an: disclaimed. :)
Derrick ran through the hospital's empty halls, the white walls covered in paintings, the railings designed with green nylon on them, the clean Lysol smell of the hospital disgusting him, but it gave him all the more boost to find Antoinette in room 504. He passed by several dark pink doors that were open and he caught a glimpse of every person with their own little situation.
501, he noticed a little girl who was bundled up in blankets, watching iCarly on TV with a chocolate pudding cup cradled in her hands.
502, Derrick caught a glimpse of a crowd hovering around with bouquets of flowers in their hands. He wondered who they were staring at.
503, he saw a teenaged boy wearing a cast on his leg, stroking it and shaking his head. Probably to himself, Derrick had guessed. A girl entered his view, though, and she stretched her arms around him. He kissed her hand and Derrick had to slow down a little to watch.
Why was it so easy for everyone else to be in love and not him? Why was it that he could never just have Massie? What was up with life and it's interferences?
He pushed himself into room 504, his eyes widening at the sight of Antoinette laying there, staring up at the ceiling. His breathing heavy, he walked up to her, thinking of what he should say first. But before he could even make it, he heard the words, "Go find her at your elementary school's playground."
whereitallbegins
Massie dangled her feet down, leaving them hanging in the air. She had climbed up the very top of the slide and before she decided to actually lower herself on the yellow contraption, she situated her legs in between the railings. She gazed at the lush, green grass that spread itself beyond her sight, enjoying the gust of wind that pushed against her. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the rail.
Tiny splashes of rain sprinkled across her nose and onto her forehead. She twitched a little bit, but even after that, she remained sitting down in her serene position.
"Massie!" a deep voice bellowed. The voice came nearer, and yet, Massie stayed in the same position. "Massie, Massie, come on, Mass, listen to me, I need to tell you something! Massie!"
Derrick jogged up towards Massie, keeping his brown eyes set on her, just her. "Massie," he pleaded, "please, come down from there! I need to talk to you!"
Massie lifted her eyelids, exposing her already tearing amber eyes. She took a deep, shaky breath and swallowed hard before answering, "Why should I, Derrick? Why should I come down to you? When all you've ever done was ruin everything that I had? Huh? You made me lose my best friend, Derrick, you made me lose everything and everyone!"
Derrick clenched his teeth together. Was Massie really blaming him for everything that's happened? He jogged up to her and finally, was only a couple of feet away. He stared up at her from the ground and using his hand, shielded away the rain. "Massie, please, listen to me. Don't blame me for anything that happened. The only reason why Claire left was because she chose that for herself. Don't blame me for supposedly crapping up your life, 'cause I would never do that to you, Massie."
Massie shook her head in disbelief, untangling herself away from the rails. She hopped up and then leaned over the tops of the rails to glare down at Derrick who was already soaked. Massie hadn't even noticed that the rain pounded down harder than it had in the beginning. She winced and opened her mouth, "What do you mean you wouldn't do that to me? Are you seriously saying that you had no part in this? Maybe, if you stayed away from me and my friends, then we wouldn't have had to go through this! Maybe, just maybe, I would still have Chris—"
"Are you really insinuating that I, who had no idea that you had a boyfriend, am the reason why you and he aren't together anymore? Because he cheated on you? Because, because of the fact that I came back, which wasn't exactly my choice, y'know, everything in your seemingly perfect life was ruined? Huh? Am I the monster here, Massie, really?" Derrick kept his gaze steady with hers, because even in harsh rain or the sweltering heat of the sun, he could locate those amber eyes anywhere.
Massie sighed and ran a hand through her wet curls and absentmindedly began descending down the small ladder that led you to the top. She bit her bottom lip and trudged through the pouring rain towards Derrick. And although she was beyond seeing red at this point, she could still comment on how Derrick looked oh so cute in rain, with his floppy dirty blond hair in his eyes, and how the way his soaking wet shirt clung onto his amazing abs. "No, Derrick you're not the monster," she said to him, once she reached him. "But you're one of the monster's minions," she added.
Derrick, with mouth agape and eyebrows knitted together, released an agitated yell and clutched at his head. "Massie, Massie, listen to me," he growled. He mentally counted to ten in his head and then slowly said, "I could never, would never, be a monster in your life." He gritted his teeth together and ran a hand through his damp hair. "I would never, in any way, attempt to ruin you, your friends, or anything that involves you, for any reason whatsoever. And, sweetie, love, all you need to ask is for me to leave you. Forever." He licked his lips and continued staring at Massie. "And I'd leave. And never come back to bother you ever again."
Massie's eyebrow twitched and she gulped again, tears mixing with rain. Listening to Derrick stabbed at her, and combine that with the buffeting rain, it was as if they acted as the knives that poked at her, that gnawed at her from the inside. With every word that he uttered, she couldn't help but fall in deep love, over and over and over.
"Massie..." Derrick trailed off, wishing on his lucky star that she wouldn't say no to him. "Do you want me to leave?"
"May I answer that for you?" a scratchy voice intruded.
Derrick whipped around, coming face to face with a brown/red-headed boy who seemed too lanky and too tall, a horrible combination. His hair was wet from the rain, and it shaped around his head that was cursed with a very sly half-smile. Derrick, in instinct, stumbled back a couple of steps, finding Massie's arm. Frozen from the cold rain, she hid behind Derrick.
The boy took a few steps forward, the same creepy half-smile still on his face. "Well, well, well, Derrick"—he nodded at Derrick's ready figure—"and Massie," he stretched her name out, long and loud and venomous. "Long, long, long time no see," the boy again took a step forward, his hands hidden behind his back.
Derrick, ready to protect Massie, yelled, "Who is that? Who are you, why do you know my name?"
The boy chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Of course, of course, the infamous Derrick Harrington would never know my name, for I've fallen off the face of the earth, with no one looking for me, with no one caring where I am nowadays." He cleared his throat of its raspy sound, but it stayed the same. "Maybe, maybe you'd remember me if I had this on..." He pulled out a large green and blue jersey with the number 18 and the name Plovert encrypted on it.
Massie peered over Derrick's broad shoulder, and at the sight of the article of clothing, she gasped. "Derrick, Derrick, it's Chris!" she murmured under her breath. She stepped away from behind Derrick, who grabbed hold of her arm and kept her close, and leaned forward, squinting her eyes. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the sight of her ex-boyfriend.
Chris beamed and applauded himself. "Very good, Chris, very good, you've finally lured out the precious Massie Block." He again took a step forward, but Derrick only pulled Massie back. She whimpered and smacked him, but it only hurt her. She rolled her eyes and listened in on what Derrick had to say. "What are you doing Chris?"
Chris, with his smile turned into a smirk, shrugged carelessly and dropped the jersey onto the muddy grass. He ran a hand through his outgrown hair and said, "Well, I thought that after seeing to it that Massie had gone from Connor to me to Connor and to you, I thought I should just inform you that she's a lying, cheating—"
"Don't even dare, Plovert," Derrick snarled.
Chris faux widened his eyes and chuckled to himself. "Well, at least she's now with someone who's actually going to protect her, yes? I mean, poor little Connor who couldn't even touch me." He widened his eyes again in fake innocence and shook his head at himself. "Oh, Chris, Chris, Chris, don't expose your secrets now."
Massie's eyes widened and she loosened away from Derrick's hold. She again revealed herself and asked, "You were the one who hurt Connor that night? It was you, Chris?" She pursed her lips together and ran a hand through her hair. The only thoughts that were going through her head at this moment were ones that didn't exactly match up to dancing strawberries with top hats and canes.
Derrick, surprised at the tension that was brewing, stayed close to Massie. He stared hard at Chris and shook his head. Suddenly, it all clicked in his head. "You were the one who did all of that. You were the one who hurt Antoinette, too, then?" he guessed. He felt Massie cringe a little and then make a tiny noise that he wasn't very fond of.
Chris burst into another round of applause and chuckled. "Well, Harrington, you're actually very clever, eh? I never thought that you'd be the one who got that so quickly. Now, tell me, Derrick, what exactly has been up with you and your life? And up with my girlfriend? Oh, and I must thank you for taking care of her, lad, you did an amazing job. I see she's still as beautiful as ever. I guess I shall take her now..." Chris reached out for Massie slowly, but Derrick brought his hand out faster, smacking him.
Chris whipped out a sleek, shiny hand gun and shook his finger at Derrick. "Ah, ah, ah, that's a big no-no, Derrick." He smirked again, twirling the gun on his finger.
Derrick's jaw dropped and his instincts ran faster than usual. He grabbed the petrified Massie and quickly concealed her behind him. "Massie," he whispered from the corner of his mouth. He heard her whimper her understanding and he continued, trying his absolute best not to let Chris know he was saying anything. "Massie, when I tug on your jacket, I want you to run, okay? Run fast and don't stop for anything. If you hear anything, I need you to keep on going and please, Massie..." He bit his bottom lip and murmured, "Don't cry."
Massie swallowed and nodded, her hand over her mouth. Chris, her ex-boyfriend, had pulled out a gun, a gun. Who knew what he was going to do with it? If she was there, on the slide, alone, and he was there with her, he would've shot her. Or done something more. She tried her best not to think about it, but visions of Derrick being shot and she being raped clouded her head.
Chris, with an eyebrow arched, stopped twirling the tiny gun in his hand and continued to stare at Derrick. "So, good man, I beg of you, please, to return my lovely girlfriend to me? I mean, I would never think of stealing any of your diamonds, right?" He nodded and again held his hand out. "So, come on, don't make this hard. Give me my love and I'll let you free."
Derrick shook his head, a disgusted look plastered on his face. "Never." He gently tugged on Massie's wet shirt and she swallowed and shook her head, burying her face in his back. "No, Derrick, no, please, no, I don't want to leave you, I can't." Derrick gritted his teeth together, his eyes trained on Chris's every move, and from the corner of his mouth, asked, "Massie, why?"
She gritted her teeth together and clutched fistfuls of Derrick's shirt into her hands. "'Cause you won't come back for me, Derrick."
Derrick let out a sharp exhale from his nose, the piercing ache slicing through his lungs. "Sweetie... I promise you, I will." He again tugged on her shirt, and Massie, her legs feeling like jell-o, ran for her life, her breath hitching, her struggles coming out in tiny hiccups. The rain pelted her, hitting her like they were angry at her. And they probably had every reason to be angry with her.
whereitallbegins
Derrick glared hard at Chris, hoping that maybe, if he stared at him hard enough, he'd just disappear, like a cheesy thriller movie, when you see them one moment and the next moment they're gone. He balled his fists and maneuvered around Chris, who seemed to know exactly what he was doing.
"It doesn't matter anymore, Harrington," Chris shouted, "it won't matter after tonight. Because just 'cause Massie wants you now, it won't matter." A devilish grin slowly formatted itself onto his face, exposing the most hideous of yellow teeth.
Derrick made a face and let out a shaky breath. It came out as a puff, even in the rain. "What do you mean?" he yelled, squinting his eyes to prevent the rain from entering.
Chris chuckled, and before Derrick knew it, there was a bang and then a sharp, stabbing pain that teared itself through his skin. His eyes widened and he fell to the ground, grabbing at the source of the pain, his side. He let out a loud yell, but it was drowned out from all the rain. His vision darkened, and the last remains that he saw of Chris was his smug smirk.
whereitallbegins
Massie screamed and turned around. She heard it, a shot went off. Her thoughts clouded over with the depressing image of Derrick being shot to her death, she froze, right on the corner of 82nd and 84th. She turned around, the rain soaking through her trenchcoat, drenching her hair and seeping through her freezing cold clothes. Tears running down her face, she stared at the elementary school that she left behind, the elementary school that she and Derrick had shared. She swallowed hard and remembered what Derrick had told her.
"Run fast and don't stop for anything."
Massie continued her torturous journey, but to her, everything was slower. She never knew that she would live a life parallel to a bad soap opera. How did she let all of this happen? How did Chris learn about everything? Everyone? Massie contemplated all of this while running in her squishy Chuck Taylor's. She didn't realize that she was now running across a street, the one that led from the elementary school to the mini-mart in front of her. As she made her way towards the mini-mart, her eyes could only detect the slightest of words.
In red block letters, however, she read CLOSED. Massie slowed down and gulped her hiccup and clutched at her stomach. This wasn't happening to her.
"Where the hell is everyone?" she yelled. She looked around and again yelled, "Help! Somebody, help me! I need help!"She looked around, feeling like a helpless puppy. "Anybody, please, anyone, help me!" She stumbled upon her own trench coat. She felt a brick wall against her outstretched hands and used it to guide her. The rain finally cleared up from her eyes the moment she entered a dark, coven-like alley. Her breaths had become shallow, fast-paced and harder to catch up with. She ran a hand through her wet hair and, realizing that she was in a dry area, her clothes had begun to stick to her, freezing her. She shivered and pulled off her coat, squeezing the water out of it. With shaky hands, she withdrew her phone from her pocket and turned it on.
Her fingers quaking over her keypad, she attempted to dial the emergency hotline.
"Massie!" She heard, someone calling her name. She looked up from her spot to see the redhead that tormented her only moments ago. Or, this whole time. She stood up shakily, her legs vibrating with anxiety and fear.
"Please!" she cried, her voice raspy. "Please, don't hurt me!"
Chris chuckled to himself and began his stroll down the road, twirling again the shiny gun that Massie could spot from distances away. She cowered deeper into the alley, thinking that maybe he wouldn't notice her if she was in the dark. Maybe he'd be like those stupid people in drama series that don't notice their prey once they're tucked away, behind a wall.
She could hear Chris's cynical laughter, echoing in her ears. She could already foresee what he was going to do to her. She swallowed her tears back and sniffled as quietly as she could. She heard it again, the smug chuckling, because he did win. In the end, Chris Plovert had won. He did things over a couple of months, and here she was, about to pay for it. She was the bad one in the end.
From her view, she watched Chris strutting towards her slowly, his eyes locked on her and her only.
Massie, her saucer-like eyes set on him, clutched onto her phone. From a distance away, however, she heard a loud honking sound. She looked up, anticipating something to fall on her. But when she trained her eyes back on Chris, a large furniture moving truck came speeding down and attacked him.
Massie's jaw dropped and she covered her gaped mouth with her hand. Tears streamed down her face, her stomach churning as she heard Chris's yell in pain, the ringing sound of his gun spinning and then falling to the ground. She buried her face in her shirt and, her shoulders shaking, cried her eyes out.
an: one chapter left, and it's the end you guys. thanks so much for sticking around. :)
review?
ericka:)