Silently Falling

Chapter Twenty Six (Edited 11/3/2020)

What's everyone's favorite food?

11/3/2020 - I made A LOT of edits to this chapter. I really had to fine tune it and ensure I wasn't giving too much away by keeping West's POV. It was not an easy task, but I hope you guys enjoy it! Also, happy election day :) I hope everyone who was able to vote, did go vote!

Attached: West's Jeep. A black, 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee as described in previous chapters! Thoughts? I personally think it fits his character well :)

Silently Falling: Chapter Twenty Six

West's POV ;)

The whole ride back to their house, Raine stays tucked protectively into Toby's side in my backseat. Other than the occasional sob from Raine breaking my heart in two and the hum of the road, the car ride is silent. 

I glance at her through the rear view mirror as another sob escapes her and she clings to Toby like her life depends on it. My hands instantly clutch the steering wheel and my knuckles turn white as I try to find some sort of relief from the anger and guilt I feel.

Shaking away my thoughts the best I can, I pull into their driveway as the clock on the dashboard changes to 1:45 AM. I quickly shut off the Jeep, ready to run to Raine's side and carry her inside. But instead, Toby gently cradles her in his arms as she continues to shake with her face buried into his shoulder. 

I don't know if she's shaking from fear or from the winter air, but in an attempt to at least eliminate one factor, I quickly take off my leather jacket and drape it over her. Toby eyes me as I do so, and for a few moments Raine's sobs stop as she registers what was placed on her to shield her from the cold, and hopefully from the images I know she's seeing behind her closed eyes. 

Toby nods his thanks to me before he heads up the sidewalk to go inside. As I watch him walk away with Raine, I can't help but follow after him. I don't want her to be alone. I help him open the door, but when I try to go inside as well, he shakes his head. With a heavy heart, I respect his decision and back off to head back towards the others standing around my Jeep.

Alyse has tear stains along her cheeks, cutting into her foundation and taking with it a mix of mascara and eyeliner. Gray and Tyler are just as distraught, both with their heads hung low as they regretfully look at the house. Everyone is silent. As I stare at each of them, gauging their guilty and saddened reactions to where the night led us, my anger comes roaring back. My hands ball into fists, so tightly clenched it's painful.

I wanted to pound Warren into the ground. I wanted to knock that smirk right off of his thin lips and beat him so hard his own mother wouldn't recognize him. I was ready. But I didn't get the chance.

With a frustrated grunt, I turn and throw my fist into the passenger door of my Jeep. The sound of my skin denting the rusted metal echoes throughout the quiet night. I stand there heaving, my breaths visible to the naked eye as I quickly breathe in and out through flared nostrils. 

The others jump from my sudden burst of rage and Gray is quick to walk over to me.

"West, calm down man," he says, reaching out a friendly hand to rest on my shoulder.

But I shake his hand off and spin around to face the three of them with a throbbing fist.

Alyse frowns deeply as she glances down at my hand. "West...you're bleeding."

I hastily lift my hand and see the skin on my knuckles split in two with blood beginning to pool around the wound. I clench and unclench my jaw as I stare at my bleeding fist, regretting that the blood came from punching my Jeep instead of Warren's face.