I Know It's Hurting You, But It's Killing Me (A7X Fan Fiction)

Chapter Eighteen: Johnny

Short upload... but it's action packed so before I ruin it for you... here's chapter eighteen

          Lyric was shocked to find even more engravings as she opened the laptop. Off to the left of the touchpad read “Welcome to the family” and on the right was “Baby Vengeance.” It was by far the best present she could have ever asked for.

            Looking up at Brian, she was smiling from ear to ear, and there was a slight hint of tears forming in her eyes.

            “Turn it on,” Brian told her, his smile almost as wide.

            Starting the laptop up, the day just grew better as she saw all of her old desktop files already put on and all of her writing survived her old laptop’s tragic death. But looking past all of that, she noticed that the background was a picture of her surrounded by all the guys at the welcoming home party they threw for her a week ago – a happy grin on all of their faces. She hadn’t even realized that someone had been taking pictures.

            “Brian,” Lyric started, not really sure how to thank him for such a generous gift.

            “Listen, after everything you’ve don…”

            “I didn’t even do anything! I should be the one thanking all of you!” She interrupted.

            “You are by far the biggest A7X fan I’ve come across, and trust me, I’ve seen thousands. But trust me when I say this: You deserve this laptop and any other gift we ever give you, plus so much more. So just please accept this gift without telling me all this bullshit about how you don’t deserve it, cause you do,” Brian said, emotion clear in his voice.

            As tears slid down her face, Lyric carefully set the laptop down on the floor and ran over to Brian, jumping onto his lap and giving him a giant hug. “Thanks so much, Bri!” She exclaimed, burying her face into his neck.

            After they both enjoyed the little cake he had bought, they spend the better half of the night cuddling on the couch, watching a movie. And it wasn’t until Brian moved his hand a little too far up Lyric’s leg that she really truly started to feel guilty about having drunkenly slept with Johnny the night before. As every muscle in her body seemed to freeze, Brian began to worry that he had moved to fast.

            Quickly removing his hand and resting it on his own knee, he muttered an apology and attempted to focus on the movie.

            The whole rest of the movie, all Lyric could think about was her night with Johnny. She honestly didn’t remember anything much after their cake fight. And in her mind, the fact that she was drunk was what was bothering her so much.

            Sure, she though of Johnny more as a brother than anything else, but sleeping with him, not really a big deal. But her being drunk made her feel guilty about it for some reason.

            When the credits started rolling, Brian turned to Lyric. “Is something bothering you?”

            “No… well, yes, but I… can you just take me home?” She asked, knowing she had had too much to drink to safely get herself home.

            “Sure,” he muttered, deciding it was best not to question her. He would do that a different day, but right now, she clearly wasn’t in the mood to explain and he respected that.

            The ride back to Lyric’s house was nothing but an awkward silence. The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

            Pulling into her driveway, Brian told her that when she needed her car back from his house to call him. She thanked him, grabbed her laptop and stepped out of his car.

            When she noticed Zacky’s car in her driveway, she stopped dead in her tracks. “What the?”

            She then saw Zacky get out of his car looking madder than hell. “Dammit Lyric! When I give you advice, the last thing I expect you to do is go off and do the exact opposite not even a week later!” He yelled, slamming his car door shut and closing the gab between him and his sister.

            “What the hell are you smoking, Zackary?” she questioned, not sure what he was talking about.

            “I’m talking about your little boyfriend, Lyric. Ring a bell? No? Well does the name Johnny set off any alarms? Huh?” His temper was rising, and Lyric would be lying to herself if she said he wasn’t scaring her.

            Hearing Johnny’s name roll off Zack’s lips, it took all of her strength not to drop her brand new laptop. Gently setting her stuff down on her front porch, she practically threw herself on the floor, tears pouring from her eyes.

The one person she wanted to keep in the dark about Johnny and her was now standing over her, yelling at her. What was one of the best nights of her life just turned into one of the worst.