Chapter 11: Old Wounds
Chris's POV
I was looking at Anne while she was talking to Chase, Dylan, and everyone else when my half-sisters came to my side.
"What's bothering our loving half-brother so much right now?" Tess asked.
"I'm not jealous, if that's what you're thinking, girls. Anne deserves to see her old friends." I quickly defended. Emily nodded her head, but Tess frowned.
"I know when you're bullshitting me, Chris. What's really bothering you?" She asked and I sighed.
"You really have to ask?" I asked, choking up. They both put their hands on my shoulders and sat down with me.
"We miss her, too, Chris. But you have us, Anne, and everyone else. Don't blame yourself for what Carver did." Emily told me, but I was still upset. I saw a piano on the other side of the others and decided to let my feelings out as I walked towards the piano.
Anne's POV
"Jesus Christ. His dad didn't even try to save her?" Kenny asked me and I shook my head. "No, I tried to reach Coleen, but that asshole wouldn't let me. He grabbed my arm and dragged me away." I replied. Everyone had sad looks until we heard a piano being played. We all turned to see Chris playing a piano not far from us.
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried, I'd wipe away your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face, it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice, it chased away
All the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself
That you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
…
As I kept looking at him, I covered my mouth as I was growing sad. "How much pain are you bearing, my love?" I thought to myself before he sang again.
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me, me, me
As soon as he finished singing, I felt a tear run down my face and saw everyone look at him with sympathy, but his half-sisters burst into tears. Jennifer and Chase walked over to them while the rest of us walked over to my boyfriend.
"Hey, man. Anne told us about what happened to your stepmom. We're all extremely sorry." Dylan said to him before he looked him square in the eye.
"I WASN'T SINGING THAT SONG BECAUSE OF THAT, YOU IDIOT! I'VE SUFFERED MORE THAN JUST THAT LOSS!" He yelled, and my hunch was confirmed.
"Baby, please. Tell us what else is bothering you. Tell me." I said with a pleading eye.
"You guys wanna know why I wear these sunglasses?" He calmly asked as Chase and Jennifer came over with his half-sisters.
"They hide SO MUCH!" He said as he shoved everything off of the table he was standing next to. "I wear them because of-" He started before ripping his sunglasses off of his face to reveal his blood red eyes. "-THIS!" He finished, making everyone but our group look at him. "You guys have absolutely NO FUCKING CLUE how bad it was for me. Every day when I went to school… these kids would… attack me! Whenever they had the chance, they'd pick on me! Beat me up, spit on me, call me names…"
We all remained silent as Chris began to yell louder.
"Every. Single. Day, the kids would… I had to put up with that my entire life! Every day when Tess, Emmy, and I got home, we would tell our parents. Coleen believed us. Carver did not. He always thought I was overreacting. He didn't know these kids, I DID! That piece of shit was wrong in every fucking way possible!"
Chris stopped to punch the wall in anger.
"I tried covering them up with a bandana, like Anne's, hoping it would stop, but it didn't. It only made things worse. They started spreading rumors that I was blind. Blind, of all things! It got so out of hand one day… I had to go to the hospital because of those assholes! They beat me up in public, to a bloody pulp! I would've died, had the paramedics not gotten to me in time. I was stuck on my ass in a fucking hospital bed for three goddamn months… That's when I started wearing my sunglasses…"
I looked at Chris with horror. How could anyone put the man I love through that much abuse?
"Sometimes, when I think about my past, I just… just wanna…"
I knew he was reaching his peak, so I opened up my arms and he fell into them and started sobbing very hard into my chest. We both dropped to our knees and I was fighting back tears myself.
"Jesus Christ." I heard Chase say.
I started rubbing Chris's back as he kept sobbing into my chest. "It's OK. Let it out, honey." I said. He only cried harder in my chest.
"Damn…" Kenny muttered.
"I know how bad it hurts, baby." I said to him, causing him to look at me.
"You do?" He asked me.
I nodded my head as I took my bandana off and pushed my bangs away from my face, revealing my blood red eye I kept hidden for three years. "My story is the exact same as yours, Chris. Down to the last detail." I said as I turned to show everyone my eyes.
"Then you understand the pain our half-brother went through." Emily said to me and I nodded my head.
I then turned my attention back to Chris, who resumed sobbing. "Shh, shh. I'm here, baby. And here's where I'll stay. By your side. No matter what. I promise." I said and he looked at me and smiled.
"Thank you so much, Annie." He said.
"You're welcome. I love you." I said.
"I love you too." He said as we wrapped our arms around each other tightly.
"We're all here for you, bro. All of us in this room." Tess said, looking to the others for support.
"Absolutely." Clem said as everyone joined in the hug.
"Thank you all so much. You have no idea how good this makes me feel." Chris said as we all got to our feet. I then had an idea.
"Wanna hear me sing a song, baby?" I asked and he nodded his head.
"I've always loved your singing, Annie. So yes, I'd love to hear a song from you." He said. We all then walked over to the couches and I grabbed my guitar and sat down next to Chris. I hummed the tune as I started strumming my guitar.
Tonight I'm so alone
This sorrow takes a hold
Don't leave me here so cold
(Never want to be so cold)
Your touch used to be so kind
Your touch used to give me life
I've waited all this time,
I've wasted so much time
Don't leave me alone
Cause I barely see at all
Don't leave me alone, I'm
Falling in the black
Slipping through the cracks
Falling to the depths can I ever go back
Dreaming of the way it used to be
Can you hear me?
Falling in the black
Slipping through the cracks
Falling to the depths can I ever go back
Falling inside the black
Falling inside, falling inside the black
You were my source of strength
I've traded everything
That I love for this one thing
(Stranded in the offering)
Don't leave me here like this
Can't hear me scream from the abyss
And now I wish for you my desire
Don't leave me alone
Cause I barely see at all
Don't leave me alone, I'm
Falling in the black
Slipping through the cracks
Falling to the depths can I ever go back
Dreaming of the way it used to be
Can you hear me?
Falling in the black
Slipping through the cracks
Falling to the depths can I ever go back
Falling inside the black
Falling inside, falling inside the black, black, black, black
(Falling in the black.)
(Slipping through the cracks.)
Falling in the black
Slipping through the cracks
Falling to the depths can I ever go back
Dreaming of the way it used to be
Can you hear me?
Falling in the black
Slipping through the cracks
Falling to the depths can I ever go back
Falling inside the black
Can you hear me?
Falling inside the black
Can you hear me?
Falling inside the black
Can you hear me?
Falling inside
Falling inside, falling inside
The black
As soon as I finished singing, everyone started clapping. I stood up and bowed like I was at a performance. Chris chuckled at my little joke. As soon as I stood up straight, he pulled me in for a kiss. I smiled and started returning it. We kept it up until: "Get a room, you two." Tess told us.
That's chapter eleven. I want to thank AquaDestinysEmbrace for recommending Falling Inside The Black. Review and I'll post more chapters.