I Never Thought I'd End Up Here

It Could be For the Better, Or For the Worst.

When I woke up, Xander was gone. I rubbed my eyes, stretching. I climbed out of the warm bed and opened the door to find that everyone was gone.

"Xander? Jack? Anyone?" I echoed. I walked to the door that led outside and opened it.

What I found I almost couldn't understand. The FireLeaves were in their usual uniforms, matching pants and no shirt, while arguing with Derek. Derek was at from, arguing with Xander and Jack, while some people from the mansion that I couldn’t make out were behind him.

"Derek?" I asked quietly. They all stopped talking, looking at me. The FireLeaves were standing there in shock as I walked further towards them.

"Xander? What’s going on?" I asked. Silence overtook the whole forest.

"I came to get you." Derek said after a while.

"No." I rejected immediately.

"It wasn’t an option." Sam growled. "You're coming." 

"Jaz." Jack pulled me towards him. I went into his arms easily.

"Jaz just come ba-" Derek started.

"No! I hate you! Why on Earth would I want to go back with an abusive 'husband'" I growled at him, my fists clenching.

"Just hear me out." He replied calmly. I opened my mouth to argue but Xander cut me off.

"I think you should listen to him, babe." He said. My heart melted at the word and I sighed.

"Fine." I said, looking at Derek expectantly. He sighed in relief.

"Good-"

"Why are they here?" I asked, aware that Sam, Blaze, Derek's parents, a few other fighters that I've seen in the gym, and his maids were there with him.

"They came to persuade you." He smiled at me. My lip snarled in disgust.

"I want you to come back."He said. "I was thinking about it, and I know I've been terrible to you. I did that for your own good. I've been in love with you from the beginning, that's the only way I knew how to show it." He said.

"I know I forced you into a marriage, and I know I forced you to be with me, but I know you liked some of it." He reasoned.

"I love you. I love the way that your eyes shine when you’re happy. And I love it when you straighten your hair, but there’s one piece in the back that you never get and it's uncontrollably curly. I love when you wake up in the morning and you smile. Or when you get angry at someone, you go punch something. I love you and I want you to know that."Derek said. He stepped back as his mother came forward.

"He does. I've never seen him so in love. It's heart wrenching." He said. His father nodded. Blaze and Sam came up. Sam glared at me.

"Even though I hate you, I think you should go back with him. You make him a better person." He said, rolling his eyes as if this was a script.

It probably is.

Blaze started talking. "I know you're tough and stuff, but maybe this once, you could let your walls down and love Derek like he loves you." He said. The guys behind everyone murmured in agreement, as did the maids.

"So, Jazmine, what do you say? Will you be my lover? Will you be with me forever, loving me until the end?" Derek asked hopefully. My heart swelled at the tone of his voice, the tone he used when he asked me to be his girlfriend. That tone showed that he was vulnerable, and I loved when he showed that he wasn’t tough all the time.

I began to open my mouth to speak, only one word, one word could change my life. It might be for the better ,or it could be for the worst. My lips formed the word and before anyone knew it, my voice echoed through the empty forest.

"No."