Moving On [SwaggerSouls]

/Chapter Twenty-Five/ Nothing Makes Sense Anymore

The ride back to the hotel was grim, to say the least. Not a word was uttered, except for a few murmurs of people questioning what the hell they'd just witnessed. None of us could comprehend it, especially if it truly was the person I'd believed it to be.

She was practically family. To all of us.

When we arrived back at the hotel after what felt like an eternity, most of us retreated back to our hotel rooms, minus Ryan. I was sharing a room with Alyssa, who pleaded me for some time to herself after the experience she just had, only for me to refuse time and time again; I wasn't leaving her like this, I just couldn't. I wish I could say why that was, but all I know is that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she chose to do something completely dumb based on the extreme emotion she felt right now. She all but ran into our bathroom while Ryan tailed me into our suite.

I raised my hand to knock on the bathroom door yet again, only to see Ryan sit down on our bed behind me, "We have to call the fucking cops, right?"

"Eric, I understand your concern, really, I do. Just, remember who you're snitching on here."

I offered him a hoarse laugh and turned around to look at him, "You think I give a flying fuck about the life of the person behind this? Yes, she was my best friend. But after that stunt, I can't say I even know who she is anymore."

"I know man, we're all completely shocked as well. But have you entertained the possibility that maybe it wasn't? We all thought it was her too when Toby pointed it out to us from VIP, but this is just so extreme. Like yeah, trust me when I say that we all expected her to do something, to react. But this? This was just batshit... It just can't be her."

I pivoted my body to face Ryan, allowing myself to give Alyssa space for a few moments, "Then maybe we don't know her as well as we think we do. Tell me, tell me who else would do something like this with no motive. We all know one person who was out to get Alyssa from the start, and that one person was Bee. You guys knew it long before I did. I don't care how many times she refuses; I don't believe a word she says. Why should I?"

"Because you two were best friends just before she came along, man," Ryan stood up off of the bed gradually walking closer to me, "You've known Bee for years upon years- you've known this girl for what, a few days? You have no clue who she truly is. And honestly, who the fuck decides to move to Australia one day out of the blue? You don't move to a whole other continent to get away from your inner demons man; you move to a whole other continent to get away from whatever or whoever that is fucking with you- and it's not your war to fight if those demons somehow figured out how to tail her."

I walked closer to him, whisper-shouting in a mix of fear and fury, "Shut your fuckin' mouth before she hears you."

Ryan lowered his voice in response, his voice dripping with venom none the less, "Think about what I'm saying. Stop thinking with your fucking cock for once in your life, Eric. If she felt as if she needed to leave her entire history, family, and her fucking legacy behind one day, just to get away from it for the hell of it, for a 'fresh start', He put in quotations, getting right up in my face, "Then you're delusional, plain and simple."

I fought with everything I had to keep my emotions in check and not knock Ryan's fucking teeth out right in this very moment. After all, while it wasn't what I wanted to hear at all, I had to hand it to him: the man had a point. I had to get to the bottom of this tonight. It didn't matter how much distress she was in, she was going to have to tell us who she really was and why she was here immediately because I don't need this shit if it's her bullshit coming to us. I had a reputation to keep up, I already had my family and a  joyful life ahead of me, on top of all this, I had my dream-job for Christ sake.

But still, for another reason I still had yet to pinpoint, none of that mattered to me if she wasn't there to share it with me. I wanted to get to the bottom of this in any possible way I could. I wanted to fucking kill whoever it was that caused this, but in order to keep everything I'd built thus far, I might just have to cut ties with her after tonight.

If that's the case, then so be it.

---Alyssa's POV---

"You don't move to a whole other continent to get away from your inner demons man; you move to a whole other continent to get away from whatever or whoever that is fucking with you- and it's not your war to fight if those demons somehow figured out how to tail her."

I forgot how to breathe yet again as I just stared at myself in the bathroom mirror, eavesdropping on the two men discussing my personal affairs just outside.

While I really wanted to drop Ryan for what he was saying, I'd be lying if I said he didn't make a very good point: These guys didn't know who I was in the slightest asides from being their friend's love-interest. I'd moved out here on a limb to get away from the two people who meant the world and more to me after they'd completely fucked me over. However, not knowing this and looking in on the situation, I probably seemed batshit.

And getting abducted out of the blue was just the icing on the cake.

"Think about what I'm saying. Stop thinking with your fucking cock for once in your life, Eric. If she felt as if she needed to leave her entire history, family, and her fucking legacy behind one day, just to get away from it for the hell of it, for a 'fresh start'... then you're delusional, plain and simple."

I felt sick, remembering the day that I'd left Kimmy and Josh more vividly than ever since moving away.  The truth has to come out sooner or later, even if it causes Eric to leave me somehow. I wonder how they're going to take the "abduction" though because the truth behind that is unknown. I don't know who in the world, let alone a completely foreign country could possibly be after me. Like I told my captors: I'm a nobody. So what the fuck happened? How did they know my name? Why me?

Eric sighed, "Okay, okay! I'll talk to her tonight. But based on her reaction- based on how she's been locked in the bathroom for about a half hour now since she's completely bugging, I really cannot believe that she knew anything about this. I don't think she even expected it to occur. I already told you in the beginning; She's a good one, man. I promise."

"Eric-"

"I hear you. I understand where you're coming from and the truth will come out, but just listen to what I have to say as well. I agree: moving to Australia one day out of the blue for a 'fresh start' is kind of sketchy especially if you don't have anyone here. We'll find out what she's running from, I'll make sure of it. I won't let anyone, even her, fuck us over. You know that. I just need time."

I opened the door, peaking into the seemingly crammed hotel room. The tension in here could be cut with a knife, Ryan was holding Eric up by the collar while Eric was clearly trying his absolute hardest to keep his emotions in check and rationalize with him, while at the same time also recognizing the amount of truth in his friend's words.

Noticing me, Ryan hesitantly released Eric who just backed away and stood there, and turned to look at me with his arms crossed, "We need to talk."

"I know," I choked out, "I'll tell you guys whatever it is you need to know. Ask away."

——————END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE————

Surprise, thank you so much for 5k!! I have so many ideas as to where this story will go and I'm beyond grateful to those of you who have stuck around and supported me all this time. See you next chapter!