Chapter 5 – Forget About You
Just as he said that, Ross' phone started beeping multiple times. "That's weird." He said, taking it and opening it. He scrolled down a few times, reading a few things, before putting it back down and turning to Riker. "Maybe we're wrong."
"What's wrong?" Riker frowned.
Ross sighed and took his phone, opening the message he received. He didn't show it to Riker, but he just looked at the photoshopped pictures of his soulmate and Becca kissing at their pool, and the message that comes along with it was Maia demanding to see him or that picture will go public. "I gotta go, but if Rocky comes home being mad or anything, tell him it's all fake." Ross said, kissing him on the lips.
"Okay." Riker said, quietly watching Ross walk out the door.
Ross walked down a few blocks before knocking on the window of a car parked there.
Maia rolled it down. She smiled. "Hi Rossy. I knew you'd come. Come in." She patted the seat next to her.
"Maia, just accept your soulmate." Ross sighed. "Accept whoever it is and forget about me cause I already have my own soulmate."
"I told you, the marks are wrong." Maia said, keeping a calm face on. "Now come in, I wanna talk."
Ross rolled his eyes and entered the passenger seat. "What do you want?"
Maia showed him her carved wrist. "See? There's no mark on my wrist. Because your name should be there. But I know it won't be there unless your mark is gone too." She grinned.
"You're crazy." Ross stated, wide-eyed at her wrist. He realized something, "There is no way I'm letting you carve my wrist!"
Maia giggled. "I'm not gonna do that. You know I can still post the pictures if I want, so let me do this one little thing first."
"What little thing?" Ross asked.
Before he knew it, she cupped his face and smashed her lips into his.
Riker felt a searing pain in his chest. "Aah." he exclaimed. He clutched his chest doubling over. It felt like he couldn't breath.
"Riker!" Becca said running into the room.
"Becca..." Riker said, as he lost consciousness.
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Rydel and Ellington were walking through the fair, when Ellington's phone started ringing.
"Your phone's ringing, babe." Rydel said.
"I know." Ellington smiled. "It's from Becca?" He picked up, "Hey Bec what's up?"
"You guys need to get to the hospital right now!" Becca said. "And Ell you need to help Rocky find Ross, and beat some sense into him...Ross not Rocky."
"Okay what happened?" Ellington asked. "Wait never mind we're on our way." He hung up and turned to Rydel, "We have to go to the hospital, now."
"Why?" Rydel asked shocked.
"I don't know, but we better go." Ellington told her, taking her hand and leading her out of the fair.
"Why didn't you ask for details!" Rydel exclaimed as she ran toward the car in a panic.
"I...don't know!" Ellington said, getting in the car. "But when she said we gotta go there I just had the thought of having to go."
"Well, who's in the hospital?" Rydel asked, "Did you even ask that? Did she say?"
"I don't know, Dels." Ellington told her. "She didn't say, and I forgot to ask."
Rydel made a frustrated sound, "Why don't you ever think Ell!"
"Jeez Rydel!" Ellington slammed the brakes right in front of the hospital. "I wasn't thinking because one of my closest friends could possibly be there and all I knew was to get there immediately! If you can't accept that I was trying to get us to the hospital as soon as possible then just shut it!" He snapped.
"I'm sorry!" Rydel burst into tears. "It's just it's one of my brothers in there or my parents. How do you think I feel? I didn't mean to snap at you I'm just so worried."
Ellington frowned. "I didn't mean to yell, babe. I'm sorry too." He hugged her and wiped her tears away. "I'm sure they'll be okay, whoever it is, they have to be. Come on, let's get inside." He kissed her softly.
Rydel nodded, and they got out of the car. She grabbed Ellington's hand in a death grip, as they headed toward the receptionist desk
"Can I help you?" the lady asked.
Rydel looked to Ellington. She couldn't do this. It was too much.
Ellington wrapped his arm around her shoulder, rubbing her hand to comfort her. He looked at the receptionist. "Did anyone with the last name 'Lynch' come here earlier?"
"Umm.." the receptionist, "We have Riker Lynch in room 208."
Rydel sobbed loudly. "Riker."
"Thank you." Ellington said to the receptionist before turning back to Rydel. "Dels, we don't know what's wrong with him yet, come on now, babe, please, I hate to see you so sad." He slowly led her away and kissed her tear streaks. "Baby, I love you, come on, let's see him."
"He...he has to be alright." Rydel said, as Ellington led her toward the room, "I don't know what I'd do with out him. Next to you and dad, he's the most important guy in my life."
Ellington kissed her forehead. "He's strong. He should be alright." He spotted Becca and Rocky. "Guys, what happened?"
Becca ran to them and hugged Ellington then Rydel.
"We just got home from the doctor's and our date. I walked in, and saw Riker collapse. I yelled for Rocky, and we called 911." Becca said, she cleared her throat. "Ellington can we go over there and talk for just a minute?" she motioned a ways away.
"I'll stay here." Rydel said. Rocky moved to hug Rydel, as Becca guided Ellington away.
"Ell, we found out that what caused Riker to collapse was his soulmate connection. Apparently, when someone kisses someone other than their soulmate, the soulmate that isn't doing the kissing feels an intense burning pain in their chest. Do you know what this means?"
Ellington gasped. "I'm assuming Ross kissed someone else, but, how? And why? And please tell me I'm assuming wrong."
"We don't know. We can't find him." Becca said scowling. "So you and Rocky need to get out there and bust your asses and find that little twerp, so I can rip his head off for doing this to my best friend. And if you so much as breath a word of this to Rydel I will rip your balls off Ellington Ratliff do you understand me?...Good. Now run along with Rocky." She made a shooing motion with her hands.
Ellington shook his head in disbelief and went to Rocky. "So where do you think he is?"
"We have no idea." Rocky said. "I figure we'll start trying people that he's close to. Laura, Raini and Calum, the guys from Teen Beach."
Ellington nodded. "Split up or..?"
"No, let's stick together." Rocky said, scowling. "I might need you to reign me back."
"You do realize he's your own brother right?" Ellington asked. "But okay."
"Oh, I realize. I just don't think I care at the moment." Rocky said, getting out of the car, and slamming the door behind him. "Here we are Maia Mitchell's house. She was Ross' Teen Beach co-star."
Ellington nodded. "Yeah, I do know her." He walked with him to the door.
"I figured we'd start with them since we don't know them as well...gets all the awkward shit out of the way." Rocky said as he rang the doorbell.
It took about a few minutes until Maia opens the door. She looked surprised to see them, but smiled anyway. "Hi guys, can I help you?"
"Yeah um, have you seen Ross? Or, at least know where he is?" Ellington asked.
"Nope." Maia grinned. "Not a clue!"
"Why do I get the feeling your lying to us?" Rocky asked his eyes narrowing.
Maia shrugged and walked in, not answering. She didn't even close the door. Ellington gave Rocky a confused look, before walking in.
"I'll check upstairs." Rocky said he walked up the stairs muttering under his breath. He opened the bedroom door, and found Ross on the bed his shirt off. Rocky's scowl deepened. "Ell! Get up here!" he hollared downstairs.
Ellington ran upstairs. "What is i- What the hell?!" He was too mad to realize the tear stains on Ross' cheeks.
"I can explain!" Ross immediately said, putting his shirt back on.
Maia went in. "Oh Rossy, your brother and his friend are here to pick you up." She giggled. "Oh well, I'll see you next time." She winked before leaving.
Rocky grabbed Ross shirt, and threw it at him. He grabbed his arm, and dragged him out of the house. Once they were outside he turned to him, and slapped upside the head.
"What the hell were you thinking?! You have a soulmate! Or does Riker not mean anything to you? Were you just playing him? He loved you Ross! How could you do this? And with her...of all people!" Rocky ranted.
"Yeah, and do you realize what you did to him?" Ellington asked. "He's in the freaking hospital because of you!"
"Hospital? Why?" Ross asked. "No, guys, please, I can explain! She had this pictures that looks so real and she said she'll release it to the media if I don't do what she wants! Please, you gotta believe me!" He said.
"Prove it!" Rocky said crossing his arms across his chest.
Ross sighed. "You don't believe me? I can't prove it! All the pictures are with her! And the only picture I have, she-" he just remembered, "I left my phone in her room. Now, what happened to Riker? Why's he in the hospital?"
"Like you care." Ellington scoffed. "I don't understand how you two are soulmates when one of you don't care about the other."
"Come on Ell." Rocky said, rolling his eyes. "Let's get the phone, and get him back to the hospital so Becca can beat his ass. This is something I'm dying to see."
Ellington nodded. "Can't believe him anymore." He looked at Ross, "You, wait in the car."
Ross sighed and made his way to this car. 'Whatever happens, happens.' He thought.
Rocky took the phone from Ellington when he came back out. He put in Ross' password and looked through the recent texts. He found one from Maia, and his jaw dropped.
"He...he was right...there's a picture in here." Rocky said, eyes filling with tears.
"Rock?" Ellington asked. "What is it? What's gotten you upset?"
"It's not photo-shopped." Rocky said hoarsely. He pointed to a black spot on Becca's arm. "That's the tattoo she got on her fifteenth birthday. The tattoo guy actually believed she was eighteen."
Ellington shook his head. "It can't be real. Riker wouldn't do that. Becca wouldn't either. Maybe... Maybe Maia put it there to make it more convincing. I mean, Ross did say it looked really real."
"Ell, she's my soulmate. I know that tattoo, as well as I know my own. I also know that little freckle on her neck right there." Rocky said pointing to a barely see-able freckle.
"Um.." Ellington didn't know what to say. "Maybe, Maia took a picture of you and Becca kissing, and replaced your picture with Riker? Rocky, there's a lot of possibilities. Let's um, let's ask Ross? I mean, he didn't lie about this, he couldn't lie about anything else."
"Yeah." Rocky said clearing his throat, they climbed in the car.
"Did you find the picture?" Ross asked.
"We did." Ellington sighed.
"Ross, is the picture really photo-shopped?" Rocky asked, "Did she tell you it was?"
"She said it was." Ross told him. "But she also said some of them might be real. I don't know, she was trying to mess with my head. But she said the one she sent me was fake."
"See Rocky?" Ellington said. "It is fake."
"But there's also something else." Ross said.
"What?" Rocky asked, tears still running down his face. He still wasn't quite convinced that the picture was a fake.
"There's more pictures than that." Ross said, hoping he didn't have to tell them. "Ell, there's a picture of you kissing some girl, I don't know. And also Rydel doing the same thing to some guy, and then there's the two of you kissing, and there's so much she showed me."
"Why didn't you take them and get rid of them?" Ellington asked, anger rising.
"She had copies." Ross answered. "I'm sorry."
"Ell." Rocky said trying to calm him down, "She's obviously set this up very well. There's nothing Ross could do." he started up the car. "Now we need to get to the hospital."
"I'm not mad at him, I'm mad at Maia." Ellington muttered. "At least now we know what happened."
'Yeah, but it won't stop.' Ross thought. 'Not until she makes sure my mark is gone."
"Yeah. So now we've got to get Ross to the hospital. Becca probably forgot to mention it, but Riker won't wake up until Ross is there. If he wakes up then."
Ross sighed. "I still don't know what happened to him."
"If a soulmate kisses someone else other than his soulmate, that happens." Ellington told him.
"Just for the record, if Maia told me to come and I didn't, then she posts the pictures, are you guys gonna be mad?" Ross asked.
"Depends." Ellington said.
"Hell no I wouldn't be mad." Rocky said, "I'd do the same in a heartbeat. No offense little bro."
"Okay." Ross said. "If kissing someone else makes my soulmate unconscious, what happens of I lose my mark?"
"I have no idea." Ellington said. "No one ever loses their marks."
"Maia did." Ross told them. "She carved it away."
"That's...that's sick!" Rocky exclaimed. He parked the car and they got out. "I need to talk to Becca. Ell you make sure Ross gets in there." Rocky said. He walked over to his soulmate, and explained about Ross. "That picture wasn't photo-shopped." Rocky said. "I know you like the back of my hand. How could you, Bec?"
"I was fifteen, Rocky." Becca said, tears in her eyes. "You and I were still just flirting. Riker and I were by the pool. It was about a week before his birthday. He was trying to figure out if his soulmate might be a boy. I was his best friend. We had an innocent kiss. I should've told you and I didn't. I'm sorry." Becca explained.
"I can never trust you again." Rocky said, and walked away.
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"What's going on there?" Ross asked.
"Uh, no time. You gotta see Riker. Now." Ellington and started taking him to the room.
Rydel was sitting with Riker. She looked up when she saw Ross. "Thank goodness your here." she hugged him, and then guided him to the seat next to Riker.
"I'll be outside." Ellington said and left to see Becca.
"Oh God.." Ross said, seeing Riker. "Delly, what do I do?"
"Talk to him" Rydel said, "Let him know your here, you love him."
Ross went over to Riker and sat on the edge of the bed. "Riker? Please wake up. I'm right here, I didn't mean to do what I did. I didn't want to do it. Please wake up. I love you, Rikey. I love you with all my heart. I could never live without you. Please wake up. I really, really love you."
"R...Ross?" Riker asked.
Hey guys! Don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think of the story so far. Love you penguins! ~Blackbird