Lost in the Game {Brollins}

| Chapter 49 |

Jonathan quickly sent Rebecca outside to his truck, before she could be hassled by the other guys.

"Where's she going now?" Joseph quickly asked Jonathan.

Jonathan almost laughed to himself, not surprised when the guys began reacting the way he guessed they would. "I'm taking her to her house."

"Is something wrong?" Colby questioned, "What happened? I can drive her."

"Are you sure she doesn't want me to take her?" Joseph began standing up and reaching for his keys.

"It's fine man, I'll do it." Colby matched Joseph's actions and began to stand.

"Both of you lay off, she asked for me to do it." Jonathan glared at the both of them, as they both sat back down. "Grow up, this isn't some game of who can impress the girl more."

Jonathan peeked out the window to make sure Rebecca was in the truck, "She has feelings you know. And as much as I'm sure you'd both like her to inflate your egos and spend all of her time talking about you, we need to make sure that she's okay too. So stop acting like you're in kindergarten. God, it's pathetic."

The two stared at Jonathan with wide eyes, not knowing how to take his unexpected blowup. "Listen Jon that's not what I-"

"I know Colby, I know." Jonathan sighed, "I just- She's had a long twenty-four hours."

"I think if anyone would know that, it would be me." Colby spoke, trying not to let anger fill his words.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. You're being selfish." Jonathan sighed while putting on his jacket. "If anyone would know, it would be her."

"You think I don't know that?! I'm not being selfish, I'm putting her first." Colby stood up angrily, "You don't know how hard it was to see her lifeless body lying there like that. To walk into a room and see her in the same situation as-"

"Enough!" Joseph stood and finally interjected and they all fell silent for a moment.

"Does it not worry you that ever since we entered her life, it's gone to shit for her? That we are making things for her so much more difficult than they should be?" Jonathan tried to keep a clear mind as guilt tried to seep back into his thoughts.

The three guys stood there in silence, before they heard the creak of an opening door, "You coming?"

Jonathan turned to see Rebecca standing there, wrapped up in Colby's oversized hoodie, shivering as the night got colder.

He quickly smiled, "Yeah, I was just on my way."

He watched Rebecca nod and head back to the truck before turning back to Colby, "You weren't the only one that had to deal with seeing her like that."

With that, he walked out of the door and hopped into the truck. After pulling off of the driveway, the two rode in the truck in silence, listening to the quietness and simplicity of the truck's tires on the rubble road.

Rebecca appreciated the space and serenity Jonathan gave her, and she knew that he often made it his mission to make sure not to overstep his boundaries while ensuring that he was a shoulder to lean on.

Jonathan looked over at Rebecca every once and a while, and each time he found her slouching on the seat with her head back and tears streaming down her face. Her cries were silent, and he wouldn't have had a clue that she was in distress if he hadn't have seen her.

When he pulled up to her driveway and went to put the truck into park, he felt Rebecca's hand quickly hold his still on the stick shift.

Her red and swollen eyes met his before she whispered, "Can you just, uh, drive around for a little longer?"

Jonathan nodded and let out a solemn smile, before driving away from Rebeca's house and back onto the road.

"I'm here if you need me. You know that right?" Jonathan's gaze bounced between Rebecca and the road.

Rebecca nodded, trying to hide the fact that she was crying, even though she knew that Jonathan already saw, "I know."

She silently gazed around his truck, taking note of the older-looking features and beat-down surfaces. His truck was almost identical to Colby's, except instead of having two seats in the front with a consol in between and three seats in the back, it had three seats in the front without a middle consol or back seats.

Jonathan drove to an empty parking lot and parked the truck, before looking over at Rebecca. She had a lot on her mind, it was blatantly obvious, and he felt bad for not being able to help out with yet another thing.

"Jon?" Rebecca quietly whispered, trying to hide the cracks in her voice. "Can I have a hug?"

He looked at her anguished expression and could see how much she didn't want to bother him, which pained him. "Of course."

She slowly shuffled over to Jonathan and curled up next to him, feeling his arms wrap around her as she closed her eyes.

She was mentally exhausted, physically drained, and emotionally worn out.

She felt more tears streaming down her face as she laid there and Jonathan could hear her uneven breathing while feeling her racing heartbeat against his chest. He effortlessly rearranged both of them, to make sure that they were both comfortable. He threw his legs across the front seats, as he leaned his back up against the side of his truck, letting Rebecca stay curled into his chest, as she laid in between his legs.

After some time, he felt her begin to relax as her breathing slowed and her tears stopped dampening his shirt. The two then slowly drifted off to sleep, holding one another, without moving a muscle, in complete peace.