You Distract Me

I Lied

Shayne

I saw it.

I saw just how far gone she was from me. There was no getting her back.

"What the fuck do you want, Shayne?"

Despite the harshness of her words, there was a whisper of warmth in her monotone voice.

Hope. The balming brush of hope caused me to raise my head.

The sight of her was blurred with unshed tears. I roughed a hand across my eyes and rose to my feet. 

She pressed her back into the door, her hand still on the handle. "Please stay where you are."

"Okay." For good measure, I took a couple steps back. "I wanted to see you."

"Why?"

"I haven't seen you in two months. I'm sorry but I was beginning to go crazy."

"You've seen me. You can leave now."

"Olivia—"

"Are you here to kill me?"

The fuck? "What? Why would you think that?"

Her beautiful expressive eyes never left mine. "Because I'll be testifying against you tomorrow. Why else would you come here the day before?"

"Because you won't be testifying tomorrow. I wanted to see you one last time."

Her guard fell, her hand falling from the door handle. "What do you mean I won't be testifying?"

"I signed a plea deal so there won't be any trial."

A sudden humorless grin crossed her features. She nodded. "Ah, of course. What more did I expect? Shayne West being accountable for her actions? Not a chance, right?"

"Trials are messy and time consuming. I didn't want to put anyone, especially you through any of it."

"No matter how messy, they're there for a reason. You must be proud of yourself for not getting locked up, huh?" Her hostility grew with every word.

I took a step forward. "Well—"

She raised her hand to stop me. "No, please. Since you're not here to end my life, I'm begging you to leave me alone. You have a lot to celebrate anyway," she said, taking her hand back to the door handle.

I stopped her before she could touch it. "I agreed to sixty years without parole."

"W-what?" 

Her face quickly went from hostile to realization to mortification and finally to...pale?

Like a hundred meter runner, she set off from the door, ran towards and then passed me. 

I turned on my heel just in time to see her burst into the hallway bathroom right before slamming the door shut.

Confused and worried, I stood in front of the closed door. "Are you okay?"

The moment the last word left my mouth, the violent sound of hurling guts had me freezing on the spot.

"Olivia, is everything okay?"

Her voice came out gurgled. "Yes, I'm ok—" More hurling. "I'm okay."

No she wasn't. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No, everything's fine!" She suddenly belched, mighty and oddly impressive. "Oh my God, kill me now," she said more quietly.

"Everything does not seem fine, just saying." Despite my concern, I couldn't help the tag of a smile.