Closing his eyes Ryan tried to block the thought from his mind. On opening them again, he was confronted with the Cohen's residence. Standing in the kitchen he watched as Sandy and Kirsten went about their daily routine, preparing breakfast and getting ready for work.
Seth came bounding down the stairs, completely ignoring Ryan's attempt to ask what was going on. Instead he breezed past, picked up the newspaper and disappeared into the lounge. Ryan watched as he sat beside Rachel who was busy watching television. Except on closer inspection, it was not a proper show. Instead snippets of memories – Ryan's memories – were playing over and over.
He walked slowly toward the room, seeing the world tilt slightly as he did. Watching the television, Ryan noticed it was as though it were playing a tape of all the significant moments in his life. Yet only the enjoyable ones.
Watching carefully the images changed from Chino, to Newport. Pictures of his first day at Harbour, meeting Marissa, helping Seth with his many girl troubles.
Then suddenly it went blank.
Ryan blinked a couple of times, not understanding. He looked down to see Seth still flicking through the newspaper. Gazing at Rachel he then realised that had happened. The images had played chronologically. The last one to show was a phone conversation. One which he remembered all too well. One which had put all the events from then until the present into motion. It was the one conversation which changed his life.
"Hey Theresa, is she there?" He'd asked.
There had been a short pause. "Yeah, but I don't know if it's a good idea you talk to her."
"Why?"
"Ryan, you just left," she'd said. "You don't know how much you hurt her, how worried she's been. She's changed Ryan."
Ryan had almost laughed at the comment. "Just put her on."
There had been another pause. One which could have only lasted seconds, but it felt like a lifetime.
"Hello?"
The voice had been like a saving grace and he'd had to close his eyes just to savour it. "Hey Rachel."
Again a silence.
"…Ry'?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"What are you calling for?"
"No, how are you?"
"Don't even try it."
He remember having felt a brick hit his chest at the tone of her voice. There was nothing more crushing than to hear her total hatred toward him, her total disappointment at what he and Trey had done.
"Look, I know I screwed up, and we could go on about it all day but…"
"What?"
"I think I know how to fix it."
Ryan awoke with a start. It was then that he realised why. Why everything had happened. Why they laughed at him. Why he couldn't get Seth's attention. Why Rachel walked in dressed the way she had. It was because of him.
From the dayhe had made that phone call Ryan had promised himself things would be different. They were. Everything had changed. For the bad and for the good. Yet he couldn't let go. Not after seeing what he'd seen. After knowing that it was him and Rachel out on their own now. He just couldn't conceive it. His mind wouldn't let him. He refused to believe it was all real. That things were the way they were.
Nothing was the same. Nothing would ever be the same. Part of Ryan couldn't help but blame himself for that. Despite what other people might say. Despite how they would disagree he knew that it was him who had lead the people to each other who would never be the same again
"Seth?" A girl Rachel had only seen in passing suddenly appeared beside them at the lockers a large grin on her face.
"Victoria," Seth replied an evident shock in his voice. "Hey."
Rachel looked at Seth expectantly, immediately noting his uncomfortable state. There was no denying that the new arrival was what many would call 'one of Newport's finest' with long blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and pearly white teeth to boot. This was obviously an only-in-Seth's-dreams moment.
"You're Rachel?" Victoria asked off-handedly. "Well, I suppose the ex won't mind me stealing Seth away for a while."
Rachel blinked at the comment before putting on a fake smile. "No, the ex doesn't." She looked at Seth who seemed to be in two minds about how to react. "I'll see you later," she said before walking away.
"We're still on for the movies tonight?" He called after her.
"Might have to take a raincheck on that one."
Seth turned back to Victoria. "Can you…if you wouldn't mind…just…stay here…" He sprinted after Rachel catching up to her at least fifty feet from where they originally stood.
"Seth, what are you doing?"
He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "You just left."
Rachel frowned at him. "You kinda had your hands full."
Seth looked at her strongly. "You're not weird about it?"
"If you mean by the fact that some hot, blonde girl was just flirting with you right in front of me then…" Rachel let out a small laugh and stepped closer to Seth giving the front of his shirt a slight tug. "We're friends," she murmured. "I don't rule your life and you can talk to whoever you want. You're not obligated to revolve your life around me."
Seth looked down slightly at her words. "I guess."
"So go on," Rachel continued giving him a push back the way he had come. "Go back to Miss-I'm-A-Skanky-Ho and have all the fun you want. But just letting you know in advance just in case you end up going out…I don't like her."
Seth laughed at her playful comment. "Noted."
Rachel nodded before spotting Marissa further down the hall and beginning to walk toward her. "Movies. Tonight," she yelled back at Seth. "I'm buying."
She gave him a small wink before jogging through the people and meeting Marissa beside her locker. "Hey," she said stopping near her.
Marissa looked up clearly surprised by Rachel's sudden appearance. "Uh…hey. How are you feeling?"
Rachel smiled in reply. "I was hoping we could talk."
"Okay…"
Rachel took a long breath. "Look, I dunno what happened between you and Ry'," she began before seeing the look of worry on Marissa's face. "No, just hear me out. Frankly, I've decided that I don't need to know. But this whole thing with us…We used to be really good friends Coop. We both knew it would always be Ry' in the middle but…we pretended it wasn't like that so we could be happy. I get that you had your own stuff going on and the Cohen's had theirs and sure Ry' was stuck in the middle again but…it changed a lot of things."
"Rachel…"
"I've never had to share Ry', you know, he's always just been mine and only cared about me and…but you changed him…and not in a bad way, I just…I suppose I never really got used to it." Rachel let out a long sigh. "This whole thing, it was never between you and me, it was between me and Ryan and the only reason why it went on for so long was because we were both too stupid and caught up in it to realise we had our own issues to deal with. I know it was stupid and selfish of me to expect him to not care about other people and to always be there but…it's pretty much all I know. I'm sorry that this had to come between us I really am because I know how much of a good friend you are and I…but I screwed up and…I'm sorry."
Marissa stood in silence for a long moment taking a long time to process exactly what Rachel was saying. This was the end of it. They could finally go back to the way things used to be. After so long. It had taken so long.
"I just…I hope we can start fresh," Rachel finished.
Marissa looked away from her for a time before turning back and extending out her hand. "Marissa Cooper," she introduced.
Rachel stared at the gesture before shaking Marissa's hand. "Rachel Atwood."
"Oh," Marissa said with shock in her voice. "You're Ryan's sister, right?"
"That would be me."
Before Rachel could say another word Marissa pulled her into a close hug.
Seth walked along the sand feeling it curl between his toes, kicking up in front of him. The sun was warm on his face the breeze adding a slight cool every few moments. Despite the fine weather, however, there were few people to be seen where he was. In the secluded back-beach area of the Orange County strip.
Rachel walked beside him, the water lapping at her ankles as she fixed her sunglasses on her face. Neither of them had spoken since they had arrived. It seemed as though the only thing they could say to each other about the ocean was 'remember when…' in reference to their past, to their relationship.
Rachel smiled at the awkward silence between them but as she turned to speak a figure caught her eye behind Seth that made her stop dead in her tracks.
"Little sis!"
"What the hell are you doing?" she whispered more to herself than anyone else.
Seth looked at Rachel bewilderedly before turning to the new comer who greeted him with a total lack of interest. "You must be Seth," he said. "Gotta say, a bit different to good old Kurt eh Rach."
Rachel looked at him in shock. "What are you doing here?" He only laughed at her comment dropping the bottle of vodka he had been carrying. "Trey…"
The moment she spoke the name Seth's heart began to beat a little faster. This was the brother that he had never met. The one that had meant so much in Rachel's life. The one that had landed Ryan in jail. The one the police were hunting for.
"I just wanted to see that you were okay," he slurred slightly.
"I'm fine," Rachel replied quickly before adding. "You need to get out of here."
Trey stepped closer. "I never would have left you in that car girl, it's just, you know how it is, cops of my back and all. Figured, like you said, you could handle your own."
Seth's head tilted slightly at his words and he looked at Rachel who immediately felt his heated gaze on her in total shock. "He what?"
"Seth, not now," she murmured in reply never taking her eyes off Trey. "Look, you need to leave. You can't stay here and expect no one will find you, it doesn't work that way."
"But you were helping me," Trey replied.
Rachel felt Seth's eyes on her, her own heart dropping at the thought that she had lied to him, to Ryan, to the entire Cohen family. She took in a short breath and tried to block out the feeling of disapproval she was sure Seth was presently sending her way.
Seth stepped in then. "Look, buddy, the cops in New Port aren't the friendliest so how about you just take off. Maybe come back when the heats died down."
Trey took a long stride forward until he was within a foot of Seth. "You know what buddy, you might get in the sack with my sister but that don't mean you talk to me like that."
"Trey, cool it," Rachel warned.
"We can work something out, we're at the beach, it's meant to be peaceful," Seth suggested.
Trey let out a small chuckle before he sent a mind blowing punch flying forward, hitting Seth's face with a sickening snap. "I've got it worked."
Seth went down onto his knees cringing in pain as Rachel crouched beside him screaming at her brother as she did. "Get the hell out of here Trey! I don't give a damn if you never come back, just get your ass out of this town before you screw things up even more!"
"Ow," Seth murmured as Rachel placed her hands on either side of his face to take a closer look.
"Jesus," she whispered in response to what she saw. "Nice going Trey, real smooth," she growled only then noticing Seth's cell-phone lying close beside him, flipped open, Ryan's number dialled. It only took her a moment to realise what this meant.
He said the beach, she suddenly realised. Seth just told him where we were.
"I'll go," Trey finally said, "But not before I say thanks for everything you've done for me girl. Taking a car crash and lying to everyone. Must have been damn hard."
Rachel slowly looked up then. "You have no idea," she whispered feeling the sudden dread as another familiar face appeared behind Trey.
"Cops are coming Trey," Ryan said causing his older brother to smile.
"Ryan my old boy, it's been a while. How you doing?" Trey asked his words mixing almost into one.
"Why'd you come back Trey?"
"Wanted to see my little sis."
Ryan nodded. "You've seen her, now get going."
Trey looked strongly as Ryan as the sounds of sirens drew closer and closer. "You ratted me out little brother."
"I'm looking out for my own."
Trey only laughed. "You couldn't even if you tried."
"You wanna bet?" Ryan asked his hands balling into fists as he stepped forward.
"Let's do it then," Trey replied
A second before the fists started flying Rachel spoke up standing between them. "Don't!" she cried. "Not now. Not like this."
In that moment the screech of tired filled the air and each of them looked up to see police cars lining the road nearby. Each officer yelled their own commands, guns poised, bodies shielded by their car doors.
Trey smiled slightly before looking over to Rachel and winking, giving her a quick thankyou. Before any of them could react he dashed away, weaving through the sun tents and few people who instantly scattered.
One last order from police. Two shots fired. Rachel turned her eyes away, burying her face in Ryan's chest. He simply stared on in disbelief. Seth cringed. Trey fell to his knees with a deathly silent thump. He looked up with glazed eyes staring blankly at the sky. His body became weak. Blood spilled from his shirt. His eyes closed. He hit the ground.
TO BE CONTINUED………(Okay so I lied. I guess this chapter wasn't the end. It was meant to be but then I realised I'd written so much that I might as well make it into 2 chapters to keep you guys happy. The next one is definatly the end. And its gonna be huge! It's already half written and waiting to go. I'll just let you take all this in first :P Please Review)
ChaiGrl: thanks. Good to know u liked it so much. Yeah it will be sad for it all to end but that's jus the way it goes. There might be something in the mix but well have to wait and see.
Duchess4ever Yeah it's been a while. It keeps getting longer and longer every time which I feel soooo bad for. Sorry about the late updates but life is so crazily busy right now! I try my best
meezardra I can feel the inspiration lol. yeah I think one of the main things that comes out of the Seth/Rachel thing is that things don't last forever and that everything has to come to an end somewhere, or at least be stopped for some perspective.
Leentje: wow good to know u liked the chapter so much. I never gaurenteed a happy ending though. Things can't all work out properly cos then…well its kinda boring. I'll post asap with the final chapter