Smoke and Mirrors (Smoke #1)

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"We can press charges Scarlett, hire an investigation or I don't even know what else there is but we can't just sit back and allow that awful women to get away with this." Gemma pleaded trailing behind me back in my house as I was still recovering from one of the most humiliating moments in my life.

"N - no." I sobbed as I shut the door behind me and stood in my step wiping the tears from my eyes. I was lost. I was confused. I was angered. I was a complete mess and the only thing I could do was sit back and watch my entire life shatter right in front of me. Sure, I still had the support of Gemma and a few other people, but it just wasn't the same when it had felt like most of the world wanted nothing but the worst of you.

"Why not?" Gemma defensively asked as I rolled my eyes and ran my hands through my hair anxiously.

"Because - can we just drop it Gemma, please -"

"No, we cannot just drop it. Scarlett, look. I love you and really want you to feel happy once again but I swear, I will not just stand here and let you suffer in the hands of some psychopath who poured coffee right on you."

"I don't want to hear any more of this Gemma, just please leave me alone." I muttered, letting out a sigh as I turned to face the other way, folding my arms feeling as miserable as I had felt the whole day. I could hear Gemma pleading with me that I was overreacting and in many ways I knew she was right. She was always right but of course I was far too stubborn at the moment to admit my flaws.

"Scarlett, I think you just need to chill out for a moment and just breath. I am not trying to be your enemy, I am just trying to convince you that you need to think about your decision that you make. Who knows what else could happen to you? Today, it's having coffee poured onto you. The next someone tries to start a fight with you? Or someone might try to psychically harm you or maybe even?"

"Maybe even what Gemma, maybe even what? You think you have all the answers, don't you? You think if I just magical succumb to pressing charges that this is all gone, whatever you call this will all be gone by tomorrow? Because honestly Gemma, you're fucking kidding yourself if you think that's going to be the solution to my problem -"

"I never said that pressing charges were going to fix any of this Scarlett but fine, fine. If you want to sit back and watch people purposely destroy your life then that's fine by me. Pressing charges isn't obviously going to fix everything, I'm not a fucking idiot Scarlett, but it's clearly going to fix a few things and if I can't get your stubborn ass to understand that, then I'm truly sorry." Gemma cursed before she gave me a cold stare and marched out of the door, slamming it shut behind as I was left behind with yet another issue I was to be dealt with.

I stood in my step, my body still frozen after the aftermath of my argument with my best friend and kept finding my mind drawing back to the words the woman fired at me at the cafe earlier this morning, as the toxic spray from her swirled through my thoughts.

It would also break my heart too if he was playing with her hair and telling her how he loved her instead of saying those words to you. I can even hear her laughing flirtatiously as she's rolling on her back with him smiling back at her.

Maybe she was right, whoever she was. As much as I wanted to believe that Marcus hadn't moved on alright - which I clearly didn't - there were so many signs that make it quite apparent to me that maybe my ex wasn't the type of man I thought he would have been. Maybe there was so much more Kylie Pierce could give him which apparently I wasn't able to do and the fact that the things Marcus had said to me during the time we dated was nothing more than a mirage that reflected what I wanted to us to be rather than what he had felt killed me inside. I desperately wanted to believe that Kylie wasn't the girlfriend of the man I loved and still do but after today's encounter with a demon, I honestly wasn't sure what to think anymore.