Disclaimer: I don't own them

*Italic indicates thought

Chapter Twenty: Heartbreak

A/N: Hello! So, I'm very busy this weekend and bad camp and pre-seasons start Monday. But, hopefully the updating this week will be good. But if it's not, that's why. Ok? Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on." -Robert Frost

Kevin woke up the next morning and checked on Antonio. He saw his friend was still laying on the couch. He went over and shook his foot gently. "Antonio. Antonio, are you awake?"

Antonio moaned and looked at him. "I don't want to be awake."

"How do you feel?"

"My chest hurts."

"How's your head?"

"Why does my chest hurt?!" Kevin blinked when Antonio started crying again.

"Oh, come on Antonio. Don't cry." He sat on the edge of the couch and rubbed Antonio's back. "Don't cry. It's ok."

"It's not ok! My chest hurts and Lauren doesn't love me!"

"Antonio, she's one girl. You have your whole life of girls ahead of you."

"I don't want them! I want Lauren!"

Kevin sighed and pat his back. "It'll be ok. I have to go to work. Are you going to be alright by yourself?" Antonio nodded, still crying. Kevin got up and rummaged around, getting ready for work. The whole time, Antonio cried and didn't even bother to move. Kevin left a granola bar for him with a water bottle. "I'll be back late, don't wait up." Antonio nodded again.

Kevin shook his head and left. His samuraizer went off and he pulled it out. "Hello?"

"Kevin, it's Brooke."

"Um...Hi. How can I help you?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Now's not the best time."

"Well I need to-"

"Sorry got to go." He hung up quickly and only felt slightly bad about it. I'm being stupid, he told himself. Avoiding Brooke isn't going to take back what we did. He felt his heart rate pick up. "It was just one mistake," he told himself. "It was one stupid lapse in judgment."

-Samurai Ranger Life-

When Jayden got up he went in the kitchen, half expecting to see Antonio. But when he saw Lauren in there alone, the following night came back to him. He approached her carefully. "Morning Lauren."

"Morning Jay," Lauren said. "Juice?"

"Sure." He sat down and watched her pouring juice carefully. "So...how you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Really?" She sat down with him and Jayden played with his cup a little. "So, are we going to talk about last night or-"

"Jayden," she sighed. "I don't want talk about it."

"But what happened?! I mean, he literally just got back. What were you fighting about?"

"It's nothing. Just leave it alone."

"I really can't. Antonio is my best friend, and you're my sister. I want both of you to be happy."

"And we will be. Antonio will be fine."

"What about you?"

"I'm the one who ended it, of course I'm ok."

Jayden doubted that, but Lauren got up and left before he could argue. He sighed and pulled out his samuraizer. He called Antonio, but he didn't answer. Jayden shook his head and called Kevin.

"Hello?"

"It's Jayden."

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

"How's Antonio?"

"Well unfortunately I had to leave for work, but last time I saw him he was sobbing on my couch."

"He's taking it pretty hard, huh?"

"Really hard."

"I wish there was something I can do."

"For now, I think he should just stay with me."

"Yeah, probably. Let me know if he needs anything."

"Jayden, right now I think there's only one thing he needs and nether of us can give it to him."

Jayden nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to try to figure things out on my end."

"Alright. Same here. Bye."

"Bye." Jayden sighed and rubbed his hair.

Tiara came in and sat across from him. "Where's Antonio?"

"He stayed at Kevin's."

"Good. I was worried that he'd slept on the street in an alley or something."

"Thankfully, no."

"How's Lauren?"

"She's taking this really well."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She seems fine."

"I guess she got over it quickly then," Tiara said, taking his juice.

"I guess. I don't know, something feels wrong about all of this."

"Tell me about it," Tiara agreed, taking a sip.

"Hey!"

"You snooze you lose." She got up smiling and left the kitchen.

Jayden shook his head as he got up. "Sisters," he muttered going to get himself another glass.

-Samurai Ranger Life-

Kevin tired to call Antonio on his break, but he didn't pick up. He tried again. "Come on Antonio, please pick up. Come on."

"Hello?" Antonio asked quietly.

"Hey, how's it going?"

"My chest still hurts."

"I don't think that it's really something that can be fixed right now. Have you eaten?"

"No. I'm not hungry."

"Well you at least need to try and eat."

"I can't."

"Why not? Even if it's just the granola bar I left you."

"No! Lauren eats that kind! I can't eat it!"

Kevin sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Antonio. Antonio stop crying. Stop crying."

"I can't!" Antonio sobbed. "I just don't know what to do! Kevin!"

"I know, I know."

"I can't eat! And my chest still hurts! I think I'm dying!"

"You're not dying," Kevin told him carefully. "The only thing you're suffering from is a broken heart." He shook his head as Antonio started crying even harder. How did that make it worse? "Antonio, try to calm down. It's ok-"

"It's not ok!"

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Antonio, just...try to calm down. Ok? I have to go back to work, but I'll call you again before I go swimming. Ok?"

"Ok."

"Alright. Just...try and splash some water on your face or something. Ok?"

Antonio sniffed. "Ok."

"Ok" Kevin hug up and sighed as he put his samuraizer away. "Somehow I feel like I inadvertently made this worse."

-Samurai Ranger Life-

Antonio sat up and looked around. He shivered and pulled the blue blanket Kevin had given him around his shoulders. He got up and stumbled around, looking for the bathroom. He finally found it and turned the light on with a shaking hand. He looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was tousled and messy and his eyes were bloodshot from crying. He had some bruises from when he'd fallen the night before. He touched his finger tips to his lips, remembering when Lauren and kissed him good-bye at the airport before he left.

He shook his head and started to cry again, stumbling backwards to the wall. He slid to the ground and wrapped himself up in a ball, pulling his blanket around himself. Antonio put his head in his arms and cried.

...Antonio smiled as he rolled over in bed and saw Lauren illuminated in the moonlight coming through the window. She looked like a heavily angel. He snuggled closer to her, pressing her nose to his. "I love you," she whispered softly. "You are the most amazing person in the entire world."...

The former gold ranger felt absolutely hopeless as he sobbed. Why?! he wondered. Why doesn't she love me? What did I do wrong? He brushed his fingertips over his lips again. I can still feel the last time she kissed me. He squeezed his blanket with his hands. "I miss you," he whispered. "I want you to come back to me. Please. Just come back to me."

-Samurai Ranger Life-

When Kevin finally came home at 11:30, he was anxious about Antonio. He'd tried to call his friend around 7, but Antonio hadn't answered. He saw the empty couch and immediately felt his heart rate pick up. His hand automatically fell to his samuraizer in his pocket. He looked around cautiously. "Antonio?" he called out. "Antonio, where are you?" He looked in his own room, but he wasn't there. He looked in the bathroom and sighed.

Antonio was on the floor, fast asleep. He had a blanket wrapped around himself and his head was resting on his shoulder. Kevin shook his head as he crouched down in front of him. He felt saddened when he saw the tear marks on Antonio's cheeks. He reached out gently. "Antonio. Antonio, wake up." Antonio moaned and opened his eyes slowly. "Come on, let's get you back to the couch."

Kevin took his arms gently and led him to his feet. He walked a numb Antonio back to his temporary bed and he promptly laid down. Kevin covered him with the blanket and pat his head gently. "Just sleep it off," he said. "Just sleep it off."

Antonio looked at his friend sadly. "Kevin, she doesn't miss me? Does she?"

"I honestly don't know."

"I miss her so much it hurts."

"I know it does. This will pass though. Just go to sleep."

Antonio nodded and closed his eyes. A second later he was fast asleep. Kevin shook his head as he went to his room. "I guess being emotionally exhausted and physically exhausted can really make you tired." He sat down on his bed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Lauren you'd better have a good explanation for this. I swear to god, to put Antonio through this hell, it'd better be a very good explanation."