An update in 9 days is probably a record for me, but woo!
There is some swearing at the end, just a heads up. This is mainly the aftermath of Andre's 'suicide attempt.' Leave a review telling me what you think! Thank you so much to MermaidMonster for constantly reviewing. It keeps me going!
-Sky
"Chapter 8 – It's Hard to Say 'I Do' When I Don't"
"When I said that I'd return to you, I meant more like a relapse. Now and again I think "His and hers," "For better or worse," but the only ring I want buried with me are the ones around my eyes" – Fall Out Boy
Four weeks earlier.
"Tori," Holly Vega called over her shoulder from the couch beside her husband as her daughter bounded down the stairs. Her hair had been curled into short ringlets with freshly dyed blonde tips, but she wore no makeup. While her husband wore an undershirt and slacks, she wore her teal nightgown with the plunging neckline, forever searing the image into Tori's mind. She rested her arm over the back of the couch when she fully turned to see her daughter stopping at the bottom of the steps. "Where are you off to in such a rush?"
"The better question," David interjected pointedly, his dark brow furrowed and his fingers drumming on the back of the couch in disapproval. "Why was a boy who is not my two-year-old grandson presumably coming from my daughter's room?"
Tori's subtle chocolate eyes widened with fear as she felt sweat forming on the back of her neck. Obviously, she hadn't told her parents about her recent nuptials, and she didn't plan on telling them any time soon—especially on her way out to visit her ex-boyfriend in the hospital. "I…we…"
"I just kicked one little boy out of my house not even a week ago, Victoria Mercedes," her father reminded with authority. "The only little boy you should be worrying about right now can't even form whole sentences."
"Can we please talk about this later?" she whined, slouching her body uncomfortably to the side as she wrung the hem of her blouse. "Beck called and told me Andre's in the hospital."
Holly gasped and covered her mouth, turning her body to her daughter. "Did he say what happened?"
"No," Tori lied obviously, lowering her eyes to the floor in shame.
"Well," her mother continued slowly, momentarily taking her eyes away from her little girl, "Be careful, Sweetheart. And make sure you have the car back by six." She put her hand on David's shoulder and smiled broadly. "Your father's taking me out to dinner." Then she pulled herself into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck before kissing him. "I'm sure you'll find something here to eat," she announced after breaking the kiss. "Or you can grab something on the way home."
Tori groaned quietly as her parents continued to kiss and rolled her eyes before snatching the keys from the fireplace and darting out to her mom's minivan.
You're appealing to emotions that I simply do not have.
Twenty minutes later.
Her boots slapped the linoleum as she ran into the hospital.
"What room is Andre Harris in?" she asked, slamming her hands on the desk to stop herself from flying over it.
Her chest heaved as the brunet receptionist clicked away on his keyboard, a disapproving look on his face.
"407," he finally answered after what felt like a lifetime, still not bothering to look up from his screen. "And no running in the halls."
Disregarding the secretary, Tori ran to the elevators as fast as she could. She needed to get to him. It didn't cross her mind that the damage was already done as she bounced her leg impatiently in the elevator, but she was running like she could still prevent it.
By the time she got to the fourth floor—the psych ward—her heart thudded rapidly in her chest from anxiety. What would he say to her? What would she say to him? He'd probably blame her for this…
Slowly, Tori crept out of the elevator and almost got shut in the doors. With a loud squeak, she scurried down the hall to Andre's room, coming to a dead halt when she reached the cracked door.
She stared at it for a long time, contemplating whether or not she should go inside.
What if he was sleeping? It would be really rude to wake him up, and it would more than likely make him angrier with her, since he was probably angry from Tuesday. What if he didn't want to see her? He probably didn't. But what if he refused to talk or even look at her? She should just go home right now and leave him be. He's undoubtedly better off without her.
"Are you looking for something?" a blonde doctor questioned, startling Tori from her thoughts. She looked to the name card beside Andre's door and smiled before turning back to the shaken Latina. "Are you his girlfriend? His mother said you might visit if she got a hold of you." She looked down at the metallic clipboard in her hands, flipping through papers. "Can I see your ID, please?"
Shakily, Tori nodded and grabbed her wallet from her back pocket. She pulled her driver's license from it and handed it to the doctor who looked at it for the briefest moment before smiling and handing it back.
"Go on in, Miss Vega," she urged as Tori returned her wallet to her back pocket, resisting the urge to correct her and say 'Mrs. Kerrigan.'"I'll have to ask that you keep your visit brief, though; he's got testing in half an hour."
Tori nodded wordlessly, lowering her eyes to the floor. She slipped into the room and closed the door softly, keeping her back to the boy in the bed whose heart she undeniably was about to break—if it wasn't already broken.
Andre, stomach empty and aching, lay on his hospital bed with his arms outstretched, wrists hanging over the side, as he stared at the dingy white ceiling blankly, just as he'd been doing for hours now. Having woken up in the hospital around nine that morning, his eyes never left the blue speckled panels in the ceiling.
His head pounded from the juicy hangover, but he said nothing about it. In fact, he hadn't spoken all morning, really. His mother had come around two in the afternoon to check on him, and it had apparently been the first time she'd seen him upon admittance to the hospital. She had hugged him, kissed him, and even cried on his shoulder, but he never made any move to return her affection.
She had talked to him for a few hours, but he only responded in simple grunts and tiny noises of acknowledgement. Eventually, she left when she realized he didn't want to speak to anyone, and she gave him a soft hug before leaving him in the position he now rested in.
His entire body ached, but he could feel the source radiating from his stomach. He'd never known much about stomach pumping or what you had to do, but he thought they'd probably pumped his stomach.
As he stared up at the ceiling, he wondered how long he would be here in the hospital. Did they think he was crazy? His mother said something about him trying to kill himself. What if the doctors really thought he was suicidal? They would probably keep him here for a long time.
But it didn't matter anymore.
Tori didn't love him. Antonio wasn't his son. The woman and child he'd given his life for were no longer his. For the past two years, he'd centered his life completely on them. But just like that, Tori ripped away all he'd been working for and threw it in the trash.
And now she was in his room.
When he heard the doctor say his name, his body went rigid. Suddenly, every pain disappeared, though the burdening stab in his heart remained. He wondered what she was doing here, how she knew he was here, and what she would think of him now that he was in the hospital.
He hated that he still cared what she thought of him…
"What do you want?" he asked flatly, keeping his eyes on the panels. His skin was pale from the pumping and restless sleep, and she could clearly see the rings beneath his eyes from her spot half a room away.
She never would have guessed it, but he wanted to jump out of that bed—no matter how much it pained him—and sweep her into his arms, spinning her and kissing her lovingly. And at the same time, he wanted to curse her and force her to never come back so that he would never have to look at her again. His mind raced with conflicting emotions, but he was absolutely sure he wanted her to leave.
Her shoes tapped lightly on the floor as she made her way to his bedside, as if she were trying to walk on air—and it angered him. From his peripheral vision, he watched her take the seat inches away from his outstretched arm that his mother had left warm. She was close enough that he could feel her warmth wafting to his fingertips, intensifying the stabbing sensation in his chest. He started having trouble breathing, but he tried not to let her see.
"Beck called me and told me what happened," she said in a small voice.
His mother did say something about seeing Beck… He wondered why Beck was here.
"Is he okay?" Andre asked monotonously, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. If he looked at her, if he thought of her name, he would probably lose his mind. The doctors and nurses would have a field day.
"I don't know," she answered, confusion toward the subject in her voice, "It was something serious, but he only told me you were here. Why did you do it? Was it my fault?"
Andre sighed slightly. "I didn't try to kill myself," he told her in that same monotonous voice.
"Then why are you here?" Tori asked pleadingly, her voice slightly louder.
"I had a headache," he whispered. "I only took two pills."
"What did you take them with?" she asked, leaning toward him. He could see the top of her brunette head, all strands perfectly in place.
"A bottle of wine," he answered after a momentary pause. The ceiling began to get too bright for him, especially with the hint of her brown hair, and he closed his eyes.
She grabbed his arm gently, her fingers laced over his skin, and his chest constricted more. Her warmth filled his veins, setting him on fire.
She couldn't be here.
Andre snatched his arm from her and shot up, finally looking at her with pained, hate-filled eyes. "I had a headache from being with you!" he shouted. "I didn't try to kill myself, but I was angry! I couldn't talk to you and try to calm down because you kicked me out. My best friend was in Canada at a funeral. What else was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to just be happy that Antonio wasn't mine…that you just used me to take care of your son? Was I supposed to take it lightly that I've been living with a girl for a year and a half who didn't love me? You didn't seem like you cared, so I guess I cared enough for the both of us."
Tori sat back in her chair, her hands and eyes in her lap. Her leg twitched slightly and Andre's face softened; he'd barely yelled at her, but he already felt bad for doing it. He opened his mouth to utter an apology when Tori spoke again.
"You're right," she said quietly. After a small moment of silence, she looked up at him with saddened eyes. "I was scared when I found out I was pregnant and…and I knew you liked me, so I…latched on to you." She sniffled slightly. "What I did was wrong, and 'sorry' can't change any of it."
"Did you ever love me?" Andre asked, his mouth twitching slightly.
Tori smiled weakly and wiped her eye when a tear started to fall. "You're one of my closest friends," she told him, indirectly answering his question. "It's not the way you want me to love you. But don't think I never cared about you…" She sniffled again, wiping at both of her eyes. "You need someone who'll love you as much as you love them, and that…won't ever be me…"
Andre looked away for a moment. He wasn't sure why this surprised him, but having her words up in the air—how she really felt about him—stung deeply. He wasn't mad anymore; it was almost like a depressed acceptance. Of all the questions running through his head, only one stood out.
"Who is he?"
"What are you talking about?" Tori asked coyly. She didn't mean to say it, but it just slipped out.
"Don't do this to me!" he shouted, turning to face her. "I'm in the hospital because my mother thinks I tried to kill myself. Even if I was, do you really think it's smart to act stupid right now? Who's the guy you left me for?"
The intensity of his voice shocked her. When she'd yelled at him and kicked him out of her house, she never thought much of him yelling back at her or raising his voice. It was unlike him, but she knew he had a reason for it. She should have just answered the question. Maybe she hoped he wouldn't read into it if she said it and he'd find out about Danny later.
She lowered her head and wrung her fingers. "It's Danny," she whispered slightly, just barely audible.
Andre laughed in spite of himself and fell back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling with pursed lips. Of all the people he could have guessed, Danny was last on his list. He knew they had been together when she was at her first high school, but he truly believed that everything had died down between them when he'd started dating Cat.
He should've known that it was Danny, though; it had always been.
When Cat and Danny first started dating, she almost ruined it by kissing him. She wanted to kiss him and he wanted to kiss her. Andre thought little of it because Cat and Danny reconciled almost a week later and Tori never saw or spoke about him again. When Cat got pregnant, he was so sure that Tori would see that Danny was always going to be Cat's, but obviously he was wrong.
Now that he thought about it, Tori could have had the time to see and sleep with Danny. He didn't think much of it when she told him she was pregnant nearly a week after they had sex, but now it all made sense.
There was a small spark in Andre that wanted to kill Danny for taking the love of his life away, but he wasn't like that. No, he would just sit there and accept that Tori would never love him the way he loved her. They had a good run, but now it was obvious that her heart would always be Danny's. He wasn't going to lie and say he wasn't hurting, so he probably wouldn't speak to Tori for a while. But later, maybe one day, he'd talk to her again once he'd moved on and they could be friends.
Right now he just wanted to sleep.
"I'm gonna take a nap," he sighed in a quiet, defeated voice. "I'll…talk to you later."
Tori stood up and he closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at her. "Do you want me to turn the light out for you?" she asked, a small, pleading hope in her voice.
"Nah," he replied quickly and near silently.
Tori's face fell and she shuffled out of the room, crossing her arms and holding her elbows for support. The hospital seemed to stretch forever as she made her way back to the elevator, and she fought not to cry as she leaned against the cool metal once she'd finally stepped inside.
He hated her.
He had every right to, but that didn't make it hurt any less. She couldn't handle being hated, and she certainly couldn't handle Andre hating her.
What if he never talked to her again?
If she were him, she'd never talk to herself again either. She was a horrible person. Danny was right: she only wanted what was convenient for her. He said she only wanted him when it was convenient for her—to be exact—but she always wanted him; she'd never stopped. But when she found out she was pregnant and he was still strung up on Cat, she tried being with Andre because it was convenient for her. She called Danny and told him to come over because it was convenient; Cat wanted nothing to do with him now that she had Robbie, and Tori would make him love her since he couldn't have Cat. But then she practically threw Andre away because he wasn't convenient for her anymore.
Now she wanted Danny and she was stuck with him, even if it wasn't convenient.
When Tori stepped out of the elevator, she spotted Beck walking toward the exit. She almost raised her hand to wave at him, but then she remembered he blamed her for Andre's supposed suicide attempt. She started to duck away and maybe hide behind the receptionist's desk when he saw her.
"Tori!" he called out, jogging over to her.
Reluctantly, she turned back to him but looked at her shoes, preparing for the verbal barrage that was bound to ensue.
"How is he?" Beck inquired, no hint of anger or resentment in his voice.
"He's fine," she answered meekly. "He didn't try to kill himself."
"Then what happened?"
"He had a headache after he went back home," she told him, keeping her eyes on the floor. "He mixed two pills with a bottle of wine."
For a moment, Beck was quiet and it made Tori nervous. If he was going to yell at her, he needed to go ahead and do it; she was getting tired of waiting.
"I'm…sorry about the phone call earlier," he apologized. "I didn't mean to get upset with you; a lot's going on right now."
Tori held herself, looking up through her lashes. "Is something wrong with Jade?"
Beck sighed and shoved his thumbs into his pockets. "She's upset," he answered, "But other than that, she's fine. We found out that Jensen has to have surgery for some ear problems."
Tori looked up and gasped. She opened her mouth to say something, but Beck held up a hand to stop her.
"He already had it," he informed her. "I was in the waiting room when I called you, but he's fine now. I'm just going to run home to get some clothes for Jade since she's staying the night with him."
"I'm glad he's okay," Tori breathed. "No child should have to get surgery so young."
Beck simply shrugged his shoulders. "You're right," he agreed. "But what can you do, you know?" He checked his phone for the time before looking back at the Latina. "Visiting hours will be over soon, so I need to hurry up and grab her things. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
Tori nodded. "Yeah," she responded rather glumly. She watched him leave at a fast pace before heading out the same direction where her mother's car waited in the parking lot.
You're appealing to emotions that I simply do not have.
Before she knew it, Tori had driven to her husband's home.
Robotically, she turned off her car, got out, and made her way to the door after shoving her keys into her pocket.
A few moments after knocking on the door, Danny's mother opened it. The older Mrs. Kerrigan's face was more worn than Tori remembered, but a fresh dye job hid her greying hair. Her weary smile pulled at tired green eyes. "Hello, Tori," she greeted softly. "Come in. Danny's in the kitchen."
As Tori stepped inside, Danny emerged from the kitchen with a sour expression. "What are you doing, Ma?" he asked loudly. He gestured to the girl who made herself small in front of his mother. "Why'd you let her in?"
Crossing the gap to her son, Mrs. Kerrigan slapped her son upside the head. "Daniel Nolan," she seethed, "That's no way to talk about your wife."
Danny sighed and lowered his head. "Can we have some privacy please, Ma?"
"You can go upstairs to your room," she sassed. "This isn't your house yet, child."
With a groan, he nodded his head to the stairwell. "Can we talk up there, Tori?" he asked, putting on a show for his mother.
Sheepishly, Tori nodded and the teenagers ascended the stairs to his room.
"So am I convenient for you again?" he asked, somewhat maliciously, once he closed the door to his room.
"Can you please not do that?" Tori begged. "I came here to tell you that I know what I want."
"And what is that?" he questioned, crossing his arms.
Tori sighed and looked away. "I've always wanted you, Danny," she confessed. She held herself, trying to keep her composure. "You know I made a mistake when I broke up with you just because I was going to a different school." She looked back at him with a pained expression. "Every time I wanted to be with you again, you kept choosing Cat. If anyone was choosing convenience, it was you. I gave you that ultimatum because I love you, and I know you love me back since I have a paper saying my name is Victoria Kerrigan."
Danny pursed his lips, about to say something when his face softened. "So what about Andre?" he breathed.
Tori sighed softly. "I told him I love you," she said, wringing her hands as she held his gaze. "I never stopped loving you, Danny, and I can't keep going back and forth. It's bad for me and it won't be fair to Antonio. I only want you to be my husband and the father our son needs."
Danny closed the distance between them and wrapped his hands around her waist. He kissed her forehead gently before pressing his forehead against her own. "I promise it's only going to be you."
Tori closed her eyes with content. "Only you."
You're appealing to emotions that I simply do not have.
Present day.
Adjusting to being married proved to be difficult for Tori; she still wasn't ready to tell her parents about her name change or the ring she wore around her neck, so Danny wasn't too pleased.
And thus, another argument.
He wanted her to move in, since she'd do it eventually anyway. She wanted his family to be whole already, and he had been pressing for sooner rather later since his mother was preparing to move out.
But no matter how angry he grew, she couldn't bring herself to drop the news just yet. So to compromise, she allowed Antonio to frequently stay the night with him and his mom.
Now, she sat on her couch watching TV, enjoying her day alone. She'd been pretty stressed out with her coursework and the baby, so Danny had taken it upon himself to take in Antonio for the entire weekend so his family could meet the new addition and she could wind down. At first, she was a little skeptical about spending two consecutive days away from her son, but then she realized it would be a good idea for the boy to get to know his father and paternal family since she had no contact with her own.
She always slept better when Antonio wasn't home, and her parents gave her as much space as she asked for. She told her parents that Andre would be coming over later to get his stuff, and her mom told her she'd be in the basement working on pottery while her father threw gun violence into the conversation, so Mrs. Vega made him go play pool with his friends.
For the most part, she'd had a normal weekend for a nineteen-year-old girl.
She groaned loudly when she heard the doorbell and pulled herself up off the couch with a long, drawn-out sigh. She stepped over countless toys that she'd yet to clean up and almost grabbed the doorknob when her sister kicked the door open, a wide grin spread from ear to ear. "Tori!" she exclaimed joyously.
"Trina!" the younger Vega exclaimed in return, her eyes bugged out in fear. "What are you doing here?"
"I've got great news!" she boasted, enveloping her sister into a big, tight hug. Without hesitation, she pushed her sister out of the way and ran to the foot of the stairs. "Mom! Dad! Get down here!" When they didn't hurriedly show, she crossed her arms and stamped her feet. "Mom!"
Slowly, Holly Vega emerged at the top of the basement stairs. "I thought I felt a headache coming on," she joked in a tired voice. She enveloped her bouncing, eldest daughter into a warm hug. "Your father's out with the guys. How've you been, Sweetheart?"
"I'm so happy!" she screeched, the sound of her voice starting to annoy Tori. She held out her left hand, showing off the decent sized diamond on her finger. "Blake proposed!"
Both Holly and Tori gasped, and Holly covered her mouth. "Are you pregnant?" she asked in a rush once it'd been uncovered.
"Mom!" Trina whined in shock. Her face scrunched in denial. "We haven't even done anything yet!"
"Is that your choice or his?" Tori mumbled with a sly smirk. She couldn't say much about Blake—mainly because she'd never met him—but if there was no sex in this relationship, Trina's annoying personality more than likely had a strong say in the matter. It honestly baffled her how Blake had put up with Trina for this long; she thought he was gay for the longest time, and it always made her wonder why anyone would choose to live with Trina.
The twenty-one year-old glared at her little sister. "Bite me," she sneered. She turned back to her mother with her bright, enthusiastic smile. She grabbed her mother's hands and bounced excitedly. "Help me plan the wedding!"
Holly's face fell with unease. "I don't think we can afford that right now," she hesitated.
"I was thinking of a traditional wedding," Trina declared, recalling the plans of her dream wedding that she made when she was fourteen. For as long as she could remember, she wished she could be a princess. And what better way to be a princess than with a princess wedding?
After searching through wedding magazines, she vowed that she would only get married at the Indianapolis Artsgarden because it was the most extravagant venue she'd ever seen. She wanted hundreds of white doves to be released when she kissed her new husband, and she wanted a reception with enough food to feed a thousand people with everyone praising her as she took her first dance with him. Her engagement, with her name and smiling face, needed to be announced in every newspaper so everyone would recognize her happiness. She refused to get married without a diamond-studded tiara, the finest makeup artist, the best wedding planner in California, and as much bling as she could fit in her dress and on her hair.
But after meeting and living with Blake Michaels for nearly two years, eventually falling in love with him, the eldest Vega sister realized she didn't need any of those extravagant things. If she could have them, of course she wouldn't turn them down, but she finally knew that she could be happy without the finest things in life.
"I want something simple," she announced with the warmest smile Tori had ever seen, wringing her hands slightly. Her eyes lit up as she spoke, though her notion of simplicity shocked her mother and sister. "I really love him, Mom. He makes me happier than I've ever been, and he loves me too. He's been so good to me this past year and a half, and I don't want to think about living without him."
Holly smiled proudly, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "I'm so proud of you, baby," she breathed. "I'm so glad he makes you happy and I'd love to help you plan your wedding."
Trina squealed excitedly and hugged her mother tightly while Tori stood off to the side, awkwardly crossing her arms.
"Don't tell me you started the party without me," a voice quipped from the front doorway. Tori was the first to find Andre standing just as awkwardly in the doorway, and she refused to meet his eyes.
"I see you're feeling better," she mumbled, rubbing her bare arms. She turned to her mother and sister, pleading with her eyes for them to help her out. Her silent plea went unanswered.
"Yeah," he breathed. He nodded to Mrs. Vega when she and Trina broke to look at him. "If it's alright, Mrs. Vega, I just wanna get the rest of my stuff out of your house."
"That's fine," she said, trying to sound somewhat friendly. "Trina and I are going to go down to the basement for a bit to do some planning." With that, she turned toward the basement and Trina followed suit.
Holly wasn't pleased with Tori for cheating on Andre or treating him like she did, but she was less pleased with the way Andre had ended things with her daughter. No matter what, Tori would always be her daughter and she would always need to be stood up for. But Andre almost killed himself and would have left the blame on Tori. That didn't fly in Holly's book, and she prayed for the day when they would leave each other alone.
"Can we talk, Tor?" Andre requested in a soft voice once the other Vega women had retreated to the basement. From his mother's mandatory therapy sessions, his mind had cleared, and he'd been given new hope. His therapist viewed his hope as ignorant optimism, but part of his job was telling him want he wanted to hear: mainly, he needed to see Tori and finally sever all ties with her.
But after time away from her, he didn't want to sever the ties. He wanted to reconnect them and make them stronger. He wanted to be in her life again, and his hopeful optimism made him want to do whatever took to work his way back in.
Tori sighed and turned back to her ex-boyfriend. "There's nothing to talk about," she told him adamantly. She hoped that if she shut him out, he would leave it be and go away before Danny got back. There was no telling what would happen if the two met up. Her eyes darted to a large box beside the TV as she subconsciously played with the wedding ring around her neck. "All your stuff is in there. Can you please just take it and leave?"
"Tori, please," Andre begged, stepping closer. He held his hands out to touch her, but lowered them in defeat when she refused to look at him. His plan was faltering, but he couldn't give up. She needed to know how he felt, now that he finally knew how he felt. "I'm just…really sorry about everything that happened. I'm sorry I neglected you, and I'm sorry I put my work before you. What I did when I left was really, really stupid, and I was terrible to you in the hospital. I'm in therapy now, and I'd do anything to make this work. Can we just…try this—?"
"Tori!" Danny interrupted as he ran into the house, clinging to his son. "I—" He stopped when he saw Andre glaring at him. Shaking away the confusion, he set down Antonio's overnight bag and gently put his son on the floor. "My mom had a heart attack on the way back and I need to be with her. I'm really sorry, but can you watch him for me?"
Something in Andre snapped at the sound of Danny's voice, and rage washed over him. He couldn't even believe this! It took Tori six months after Antonio had been born to allow Andre to spend time alone with the boy, but here Danny was, barely four weeks after Andre's hospital visit.
"This doesn't even surprise me!" he shouted as he whipped back around to Tori, his hands shaking with fury. "How long did it take for you to start fucking him again, huh, Tori? Or did you ever stop? I had to wait half a year to even hold your damn kid, but he gets to take your little bastard home right off the bat?"
"Andre, he's my husband," she blurted out angrily. She gasped and covered her mouth.
"Husband?" he bellowed. He looked to Danny then looked back to her apologetic face. "He's your fucking husband?! How long have you even been married?"
"A month," she whispered.
"You need to leave," Danny piped up, placing his hand on the angry boy's shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" Andre screamed as he slapped Danny's hand away. He pushed the taller boy, almost making him trip over his now crying son. "You're a sorry, no-good piece of shit! Who do you think you're are stealing my girl?" He shoved the taller boy again.
"Andre Harris!" Holly shrieked from the top of the basement stairs. "You get out of my house right now or I swear to God I'll call the police and have you arrested for assault!"
"Go to hell," he spat, looking over his shoulder to the older woman and her eldest daughter standing in front of the basement entrance. Fist clenched tightly, he shoved past Danny and stormed out of the house, leaving Antonio crying by his father.
Conflicted, Tori looked from Danny to the doorway. She couldn't just let Andre run off like that. Well, technically she could, but she knew she had to go after him and calm him down before he did anything stupid and reckless…again.
While Danny tended to the crying child and her family retreated back to the basement, Tori ran out of the house after her angered ex. He climbed into his car and started it up when she made it outside, but she managed to rip the passenger's door open and climb in just as he was pulling out. "Andre, stop," she pleaded, slamming the door shut.
He smashed his foot down on the break, sending the both lurching forward, Tori having to put her hands on the dashboard to keep from knocking her head on it. "Get out of my goddamn car!" he shouted.
"Not until you talk to me!" she shouted back.
A car honked at Andre who sat halfway in the road, so the dark-skinned boy peeled out of the rest of the driveway and sped off, disregarding his seatbelt. "I can't do this, Tor," he said, his voice strained as he gripped the steering wheel tightly and forced his eyes to stay on the road. "You don't understand how much I hate being your rebound, that you're married to a dick that isn't me. It kills me to know I lost you to someone dumb enough to get two girls pregnant right after the other." He slowed down and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "No offense."
Tori began to wring her hands and frowned, her eyes filled with worry. "None taken, I guess," she assured him. "Listen, I'm really sorry that I lead you on for so long. You mean so much to me, but I've been in love with Danny for years. He's trying to put everything into our relationship, especially with this big leap, and I can't help that I need to give him a second chance." She laughed in spite of herself, holding her wedding ring. "I have no choice. I'm so sorry I couldn't be what you wanted, but there's gonna be someone out there who will love you more than you love me, and she'll make you so happy."
Andre sighed as he pulled the car over and kept his eyes forward. "I don't give a damn about anything you have to say anymore," he told her, his jaw set with anger. "No matter how much I love you, I can't see you anymore. Being away from you for this short time did me some good—I calmed down and was able to start thinking clearly—but I messed all that up when I came to see you. I'll find a way to get my stuff, but I'm never gonna set foot in your house again." He pushed back his dreadlocks and sighed again, looking her dead in the eye. "And I never want you in mine again. Get out."
Wordlessly, Tori climbed out of his car and he sped off before she could close the door, leaving the wind to bang it shut.
And just like that, he left her alone and broken on the sidewalk.
You're appealing to emotions that I simply do not have.
Fifteen minutes later.
She couldn't stop crying for ten entire minutes.
That's how much of an impact he had on her, and he didn't even know it. And now he never would since that was the last she would ever see of him…
When she was finally able to compose herself enough to pull her phone from her pocket, she called her sister and begged her to come get her. Luckily, he'd dropped her off at the park down the road, but it was a long walk that she wasn't sure she could make in her depressed state.
And as soon as she got into her sister's Ford Fiesta, she broke down crying once more.
Trina wrapped her sister in her arms and held her tightly, allowing Tori to cry on her shoulder.
"I feel so stupid," she sobbed in shattered breaths.
"No," Trina whispered soothingly, rubbing her little sister's back. "This wasn't your fault."
"And what if it was?" Tori questioned manically, sitting upright and wiping her tears away roughly. "What if it was a mistake marrying Danny? What if I made a mistake letting Andre just leave?"
Trina smiled weakly and took her sister's hand, gently rubbing her thumb over the back of it. "Even if it's a mistake," she began in the most serious tone Tori had ever heard from her, "It's just something you can learn from. Everyone makes them, but not everyone learns from them."
Tori sniffled, taking in a gross amount of snot, as she looked at her sister with sad eyes. "Do you think marrying Blake will be a mistake?"
Trina shrugged, pouting slightly. "I don't know," she answered, sounding like the old Trina again. "I don't think it is. He's such a good guy and we get along amazingly. Even if it is, I'll gladly make that mistake because that's what love is."
"Love is making mistakes?" the Kerrigan newlywed inferred with another snotty sniffle.
"No, silly!" Trina laughed, punching her sister roughly on the arm. "Love is making choices with and about people, going on faith that everything will work out."
"And what if it doesn't?"
Trina paused for a moment, trying to think. "Then…you get over it and move on to someone it works with." She pulled her sister close and kissed her forehead. "If you and Danny really love each other, you'll make it work." She slapped Tori upside the head with another small laugh. "And I was supposed to get married first, you jerk!"
Tori laughed as she pulled away. "Trust me when I say no one thought that would happen," she quipped.
Trina gasped with a playful grin and started a mini war with Tori. And as the girls threw playful punches and hits, Tori felt a little more comfortable about her relationship, and she had more faith than ever that her marriage would work.
