All That's Left

Chapter 20 | Dorian

Two years ago

We were halfway through breakfast when Dad's phone rang. I didn't think much of it until his face turned serious. 

"Dorian," Dad said, putting his phone down. "Lucas showed up at Vania's last night. I think you need to go over there, Brennan says she's really shaken up."

The urgency in his voice made my heart race. I didn't wait for a further explanation. I excused myself from the dining table, grabbed my keys and bolted out the door. My mind was a whirlwind of worry and anger. 

Lucas.

I knew that guy would cause trouble somewhere along the line. But what had he done now? He knew Vania's dad and mine went on their trip this time of year. Why had he shown up when he knew Vania would be home alone? 

When I arrived at Vania's house, I didn't bother knocking. I burst through the door and found her sitting on the couch, her eyes red and tired. Her dad was sitting beside her, his face lined with worry. As soon as Vania saw me, she shakily got to her feet, starting to say something but I cut her off when I wrapped my arms around her, holding her as tightly as I could. 

"Why didn't you call me last night, Van?" I asked, my voice think with emotion. "I would have been here in a heartbeat, you know that."

"I didn't want Lucas to hurt you," Vania whispered, her voice trembling. "If you came over, he might have..."

My heart ached for her. I still didn't know what Lucas had done, but I could see the fear in Vania's eyes. I couldn't even imagine how she must have felt last night, when he was still here and she was alone with him. "Vania, I would rather let Lucas hurt me than let him lay a hand on you," I told her. "You're my best friend, Van," I said, cupping her face in my hands and wiping away the tear that slid over her cheek with my thumb. "I love you. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you."

"I know, Dorian. I'm sorry. I just...I didn't know what to do."

I felt a surge of anger and guilt. I should have stayed over last night, even when Vania told me she would be okay. I had a feeling that something was wrong when I said goodbye to her last night, that's why I didn't want to go. I should have listened to my instincts. 

"I should have stayed," I muttered, more to myself than to Vania. "I knew something was off. I shouldn't have left you alone, Van."

"It's not your fault," Vania said, squeezing my hands. "You couldn't have known."

"But I should have," I insisted. "I should have been here for you."

Vania's dad sighed, running a hand through his hair in agitation. "This is no one's fault, Dorian. So you two stop blaming yourselves." Uncle Brennan looked at me. "We're going over to the police station in a moment. Lucas needs help, but he's putting everyone in danger with his behavior. 

I nodded, looking back down at Vania. "You can tell me what happened, later, okay?"

Lucas had crossed a line, and I sure as hell wasn't going to let him get away with it.

He didn't get to hurt or scare Vania.

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After Vania and her dad left for the police station, the simmering anger in me boiled over. I couldn't just sit and do nothing, even though I knew Vania wouldn't want me to do anything.

I knew where Lucas lived, and I knew his mother wouldn't be home this late in the morning. 

When I reached Lucas's house, I pounced on the door until it finally opened. Lucas stood there, his face a mix of annoyance and anger, but he didn't have time to react before my fist connected with his jaw. 

He stumbled back, and I took a few steps back too, not wanting to five him any legal ammunition by claiming he was assaulted in his own house. 

"You don't get to hurt Vania and get away with it," I told him. "I should have known you were bad news the moment she introduced us."

Lucas's face twisted with fury as he regained his balance. "It's your fault, you know that? You should've left her alone when we got together." He swing back, landing a punch on my cheek that made my head snap to the side. 

I wiped away the trail of blood that flowed down my cheek from the cut that Lucas left and stared at him. "You're just jealous, Lucas. You always have been. You started seeing things in Vania and I's relationship that were never there right from the start."

Lucas lunged at me and we launched into a full-blown fight, throwing punches and grappling with each other. I could feel the sting of each hit he managed to land, but the adrenaline kept me going. Each hit I landed was fueled by the thought of Vania, scared and alone, while this creep had been bothering her. 

"Vania was mine when we got together," Lucas shouted, his voice filled with possessive rage.  "You had no place hanging out with her after that."

"Vania was never your possession!" I yell back, dodging another punch. "She's her own woman who can do whatever the hell she wants." If this guys was really thinking that Vania was a possession, he had another thing coming. 

Lucas's eyes were wild with anger. "You just always had to be the hero, didn't you, Dorian? Always had to be the one she turned to."

"Someone had to be there for her," I retorted. "You sure as hell weren't when you were swinging all those insults and accusations at her."

I managed to land a solid punch to Lucas's stomach, making him double over. "You're pathetic, Lucas. You can't control Vania, and you sure as hell can't control me."

Lucas recovered quickly, his face a mask of anger. "You think you're so perfect, don't you? Always playing the knight in shining armor."

"No, Lucas, I don't think I'm perfect. Vania can do so much better than me. But she allows me to be her best friend, and I sure as hell will treat her with all the respect and love she deserves, and I will not let anyone hurt her, especially not you."

The fight raged on, and I could hear police sirens in the distance, growing louder by the second. The neighbors must have called the cops on us. Lucas and I were both breathing heavily, our faces bruised and bloodied, but neither of us was willing to back down. 

I noticed the two police cars pulling up to the curb and three police officers stormed in our direction, pulling us apart. "That's enough!" one of the shouted, yanking me back while another restrained Lucas. 

As they cuffed us and led us towards the separate police cars, my anger didn't subside. If anything, seeing Lucas restrained only made me wish I could have done more. I glanced over at him, and he glared back with pure hatred in his eyes.

As we were brought into the police station, I spotted Vania sitting with her Dad at one of the officer's desk. She glanced over at us at the sound of footsteps, and I saw her eyes widened in shock as she took in the cuts and bruises on my face. When she glanced over at Lucas being brought in behind me, I noticed the flash of fear in those pretty eyes of her, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of grim satisfaction at what I had done.

Lucas need to understand he couldn't mess with Vania with nothing ever happening to him. 

Vania's eyes filled with tears as she glanced back at me, and she shook her head, looking down at her lap. 

She was blaming herself. 

A wave of guilt hit me as the police started questioning Lucas and I, quickly uncovering the connection between what Vania was telling the officers with what happened between Lucas and I. 

I didn't want Vania blaming herself for my actions, but I knew she would if she was left to her own thoughts. One thing would lead to another, and she would start replaying everything that happened, seeing something in every situation that put the blame of what happened on her. 

I didn't want that, but I also wouldn't change what I did, even if I could. 

My parents were called and the consequences of my actions were discussed. I didn't really listen to what was being said, even though I knew I should have been. But the truth was, I didn't really care what happened to me. If I was sent to a juvenile detention center, that would be okay. I would take responsibility for my actions and deal with the cards I was dealt after that.

It would only be a problem if Lucas got away with what he did. If he was left to roam free, he wouldn't leave Vania alone, and then I wouldn't be here to do anything to stop him form hurting her further. 

 Legal consequences be dammed—I would always protect Vania and keep her safe, no matter the cost.