Let Me Show You

38. Enough

*** SO many questions about to be answered you just wait. Also, I don't even think most of you realize this, but the world is a terrible place..  ***

I sit there balling my eyes out as the boys scream at each other through their tears. It's all my fault...

"This is all my fault" I choke out watching Ashton and Michael shove Luke around. Lara walks around in circles trying to figure out what to do while she yells random arguments at the boys.  I reach my hand up to my neck only to find it bare. My Locket...

I push myself up from the couch and fumble to the bathroom. I see it lying on the far end of the room still open and bloody. I slide over to it and pick it up. I run it under some cold water before closing it and putting it back on around my neck.

"NO DAKOTA" Luke yells rushing over to me. "Stop this!" He rips the locket off my neck and throws it on the counter.

"Luke I wasn't-"

"Everything is falling apart" he cries out collapsing to the floor. The screaming stops and seconds later the boys and Lara are standing in the doorway of the bathroom silently watching me and Luke.

"Luke" I whisper falling next to him. "We can make it through this!"

"And we're here to help" Michael assures us stepping out from behind Ashton.

"Dakota we are so sorry! We had no idea you were this unhappy! We Love you! Always remember that!" Ashton says choking up a bit. "We love you both!"

"Thank you" I weakly reply. "Do you think we could just have a moment together?" Ashton nods his head and leads the others away. "I've had enough of this!"

"Enough of what?" Luke cries out.

"Enough of all these tears and blood and unhappiness! This is our life! No one can tell us what we can and can't do! You stand up right now and march on down to management and tell them what you want!"

"Dakota" Luke whispers standing up. "I can't-"

"Luke, if you aren't going to stand up for yourself then I'm going to have to leave. I can't stand to be around you knowing that I can't have you. It's tearing me apart and I'm almost at my breaking point."

"No baby please-"

"Don't keep calling me your baby when I'm not really yours. Unless you want to change that, I'm leaving. Tonight."

"Dakota please wait-"

"No, Luke, I've been waiting my whole life. Waiting for someone to finally understand and it seems that I am never going to find someone like that. I'm tired of waiting."

"I'm sorry..."

"If you were really sorry, you would suck it up and stop doing what people tell you to do. Starting with Lillie. She played you so hard that you STILL can't see right from wrong! Here I am harming myself and you're still the one sobbing like a baby."

"Because I care about you! And I don't understand why you would do this to yourself!"

"You don't need to understand why Luke, you just need to be there. But how can you be here for me when you're always somewhere else? You're always thinking about why Lillie did what she did, or worrying if that guy is going to come and sweep me away from you."

"How can I not-"

"Everyone here thinks I'm the broken one. But everyone here couldn't be any more wrong. You're the broken one. Luke, you're broken. And I'm just afraid that I'm the one breaking you..."

"No! Dakota! You could never do that to me!"

"But I am... Luke I'm so sorry! I haven't seen it until now. You need to either let me go, or fight for me. Either way you have to just forget about everything else. I'll be okay, the question is will you?"

I finally get my legs to take me out of the bathroom only to run into the other one. It must have been hours, but I eventually fell asleep.

I'm awoken by the soft knocks on the bathroom door. To my surprise I find my face completely dry and un-swollen when I look in the mirror. I shuffle over to the door and slowly open it to find Luke standing there.

"Let's go" he demands grabbing my wrist. I flinch at the sting but Luke keeps dragging me with him. He leads me out of the apartment into one of the black vans. He doesn't say anything but the whole time he keeps his eyes on my wrists. 

Before I know it, we are at the stadium. I follow Luke into the building and through multiple hallways until we reach a door at the end of one. Management.

We enter the room to see Liam and some men and women circled up. I walk behind Luke and then take a seat next to him around the large table.

"Thank you for joining us today, Luke, Dakota and Liam" the same man Lara and I saw on the plane says. "It has been brought to our attention that the decision to keep Luke and Dakota apart has caused some serious problems. Am I correct?"

"Yes" Luke starts, "but why is Liam here? He has nothing to do with this!"

"Actually I do" Liam says cutting off the management man. "Dakota isn't the first photographer we have had that has fallen for one of us, Luke. The photographer we had before Dakota was quite fond of me actually. I did not share the same feelings for her that she did for me, and when she found out, she did something I will never forgive myself for. She took her own life." Liam stops to take a breathe and wipe away a tear before he continues.

"It was only after she passed that I realized how much I did care for her. She gave me a key to her room and everyday after her passing I would just go and sit in the bed and cry over her. Cry over everything. We live in a horrible world. One that can take things away from us in the blink of an eye. I would do anything to go back and stop her from doing what she did. If only I had realized my feelings before, huh?"

I hear Luke sniffle next to me and I can't help but place my hand on his leg. 

"I don't think I'll ever love someone as much as I love her right now. My love gets stronger and stronger every day and a bit of me dies every day as well." Liam finishes his story and covers his face with his hands.

"Do you understand now?" The management man asks after a while of silence.

"Yes" Luke whispers igniting a fire inside of me.

"Oh I understand all right. I understand that this world is corrupt. And it's because of people like you, that it it's even more corrupt than it should be. The only way to make the world a better place is by expressing our love to each other. And if you're going to take that love away from me and Luke, then you might as kill me yourself" I spit out raising my hands up from under the table to reveal the pink fleshy scars.

Everyone in the room raises their hand up to cover their mouth in shock. Liam looks up only to slam his face back against the table. 

"I think we're done here" I speak standing up from the table. Luke follows my actions and we turn to walk out the door.

"This hasn't changed anything!" The management man yells from the table quickly wiping away a guilty tear.

"Wanna bet?" I flaunt through my smirk as I lock Luke's hand in mine and take long strides out of the heavy room.