A/N: Hey guys! I want to say thank you so much to the reviewers, you guys are absolutely amazing. Twenty four reviews, wow. Thats so awesome. Special thank yous to Torina, peaceloveejonas, and parakeet17 for their super long reviews. And thank you to so many of you who have stuck with me through this story so far, as well as those who were with me through These Words. You guys are amazing, and totally inspiring. Thanks to those reviews, this is actually my longest chapter so far.
Special Note: Irreplaceable has been deleted for 'violating the terms of service'. I'd like you to know that I will not be moving this story to the camp rock section, and should it get deleted, I will repost it. I would appreciate your support on this subject, because I think those who have legit HM characters in their stories are being unfairly targeted, and being pressured to move their stories into a section where it doesn't make sense for it to be. This is an HM story and it belongs in the HM section. If I'm breaking rules by including the Jonas brothers, then I would still be breaking those rules in the camp rock section, so I might as well break them here. Also, Irreplaceable will be back up as soon as possible, to those of you who are reading it. Please look out for it, and if you don't manage to catch it, we may send out PMs to those of you who had it on Alert.
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Anyone But You
Chapter Seven
It seemed to me that at first I could do nothing but cry. I couldn't even decide what it was I was crying for. There were just so many reasons, and I had so many regrets weighing on my shoulders. There was even a point where I was wishing that Lola had never existed just so Miley never would have planned a huge birthday bash. I was coming up with anything and everything in my mind that I could have done to prevent this. Even if it didn't make much sense, or it wasn't practical, I was beating myself up over not doing it. Maybe if I had moved to Nevada with Dad after the divorce I never would have met Miley and gotten involved in the Hannah Life? Maybe if I just hadn't of been born there wouldn't have been a birthday to celebrate in the first place? Maybe then I never would have met Nate and we wouldn't hate each other and he wouldn't be missing just because he tried to protect me from some crazy psycho killer. This was all my fault.
We didn't deserve this. I mean, I had always been a relatively nice girl, except when Nathaniel Gray was involved, but that didn't count. And I also had to admit that he was a pretty respectable boy himself... to other people. Then again, even now he had let some of the past two years go in favor of putting it behind us. I had known in the back of my head that the two of us screaming at each other wouldn't help get us out of this situation, but forgive me if I'm not as forgiving as he apparently is. I'm sorry, but two years is a long time and two years takes an even longer time for me to forget about. Our rivalry had always just been there, it had been something constant in my life between new friends and friends that slipped away, good grades and bad, boyfriends and those who stood me up. It was always something I could depend on to be there. Whether or not I was sure that Matt would show up for our date, or that I would pass my English exam, I always knew that I hated Nate and he hated me. Thats just how it was.
But now, something I had always considered as constant, I found slipping away. It wasn't so much that we were growing to like each other or that we were becoming friends. This was different, and this was something that mattered. I had shot my mouth off yesterday, saying some words that I knew I didn't mean, words I wanted to take back, and now I didn't know if I would ever get that chance. It wasn't that I didn't hate him, I just found myself worrying; scared that I had been a catalyst to his kidnapping, or that I could be held responsible for his death. If I hadn't breathed in that alleyway, or if I hadn't tripped and given the culprit a good look at us, he could have been okay. He could have woken up today in his own bed and I could have apologized to him the way I now realized I wanted to. I could have hugged him for the first real time in my life and told him that even if I hated him still, I couldn't deny that I needed him.
It had been a few hours since I'd found the scene of the crime. I had been dressed in my regular school clothes, my mom dropping me off to tell him I was sorry, and then I was going to go to school- sans wig, of course. When I'd first seen it, my mind was blank. When I'd realized that he was gone, I had broke down, and I hadn't picked myself up since. The entire Gray family was in shambles, but Mr. And Mrs. Gray were trying to keep strong. The police had been called and there were reports circulating all over the television. Everything was a haze, and I wanted to do something, anything to help. All of this was my fault, and if they didn't find him, I wasn't sure I could forgive myself. He didn't deserve this and I knew that, no matter how many things I'd done to him and thought he had it coming. This was just too far. I could cut the curl from his hair and fill his facial soap with extremely dark self tanner and not feel guilty, but I couldn't live with death on my hands. I didn't even want to face the prospect that they wouldn't find him alive, that was just out of the question. I mean, I had evidence and so did he. If anything happened to him, I would hand over those tapes to the police in three seconds flat and I was sure the killer knew that. He knew that if he did anything, he would be caught. Well, at least I could only hope he was smart enough to know that.
But there was also a selfish side of me that refused to be ignored. If they'd gotten Nate less than three days after the attack, how long would it be until they found me? Once they had both of us, would there really be a way out? No one besides us knew that we even had evidence; no one else even had any idea of what had happened. The guy could easily just kill the both of us off and no one would know. Well, they'd know that we were dead, but the guy would probably never be caught and they wouldn't figure out why me and Nate were even targeted. I wanted to let someone in so desperately, but I couldn't put someone else at risk. There was already the possibility of Nate's blood on my hands and I didn't want anyone else's. My worst enemy's disappearance had already had a tremendous effect on me and I couldn't image how I'd feel if anyone who actually meant anything more than stability were to go missing.
It was around one or two on the same day and I found myself at the Grays kitchen table. I could hear the thumps of the CSI crew's heavy boots through the ceiling as they investigated Nate's room for clues. I was almost positive they wouldn't find any, but I still had hope. I mean, with the luck I had, I didn't have a doubt in my mind that the Malibu police department would walk out of this house with no more information about the crime than they had when they walked in. As they searched Nate's room for evidence to pinpoint who took him, the only question I had running through mine was where he was. I already knew who had him, it wasn't hard to figure out. All you had to do was find one of the twelve tapes laying around and it would be clear. But I was sure the cops wouldn't come across them. If Nate had taken half the care I had in placing them in secure locations, we would really be giving them a run for their money. In other words, the criminal would have a hell of a time finding them, and so would everyone else. I guess you could count the both of us dead.
My eyes trailed the room around me, taking everything all in. Mom was somewhere outside answering questions about Friday night. The rest of us were waiting patiently for our own turn. Jason was nervous, but he was holding up. He was pacing the kitchen, trying to keep his mind busy on anything but the fact that his little brother was gone. Mr. And Mrs. Gray looked the worst, but you could tell they were trying to stay as composed as possible. Shane had gone upstairs to fish out his cell phone in case Nate called with a ransom note of some sort. They were all pretty put together, being cooperative and working with the police to make this as easy as it could be. I, on the other hand, was being anything but easy.
I was still crying, wiping at my eyes every three seconds. My mouth was emitting retched sobs and my body was shaking. It had been difficult to deal with a murder at my birthday party, then being a witness to a major crime. Now someone I might even consider myself close to was gone. I had convinced myself that the worse part of this situation was the waiting. I knew I would be next and I knew I would have the same fate as Nate, if not worse. It was just a matter of time. It could be hours, or days or months before they came for me and all I could do was wait for it. Just wait and know that I was going to die before I even started really living.
For an eighteen year old I hadn't done much. It would seem like I'd lived an ideal teenage life, balancing celebrity parties and a completely separate normal life. But that wasn't exactly true. I'd spent the better part of my teenage years losing friends over stupid fights and being stood up by even stupider boys. Even as Lola I had never really had it great. Miley, or Hannah rather, had always been the centre of attention and I'd mostly been known as just 'the sidekick' or her 'right wing'. We even had to come late to my own party so I wouldn't be out done on the red carpet by more important, famous people. But now I was being hunted down because I'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the worst part was that I wouldn't even get to make something of myself. I wouldn't get to go to university and get a job. I wouldn't get to get to have a family, and I'd never get the chance to fall in love. The worst part of it was that I was going to die the same person I'd always been; a nobody, and that was something I couldn't deny.
"Lola, sweetie?" My head snapped up to face my mom. I wiped away a few tears and let out a shaky breath.
"Yeah?" I whispered.
"It's your turn now," She told me. As I went to stand, I found a hand on my arm. I looked over to see Shane, helping me up from my seat. He tried his best to smile reassuringly, but it came out forced and meaningless. I felt so guilty for being weak and forcing Nate's family to be strong for me, someone who didn't even mean a thing to him.
"Okay," I whimpered to my mom as I clung to Shane. I felt myself pressing into his side as I walked on un-sturdy legs. He helped me outside, letting me lean on him for support as I tried to compose myself. I couldn't even manage to breath without shaking or feeling a sob rising in my throat.
When we reached the front door, Shane detached himself from me to swing it open. There were several cop cars surrounding the area and the red and blue lights were making me dizzy and disorientated. I swayed a few time in the doorway before Shane came back to me. He led me outside towards the cop waiting with a digital recorder to record our conversation on. When the police officer caught sight of both of us, he let Shane put me down nicely on a bench, but then demanded Shane leave. Shane reluctantly obliged, trying to shoot me another reassuring smile as he squeezed shoulder lightly.
"Come get me when your done," He whispered, and I could only nod before he walked back into the house.
"Lola Luftnagle, correct?" The man asked, taking his seat on the bench next to me. He peered at me curiously through dark sunglasses and I couldn't help but feel intimidated.
"Yes," I squeaked, knowing I had to say something because it was being recorded. Had it not been, I would have opted only to nod because I didn't trust my voice. I was terrified I would spill something, anything about what I knew. I didn't want to give out information just yet, not knowing whether or not it could save Nate or potentially put him in even more danger.
"Can you recount what happened this morning, please?" He asked politely, touching my arm. Without a second thought, I pulled my arm back, away from his touch. It was cold, and felt almost hostile, not like the gentleness he was injecting into his questions.
"I came over to apologize," I admitted, sniffling, "Because I'd overreacted over something when Nate and the Grays had been over for dinner last night." He nodded to me, silently telling me to continue, "Shane let me in and he told me Nate was upstairs sleeping and that I could wake him." I couldn't help but to pause again mid explanation to settle my uneven breathing. "When I opened the door, that's when I saw his room. It was- It- Well... you saw," I teared up, but managed to wipe away the saline drops before they made their trek down my cheek.
"Do you have any idea why someone might want to kidnap Nathaniel?" He asked.
"No," I replied. It sounded a little too fast and a bit suspicious even to myself. I hoped that somehow the policeman would tribute my fast reply to nervousness and not the idea that I was potentially hiding a huge piece of this puzzle. It wasn't that I didn't want them to find Nate, I just didn't want to put more people in danger.
"Alright," He raised an eyebrow. He flipped a piece of paper on the notepad I hadn't noticed in his hand until now. "Lets talk about Friday night." I told me, coldness in his voice. Whatever compassion he had had for me was clearly gone since I hadn't fully cooperated with his last question.
"What about Friday?" I whispered, still nervous.
"Talk about Friday night, at your big birthday Bash. There was a murder, remember?" I nodded, "Tell me what you saw."
"Nothing." I answered again, immediately. My hands were beginning to shake and I felt like I was being closed in upon. I didn't feel like I was being questioned anymore, it was more like an interrogation. It was like I'd done something wrong, like I was some sort of criminal myself. Withholding evidence wasn't a crime right? If I remembered my law classes correctly, witnesses weren't obligated to talk, but I couldn't trust my own memory anymore, not with a flurry of thoughts running through my head. The most prominent being: this is all my fault.
"Are you sure," He asked menacingly, as if he was trying to push information from me. He leaned forward across the bench as if he was trying to intimidate me, almost towering over me even though he was still in a sitting position. I couldn't even find a voice to answer him, all I could do was nod lightly. I hardly had a clear enough mind to move my head enough to consider what I'd done a nod. I dug into the back of my throat, finding some remnant of a voice and voiced what I wanted to say.
"I don't want to talk anymore," My voice cracked, "I want to go inside."
"You haven't answered all my questions," He protested, flipping another page in his notebook.
"I don't care," I almost spat, taking in a deep breath, "I want to go inside. I want my mom, and Shane, and-" My eyes teared up as I said something I never thought I would, "And I want Nate back." When I said the words thats when the tears came again. I had managed to stop them for my interrogation with officer pushy, but I couldn't hold them back for long. I pulled my knees to my chest, burying my head into them. I wasn't sure what happened for the few minutes after that, but I ignored any more questions directed to me from the cop and before I knew it, there was a hand on my arm again.
"Stop touching me!" I cried again, pulling my arm away. When I looked up, expecting to see the officer, I found myself looking at Shane. "Oh.." I mumbled, "I'm sorry." I wiped away a few tears as I watched his face. He was confused, and I could see why. In his mind he seemed to be debating on whether or not to ask about my outburst from moments ago, but I guess he decided to let it go. Moments later, he was on the bench next to me, sitting in the same place the cop had been, but instead of interrogating me he was pulling me into a hug.
"We'll find him, Lola," He promised me as my head pressed against his chest and my hands clung desperately to his shirt. I needed something, anything to hold on to. My stability had been kidnapped into the night and I was just grasping onto whatever I could get a hold of. Now that Nate was gone, I was trying to keep myself attached to everything, to keep me connected so neither of us would find ourselves missing too.
We must've stayed that way for quite a while. I was in a state almost similar to Friday night's except a lot more conscious. I was finding myself too weak to move from Shane's hold, both physically and emotionally. I felt safe here, with him, a feeling very different than the one I had been experiencing on this same park bench the the policeman. With the officer I had felt pressured and pushed and as if something was going to happen to me if I didn't answer properly. Shane, however, put my thoughts as ease. I had never really considered us to be friends before, but now I did. He was here for me at a time when I couldn't be there for myself, and it made me appreciate what Nate had done for me on friday night even more. It made me realize that I had really great people surrounding me, and I couldn't help but think that I was really going to miss them when the killer came for me.
"Come on," Shane's whisper met my ear, "Let's go inside, okay?" I nodded as he lifted me off the bench, much like he had helped me out of the kitchen chair earlier. He again let me lean on him, guiding me back inside the house and sitting me on one of the steps of the staircase. He took a seat next to me, just like he had on the bench, but didn't pull me into another hug.
"You okay?" He asked, dipping his head down a bit and tilting it to catch my eyes.
"No," I replied honestly, "I know me and him don't get along, but... I never wanted this to happen." My mouth poured out the words as I let my eyes close. I tried to steady myself, taking in deep breaths and pressing my hands hard against the stair to stop their shaking. I let out a breath that I had been holding, preparing myself to explain further before a loud, sharp beep cut the silence that had formed. My eyes immediately snapped open and my head whipped around towards where the noise had come from. Instead of looking at what couple have made the noise, I found myself furrowing my eyebrows. I was looking in the direction that the sound had come from, but I found myself only seeing Shane. He was fumbling around, and I remained confused until he pulled his cell phone from his pants pocket, looking at it curiously. I watched as he pressed a few buttons, lighting up the screen, and then the he raised an eyebrow at it.
"What is it?" I spoke, my voice hoarse and barely audible. I leaned over a bit to glance at the phone's screen.
"A voice mail message," He answered back, his eyes never leaving the object.
"Who's it from?" I asked. He glanced over to me, his eyes scrunched up in confusion, and then back to the message alert.
"I don't know," He breathed. He seemed to stop staring at it as if he was expecting it to do something, and jumped to life. He began to quickly press buttons, dialing in some sort of password for his voice mail before bringing the cell to his ear. I watched as he listened to the message, and I watched as his eyes widened and the colour drained from his face. My stomach did flips, not liking the look that had developed on his features. I wanted so desperately to ask, but I was so afraid of the answer I'd get. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long, because he answered my mental question for me.
"It's Nate." Was all he said before jumping off the stairs and racing towards his parents, leaving me there. I couldn't blame him for forgetting about me for a few moments, his brother was missing and he had just gotten a call from him. Besides that, I was a nobody anyways, it wasn't like I expected Shane to actually care about how I was reacting to this, though I did appreciate the fact that he genuinely seemed to be worried about me.
I watched from afar as Shane let his parents listen to the message and their family all went into a frenzy all over. They tried to keep Frankie sheltered from it, seeing as he was only ten, but the kid knew something was up. I mean, it was obvious with the cop cars everywhere and all of us being asked to answer questions. Then there was the fact that Nate was no where in sight and the entire family in tears.
"Hi Lola," I lifted my head to find the person I had just been thinking about: Frankie.
"Hi Frankie," I answered back, mustering up my best smile to put on some sort of happy facade for him. It would be hard enough to deal with if Nate showed up dead, I didn't need to scare Frankie now when he was only missing.
"Want to play webkinz with me?" He asked, holding out a few that he had in his arms.
"Um," I choked out, catching a glimpse of the bright orange stuffed fish Frankie was extending to me. It reminded me exactly of the orange colour Nate had been for two weeks after the self tanner incident I'd put him through. "Maybe later, okay?" I tried to plead politely. I didn't mind playing webkinz with Frankie, but I just needed some time. I didn't want to have to plaster on a fake smile, and a fake happy voice and pretend like everything was good. I just wanted to break, and I wanted to stay broken, if only for a while. I wasn't quite ready to just pick up the pieces and keep going; not when Nate's life was on the line, and mine was too.
"Pleasee," Frankie asked, again, giving me the puppy dog look. I felt my heart almost breaking, sinking into my stomach because I knew I didn't have the strength to turn him down again. I had already been on bad terms with one Gray, and I didn't want to upset Frankie too, especially when everyone was trying so hard to keep it together for him.
"Frank," I heard Jason interrupted, "Shane will play with you, okay? I need to talk to Lola." Frankie looked reluctant to leave, but he did after Jason gave him a pretty serious look. I then found myself trying to ignore the questioning stare Jason kept shooting at me. When I didn't acknowledge it and the silence set it he found himself taking Shane's old spot, next to me.
"Hey," Was all he said, glancing at me again.
"Hi." I answered back quietly.
"Your mom wanted me to tell you she has to stay late at work tonight. She already left."
"Oh..." I couldn't seem to come up with anything else. It wasn't that I couldn't talk to Jason, it was just that we were so close that words weren't really needed. He understood perfectly that I felt awful about never getting the chance to say I hadn't really meant the words I'd spoken at dinner. He knew that deep down, there were some extreme pranks I regretted, even though I'd never admit it. He knew that I had accepted Nate as a part of my life, even if that part was my enemy, and that I didn't want to face loosing him. Sometimes he knew things about me before I even realized them myself. That's what I loved about us, about our friendship. I never needed to explain anything to him; he just knew.
"Jason?" I asked, breaking the silence that had settled between us. Out of the corner of my eye I watched as he raised his head lightly to look at me, as if telling me to continue. I paused for a few moments before turning to face him as well. "Can I stay with you tonight? I don't want to be alone."
"Yeah," He smiled lightly, nudging my arm lightly with his as he swayed a little closer to me, "Neither do I."
"Thanks," I forced out. My head automatically leaned onto his shoulder and I felt his arm drape around me. We were quiet, sitting there on the stairs. I could hear Shane and Frankie in the background playing webkinz and Mr. And Mrs. Gray were frantically talking on their phones. The shuffle from outside was from the police, even though the investigation of Nate's room was long over. It seemed everyone around us was creating noise, doing something to take their mind off of this, but I couldn't. No matter how many things I did at once, this would continue to weigh down on my thoughts. How could you just push the fact that Nate was gone to the back of your mind? Even if it was only for a little bit.
"I should call my mom," I whispered to Jason, detaching myself from his hold. He immediately pulled out his phone, pushing it towards me so I could make the call. I took it, dialing the numbers and then holding it up to my ear. It rang once, but then went straight to the answering machine, which I figured it would. Mom never answered her phone while she was at work, but I had thought for a moment that maybe she would have since this could be considered an emergency.
"Hey Mom," I spoke into the phone, "Jason just told me that your staying late at work. Um... I'm going to stay at Jason's tonight. I just- I- I don't want to be home alone." My eyes shot down to the main floor, watching everyone scramble around.
"I'm scared," I found myself whispering, playing with the end of my shirt, "So, I'll be at Jay's if I'm not there when you get home." And then I hung up. Usually I didn't have to ask to stay over at Jason's, but I didn't want to worry my mom. I mean, Nate was missing, and I didn't want to scare my mom by having her come home expecting me to be there and I wasn't. She would have jumped to conclusions and called 911 before two seconds was up.
"Jay?" I asked, handing him his phone back. He took it, nodding at me and stuffing the object back into his pocket, "Can we go now?" I asked. When I caught a glance outside the window, it was getting pretty late. The sky was beginning to darken, and had that golden, California sunset glow to it. Jason noticed it too and agreed that we should probably leave before it got too dark. It wasn't that he lived far away or that he didn't like driving at night, but the both of us preferred to be safely inside when the light faded away, especially considering the events that happened less than twenty four hours ago.
"Yeah, sure," Jason answered, standing from his place on the stairs next to me. "I'm just going to tell my mom okay? Then we'll go."
"Okay..." I mumbled. I watched him walk down the steps and into the kitchen where his parents were sitting. I couldn't hear much of the conversation, but I saw Shane and Frankie come into view as the who family talked. A few minutes later, it seemed that the five of them had reached an agreement and Jason came walking back up to me.
"Shane's going to come with us too, is that alright?" He asked. I didn't understand why he was asking me if I was okay with the idea of Shane staying too. It was his apartment after all, he was the one who could say who stayed and who didn't.
"Yeah," I answered, almost mechanically. I didn't mind Shane staying, but I had to wonder where he would sleep. Though, Shane would probably take the guest room and I'd make myself comfortable on Jason's couch. Jason's apartment wasn't big, really, but my no means was it small either. It was a nice size. There was the living room, kitchen, washroom, Jason's room and a guest room. There was a rather large office type room too, for both his computer and his playstation games. I liked it there, which was obvious since I would have considered it one of my few 'second homes'.
Shane came up to us after about a minute and told us that his parents and Frankie would be staying at a hotel for the night. It was apparent that none of them really felt safe in the house after someone had broken in last night. The three of us all made our way to Jason's car, which had been parked in the drive way since earlier this morning when he'd rushed over after getting the news. I found myself climbing into the front seat, Shane was feeling too confused and anxious to call 'shotgun' for himself. However before Jason could get in, the same policeman that had interrogated me was walking up to us.
"Where are the three of you headed?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and eying me from the corner of his eye.
"Shane and Lola are staying with me tonight and my parents are going to a hotel," Jason explained to the officer who seemed suspicious, but still satisfied with the answer.
"Alright," He let his eyebrow sink back down, "You three kids stay safe." He spoke, tapping the side of Jason's car as if to emphasize this point. Without further words from either of them, Jason got into the car, the three of us putting on our seat belts, and then we left.
We left behind the scene of yet another crime, but I couldn't leave my anxiousness and fear with it. I knew what had happened, and I knew there was a definite possibility that Nate was already dead, but I wouldn't tell anyone else that. I could see that the entire Gray family, however scared, was still hopeful, and I couldn't take that away from them. None the less, if I told them anything, they could become just as much a target as Nate and I were.
Not long after we left, the three of us had arrived at Jason's place. Unlike how I'd initially thought, I was given the spare bedroom for the night and Shane opted to crash on the couch. Luckily I was over at Jason's so much that I had an extra set of clothes and a pair of pajamas for the times when I had randomly slept here. Shane's visits were usually planned though, so he just borrowed a t-shirt from Jason and decided to sleep in his boxers.
Jason had offered to make us something to eat, but it was clear that none of us felt up to it. My stomach was churning so badly I was sure I wouldn't be able to keep anything down, no matter how good Jay's cooking was. I found myself going to bed early that night, unable to stay awake with the two brothers and pretend my knowledge of the situation was just as limited as theirs was. When I'd retired to the guest room, it was barely nine at night. I slipped into my pajamas, which consisted of mainly black short shorts and a white tank top, and then I pulled down the covers. For the longest time I couldn't manage to sleep. I was tossing and turning, my eyes jumping open at every creak I heard. Some time around twelve I had jumped out of bed, walking to Jason's desk and finding a cube of sticky notes. I pulled one off of the pile, grabbing a pen and writing something down.
If I'm gone tomorrow, find my mix CDs and listen to them. -Lola.
I took the note and stuck it in a both obvious and secretive place. Pulling out a drawer of the desk, I stuck it to the bottom, right in the centre, so that if anyone pulled open the drawer it would be the first thing they'd see. Feeling satisfied that if I should go missing, I had at least left a clue behind, I crawled back into bed, but not before making sure my door was locked. If someone had broken into Nate's room, the most obvious way would have been through the door. Feeling at least just a bit more at ease, I snuggled into the covers, letting my eyes slip closed and finally falling asleep.
I didn't know how long I'd been sleeping when I'd heard the bang. My eyes had jolted open and my breathing caught in my throat. I didn't have that hazy feeling when you first wake up, instead my heart was beating in my chest at an inhuman rate. I was hesitant to move when I heard the shuffling behind me. Slowly I began to move, trying to make it seem like I was just moving around in my sleep. Thankfully, it worked, and when I squinted my eyes open ever so lightly again, I saw it. I froze immediately, and the eyes I had been squinting open just so slightly were growing to be the size of soccer balls. There was a man there, completely dressed in back with a ski mask covering most of his face. He seemed concentrated on the object in his hand, one that I remembered being there the night I first saw him in the alleyway. That was when I did the first thing I could think to do: scream.
"Jason!" I yelled, backing up on my bed, trembling, "Jason help!" The man-in-black's eyes shot up to me, and I could see the cruelness in them. I could see my death wish and I felt my tears starting to pool in my eyes. He was moving towards me slowly, as if he knew something I didn't, and I continued to back up, screaming.
"Shane! Anybody, please!" I yelled. As I went to back up further, I met the edge of the bed, tumbling off it. As quickly as I could, I was back on my feet, trying to keep the distance between myself and the intruder. My eyes were shooting between the man and the door as I heard the sound of Shane and Jay being woken up.
"Please, please don't do this," I shook my head, tears spilling down as I pleaded with the man in front of me. I felt my back reach the corner of the wall as he continued to close the distance.
"Just- just let Nate go, and I promise we- we won't tell anyone," I stuttered, lifting my hands into the 'surrender' position. My words seemed to fall on deaf ears because he didn't seem to react to anything I was saying. He just kept taking the small, slow, menacing steps forward as I prepared to meet my fate. The routine, however, was interrupted by a loud, hard bang on the door. He whipped his head around towards it as my eyes darted over.
"Lola!" I heard Jason's voice, "Lola, open the door!" I took any chance I could get. While the man's attention was on the door where Jason's voice was coming from, I took the opportunity to run. I skillfully moved from the corner, running past him and towards the door where Jason was banging. The man noticed my attempted and seconds before I could reach my destination, I felt his arms wrap their way around me.
"Lola!" Jason's voice came through again, "Come on! Please!" Shane's voice accompanied him now. I could hear their fists pounding down the door, but I didn't continue on my path. I felt a dull pressure on the side of my head, and fingers dig deeper into my side. My breathing became even more uneven, and I tried to quiet the sobs that were rising in my throat. I knew Jason and Shane could hear that something was going on inside the room, but I wasn't sure if they thought I was just having a nightmare. And truth be told, if this was a nightmare, it was the worst one I had ever had.
"Don't. Say. Anything." The words whispered mockingly into my ear and I knew instantly where the words had come from. I felt the man flush his body into mine, and I closed my eyes tightly, shaking and holding my breath. The man traced his fingers up my side, still digging them into my skin and leaving a slightly scratch. When his touch reached my ribs, I felt the pressure disappear. I tried to tune into anything but the sound of breathing as the warm air touched my neck.
"Your beautiful," The voice met my ears again, "It's a shame your friends will never see you again. Especially that Shane. He's really got eyes for you..." The cold, hard whisper made me shiver, and the sob I'd been holding back, surfaced. I knew I couldn't really take anything he said seriously because he was trying to scare me. But honestly, it was working well.
"I'm calling the police if you don't open this door, Lola!" Jason called again and I felt the gun dig deeper into my temple.
"Tell them not to," The man whispered forcefully into my ear again. I froze, not moving, until I felt the pressure at the side of my head disappear, and then slam back into position, snapping my head to the side. "Tell them."
"I- I'm.. O-Okay," I stuttered loudly, "Please, don't Call." I emphasized loudly, trying to make Jason understand. I could still hear the wiggling of the doorknob as one of them tried to get into the room. Both me and who I suspected to be the killer were silent. My eyes shot over to the phone in the guest room as the 'in use' button suddenly came on. I let out a deep breath, losing some of the tenseness in my shoulders. Before I realized exactly what was happening, I felt something reach up to cover my mouth.
"MH!MHMM!" Was all I could scream, my arms reaching up and weakly trying to push whatever it was away. I heard more bangs on the door and what vaguely sounded like Jason yelling that he had called and that they would be coming in a matter of minutes. My screams slowly faded into nothing more than whispers as I felt myself becoming weaker and weaker. My body began to go limp, and I could no longer fight off the man-in-black. This was when I knew it was done; this was when I realized I was going to die.
A/N: And that was chapter seven. Tell me what you liked and didn't like, what you want to see more of and what you want to see less of. Any predictions on future chapters?
Review Please! You guys are awesome.