Bitter Sweet

Chapter Twenty-one: Confrontation

Chapter Twenty-one: Confrontation

I sat in the car in silence, even though I nearly gotten pierced by a thousand bullets and burned to a crisp, it still felt like it was just the silence of the storm. My palms were sweating and I ran them back and forth on my rubble coated jeans.

Dylan studied me for the longest time subtly and even though he thought I didn't see it, I sure did. A worried face was glued onto mine while Damien sped down the street to the hospital. Feeling a warm hand snake in and tried to wrap around mine, I turned to Dylan and shot him a look.

He recoiled back and I felt bad a little. I remembered when I'd kiss him without any hesitation, I remembered when things didn't get so awkward when I'm with him.

"You alright?" he asked, Dylan's eyes were soft and I bothered to not worry about him.

"I'm fine." I muttered then shot him a look when his hands smoothed and ran through my hair. Glancing, I saw Damien's flicker from the side view mirror at me then shoot back to the front.

Peter and Polly were fast asleep from exhaustion by my side and I looked down at them.

"We're almost there Emma." Damien said pulling into the freeway but didn't slow down his speed for my sake.

"Okay." I sighed and exhaled deeply.

---

Staring down at my friend I bit my lip in anger and pity.

Though Marina didn't know that I knew what she'd done, she'd found my frown at her a bit disturbing.

"What's wrong?" she asked with a smile, and when she reached to grab for my hand I backed away.

Damien jumped in. "Is there anything you want to say to Marina?"

My throat felt dry and I want to crawl in a hole and die. I gulped and wiped my sweating palms on my pants once again.

I hoarsely asked her. "What did you do before the party?"

My question sounded cold and distant but Marina laughed a little and once again reached for my hand but I pulled away.

"I was with you silly, and planning for the party-

"Did you bargain me with the Syndicate?"

"What are you talking about-

"Don't lie to me, Marina. Dylan told me."

She licked her lips repetitively and gulped a bit.

"It was stupid of me, Emma. I'm really sorry." she blurted and I saw a bit of tears spill out of her eyes.

I avoided looking at her in the eye, I just couldn't stand it.

"Just tell me what happened, Marina." I said and she bit her lip tightly, trying to hold back what she was about to say.

"Okay, I traded you to them." she said, quietly in a soft whisper, but she'd managed to say i.

My eyes were still glued to the linoleum as quietness flooded the room and the only thing that broke it was the sound of the heart monitor beeping.

"I can explain," she blurted out a sad look was on her face and her lip quivered "they were going to kill me, Emma. They found out that I knew the Syndicate was! I would've saved you-

"Then why didn't you." I snapped at her and she flinched in pain by my seething anger.

Marina spun an accusing finger and pointed it at the defenseless Dylan. "He was there, he'd tried to attack me too-

But I stopped her.

"You left me at the party with him. Marina, you weren't trying to save me at all. You were trying to save yourself."

"N-no! It's not like that-

"Forget it!" I shouted at her and there was tears in her eyes.

She squinted her eyes tightly and under the covers she'd pulled a hand gun and pointed at me. My eyes widened and I stood there in utter shock.

"Marina-

"You're right," she scoffed "I did try to kill you, okay. Do you know how much money I could've gotten if I told the right people where they hid-

"So what was your main goal? What? To kill me?"

"No," Marina shook her head and her curls spilled down her shoulders "killing you was only a revision, I wanted money out of this."

"You're sick." I spat at her.

"They're criminals Emma, did you not forget that?" Marina said and held the gun tighter and my blood ran cold. She just might actually shoot me.

"I can't let you tell anyone, Marina." I said to her and she shrugged.

"Well then I can't have you stop me." she said apathetically and fired two shots.

And I felt one lodge into my shoulder, while my heart bled out from the pain I'd just endured.

Staring at my right, I found the second bullet.

Perfectly lodged in Dylan's forehead.