Innocence

XXII

Once I'd changed into a pair of skin-tight jeans and a black jersey with 5SOS imprinted in a circle on the front, Emily slammed the front door and we walked towards her car. She was obviously older than eighteen, not stealing her mother's car like Sadie did.

"Over eighteen?" I guessed.

"Eighteen exactly. I'm young, sexy, and free," Emily answered sarcastically, opening the door to her black SUV.

"Big car, you got a lot of friends or something?" I asked, wondering why her car had like six seats and only one person in the household.

"No, you liked to take up my whole car," Emily grumbled. "Now where does Mr. Holmes live?"

I told her the address, leaning back in the shot-gun seat as Emily pulled out of her driveway. Emily cranked up the radio as a song came on. Obviously a recent one because that's all they play on the radio nowadays.

"Cruel, the way you treat me like a stranger, cruel, when you're looking like that oh," Emily sang in an oddly reassuring voice. "Cruel, the way you touch her when you kiss her, take my hand to summer, turn it into winter,"

She immediately said afterwards. "I don't know the words,"

For some reason, those words felt familiar and comforting. Like I was in the presence of friends or family.

Ha, no way.

"You got a CD in?" I asked curiously.

"Yep. This is The Veronica's new album, oh god this is my jam on toast!"

Emily had to be my sister in another life, I related to pretty much everything she said.

"Cos I'm dying here! You were lying, it was you and I forever, and now you make me shiver in the light. And I'm dying here..."

Her voice was amazing, I just listened, in awe.

"And I'm crying for the you that I remember but now you make me shiver you're so..." She stopped as the music made a drop. She began to talk-sing, or rap, whatever you wanted to call it.

"Am I meant to sit here, and just take this. When you promised me that I would be the one that you would never leave," she scoffed, as if she wasn't just singing/rapping the song, but like she was talking to someone. "I can't believe I fell for what you said. Does it make you feel good to make me feel less than I am? Does it make you feel strong? Like you're a bigger man...?"

I couldn't help it when my jaw dropped. All the emotions were there. She was... X Factor quality, but better.

"What did I do to deserve you to shut me out?" She asked/sang. "Did I love too much? Is that what this is about?"

I could relate to that.

"I used to thank God every morning for having you in my life. And now I'm praying just to forget you," she sighed. "And you know why,"

The chorus started and she shook her head dismissively. "You alright?" I asked as she halted at a red traffic light.

"Yeah," she answered weakly. "I'm fine,"

"Bad relationship?" I guessed. "I feel your pain," I shrugged, adding a dramatic edge to my tone. "Boys suck big time,"

"You can say that again," she chuckled. The song slipped back into a singing/speaking/rapping verse or whatever the hell you wanted to call it and Emily easily spoke it.

"And if you were gonna lie, at least be a man and lie to my face," Emily spat, almost as if she could see the person who she was singing to in front of her. "So you can watch my tears turn to blood as I tear myself apart. Wondering why, why I ever fell for you?"