Truthful, Beating Heart

Chapter Thirteen

I must not have been out for too long because I awoke, still on the floor, with Bree screaming at me in a state of sheer panic. My irrelevent rockstar sunglasses were off my face too. Bree must have seen my eyes open because she had one hand on each side of my face slightly shaking me awake.

"Oh god, Erin! Are you okay?" Her voice was lowering in volume but it was still filled with terror and panic. "I didn't know what happened to you! All of a sudden you were crashing into things and you were on the floor and then you were totally unresponsive." My head lolled around trying to shake away the grogginess and to understand what Bree was saying. Then I remembered everything. She'll be fine. I felt dizzy again and took a deep breath in through my nose, calming myself. I was going to have to explain this to Bree. She definitely deserved an explaination. I sat up slowly. Bree had a hand on my back to steady me and she asked,

"Should I call your mom? Or Tom? Or do you want Tony and Will to come back over?" I shook my head no. "Then what happened? Erin! Say something! Or I'm calling someone." I took a breath and said,

"It's okay. I just have to explain it to you. But its bad Bree. Its really bad." My voice broke off at the end and new tears ran down my already damp cheeks. She hugged me and said,

"What is it Erin? You can tell me. Just take your time." I took a few more calming breaths and began,

"So I told you about that one dream I had right? About the crash and the two guys that left me there?"

"Yeah. But what does that have to do with anything that just happened?"

"Just listen." I said, and she did. I kept talking, "Well you know how one of them was trying to help. Holding my head and stuff? And the other one was running away screaming at his buddy to go. Saying that I'd be fine?" I took a deep breath and tried to stop the new tears that were running down my face. Bree's hand was trembling on my shoulder. "A few minutes ago, when Tony was joking around, asking if I'd be okay without him until tomorrow. Will said 'She'll be fine,' and it was the same voice that said it on the night of the accident." Bree was totally silent and I could tell she was starting to understand what I had figured out.

"Oh my god." She said, barely more than a breath. I nodded and continued,

"It was Will who wanted to leave me by the car." It seemed even more horrible coming straight out of my mouth. "And Tony was the one holding my neck." A sob shuddered through my chest, cutting me off. It all made sense now. I hadn't noticed it before but there was no doubt in my mind that the hands that had held up my head, his hands, were the same ones that had hugged me, comforted me, kept me safe.

Safe. How ironic that the hands that left me laying in blood on the road, scared and helpless, were the ones that I had sought comfort from. My whole world crumbled down in that instant. Tony had let me trust him. The places where I once felt compassion for Tony were now filled with hatred and anger. I swiped the tears off my face and ripped my cell phone out of my pocket. I dialed in a way that, had my thoughts not been preoccupied, would have made me worry about breaking the phone in half. I heard Bree start to speak but she stopped as I whipped the phone to my ear.

I heard the click as someone on the other line picked up. Anger bubbled up inside me and I felt as though I was going to explode. A very familiar voice answered,

"I knew you couldn't be away from me for too long." Tony was trying to be playful and it pissed me off more than I thought possible.

"How could you!?" Never in my life had I screamed so loud at a human being, out of pure anger. Dead silence from Tony's end. Then he said,

"Erin? What happened? Are you okay?"

"Did you think I was an idiot Tony!? Did you think I wouldn't figure it out!? Or did you just think that I'd be fine?" I put emphasis on the last three words wanting, more than anything for him to deny it. For him to tell me that I was being silly. I wanted him to be mad at me for being able to accuse him of what I was about to. "It was you and Will! You were the ones who left me on the road!" Tears streaked my cheeks not wanting it to be true. Willing him to deny it, but the denial never came and my tears kept flowing.

"I'm so sorry Erin." He said quietly. That was it. I was going to lose it.

"Sorry!? SORRY!? Well geez wizz Tony. I was left laying on the road with two broken bones, blood dripping down my face and NO DAMN EYESIGHT but its all okay because TONY'S SORRY." I was on the edge of hysteria. I doubted he could understand any of what I was saying because I was crying so hard.

"I'm coming over," was the only thing that he said. I didn't care anymore. I dropped the phone. I was completely numb to what was going on. My emotions had shut off completely and I knew that the raw, bitter feeling I held within me wasn't going to go away because I had given Tony my trust and just like that it was ripped out, leaving a wound that nothing and no one would ever be able to fill.

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Note from Abby: I hope things came together in a comprehendable way..they did in my head at least. I'd like feedback! I want to know what you think! What you do or don't like, what you think is going to happen, even who you picture as characters! Anything! Drop a comment, vote, and fan! Thanks for reading! (: