"I heard about her, she's bad for you."
"Like you were any better."
"She's going to ruin you."
"Then let her."
Blake Gunner always looked for the bad in people, to know that he's not the only one. Yet to also see if they can defeat the bad like he t...
The many shouts and camera flashes caused me to turn away from the crowd. Except, Deputy Paul was right beside me to escort me to the police van. We stopped and when I raised my head, my parents came into view. They stood across the parking lot, far away from me.
Mom has a crumpled-up tissue in her hand but it's no use for the stream that flood down her face. Dad had his arms around her and every time I tried to make eye contact he looked away. Reporters swallowed them up while I was forcibly shoved in the back of the van.
"Lana!" I turned around and cried at Levi's expression. He barely said my name nor did he cry. His hands balled into fists to mess his hair. His face red, not from the cold but from his continuous shouts and silent cries. "Don't say or do anything, okay? We're gonna get you out!"
Before I had the chance to say anything, Deputy Paul pushed me into the van and shut the doors. The metal around me felt colder even with my denim jacket. I sat down on the bench and waited. No one appeared in the front so I peered through the small hole. The seats were empty. I looked outside where the last drop of daylight sunk deeper within the clouds. The beautiful sunset floated in my mind the longer I stared at it. I hope it wouldn't be the last.
The crank of the door forced me back in my seat. The double doors opened with a whoosh and a blast of cold air made me crawl deeper into the van. Benny and Nick appeared, and I gasped. Benny sat opposite while Nick was beside me. His shoulders slouched from the tight handcuffs. Neither of them looked at me.
Liam got tossed in by Detective Kale. His glasses fell in his lap when he sat next to Benny. Detective Kale huffed out a laugh, dusted his hands off then shut the doors. Finally, I heard one of the side doors open. The van began to move, and I had to grasp onto my seat so I wouldn't bump into Nick. Yet I couldn't hold on any further mentally and let out a horrible cry. The police officers banged on the door and told me to shut up. I gasped and silently let the tears run down my face.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Benny leaned forward. His face caught in the early evening light that peeked through the hole. No tears but I knew from his morbid expression how bad it was. I leaped forward and pressed my forehead against Benny's shoulder. My crying didn't stop, but I kept it quiet. Benny felt like a rock. He didn't move, yet he didn't pull away either.
"Don't worry guys, we'll get through this," Liam crouched to meet our level. A smile appeared on his lips that made me look away. From the corner of my eye, Nick turned away from us and shook his head. "Everything's gonna be okay."
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"No, it's not...we're done for Liam," Benny huffed and finally gave in to lean his head in the crook of my neck. "No more games, this is it."
Benny and Nick didn't realize that smile on Liam's face wasn't a game, nor assurance yet excitement. Whenever we visited Liam, his grandma was around, never his parents. I remembered Benny used to tell me how he always tried to impress his parents and get their attention. Being lawyers, they're always swamped with work. Now, he'll finally become noticed by them and that's probably the only light he saw among the darkness we'd soon face.
