Marcel

Chapter 22

(The next day) Marcel's POV

I wake up and immediately go to my studio. I need to leave my house. I've been trapped in here like a caged animal. Just thinking about everything and it's slowly breaking me.

When I get there, I rummage through all my tapes. I pull out “Happy” and pull out all the tape inside and smash it on the ground. I pull out a new tape and label it “Empty.” I fill it up with songs and add it to the pile.

I feel empty. That feeling of nothing. You're not happy and you're not quite sad. You're just emotionless. You could care less about everything and everyone. You don't even care about yourself. It's like you're not even alive.

It's like you're drowning and no one notices. Everyone around you is staying afloat while you're sinking.

I sit down on the piano bench and write song after song. After three hours, papers litter the floor and my fingers are sore from writing and playing. My cheeks are stained with dry tears, I've finally stopped crying. I look at the two sheets of paper in front of me, two new songs. I begin to play the piano and see how it sounds.

A/N: This is Leaving the Lights On by Etham Basden.

“Broken windows and the sound of slamming doors.

I keep fighting but I don't know what I'm fighting for.

When you call my name and try to explain

I just hide behind the lines and the barricades.

It's like I'm never gonna win this war.

Do you realize

I don't want you to apologize?

And I'm done with your lies.

Now it's time for us to say goodbye.

Cause at night I don't sleep

and you try to break me but I stay strong.

So I'm closes my eyes

Leaving the lights on.

I kept on falling but I never got to hit that pain.

I just got caught up in this moment and inside this game.

When you call my name and try to explain

I just hide behind the lines and the barricades.

It's like I'm never gonna win this war.

Do you realize

I don't want you to apologize?

And I'm done with your lies.

Now it's time for us to say goodbye.

Cause at night I don't sleep

and you try to break me but I stay strong.

So I'm closes my eyes

Leaving the lights on.

And I just can't go on.

And I can't go on.

But I'll try and be strong.

I'll try and be strong.

And I just can't go on.

And I can't go on.

But I'll try and be strong.

Leaving the lights on.”

My tears return when I'm finished. I wipe off my cheeks and put my head in my hands. My elbows crash into the piano, creating a loud bang. I run my hands through my hair in frustration as my phone starts to ring. I let it go to voicemail.

“Marcel... It's Cami. I'm sorry. This is like the fifth message. I need to talk to you. It's not what you think. Please call me back.”

Yeah, right. I never want to talk to her again. She gave me false hope.

I leave my studio and drive to a tattoo parlor.

It's time to get a new one.

I get “Might as well...” tattooed above my hip, on my lower stomach. I barely feel it when the needle hits me. I've gotten so many, I'm used to the pain.

Might as well not talk to Cami.

Might as well be alone.

Might as well keep to myself.

Might as well give up...

Cami's POV

I walk into Ethan's house to find him watching TV.

“Hey, Cam,” he mumbles.

“Don't call me that.”

“What?”

“Ethan, I'm done. I'm done with you. I'm done 'dating' you,” I say sternly, using finger quotes.

“I knew this was coming soon.”

“You know I only dated you to protect Marcel. I let you hurt me so you wouldn't hurt Marcel. It's over. I never liked you at all, and you know that.”

He stands up and tightly grabs my wrist, “You want Marcel to get hurt again?”

I wiggle out of his tight grasp that left my wrist red, “No. You better stay away from him.”

“Then stay with me.”

“No. I hate you. You're disgusting.”

He slaps my cheek, “I can torture both of you.”

“Torture me, just not Marcel.”

“You sure you want to do this?”

“The deal is over, Ethan.”

I walk out of his house without saying another word.

If you're confused, I expect you to be. Things will be clearer in the next few chapters. You'll fully understand what this all was with Ethan and Cami.

I hope you like this! And right now this is at #25 and #26 which is so exciting! Thank you so much! I love you all. <3

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