Silently Falling

Chapter Twenty Six (Edited 11/3/2020)

"Do you want me to go get some gauze or-" Alyse starts cautiously, but I cut her off.

"I should never have left her alone!" I exclaim angrily. 

I shouldn't have let Gray separate us. I should have just waited outside of the kitchen with her until the two idiots making out decided to move from the kitchen table to the bedroom. I shouldn't have left her side like I promised myself I wouldn't do. 

I swing my fist towards my Jeep again as the frustration builds in my head but hesitate before making contact. I stare blankly in front of me as tears threaten to push their way through my weak barrier. All I can picture is running into that room and seeing Warren over top of Raine, ripping her dress and pressing himself on her. The terror in her eyes...

I clench and unclench my fists and lift them into my hair, tugging painfully through it as I squeeze my eyes shut. 

"Hey, this isn't your fault." Gray says, again resting a friendly hand on my shoulder to help calm me down. 

"He's right, West. Don't blame yourself, please," Alyse adds.

"You never left her alone. You left her with me," Gray reasons.

Though my breathing is still heavy, I'm able to open my eyes and face both of them as I slowly nod. 

"Then what happened?" I ask.

"He left her with me," Tyler speaks for the first time since we left the party.

We all snap our heads to him. He's standing off to the side, staring at the ground with wide, unblinking eyes. 

"Ty..." Gray trails off, unable to finish what is insinuated from the saddened tone of his voice.

"You didn't," Alyse nearly gasps.

But Tyler shakes his head and fumbles around to find something to say.

"I-I wasn't thinking. I asked her t-to dance and she didn't want to, she seemed like she wanted me to back off! So...so I went to go play pong and-"

"You left her alone." I finish for him.

Red blurs my vision. He left Raine alone. He couldn't wait five minutes for me to finish grabbing water to play some stupid drinking game. He let Warren get to her.

Tyler meets my furious gaze and his eyes widen as he starts to back up.

"I-I didn't mean to-" 

I quickly walk the few steps towards him and shove him hard. I push him so hard that he flies off of his feet and lands on the grass with a grunt of pain. I prepare to keep him on the ground and take out the beating that should have happened on Warren on Tyler instead, but Gray sprints to my side and keeps me away.

"West, stop. This is no one's fault but Warren's. Don't take your anger out on Ty."

I shove Gray away from me, "Well I wasn't able to take it out on Warren!"

Alyse, after helping Tyler up, glances at me. "Why not?"

I clench my jaw as I stare at the three of them, debating what to say. Do I tell them that Raine yelled out and stopped me- something I'm still trying to comprehend? Do I tell them that Warren could have easily sent me right back to juvie if I punched him? I shut my eyes for a second and force myself to calm down and regulate my breathing before I start saying things they don't need to hear.

"Raine needed me." 

I stalk away from them and closer to my Jeep as I run my hand down my face.