I stood, wide eyed and afraid, as the world seemed to move in slow-motion. Brandon fell to the ground clutching his bleeding side. Ryan ran towards him kicking his gun away from him. He aimed his pistol back at Brandon as he backed into the room toward me.
"I swear if you move I'll fucking kill you, you piece of shit." He spat out to Brandon.
Brandon laughed, coughing up blood in the process while staring us down. He looked me gravely in the eyes. "He's just like me, you know. He did the same things I did. The only difference between us is he had the money to cover it up. He'll do you exactly like the other ones."
"Shut the fuck up!" Ryan screamed reaching out for me to come to him. "Nikki don't listen to his lies. I love you and I would never do anything to hurt you."
I snatched away and stared at him with distrustful eyes.
Brandon let out a monstrous laugh. "Princess! You don't actually believe him do you?! He doesn't know what love is! He doesn't care about you. It's all an act. Just ask your friend." He coughed up more blood. "I've been doing you a favor by getting this over with faster than the others."
"Getting what over with faster?" I questioned. "What the hell is he talking about Kayla?"
I turned to Kayla and watched as she backed into the corner of the room and slid slowly down the wall into a cowering position. "What the hell is taking the cops so long to get here?" She said softly to herself.
"Nikki he's lying. I would never hurt you or anyone else. I swear." Ryan reached his hand out to me and again I pulled away with tears streaming down my face.
"Never?" Brandon coughed up. "Never... should I refresh your memory with a few names?"
Ryan cocked the gun and aimed at his head. "Don't you fucking dare! Don't you let any names pass your lips or I swear on my soul I will kill you! I'm nothing like you! I never have been and I never will be! I have no remorse for someone like you! Do you understand me?!"
"Ryan just calm down the police will be here any minute." Randy said trying to calm him.
Brandon broke into a fit of laughter while staring down the barrel of the gun. Just as Ryan went to pull the trigger the police burst into the room, guns drawn.
"Freeze! Sir, put the gun down!" One officer yelled.
"Jasmine, London,Carly..." Brandon started.
"SHUT UP!" Ryan screamed.
The officers pointed their guns to him. "Drop it now!"
"Sandy, Tasha, Keisha..." Brandon spoke over the officer's pleading yells.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP NOW!"
The officer's cocked their guns.
"RYAN STOP!" Randy and Kayla screamed.
"Crystal, Tiana, Tiffany..." He screamed out.
The officers were ready to shoot.
I found the voice I had lost and screamed at the top of my lungs. "RYAN PLEASE!!"
He looked at me and slowly put his gun down. The police cuffed him and lead him to the door. They put Brandon on a stretcher and did the same.
As he passed Ryan he smirked. "And let's not forget Leah." They wheeled him out and restrained Ryan as he struggled to get loose.
Outside they questioned Kayla, Randy, and I on the events that had occurred. Ryan told Kayla to get on the next flight back to Chicago. He wanted us to go straight back to our apartment. He was taken into custody as we pulled off toward the airport to catch our flight.
It was past midnight and I couldn't sleep. Kayla and I were on our flight home. Randy had stayed behind for Ryan. I had so many thoughts running through my mind. I didn't know if I could trust anyone. I mean, Ryan knew everything about me but I knew nothing about him. The more I thought about it the more I realized that he was a stranger to me. I didn't even know his birthday. It was all just too much. The plane landed around four in the morning. We took a taxi home and I headed toward my room.
"Nik, you okay?" Kayla asked.
I turned to her and spoke with as much strength as I could. "Yeah I'm fine. Just give me a while."
I walked into my room, closed and locked the door. I sat on the foot of the bed and burst into heavy tears. I was hurt and I didn't know who I could trust. I felt confused by everything that had happened. I felt as though the entire world had stopped turning and began to close in on me quickly. I crawled into the bed and curled up in a ball crying my eyes out until I finally fell asleep.
I took leave from work to figure things out for myself. I didn't think that I could face him every day with my mind pondering every decision I had made with him. For three months I basically spent my time locked in my room. My stream of tears and asthma like panting turned into dry eyes and hiccup like breathing. My phone had been ringing nonstop and Kayla begged me to come out for the first few weeks but eventually gave up. Ryan had left countless voice-mail messages as well as texts trying to get me to talk to him so that he could explain. When I showered I basically sat in the tub under the steaming hot water just to know if I could still feel anything. I had barely eaten the entire time. I barely slept, my nights were spent tossing and turning thinking about what might have been. At night when I knew Kayla was out with Randy I would go sit on the couch and stare at the nothingness of my apartment.
It was Friday night and I was laying on the couch with only the light by the front door shining. I had just gotten out of a burning hot shower and had managed to stop crying. My mind wasn't completely cleared but I felt better than I had in a long time and I was thinking about how hungry I was.
I was thrown out of my thoughts when I heard the lock on the door turn. I sat up looking over the the couch to see Ryan coming through the door. He had his head down as if he didn't notice that I was there at that moment. He turned toward the counter by the door to put the keys down. I got a good look at him and I could tell he hadn't gotten any sleep for awhile. His face looked as if he hadn't even attempted to shave, and his hair had grown into a small fro. He looked scrawny, like he wasn't eating or working out anymore.His head stayed down until he turned around to walk to the couch.
His lips slightly parted as if he was surprised to see me after so long. His eyes pierced into mine for awhile before he finally found his voice.
"Nikki..."
"Ryan..."
