Love Will Save You // Ryan Follese

Chapter 30: Even Broken Hearts May Have Their Doubts

-Ryan-

Melanie and I walked through our front door when we got home to find Jamie's feet propped up on the coffee table and Danielle sleeping with her head laying in his lap as he played with her hair in complete silence. The TV wasn't on, there was no music playing; It was just...quiet.

"Where are Nash and Ian?" I asked.

Jamie looked up, "They went to bed about half an hour ago."

"What are you still doing up?"

"I just got her to go to sleep," he said quietly, nodding toward his girlfriend.

"Why? She's always the first one out," Melanie said.

"Sarah," Jamie replied plainly.

"What happened?" she asked, rushing over to sit on the couch.

"I just gave her the ring and I was playing Forever Unstoppable for her. I finished and she wanted to hear another song, so I played another and that's when Sarah walked up-"

Melanie cut Jamie off, almost yelling, "What do you mean Sarah walked up?!" Danielle mumbled Jamie's name and moved around a bit, but didn't wake up.

"Melanie!" Jamie whisper yelled, nodding toward the girl laying in his lap.

"Sorry..." Melanie whispered, "What happened?"

"Like I was saying: I was playing another song for her and I saw her look behind me and her smile immediately dropped. I turned my head and Sarah was walking up. She said some not-so-nice things to Danielle and tried to grab her. Basically, one of them walked away with a bloody nose and a cut lip and it wasn't this girl," Jamie said, nodding toward Danielle again.

"That's my girl," Melanie smiled.

Jamie chuckled, then continued, "Anyway, as I said, the things Sarah told her weren't very nice and I could tell they really got to her. So, after Danielle hit her, we came home and just hung out with Nash and Ian."

"What did she say?" I asked, finally taking a seat on the couch.

"Called her a bitch, loser, jealous – you know, the usual stuff. She did ask me at one point 'why I was dating an ugly whore like her' and then pulled out this picture from I don't even know where of Danielle and Nash hugging and tried to tell me Danielle was cheating on me," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"That bitch," Melanie mumbled under her breath. It was really no shock to any of us that something like that said to Danielle would get to her. "I know it wasn't the accusation of cheating on you that got to her either," Melanie said, looking down at Danielle as Jamie continued to play with her hair.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She never acts like anything bothers her and truthfully, barely anything people can say does – except when they call her ugly," she sighed.

"I tell her she's beautiful every chance I get though," Jamie said, shaking his head, "I thought she believed me."

"And she probably did up until today. All it takes is one comment, Jaim."

Jamie sighed, "I'm just gonna take her upstairs." Jamie carefully lifted Danielle's head off of his lap and stood up, turning back around to pick her up off of the couch. "Goodnight, guys," he said, walking away.

"Night, Jaim," Melanie called back.

~

*The next day*

I woke up the following morning and noticed Melanie wasn't laying beside me. Funny, I could have sworn she was there when I fell asleep... I walked into the kitchen to find everyone already awake and sitting at the table just talking.