Deja Vu // D. Mauldin

♡*♡∞:｡.｡ ᑕᕼᗩᑭTᗴᖇ 2 ｡.｡:∞♡*♡

I didn't expect to be locked away in a room with Dalton and Jackson trying to stop my continuous tears but sometimes things don't go as planned. This whole day didn't go as planned.

"I sh-shouldn't care, I shouldn't be crying." I mumble to Jackson, looking up at him. "I-I'm not in love with Jake. So why does it hurt so bad?" I whimper out, my eyes pleading for answers.

"Because you still loved him, Angel. You might not have been in love with him but there was some love there. That's why it hurts." Jackson tells me with a small sigh. Dalton walks over with makeup wipes and a change of clothes for me.

"Do you need any help, Evan?" He asks softly as the two of them look over at me. I nod slightly and look at Jackson, silently signaling him to leave. He smiles and nods, understanding what I want.

"I'm going to go speak with your parents, Angel." He dismisses himself and leaves the room. Dalton locks the door so no one unwanted walks in.

"I'm sorry this happened, Evan. You deserve better than this. Much better." He tells me seriously, taking my face in his hands and starting to wipe away the makeup on my face. His touch is gentle and attentive.

"It's not your fault, Dalt. I was going to talk to him about calling off the wedding when we found out." I tell him, eyes cast down to the floor.

"Why?" He asks gently, dropping his hands from my face.

"Because I'm in love with someone else, not Jake." I answer, nerves picking up once again. I need to tell him, no, I have to tell him. Even if he doesn't feel the same. "Dalton... I can't marry someone when I'm in love with my best friend." I admit and wait for his reaction anxiously. Our friendship could end here and I could lose him. The anxiety of the situation makes me want to cry again.

"You're in love with.. me?" He asks slowly as he processes what I just told him. I nod as conformation, now afraid of my own voice. A smile begins to pour onto his lips and a sparkle can be seen in his eyes. "Evangeline, I have been in love with you since we were in middle school. I was too scared to tell you and I didn't want to ruin what you had with Jake." He admits as well, holding my face in his hands once again. His thumb swipes over my cheeks softly, wiping away any remaining tears.

"I guess it wouldn't have mattered in the long run." I sigh but lean into his touch. "And that's probably for the best." A small smile paints itself onto my face as I add that onto my previous statement. I jump as we hear yelling from outside the door. Dalton takes my hand in his as we head to the door.

"Stay behind me." Dalton tells me as we leave the room, protectiveness and caution in his voice. My dad stands over a winded Jake with Tanner and Bloomer behind him.

"How dare you do that to my little girl!" My dad shouts as Jackson quickly makes his way to us.

"I'm so sorry, Angel. I didn't know he was gonna react like that." Jackson says frantically.

"Jax, it's okay." I tell him reassuringly. He calms slightly and nods.

"Maybe because your 'little girl' is a slut!" Jake yells back at my dad, causing my eyes to go wide at the name he just called me. "It's pretty convenient that her two best friends are guys!" Jake laughs, a crazed smirk on his face. I feel my own anger boil over and I let go of Dalton's hand.

"Oh shit." I hear Tanner mumble as I walk past him.

"I never once cheated on you! Nor did the idea ever cross my mind! You are a piece of fucking shit. I see why your mother stopped talking to you now. She seen what I was too blind to see." I scoff at the end and he gets up to grab someone's glass of wine from them before dumping the dark liquid on my crisp snow white dress. I stand there in shock for a minute before a shrill voice is heard coming from the crowd.

"Jakey! You bitch!" A blonde with wayyy too much lip filler makes her way out of the crowd and I recognize her as Jake's girl best friend. I notice her messed up bright Ruby red lipstick and I let out a humorless laugh.

"You really are one to talk, Jake. You cheated on me on our wedding day with your girl best friend. I can't fucking believe you. He's all yours, Dad." I say, looking back at my dad. He grins at my approval to take care of the man, no no, I mean boy. He'll never be a man.

"We aren't done here, bitch." Her whiny voice rings through the air. Jackson rushes to me in attempt to stop things from carrying on further. But I feel her fingers tangle themselves in my hair. I see Dalton calling someone, the police I assume.

"Get the hell off me! If you want him so bad then take his sorry ass." I say through gritted teeth as she yanks my hair. It takes Bloomer and Jackson both to get her off me. Bloomer holds her back and Dalton grabs me from Jackson, taking me to wait out in front of the venue for the police to arrive.

"I never realized how similar you are to your dad." Dalton laughs lightly and I swear I could get drunk off the sound.

"Anger issues runs in the family." I shrug before hugging him and resting my head on his chest.

"After the police are done here, you go change and I'll bring you home so you can rest." He tells me, wrapping his arms around me. He rests his head on top of mine. "And Bill got a recording of what they did to you. He wanted to make sure we had proof." He informs me.

"Will you stay with me?" I ask him, a slight tremble in my voice as I shiver. The wind picks up slightly and due to the wet material on me, I feel goosebumps forming on my skin.

"Of course, Evan. Anything you need." He tells me before shrugging his jacket off and slipping it onto my shoulders. I slip my arms into the sleeves before returning to hugging him.

"Evangeline!" I hear the voice of my mother call out.

"We're over here!" Dalton answers for me and her heels can be heard heading towards us.

"Oh sweetheart. Here, we don't need you getting sick because of that bastard." My mom says as she wraps a thick blanket around me. "Take care of her, Dalton. I need to get her dad out of here before he kills Jake." Mom sighs before kissing my cheek and going to get my dad.