It All Started With a Whisper ||Rikvannah||

13

Riker

"Riker, calm down. She probably fell asleep," my mom rubs my back.

I lift my head. "She fell asleep!? At 8:30!? She can hear her phone when she's sleeping! What if something's wrong!?" I yell at her. I take a deep breath. "I need to go see her, mom. We're only two hours away. I can take the van, go get her and be back by 1:30 at the latest."

Courtney pipes up. "She would never blow anyone off, Mrs. Lynch. It's not like her. There's definitely something wrong," she says softly.

My dad nods. "Riker, go. But I want you back here by two in the morning. Get her, stop by your house to grab anything you forgot and come back."

I grab the keys, running off the tour bus. "Riker, wait!" Courtney yells as she follows me. I turn around. "Make sure my best friend is safe," she whispers.

I pull her into a hug. "I will, Court. I love her so much and if she isn't, I'll never forgive myself," tears escape my eyes.

She rubs my back soothingly. "Go get her," she pushes me to the car.

*****************************

I take out the spare key Vanni gave me and unlock the door. I furrow my eyebrows. All the lights are on. I walk over to the couch to see a picture of us laying there. I slightly smile, propping it up on the table. I walk to her room, taking a deep breath before opening the door.

Her phone lies in her hand, red blood streaks covering her forearm. I shake my head, not allowing tears to escape. I slide her phone out of her hand before typing in her passcode. It unlocks to reveal the worst tweet I've ever seen.

@vannitheslut; I honestly think @savannahlatimer should kill herself. She's a whore. Riker probably won't even fuck her because she has no walls. He would be so much better off if she killed herself.

I drop the phone, my eyes scanning over her body. Her chest rises and falls slowly, making me sigh of relief. I grab out two suitcases and toss a bunch of her clothes in. I grab every makeup and hair component on her counter before shoving it into a bag. I quietly bring them to the car.

Once I'm back at Vanni's side, I slowly sit down on the edge of the bed. I wipe the dried tears off of her face.

"Baby girl," I whisper as I rub her bicep. "Come on, baby. Wake up, darling. You're okay."

Her eyes flutter open and she smiles sadly at me. "You're here," she murmurs.

I nod, tears finally letting themselves out of my eyeballs. "Yeah, baby. I'm here." She sits up and wraps her arms around my neck. I hold her against my chest by her waist. "We gotta get you cleaned up. You're coming with me."

We pull away, but I keep her on my lap. I glance down at her arm, making her quickly put it behind her back.

I place a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I already saw it, my love. I don't want an explanation or anything because it'll make you feel even worse. Let's just go get you in the shower, yeah?"

All she does is nod. I stand up, carrying my girlfriend to the bathroom. "Will you come with me?" She asks in my ear as she strips to get in.

I nod, taking my clothes off. After a long, warm shower, I help Savannah bandage up her arm. "At least it's not that bad," I shrug. She nods, leaning her head against my shoulder. "I love you so much, Vanni. I don't want you to think about what others think. Are you happy with who you are?"

"I was," she mutters. "God, I was so fucking happy with who I was. But somehow, people I don't even know managed to make me feel like a piece of shit," she lets out a sob.

I pull her into my chest, allowing her to cry it out. "I love you, baby. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, not some bitch who has no life and chooses to beat up on you."

After our little talk, we grab some blankets and such from her living room then go to my house. We do the same there, getting movies and other things.

Surprisingly, we made it to the hotel we were meeting my family at by one a.m. Courtney and Ross were waiting in the lobby for us to show us our room where the whole family waits.