A/n: Agh!!!! Over one hundred reviews!! Oh my gosh, thankyou all so much! You are absolutly amazing, and each of you has a special place on my imaginary wall of utterly awesome and fantastic people!!! You should all feel very special! Ok, seriously, thankyou so, so much. This story would be nothing without you guys...without reviews I have no inspiration and without inspiration I have no story! So, this entire story is dedicated to you reviewers! :D Also, Thankyou to all of you guys who have favorited and/or alerted my story!
Anywhoo, enough of my thankyou speech. On with the chapter! Please enjoy!
Oh and a warning for mature content!!! If you wish to avoid that, skip the middle section, you should be able to catch on pretty quickly, hopefully.
All Just A Lie.
Chapter Six: In Too Deep.
Shane threw his head back against the leather of his chair, deep breaths protruding from his quivering lips. He shut his eyes gently, Mitchie's face greeting him, she was smiling and telling him that she loved him with all of her heart. Her eyes were shimmering with that spark he adored so much. But then she was gone, once again replaced with the image of her kissing another man, the picture was dull and grey, yet crystal clear, like his own mind wished to cause him further agony.
Shane snapped his eyes open, unable to watch the image any further. He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes, a small groan escaping his lips.
"What are you groaning about?" Shane let his head tilt to the side, an infuriated Ruby filling his vision from her place next to him in the limo. "Are you still thinking about that whore?"
"She's not a whore, don't call her that!" Shane growled, lifting his head so that he could show her the full hatred that swam through his eyes.
"Touchy, touchy." Ruby said through a laugh, brushing her blonde hair from her eyes and smoothing down the purple material of her dress. "You really need to get over her." Ruby said, placing her hand on his leg and grazing it across to his inner thigh. "You know, maybe we could make this a full time arrangement." She purred, twisting over her body a little and letting her other hand caress his chest.
"Let me mull that over while I'm being sick in your handbag." Shane spat, pushing the offended blonde from him, she snarled.
"Just a suggestion." She retorted, composing herself, but the flicker of rejection still upon her face.
"A stupid one. You know I hate you, right?" Shane added loathingly, turning his vision to the window, watching the trees go past in a blur of green, a snake of yellow twisting from the street lamps.
"Oh, you'll come around, honey." Ruby cooed, with a smirk.
"Why do you sound so confident about that?" Shane asked, narrowing his eyes but still refusing to look at her.
"Everybody loves Ruby Jackson, you just need a little extra time. But don't worry, you'll fall for me soon enough." She replied her voice a seductive whisper.
"Don't count on it." Shane replied bitterly, shaking his head at the determination of the blonde. Did she really think they would end up together? Was her mind really that warped? "We're here." He added a second later as he felt the limo shudder to stop.
"Brilliant." Ruby said with gleaming smile as she rubbed her hands together. "Let's get this started." She added placing a hand on the door handle.
"Wait!" Shane exclaimed, grabbing her shoulder and wrenching her backwards. "I don't think I can do this." He swallowed, thinking of Mitchie and nothing else.
"Oh, ok then." Ruby hissed. "We'll just forget about the whole thing. You can just go back to stewing in your own filth, alone and unloved. While little miss whore gets with every guy in a ten mile radius." Ruby spat sarcastically, Shane's face whitened.
"Don't call her…"
"A whore, yes I know, you need to change your tune mister. Now can you set back your unrequited love for one second and remember that this is the girl that ditched you, just left you, because she'd met another guy." Ruby told him, running her hand over his face, one finger smoothing his bottom lip, he went rigid. "Do you really want her to get her kicks by thinking about how you're unable to move on, unable to let go?" Ruby questioned, her scheming mind working overtime.
"No…let's do this." Shane whispered, tears welling in his eyes.
"Great….Oh my god, please don't start crying again, that is such a turn off." Ruby sneered, shaking her head at him.
"Well lucky for me, turning you on is not one of my priorities." Shane retorted, rubbing another hand over his face and blinking back his tears.
"It will be one day." She said with a wink and exited the limo. Shane shook off his look of disgust before following her out of the Limo, one hand immediately blocking his eyes as his was bombarded with lights.
"Come on, sweetie." Shane heard Ruby coo as she grabbed his hand, a sickening, loving look upon her face, her eyes wide with false devotion. Shane swallowed back the bile that rose up his throat as the paparazzi began to scream their names, bellowing questions at the 'couple'.
Are you back together?
What about Mitchie?
Are you refuelling your career?
Are you back together?
Shane desperately tried to avoid the questions, his eyes flying over the red carpet that he marched across, yanking Ruby with him. But she had other ideas, she spotted the most expensive and professional camera within seconds, wrenching Shane's hand and pulling him to a stop in front of it.
"What's this then? Are you two back on track?" A man suddenly questioned, his short black hair framing his tanned, slightly orange face. His eyes were wide with delight with being handed this fiery story.
"Yes, we are." Ruby told him confidently, wrapping her arm around Shane's stomach and pulling him closer. Shane responded with a light smile, putting his arm around her bare shoulders.
"Shane, what about Mitchie?" The man questioned, his eyes peircing as he flashed the microphone in front of Shane's face.
She broke my heart
"It didn't work out." Shane said blankly. "Besides…" Shane began after a secretive, yet vicious elbow in the ribs from Ruby. "I'm with my Ruby now." Shane added with another forced smile as he reluctantly kissed her hairline, an estranged and slightly terrifying, high-pitched giggle protruding from Ruby's lips.
"Now, there was a video clip a little while back of Ruby, shouting aggressively at you, Shane and your then girlfriend Michelle. I take it all his forgiven?" The man pressed, desperate to juice this story for all it was worth. Shane sighed.
"Well, who could stay mad at this adorable face." Shane said through a baby voice, all of his dignity wiped away at that moment.
"And..." Ruby cut in, pulling the microphone down towards her. "I knew what I did was wrong that day, I handled the situation badly. I apologised, and I really am deeply sorry for what I did. But, I went to numerous therapy sessions and anger management classes and now I'm back on track." Ruby said angelically whilst Shane fought the urge to roll his eyes, would anyone actually believe this?
"So, is there a comeback in the works for you Miss Jackson?"
"Oh most definitely." Ruby beamed. "I have a new single in the works, and hopefully my fans will still be there for me. I want them to know, that I adore them and everything I do is for them." Ruby whispered, her voice cracking in a way that Shane knew was fake.
"That's good to know. One final thing, do I hear wedding bells?" He asked with a laugh, Shane even chuckled, the thought not even fathomable.
"You will be soon enough." Ruby exclaimed, Shane's smile dropped but he instantly replaced it, hoping that the camera wouldn't pick up the horror in his eyes. "It's only a matter of time." Ruby cried before throwing herself into Shane's arms and pressing her lips sharply against his.
He gasped, wanting nothing more than push her away, to get her revolting lips from his face and to extract her tight grip around his neck. But he didn't, he couldn't without exposing their lie, so he gingerly placed his hand on her hip and reluctantly moved his lips against hers, withholding the urge to gag as her tongue pressed forcibly into his mouth.
"This is TV gold." He heard the presenter say, and Shane felt it was finally acceptable to untangle himself from Ruby's clutches and pull her away from the presenter.
"What the hell was that?" He half whispered, half yelled at her as he yanked her away from the flashing lights and into the building, making sure they were alone.
"Oh, come on don't tell me you didn't enjoy it." She whispered with a smile.
"No I didn't." Shane cried. "And can you please stop sticking your tongue down my throat without my permission, I'm really started to get sick of it." Shane added, his anger flooding through him as he wiped his mouth. "I swear one more time and I think it counts as sexual abuse!"
"Oh bloody hell Shane, get over it. I did what I had to do, and now our plan is underway!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You were so much better at pretending to be in a fake relationship with Mitchie." Ruby said under her breath.
"That's because I was in love with her you stupid idiot!" Shane cursed, throwing his hands in the air.
"Well, right now you don't love her, you love me, so start acting that way! Especially now out engagement is just around the corner." She said with a cackle before sauntering off.
Shane watched her leave, clenching his jaw tightly. How could he have been so dumb to get involved with this, with her? But it was too late to go back now. He would have to live with his decision….he was already in way too deep.
The Next Morning.
Mitchie wiped one hand viciously over her cheeks as more tears poured over her features. She wondered if the incessant tears would ever stop. They had been practically consistent since Packard records had ordered her to end her relationship with Shane, and the pain still hadn't subsided. The emotional, borderline physical, pain within her heart was now coupled with an unbearable, pounding headache that ripped over her forehead and hammered agonisingly behind both of her eyes, clouding her eyes along with her tears.
She still couldn't get used to what had happened, she had barely slept, she hadn't eaten and the weight of both of those variables had made her weak, moody and even more miserable than she had imagined possible.
Her mother had taken to staying out of her way as much as humanly possible, usually only appearing when tempting Mitchie with food or trying to force her to get help. Mitchie refused every time, usually resulting in a large argument. Luckily for Mitchie, her mum was never a fighter and her catering business kept her out of the house most of the time. Her father had been away for a while and would not be back for a few more weeks, he was blissfully unaware of the turmoil that dwelled at home, the price of hardware his only concern.
Mitchie shuddered and sobbed loudly as she thought of what she had become without Shane, she had abandoned and insulted her mother, she was losing weight, she hadn't even thought of singing, she was slowly letting herself fade away. She was on a sinister path and she didn't seem to care.
On the contrary, Mitchie wanted to be on that path, she was destroying herself because she couldn't see a reason to her life anymore.
Was she being dramatic? Perhaps. But Mitchie was blinded by her love for Shane, and blinded by the pain that refused to leave her and continued to pulse through her body. Flooding her with memories that were now exactly that, memories, things that would never be experienced again.
She wanted to die.....
She wanted to die.
Mitchie raised her head, her tears stopping for a moment. Within seconds she had pulled her weak body from the floor, and staggered into the kitchen, her weak knees threatening to give way.
Her breathing was sharp and ragged as she pulled open the one of the drawers, her shuddering hands searching through the cutlery before she extracted a long, large and dauntingly sharp knife. She held it in front of her, before extending her other arm, lowering the knife so it hovered just a few centimetres over her wrist.
She closed her eyes, telling herself to let the cold blade slip across her skin. She could end this. She could stop the hurting. She could stop the guilt. She could stop the tears. She could stop the regret. All with one little action. Her shaking hand lowered slightly, she took a sharp breath as the blade touched her skin, splitting her wrist, a small drop of bloody oozing from the cut.
It was a strange emotion, the pain battling against the pain writhing in her chest. It was different, almost...comforting? Mitchie shivered at the release, sucking in air through her pursed lips as she let the blade slide over her arm once more, tears bubbling from her eyes. She couldn't understand the feeling, it managed to take her thoughts off of Shane, off of everything, and for that she almost enjoyed the pain. Mitchie nodded slightly, licking her lips as she once again prepared to press the knife into her skin, just that little bit deeper.
But then she dropped the knife, jumping away from the spot with a sudden burst of energy.
Was she really willing to kill herself, just because she couldn't be with Shane?
Mitchie looked at the knife with her wide eyes, then down at her bleeding wrist. She grabbed a tissue, wiping away the blood and adding pressure to the throbbing wounds.
Was she really that heartbroken without him?
And that's when it hit her. She couldn't do it anymore, she couldn't live without him. Her selfish side bursting through her like a bolt of lightening. She had to tell him, he could decided for himself.
Even if he rejected her and chose his career, it wouldn't be as bad as this. She wouldn't have to live with guilt of being the reason for Shane's tears, she wouldn't be consumed with 'What ifs' and 'if onlys'.
He could decide for himself. Once she had told him everything.
And with that she bolted from the kitchen and out of the door.
It took her a record amount of time for Mitchie to reach Shane's apartment, her heart threatening to burst from her chest, a nervous buzz feeling her stomach, a nervousness that was overwhelmed with excitement.
Excitement of seeing Shane, excitement of telling him the truth.
A smile tore at her lips as she bought her fist down against the door, she stood, impatiently and fidgeting for a few moments, checking to make sure her wrist had stopped bleeding and that the angry red marks was hidden behind the sleeve of her jacket. She jumped as the door was whisked open, her heart swelling with a disappointment as she studied Nate. But the disappointment quickly disappeared as she noted Nate's swollen, blood shot eyes.
"M-Mitchie?" He stammered, looking at Mitchie in shock. Before she could explain her presence, or before Nate could question it he had pulled her into the apartment and wrenched her into his arms, burying his head in her shoulder.
"Nate, what is it? What's wrong? What's happened." Mitchie yelped, bombarding him with questions. Everything seemed to slow down as she studied the otherwise empty apartment, had something happened to Shane? She breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes fell upon the bathroom door, steam floating from the gap and the noise of the shower soothing her ears.
"It's Caitlyn…" He told her, pulling away so he could look at her, her face contorted with shock.
"Wh-what about her?" Mitchie questioned, fear clenching her heart. She had received numerous calls from Caitlyn over the past few days but she had chosen to ignore them. What if she had needed Mitchie's help?
"We broke up." He told her, sadness fleeting through his eyes. Mitchie sighed, engulfing her friend in another hug.
"I'm so sorry, what happened?" She soothed, rubbing his back tenderly.
"She's…she's pregnant." Nate stammered after a few moments of silence.
"What?" Mitchie gasped, jumping back from Nate, whose eyes threatened to leak. "I didn't even know you had…." Nate silenced her by holding up his hand, exposing his purity ring.
"We haven't." He told her solemnly as he sloped away, throwing himself against the sofa, unaware that he had sat upon the remote control.
"Oh my gosh." Mitchie breathed, bringing her hand to her mouth as she did.
"Why are you here, Mitchie?" Nate suddenly questioned as Mitchie kneeled in front of him.
"Don't worry about that now." She wavered it away, wanting to discuss the issue with Shane first. "Look, are you sure you've got this right? I mean, Caitlyn isn't the sort to cheat." She told him, confident that this was merely a misunderstanding.
"Yep, she told me." He said, avoiding her gaze.
"Oh…But I mean…"
"You're telling me you didn't notice it. She was always busy, she never had time to talk or to meet up…" Nate told her, his voice distant, Mitchie opened her mouth to protest but then closed it abruptly, now she came to think about it….
"Hey Mitch." A breathless Caitlyn answered after a few rings. "I really, really can't talk right now, I erm…I have to do something…" Caitlyn quickly rambled.
"That's what I thought." Nate remarked, his eyes now upon hers and a sad smile wrapped over his face.
"Have you heard from her?" Mitchie asked, a wave of loathing passing through her as she thought of her best friend. Nate nodded.
"She....she keeps leaving messages. Asking me to see her in person because she needs to talk to me, telling me that she l-loves me." Nate muttered his voice cracking. "But I can't, I can't even speak to her."
"It's ok, Nate, you can get through this. I know you can, and I'm here for you, whenever you need me." Mitchie told him with her sympathetic eyes wide, her hand resting comfortingly on his knee.
"Thanks Mitchie." Nate whispered, grabbing her hand. "Now, why are you here?" Mitchie opened her mouth to answer, but the television that had previously been just a mechanical, repetitive noise in the background suddenly spoke to her. Spoke with a sentence that tore down her hope, her whole body erupting in agony.
"Shane Gray and Ruby Jackson have together confirmed that they have decided to giver their relationship another try."
A/n: Ooh, drama alert!!! What will Mitchie do? Agh! You can find that out in the next chapter, but you probably already knew that! :D
So, it would be totally awesome if you guys could let me know what you thought of the chapter. And, is it being rude if I ask for the people who merely alert and favorite to let me know what they think of the story so far? *Smiles nervously.*
I'm pushing it aren't I? :)
Oh and a final note to you guys who are interested in the sequal to my story 'Sins', I have pretty much thought of the entire storyline now! Wooo! *Throws a mini party* So that will be up when this story is drawing to a close, not sure when that will be, but yeah just thought I'd let you know!
Love you all.
Emma. x