Right Now

45

"You cannot just show up here and do this shit to me." I say to him as I pace in front of him. He leans back on a park bench and has a smirk. "I hate you. I hate you so much, I hope you know that." I say and scowl. he takes a drag off the cigarette between his fingers and laughs.

"Look, I have you until midnight. We have a couple hours left, so why don't you chill out and make them enjoyable." He says. "I mean, Ashton said you were good with your hands."

"Don't you fucking dare touch me." I glare at him and he stands. It catches me off guard and I take a few steps back.

"Big words for such a little girl, don't you think, Emily?" He says and hovers over me. "What? Can't run your fucking mouth now?"

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" I ask him in a desperate attempt to sound strong.

"How do you know I really didn't just show up to say hello? Maybe I really do just want to catch up. It's been a while." He says lowly.

"No, you wouldn't. Go torture someone else for a change." I say darkly and his hand snaps up and curls around my throat, but I stay silent and I keep my eyes locked on him. "You don't scare me." I say and he moves us toward the car and I struggle not to trip.

"We'll see about that, won't we? I hear you'll give it away to anyone nowadays," He says and I freeze and I don't move. "What do you say we have a little fun, yeah? We used to be really close, so be a good girl. Besides, it's okay now, someone had a birthday." His smile widens as the back of his hand pets my cheek.

"Emily." I hear my name from behind him and I go to move, but I'm stuck between him and the car door. Laiken narrow s his eyes and leans down. He doesn't seem to hear the person calling my name. I try to pull away from him. But he holds me in place.

I go to speak and then flinch as his lips touch mine. "Laiken, what are you doing? Em, are you kissing him?" I hear again and he pulls away from me and I feel as if I've been shot.

Calum

"Ellis, you know I love you, right?" I say as I stack the box in the attic and take a deep breath of the damp and hot air. Ellis Chase had to be my third favorite woman in the planet.

"Of course, dear." She says. "Why?" It was around nine and I just finished moving everything she wanted done.

"Oh, I was just wondering why you are trying to kill me, that's all." I say and she laughs.

"Take a break. I just needed those boxes moved from mother's room. I couldn't move them and neither could Emily." She says and I walk down the attic steps and stop beside her.

"What do you know about that Laiken guy?" I ask her. Surely she must know something, she is Emily's mom after all.

"Oh, they dated a while ago, not much more than that. I hated that he was older than she was, but what could I really do if they liked each. I'm not happy he is back around." She says and sighs.

"Did you know he was mean to her? Like, that he hit her and stuff?" I ask her and she looks surprised.

"No I didn't," She says softly. "Is she gonna be okay with him right now?" She asks me with a worried look.

"I sure hope so. I'd hate to have to kill him." I say and she shakes her head.

"I'd like for someone to go find them" She says and begins pacing and I worry that maybe I shouldn't have said anything.

"You already know I'll do it." I say and we walk to the kitchen and I try to find my keys.

"I'm glad she has you. She may call you an asshole on a regular basis. But I know you guys are meant to be, It's easy to tell," She says and smiles. "As long as you, know you, don't make Joy and I grandmothers too soon. Then I'd have to kill you." She says with a horrified look.

There is a knock at the door and Ellis walks to answer it. "Uh, hi officer, is everything all right?" I hear her asks and I stand.

"I need you to come to the station, ma'am, we have your daughter and two other boys in custody."

"Fuck." I mutter as we both follow.

Emily

"I can't believe I'm in jail over this!" Ashton yells across at me from his cell.

"I didn't kiss him!" I say and blink my eyes. "It's not my fault. Stop yelling at me."

"I know it's not, but why didn't tell me anything about him sooner, you dumbass? I could have helped you, as your very best friend in the world, I could have done something. Two more years, are you stupid?" He asks me and I scowl at him.

"I was scared, okay? Plus, it's too late for them to do anything about it now." I say.

Ashton happened to be driving by, he stopped and flipped out, got mad at me and then he and Laiken got in a fight and once again, I tried to be the hero of the night, but Laiken's anger was reverted to me.

"It's never too late!" He says angrily. "It's been two years, he can still go to jail for assault on a minor for what he did, and he can get charged with assault now." He says and I sit on the bench with tears now on my cheeks. "Or maybe I'll just be charged with murder for ripping his head off and shitting down his neck."

"Enough with the movie quotes, Ash. This is going to go on our records! Our mothers are going to be furious." I say to him as I can only visualize my mother ripping me to pieces. Being here and thinking of her is what scares me most.

"Don't remind me." He mutters. "You are so lucky you are a girl, and that we are in here or I'd be kicking your little ass right now! Why wouldn't you tell me, don't you trust me?" Ashton asks with sad eyes. We aren't the only ones in here, but we might as well be. Nobody else in the cells around us say a word as we yell back and forth at each other.

"Of course I did, Ashton. I was just afraid."

An officer walks towards us and we both bolt to the doors. He unlocks the doors at a painfully slow rate and takes us out. I see my mom standing with her arms crossed and she looks pissed. "Actually I think I want to stay in there. It's safer." I say to the officer and he shakes his head.

"Your mama over there is mad as hell already, scared me half to death storming up in here." He says and shakes his head as we both look at her. "You're going out there or I'm gonna be in trouble." He says.

The officer leaves Ashton and I with my mother and she pulls us both in for a hug. We both hug her back, shocked. "Are you okay?" She asks us.

"Um, yeah." I say and frown.

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" She asks me and looks as if I have betrayed her.

"I don't know." I say softly.

"We are gonna press charges and I will make sure he is locked up for a very long time and-" She goes on with the look of fire and hell in her as she goes on.

"No, no I don't want to do that," I say quickly. "I just want to go home, mom. Really, I just want to go home." I say and her mouth hangs open.

"You don't want to press charges on him?" She asks me and I shake my head and she pulls me closer to her.

"I just want to go home, please." I say again and she sighs. She takes my hand and hooks her other arm with Ashton's and she leads us out of the police station.

In the car, Calum sat in the backseat and when I saw him, I wanted to cry all over again. I sat in the back with him and Ashton sat up front. I curled into Calum's side and he just gently patted my shoulder. 

Things felt like they were falling apart. there was no more normal, there was no more happiness. Only constant chaos and drama, which I was beginning to hate most about my life. Not long ago, my life was perfect. Now, everything was turned upside down and it felt like my own fault. I let people hurt me, manipulate me, use me.

I hated myself.