Mending Ryan Falls ✓

42 | in which she confesses murder

Forgiving people isn't always about giving them a second chance,
Sometimes it's about closure,
About giving yourself the chance,
To move on.

.\.|./.

Crystal Monroe

| in which she confesses murder |

Sirens blare all around us, following the deathly silence that followed the crack of the bullet against flesh.

Jeremy lands on the ground with a loud thud, and I exhale a shuddering breath, unable to believe what I have just done.

Holy shit,  just shot my ex-boyfriend.

Talk about extreme psycho ex-girlfriends.

He's not dead, thank heavens. He's not dead because the bullet only hit his leg. But he is writhing in pain, crying aloud as he lays on the ground clutching his leg.

Like Ryan was just minutes ago.

The only difference is that there's blood pooling all around Jeremy.

Aside from the fact that I just shot him and might be going to jail soon.

Ryan is next to me in moments, as police cars zoom into our vision. Before I know what he's doing, Ryan has slipped the gun out of my hands and wiped it quickly against his pants. I watch with wide eyes, too dumb-founded and mentally blank to make sense of anything, as he clutches the gun between his own fingers.

"Ryan --" I begin breathlessly.

His lips silence me, and I close my eyes, letting his taste flood my brain and numb it.

"Don't move!" The officers appearing out of the cars command, pointing their guns at us. "Hands where I can see them."

I don't move, opening my eyes a fraction to see Ryan putting up his hands. He pulls back an inch, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Put your weapon on the ground and step back," the officer commands.

I stare, unable to do anything but stare at everything unfolding before my eyes. As for Ryan, he opens his hand to show the officers the gun before dropping it to the ground. He takes a step back, his eyes never leaving mine.

'Say nothing,' they instruct.

Ryan's gaze remains on me and mine on his, as officers march towards him, taking him by force and cuffing his hands behind his back. Medics are already attending to Jeremy, hoisting him onto a gurney and loading it into an ambulance, as Ryan is shoved into the backseat of a police car and the door slammed shut.

And I watch, being the cause of everything and yet invisible.

"Wait!" I cry out as the police cars begin to roll out. "Wait, stop!"

Nobody hears me, nobody but an officer who is ushering me into the back of his car. Another takes the keys from me before walking away, but I see nothing else.

I sit at the station. rocking back and forth and struggling not to confess the crime I committed. I shot Jeremy, not Ryan who is locked inside the interrogation room or perhaps even behind bars. I haven't seen him since he was pushed into the back of a police car, and after two hours of being told to sit still and remain silent, I'm beginning to lose my mind.

"Where's Ryan?" I keep asking everyone I see. "Please, let me see him. He didn't do anything. He was only trying to protect me."

Everyone ignores me, and I pace around the empty space until an officer tells me to sit down and stay out of his way.