One Night || e.d.

Chapter 22: Aftermath

Ethan's POV

The three of us sat in the police station and I thought back to what her dad told me.

short flashback

We called Mia's parents and they told us what we're suppose to say.

"If you get confused, what do you say?"

"It happened so fast."

"Say it again. Ethan. Say it again."

"I can't. I can't do this."

"Ethan you have to." he said.

"How do you do this?" I couldn't breathe.

"It's what we do... now what do you say?"

"It happened so fast..."

present moment

I still couldn't process what just happened. I was in complete shock.

"Do you guys have anything else to say?" the officer asked.

Brie, Grayson, and I were quiet.

"Brianna?"

She heaved, "it all just happened so fast."

A few questions later, they let us go.

The rest of the ride home was silent. I just wanna punch something. They took this situation to an entirely new level.

"My girlfriend just died. She died. In my arms. I heard her heart stop beating. I saw her take her last breath. It wasn't suppose to end this way." I leaned my head against the window, "I never said it back..."

"If I didn't fall and knock myself out, she wouldn't have died. We would've fought them together and she would still be alive. She would be in this car ride with us, being grateful that I'm okay. But I just..."

"Grayson, it's not your fault. Ethan should've stayed back and taken your pain and I could've gone out there to help her. He could've tried waking you up and then come out to us... but we didn't think it through." Brie got choked up. "But she didn't die for no reason. She died saving her friends."

We continued sitting in silence.

"Brie, you can stay with us tonight if you'd like." Grayson said.

"Can you just take me home please? I want to be alone."

"Okay."

We got to her house and just sat there before she got out of the car.

"Ethan."

She said while she stood outside.

"Yeah."

"Please don't do anything reckless. Don't do anything that she wouldn't want you to do. Okay?"

I sighed and nodded.

"You either Gray."

She shut the door and walked away.

"Mia said that if she were to die early, she wanted me to tell you guys that she's proud of all of us. That she loves all of us."

"That's probably what she wanted me to tell you. Before she took her last breath, she said I have to tell you something. She didn't get to finish that sentence."

"I love– I love you. Ethan... Ethan Dolan." I never said it back and I will always regret that.

A flashback of her closing her eyes played in my head, as morbid as that may sound.

We got home and found Nate standing in the front of our house. What the fuck?

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked.

"Language." Nate said.

I pushed him against the garage door and balled his shirt in my fists.

"I'm not gonna watch my language because your fucking girlfriend just killed my girlfriend. Mia died and it's all because of Meredith. Do you get that?"

"You're on crack."

"Ethan." Grayson placed his hand on my shoulder. "Calm down."

I let Nate go.

"Get the fuck out of here."

"I just wanted to know if Meredith was here but I guess not."

"Where's your buddy Jack?" Grayson asked.

"He was saying a bunch of shit behind my back."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Why would she be here? Of all places." I asked.

"She said she'd be here."

"Again, why would she be here?"

"How the hell should I know? I didn't ask."

"Well, she's not. Last we saw her, she ran off with Steven."

I could tell his blood was boiling on the inside.

"I'm leaving." he said angrily.

Grayson and I walked into the house and he threw his keys onto the kitchen counter as we walked upstairs.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"I don't have an anchor anymore. Mia was my anchor. I don't have Mia anymore."

"You'll find another one. You fall in love more than once. However, you don't need anyone to be your anchor. Be your own anchor."