The Boy Next Door

"How Does It Feel?"

"Who did this to you Brooke?" My Dad asked, leaning against the hospital bed.

I stayed quiet and flickered my eyes back and forth between my Mom and Dad.

"I-It doesn't matter. It's over now. I'm okay and everything is fine." I replied.

"Fine? Everything is fine! Brooklynn would you stop and actually take in what just happened to you. You died! We could have lost you forever if they would've never went to check the room out. I've been holding this in for a long time, but you need to stop being so stupid." Dad began. I widened my eyes at his choice of words. "It was that low life Dylan. Wasn't it?" He questioned.

"I-It was him..." I replied under my breath. I didn't want to tell him why I was even there because it was a stupid idea for me to even be there. I only did it to get back at Justin. I wanted him to know that he's not the only one who can have a side piece, and now I'm laying in a hospital bed with purple and blue bruising around my neck. My dad was completely right. I had to face reality. Dylan killed me... I was just so lucky to come back to life.

"What were you doing at that hotel Brooklynn? Why were you there?" Mom asked in a soft voice. She had still been in tears, and I didn't blame her.

"I don't know... I mean, this isn't the first time I've seen Dylan without anyone knowing. We were still hooking up. He gave me the hotel he was staying at and and I went." I replied truthfully.

"I can't even stand to listen to you. How could you be so stupid and go back to him after all that stuff he's done to you?" Dad spat, walking out of the hospital room

"Joey," Mom called out. But he didn't budge.

Mom and I sat there in silence before she slowly approached the bed, laying her hand on my forehead.

"What were you thinking baby girl?" Mom whispered.

I closed my eyes trying to think of a better excuse, but there wasn't anything else I could say.

"Mom, I don't know. Dylan and I were hooking up and then he started to talk about how much he loves me and how much he wants to be with me again, but I kept telling him no."

"So you led him on to believe you two would be a thing again?"

"No! I just... I thought he knew that nothing else would come to the relationship between us except sex, but then he got angry and he threw his body on top of mines and said, 'If I can't have you, nobody will,' and then he started choking me,"

"Brooklynn... I don't know what to say to you. I don't know whether I should be upset with you for even hooking up with him again when you knew exactly what he was capable of, or if I should be hugging you and telling you everything is going to be alright now." Mom confessed.

"You should do what a good mother would do," I whispered under my breath.

My Mom stayed quiet and walked toward the door.

"I'm going to go look for your Dad," was all she said before her body disappeared from my sight.

"Fuck," I whispered under my breath.

I laid my head back on the bed and my eyes eventually began to get very heavy, and before I knew it, I was out into a deep sleep.

Justin

"She's where?" I yell through the phone.

"Justin, Brooke is in the hospital. It's really serious," mom replied.

I begin pacing my dressing room.

"Serious? What happened Mom? What's wrong with her?"

"She was strangled to death. The paramedics were able to get her breathing normal. I'm heading there now and I'll let you talk to her when I get there." Mom replied. I could hear shuffling in the background, so I knew she was on the way out.