Golden

Chapter XX: Lose You To Love Me

She tried a couple times but she'd always be too late. Nobody would be at his apartment and nobody knew where he went.

At least, until one night. Selena finally met this cousin Drew told her about. He was coming out of Drew's apartment.

She didn't know his cousin had a key to his apartment. Or maybe his cousin was staying with him. She didn't know anything anymore. Drew would get angry when she pried too much.

"Don't ask me all this shit," he shouted at her.

She didn't know why but this cousin creeped her out. But he knew where Drew was and he offered to take her to him.

She had to know. She was just worried about him.

So she went and she saw him in Roy's party house, drawing thin white lines on a table.

It crushed her to see him like that. But she had decided to stay with him no matter what.

She did stay.

She endured it all. Even when he screamed at her, or called her names when she asked him to stop doing it.

She would help him be better if he'd only let her.

But the screaming would only get worse.

She would think, "At least he didn't hit me. Right? He told me he loved me. It was my fault he was being like this. He'd change. I just need to stay and help him through this."

Until one night she couldn't do it anymore.

She had come take Drew home one night after partying again in Roy's party house. He didn't want to go with her but she insisted, pulling him towards her car in his heavily inebriated state.

So Drew pushed her.

But Selena persisted.

So Drew slapped her. Hard.

She fell on the concrete floor with a bruised cheek, scraping her arm on the rough surface.

She was so shocked that she stayed still for a moment. And before she could react, Drew was already beside her apologizing.

"Babe, babe. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I love you."

It felt like everything and everyone was going slow and fast at the same time.

She shook her head, "No."

"Babe, babe. Don't. I love you so, so much."

"I can't..." Selena stood up abruptly. She turned to leave but Drew grabbed her arm.

"No! You're not leaving me! You can't leave!"

Selena tried to get her arm free from his tight grasp but Drew only held tighter. He pulled her back inside the house.

She was shouting at him, trying to get free but he wouldn't let go. The loud music masked her screams and nobody inside even tried to help her. They were either too drunk or too high to care.

She even spotted a few of them laughing as they saw Drew drag her and push her inside a room.

Drew locked the door behind him.

Selena scrambled away from him.

"I need to go, Drew." Selena closed her hands, hoping they would stop shaking.

Drew just stood there, staring down at her.

She slowly stood up, her heart pounding. "Let me go."

"No."

"I can't do this anymore. We're done. I can't..."

"No!" Drew suddenly lunged at her and grabbed her neck. "You can't leave me."

Selena scrambled to get his grip to loosen and to get out of there. She was able to grab an almost empty bottle nearby and she slammed it on Drew's head.

"Fuck!"

She pushed him off her and ran. She didn't look back but she knew Drew was hot on her trails. Selena could hear him screaming at her, calling her to come back.

She made a dash to her car and drove off. But not before spotting a bleeding Drew get inside his car and drive after her.

Her hands were shaking so hard she didn't know how she was even able to drive right now.

She was staring at her rear view mirror, and saw Drew's car chasing after her.

Until he crashed into another car.

Selena hit the breaks as soon as she saw it that a car almost crashed into her too.

But she didn't care. She quickly got down from her car and ran to his car.

Drew was unconscious and bloody.

She kept calling his name as she tried to get him out of the totaled car but he wouldn't wake.

And he would never wake again.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault Drew died. I'm so sorry. I killed him. I'm so sorry, Drew."