Endless || Jonah Marais ✓

♪ EIGHTEEN ♪

Aurora glances over at Carmen worriedly, as her sobs slowly turn into sniffles and she sets her untouched bowl of soup onto the coffee table. Standing at the foot of the couch, Aurora silently fumes over the exchange with the unknown caller and ignores all of Jonah's attempts to calm her down.

"You need to eat," Zach says sternly, handing her the bowl. "It's bad enough that you're only allowed to eat soup."

"I have to call my mom," Carmen sighs, shaking her head. "I'll eat later, okay?"

He didn't have time to reply, as her mother answered the call immediately.

"Hey baby. Are you doing okay?" Mrs. Elliot asks her daughter from the line. "Is anything wrong?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Carmen mutters before squeezing her eyes shut. "But I was wondering . . . . Did you happen to contact Jess about the crash?"

Aurora furrows her eyebrows together and gives the younger girl a questioning look, having never heard her mention someone named Jess before.

"Of course, honey," her mother says. "Even though you and Jackson aren't together anymore, she still has the right to know. She cares about you, Carmen. She always has, and nothing changed."

"I- why?" Carmen grows tense. "Mom, you know we moved here for a reason. He's the reason, but you still spouted to his mother?"

There's a small pause, during which Jonah pulls Aurora to his side and wraps an arm around her waist. By this point, the entire group stood hovering around the couch anxiously.

"She called the night that you were in the hospital, and asked how you were doing. I only gave her a solid answer. It's not like I called her myself, hun."

"Why did she call?"

"She calls every week to check on you, Carmen." Her mother sighs. "You of all people know that she's a great person. She got Jackson help, you know?"

"Help?" Carmen chokes out, her hands beginning to shake. "Mom, please tell me she didn't ask for the address."

"Well, she-"

"Mommy," Carmen says in a whisper as her bottom lip trembles. "Jackson called me today. He knows where I live, and he- he told me he'd find me. You didn't tell Jess the address, did you?"

The other end is silent. The pause triggers something inside of Carmen, causing her anger to flare.

"Why would you tell them something like that?" She snaps, tears falling from her eyes. "He's the reason we came here! Don't you remember that? He's the reason my father is DEAD!"

"Honey, things happen for a reason," Mrs. Elliot attempts to reason with her distraught daughter. "That boy had no control over the car, let alone over your father's death."

"Oh, really?" Carmen chuckles darkly, a newfound venom in her tone. "Then who's fault was it? Was it my fault that we had to rip up our roots and come to LA? Was it my fault? Did I deserve what Jackson did to me? And Casey and Laila? What about them?"

"Casey and Laila aren't at fault either," Mrs. Elliot states. "But they are at fault for believing the shit that comes from Jackson's mouth. Carmen, you didn't deserve any of the things they pushed your way. We just needed to get away from all of it."

"You needed to get away?" Carmen cries. "You? You have no idea what I went through every day at school."

"Honey, I do-"

"But do you really? How could you possibly know when you sold me out, huh? When you told the one person I needed to get away from most exactly where I am. And you know what?  Now he's coming to find me."

"I'll tell Jessica, Carmen. I'm sure she can look over Jackson, and make him change his mind."

"He's eighteen now, Mom. She can't stop him." By now, Carmen's voice was soft, and her anger had finally turned into fear. "No one can."

And then she ended the call.

All attention was turned to Carmen, of which she ignored. She let's out a loud, exasperated huff as she runs her fingers through her hair.

"Caramel . . . ." Aurora trails off, unsure of how to comfort the girl as she steps closer to the couch.

"I'm fine," Carmen shakes her head, sniffling as she turns her phone off. "I just- I think I need some time to try and figure this out."

"What's going on?" Zach demands softly, kneeling down in front of her. "Please tell me."

Carmen frowns, the wheels turning in her head as she seemed to have a mental debate with herself.

"I moved here for a reason," she finally begins after a long pause. "I loved it in Oregon, it was my home."

"So what happened?" Aurora asks, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"I met a boy." Carmen smiles slightly at the memory, but the simple statement seems to tear Zach in two. "He was a senior and I was a sophomore. Of course Mom and Dad didn't really agree at first, but they warmed up to him soon enough. He was good friends with Case and Laila - my best friends at the time."

"Jackson was seventeen when I first ran into him in the hallway. He was talking to Casey, and she introduced us. We instantly clicked, and he asked me to be his girlfriend a week after we met. After six months, I knew him like the back of my hand. We were inseparable, and I loved him."

Zach sinks to the floor, his face visibly falling. Corbyn moves to sit next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"But he- he never loved me." Carmen smiles weakly, a single tear falling from the crease of her eye. "In fact, I found him with Casey the day after I told him I loved him. Neither of them cared that they had hurt me, and I didn't know why Casey had turned on me so suddenly. She was my best friend, and she betrayed me."

"I found out a week later that Jackson spread the rumor that I had sent with Casey's boyfriend that had recently moved away. And Casey and Laila had the nerve to believe him. Soon enough, the whole school heard his lie and I was the laughing stock. I got slut shamed for something I didn't even do."

"It got to the point where my parents would get phone calls from random kids at school, telling them that their daughter was a whore. My locker got trashed seven times within the first two weeks of the rumor, and paint was dumped into my backpack when I wasn't looking. And Jackson led it all."

"The last straw was when he and the football team caught me after school in the gym,working on edits for the essay I had wrote for English."

She didn't finish, her breaths growing rigid and heavier. A sob left her lips before she finally continues.

"They beat me until I couldn't breathe. I physically couldn't move because of the damage they had done. All because Jackson spouted a lie to them."

"So, that's why you moved here?" Corbyn asks.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad finally caught on after a while. I couldn't hide the bruises forever."

"And what about your dad?" Daniel asks hesitantly, taking her hand in his as he watches her fall apart again.

"He died in a car crash during the move to LA. One that still gives me nightmares. I can't even look at myself in the mirror without being disgusted. I killed him. If we didn't have to come here, he would be fine!"

"Carmen, don't blame yourself." Zach moves to cradle her in his chest as she begins to cry again. "Don't-"

"The phone call today - that was Jackson, wasn't it?" Aurora questions, her eyes widening in horror as the realization hit her.

"What does that mean?" Jonah asks, joining the conversation.

"He's coming to LA," Aurora mutters, putting all of the puzzle pieces together. "And he wants to take our Caramel away."