Chapter 13- My Immortal

-Josef's Office-
(Josef's POV)

She gave up fighting, God I feel like an ass. I could feel her in my head, the once fiery spirit was now limp, and she was broken. And I broke her. I never wanted to do that, one of the things I liked the most about Toni was her spirit, she seemed to thrive during a fight, and she lived to win. I loved the way she acted when we were arguing, her expressions, the way she reacted to my comments, everything.

I heard a knock on my office door, I knew it was Brian.

"Come in."

When he walked in, he smiled at me.

"Toni and I talked."

I gave him a weak smile. "That's great Brian."

"She's coming up during her Christmas break, I can't wait."

"Good."

He gave me a weird look, I guess he figured that now wasn't the best time, he put the paperwork he had brought in on my desk. When he got to the door he turned and looked at me.

"When she comes up, stay away from her...please."

"I was planning to."

Brian looked a bit taken back; I guess he was expecting an argument. He walked out without another word.

I didn't want to hurt Toni anymore, just the fact that she admitted defeat was bad enough, and if I continued what I was doing I might do something worse.

And if I did, I don't think I could live with myself.

-Toni's Apartment-
(Toni's POV)

It's been three days since my little shower incident, and I didn't feel any better. Even though the last few nights Josef has kept his appearances to a minimum, I still felt like shit.

School didn't make me feel any better. My Vocal teacher informed us today that we had a big test next week. Not just any test, a singing test, which meant that I would have to sing in front of my class. We had to pick a Broadway song and practice it on our own time, then sing it for the class next week. It's not that I have stage fright or anything; I just would rather sing in front of a bunch of strangers instead of people that I would see everyday.

The puppies greeted me when I got to my room. I sat on the floor and let them crawl into my lap. Every time I saw them I thought of Josef, I hated that, but I could never hate Bonnie and Clyde. Today had been shitty, but seeing these guys made it a little better.

I hadn't felt Josef in a while, maybe the fact that I gave up made him happy so he decided to back off? Who knows with him.

I sighed, I needed to figure out a song for me to sing, and then I had to get it approved tomorrow.

This sucked.

-Next Day-

It was after class, we had handed in our song selections to the teacher before class. I was walking out when she grabbed my arm.

"Antoinette, can I talk to you for a moment please?"

I nodded and followed her over to her desk.

"Is something wrong?"

She gave me a sweet smile. "You picked 'Funny Honey'..."

I just stared at her. "What's wrong with that?"

"It's an easy way out..."

"Excuse me?"

She sighed. "Antoinette, I've been teaching for years, and every year I get one girl who chooses this song, and she chooses it because it's easy, and it's safe...I've heard you sing, and I'm not letting you take the easy way out."

"I'm not...it's just..."

She wouldn't even let me finish. "Look, I've noticed a change in you over the last week, you've become down, and you never speak up in class anymore. There is obviously something big going on in your life, use that. Put it into your music." She opened a drawer in her desk and handed me a book.

I looked down at the music book in my hand. "Wicked...but I thought you said to never sing Wicked unless you..."

She cut me off again. "Unless you can connect with the lyrics...I know what I said."

I gave her a strange look. She smiled. "I know, I come off to be un-caring in class, but Antoinette, you'd have to blind to not see that something is going on with you. The first few weeks of class, you came in with this personality to you, it just jumped out at me as soon as you walked through the door, and now...well, now you seem like you would rather be in your room, alone, and crying. If you can put that depression into this song, it will help you, with whatever's going on."

I nodded. "Thanks...I guess..."

"I marked a song in there that I think would be good for you..."

I nodded again, she smiled at me and I knew I could leave.

I didn't open the book till I got to the pool hall. Needless to say, I was shocked.

"She wants me to sing 'I'm Not That Girl'...holy shit..."

Julie smiled, and Mark just laughed.

I think my professors psychic or something...

-Later-

I was over at my mom's house using her piano; I was practicing the song my teacher had set out. To say the lyrics hit home was an understatement.

I knew, even with all the weird chemistry between Josef and I, we would never be together. I like him a lot, even with all the shit he had pulled and I don't even know why.

I laid my head on the piano, just let me die right now and I would be so happy.

I heard my mom walk into the room; she put her hand on my back.

"He feels this you know."

I looked up at her. "What?"

She gave me a small smile. "Your depression, your weakness, you've lost the willingness to fight, he knows that."

I sighed. "I don't really give a shit anymore mom."

"You need to move on, you're crying over something you can't change, I know it's a big thing, but, you can't let it affect you this way. Don't let it change you."

"I want to die."

She was quiet for a while. "I told you, one big bon fire and all your troubles will be gone."

"You realize, if I kill Josef, it would probably kill me too right?"

"What? Why?"

I laughed bitterly. "If him getting staked will send me to my knees, what do you think him being killed will do me..."

"Shit..."

I nodded. "Yea, I figured that out today, I never thought about it really...until now..."

"So wait...does this mean you're immortal to?"

Shit, I never thought of that. "I really don't know..."

We stared at each other in an uncomfortable silence.

"I'm going to call your father, maybe he can tell me."

She quickly walked out the room. I closed my eyes again and fought back tears.

"I'm so sorry Antoinette."

It shocked me to hear the sincerity in his voice. That one sentence answered my mother's question.

I got up and walked into her room. She was sitting on her bed, waiting for my dad to answer.

"Mom, hang up."

She gave me a weird look, but hung up.

"Mom...I'm immortal..."