Anna Midnight

Chapter 14: The Realization

After a while, the tears finally stopped stream-lining down my face. “Jake, why did you go for the bottle?” I really didn’t expect an answer, but he gave me one anyway. “I’ll be honest; it’s a combination of you and Mikayla. But more of the thought that you didn’t want to be around me when she was around. Which was most of the time,” he reluctantly answered. I had thought about it for a while and tried to think of something, but nothing came to my mind

          A few hours after Jake had left my room, I began to think about all the things that have happened lately. It’s actually kind of like Nikki Sixx’s famous spiraling fall to becoming infamous. Wow, I feel old just thinking about how I lived through that. I had also thought about the real reason why I had stayed here and helped Bree, Chase, Kale, and Jake end so many lives. The though, or rather person, that kept reoccurring in my mind was Jake. Then, I had tried to think about why he had kept showing up.

          At the back of my mind a memory had crept in, “You’re the only family I have left and I love you”. Then it dawned on me. One, Jake was in love me; two, he went for the vodka because I had gotten mad a t him and argued with him. He never gotten drunk before, so naturally, he couldn’t control himself, and he went after me because I was the one that drove him to it in the first place; as well as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

          He may feel bad and guilty over it, but in fact, I’m the guilty one. I’m so dang oblivious and self-absorbed. I think back, farther into the past and notice that there wasn’t one month, here, that didn’t have one thing go wrong that I was a part in. This is bad. What if I wasn’t here, would things still go as wrong as do when I am here? What if I had never agreed to be here? I’m sure as hell not going to commit suicide; that’s the coward’s way out.

          I simply resolved this whole mental conversation to one thing: I should just leave and see if things get better. I know they would notice soon after I would leave and they would eventually miss me. In my eyes, things would be looking up for them. Plus, they wouldn’t have to look after a 100+ year old person. I began to push that the whole leaving thought to the back of my mind because I didn’t like where it was going. I then proceeded to fall asleep on the futon.

          Sometime later, I had been woken up to shouting coming from down the hall. Feeling drowsy, I ignored it and tried to go back to sleep. I decided to get up and see what’s going on when things started breaking. I opened the door and walked out into the hall. Jake and Kale were at the other end, arguing again. Great. “Go back into your room, Anna. This is nothing for you to worry about,” Kale said peering around Jake to look at me. Jake turned half way round as Kale said that. “Okay, but please stop breaking things. Some of us like peace,” I said half dazed. Jake flashed me a smile then turned back around to face Kale again, with an angry yet disgusted look.

          I went back into my room, but didn’t go back to sleep. Instead, I decided to doodle and listen to music. Not too long after, they were at it again, but this time louder than ever. Less than a minute later, I heard another door open. Kale and Jake were breaking things again. All of a sudden, I heard someone scream; it sounded like Bree. I got up and ran out of my room, whipping the door out of the way. I get out into the hall to see Bree on the floor crying and gripping at her forehead. I rushed to her side only to find glass everywhere; some even embedded into her skin. “I told you guys to stop breaking things! Look what happened!” I shouted at them.

          Kale had a look of shock and self-disgust. I helped Bree up and into my room. I rushed into my bathroom for some first-aid supplies and a pair of tweezers. I then went back into my room to patch Bree up as best I could. Jake had come in and started to calm Bree down. He stayed by her side as I dug some of the glass out of her face and took care of the wounds. Bree had been sobbing the whole time. When I had finished, I told her to lay on the futon or the bed and relax.

          I had asked Jake to come into the hall with me. By the time both of us were out there, Kale had finished cleaning up the glass. “Why on earth were you guys throwing things?” I asked. “I wasn’t the one who threw it,” Jake responded.  “Never mind. I’m not gonna get an answer out of you.”  I turned to go back into my room, but Jake caught my arm before I could. “Anna, you’ve got to stop doing this,” Jake said with a neutral but saddened look on his face. “Why? You and Kale never stop arguing. I even told you guys to stop. You didn’t and look what happened; Bree got hurt because of it,” I shouted at him. He let go of my arm and I walked back into my room.

          “What’s wrong, Anna?” I didn’t want Bree to worry about any argument or what’s actually going on, so, I just told her, “Nothing and don’t worry about it. I’m just going for a walk”. I grabbed my coat and walked down the stair to the kitchen to grab my phone when someone stopped me. “Where do you think you’re going?” I turned to face the person, which turned out to be Chase. Jake was also there, sitting at the island. “I’m going for a walk. Is there a problem with that?” I asked, hoping they’d leave me be. As usual, I was wrong.

          “Don’t go by yourself, then.” I wasn’t expecting Jake to say that. Judging by the expression on Chase’s face, he didn’t either. Chase and Jake went down the hall to the game room. I started to walk out of the door. As soon as I went down stairs and started to go out of the back door of the club, someone grabbed my shoulder. “I told you to not go out by yourself.” I turned half way round and leaned against the art painted wall. “Does it really matter? I can take care of myself just fine,” I said with my voice starting to show my anger.

“You’re so stubborn and bull headed,” he said while cracking a smile. I had started to calm down when I answered. “And you’re just now figuring this out?” He leaned up against the wall opposite of me and put his hands in his pockets. “Correction: I already knew that,” he said with a chuckle. I leaned my head over and just shook it from side to side, while starting to laugh. “Fine. You can go with me; if you want.” “See, I can get you to change your mind!” he exclaimed sarcastically.