Breaking The Girl

Last Chapter

DARK/LIGHT

Anthony is waiting with the whole things fulfill his head right now. He almost choked himself to got that call from John. It's been a while but they're still not here yet. Right when he's about to ask them when the ambulance will arrive, he catches something on his eyes. There are paramedics that carrying someone with them, and John at the back. "John!" Anthony calls him which he instantly recognizes. He quickly runs to them, to see Tiana. She's already lost lot of blood since the shooting. Seeing Anthony, Tiana says to those paramedics, "Please....stop.....I need to say something. Just a few seconds." Most of them agree and let Anthony get close to her.

Tiana tells him to get closer so she can say it right to his ear. "Anthony...... remember this. Don't look back, just look ahead....I...will wait for you in another time..and I see him now... I love you." A huge wave of emotion go into his lungs as he was hearing that. They quickly take her with them into the surgery. Left both Anthony and John behind.

"Where is she?" They hear someone shouting behind their back. Anthony turns his head and facing Mr. Hopkins. He just took a flight after heard about his daughter. "Anthony! Where is she? She's good. Right?" He got nervous through his tone. "Umm, we don't know it, yet. But don't worry, she's strong, she will..." Even Anthony doubt his own words,"She's gonna be alright." He hardly to breath just to handle his own tears.

Meanwhile, John just lost inside his mind, thinking about what Tiana said on their way here.

°°°°°°

I doubt that this program gonna works for me, and there was this woman, in front of me. We talk a lot... She's doing fine, she's going to marry her fiance next month... but her ex is trying to kill her. She got far more to live for, rather than me.

°°°°°°

"In the end, one thing leads to another. She put herself in front of other's death. Just like what she did for me." John let out his voice. "What do you mean?" Anthony ask, not knowing that Tiana actually got shot because she was trying to save someone. "She told you, she saw Hillel right? She's not gonna make it." John looks down, not saying another things. "Don't you dare to say such...." Anthony is about to beat John for saying it when a doctor comes out, with a desperate face.

He nods, take off his glasses and looks down, "I'm sorry. She was bleeding badly with two bullets hit her lungs. She didn't make it." That last sentence just hit them all. Anthony can't say any words, rather just sit down and let his tears falling down. On the other hand, Mr. Hopkins is going down, shocked, he nearly passed out when he hears this heartbreaking moment. John is trying to calm him down, "I... I should've been there with her. When I had the chance." He says. Then Anthony finally found his strength to talk, "And I should've known, when she left me this day, I should've stop her. If I go with her, this will not...."
"Stop that, Anthony. Believe that or not, she was already prepared herself for her death, the day she rescued me. She... She put herself in front of my death, and still do that until now." He takes a breath for a while, "She always willing to save other. Don't you know?"

"She once told me, that she would doing anything to save Hillel if she got the chance. Even if it costs her life......" John who was not crying this far, is about to break down, "She was about do the same about me.... So when I got out from rehab, knowing she's fine and alive.... I was grateful. But look at her now.... She's dead... It wasn't supposed to be her death, but it happened anyway."

Jack and Flea just arrived when they see both Anthony, John, and Mr. Hopkins are all grieving. That's the time for them to know that Tiana is already gone. John notices their presence and says to them, "She's gone." Flea gives John a hug while Jack is doing the same to Anthony.

Mr. Hopkins suddenly stands up, and says to them, "I want..to see her. For the last time." He leaves them behind with each of them caught in silence.

When they're sit and wait for Mr. Hopkins to comes out, Anthony gets a quick flash memory through his brain. From the first day he saw her until the day she said goodbye.

...... don't look back, just look ahead......

Those words keep coming back like a boomerang. He begins to questioning himself, Is this how she always feels, after Hillel's death? That feeling of losing someone and can't get enough of it? He gets his phone and dial some numbers. "Someone needs to tell Blake." Flea also takes his phone out from his pocket, "I'm gonna tell Chad and Slash."

°°°°°°

"Yes Anthony? I'm sorry. Haha. I'm in a date with Slash again. Can you talk quickly? I....."
"Blake, listen. Can you just wrap up your date and get here?"
"I can't Anthony. You know we just fix everything up between us so...."
"Blake, Tiana was dead."

SCAR TISSUE

It's a while after the last time they were crying over Tiana's grave. Blake moved to Canada just right after they buried down her friend. Saying that she got enough from dealing with friends' death. She and Slash ended up in long distance relationship.

Mr. Hopkins bought a house near his daughter's grave in Colorado. Hoped that he could spend more times with her now. They can tell he's more like a real dad now. Not only to Tiana, but to the band too. He sometimes calling Anthony or Flea for just a small talk.

Meanwhile Jack, he was kinda pull himself from everyone for awhile. More like Blake, he tried to cope with both Hillel and Tiana's death. But he's getting better, day by day, by spent a lot of his times with his son, Zach and friend's daughter, Deenah.

Today is the day they will launch their newest album, Californication. Since it's their sentimental piece, where Tiana took a role too, the memories of her is spreading away to all of them just before the grand launching ceremony, on the same amount as Hillel's memories too.

......A candidate for my soul mate bled.....

"You're ready?" John pokes Anthony's shoulder and wakes him up from the whole memories. "Oh, yes. Just...wait there John. I will get out soon." Besides their commercial ceremony, they actually got one private ceremony which is held just for their close circle. Four of them just invited their family or close friends.

They can see their children running around the room and playing with each other. Clara, in fact, becomes the center of interest there. She's just as cute and lovely as her dad. "Come here princess." Anthony lift her up, "You grow up very fast, young lady."
"Of course. I want to be a lady, like my dad's friend." She says proudly. "Dad's friend, who?" Both Anthony and John giggle to hear her tiny voice.
"Lady Tiana." She says. "You mean Diana?" Flea tries to fix her word.
"No dad, it's your friend, Tiana. T-i-a-n-a. I saw her picture in uncle Tony's room. I once asked you, remember? You said that she's your friend." Clara is whining, because her dad forget that. Flea, in fact, doesn't forget that. He just avoid the topic because of Anthony and quickly makes an apology gesture but Anthony just smiles, telling him that he's okay.

"Listen, young lady. I'm sure you're gonna grow up to a lady. Like lady Tiana, right?" He put his hand on the air, waiting for Clara to high-fived him. She jumps up and hit his hand, "I will!" Seeing that, four of them can't help but smile from ear to ear.

While Chad and Flea play with their kids, John comes to Anthony. "You cut and bleached your hair." He's pointing at Anthony's short-blonde hair. "It reminds me of....you know..."
"Tiana?"
"Yeah." He looks down and smile, "She trimmed her hair on her final moments and... The fact that she almost looked like Lady Diana, it scared me." Anthony nods at his words, "That's right. She was as pure and as beautiful as Lady Diana. Unless, she got me, a junkie rather than a prince." He giggles. John agree, but then he say, "No matter what, as Clara said, she's Lady Tiana. She was an extraordinary girl that once we loved. And she did a lot for us." He gives him a hug like a brother and then leaves him. Anthony held his smile for a while and looks up, talking to himself.

Of course, the girl that once I loved, and still do.