Corrupted

Chapter Fourteen

“And with that, everything I built up for so long, crumbled down without hesitation.” 

It was late when I got home; the air was still and nipped at my bare skin that was exposed on my arms. I wrap them around my body, but it doesn’t do much for me. In my head I know Derek is either dead by now, or close to it. I try; I really do, to get the sound of a gunshot in the distance out of my head. After I was a street over, I heard a gunshot, but I already knew what it was, so there was no point in turning back.

The only boy I’ve ever loved is now dead.

I trudge through Adam’s front door and see his mother standing against the counter in the kitchen, drinking out of a mug. She looks up at me and gives me a worried smile. “Dylan, you okay?”

I go to answer, but my words don’t work. Great. I decide to just nod, instead of forcing myself to speak, because that will only be worse in the long run. I walk slowly into my room and sit on the bed staring down at my feet. Derek’s dead; he’s actually dead.

I feel nothing but the all familiar feeling of being numb. Tears trickle down my cheeks, landing on my jeans but I don’t move or do anything about them. I sit perfectly still, not able to do anything.

My door creaks open a little later and they all flood in. I feel the tension in the room, trying to cut through the thick air, but failing miserably. Cold, soft hands grab my shoulders and I know its Gemma, but I don’t fall into her like usual; I just sit still, staring at my feet.

“Dylan, what happened?” she whispers.

“He’s dead,” I answer bluntly. “Derek’s dead. They killed him.”

“What?” Adam hisses stepping closer to me. “What do you mean he’s dead? I thought you went to help him?” he yells.

“I wasn’t enough to help.”

“He was my friend!” he screams.

Gemma pulls her hands away from me, knowing I’m about to explode. My head snaps up and my eyes meet his. I jump to my feet and glare deep into his eyes, half wishing there was an escape route in them. “Well, he was my boyfriend!” I scream.

“What?” Adam takes a step back in utter shock.

“He was the first guy I’ve ever loved and he’s gone, so don’t you tell me that he was your friend, because we had something you two will never have,” I bite.

“You two were dating?” No one answers him. “Holy shit; it all makes sense.”

“I’m not talking about this,” I growl.

“Adam, can I talk to you?” Gemma asks. “Sydney, you too.” Her eyes are pleading so they obviously agree and follow her out of the room. I guess she’s going to fill them in on what’s been going on around here behind their backs, but I don’t care anymore. I have nothing left to lose.

I attempt to make myself cry, maybe that will make the numbness fade, but it doesn’t. All I feel is anger. Complete and total fury. I grab my book and slam it against the wall, feeling some of the emotions flood out of me. With the same force, I toss my cell phone watching it hit the wall and bounce back, the screen shattered. I go to grab something else, but a hand grips my wrist. I whirl around and meet Adam’s eyes.

“Stop this,” he demands. There’s a new gleam in his eyes.

“I can’t,” I choke finally finding tears. “I can’t, Adam. I love him.”

“I know… I know you do,” he whispers pulling me into him. I soak his t-shirt in my tears, but he doesn’t seem to mind much. This is the closest we’ve been to each other in weeks. I guess now that he knows I’m not trying to get with Gemma, our friendship will resume. “Dylan, I’m so sorry,” he whispers. “I should have known. I put the pieces together many times but I figured if it were true, you would have told me—no, it’s okay. I know why you didn’t. I acted like a total ass because I thought you liked Gemma, when really you were fucking the mysterious guy that came out of nowhere.”