AUTHENTIC

six

I really really really like this song and I'll probably throw it on the playlist at the end of the book but anywho give it a listen :)

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Ross

8 years ago

I wring my hands as I walk inside the old building.

I remind myself that I want this, for me and for Courtney. For us.

I spot Clovis standing with a few of the guys, talking cooly to them. Thank God he sounds like he's in a good mood.

I clear my throat from behind him and he turns.

"Oh it's you. What do you want?" He crosses his arms.

"I wanted to talk to you." I flash a tentative smile at him, hoping it'll soften the blow.

He frowns at my smile. "Cut the crap, kid. What do you want?"

I take a deep breath, then tell it to him straight. "I want out," I admit.

"You what?"

"You heard me, I want-"

"I heard you!" He shouts at me. His hands suddenly take hold my my shirt collar. He pulls me closer to his face so that I can literally smell his breath.

"You can't just leave me, Disney."

"Watch me." I push his hands off of me and step back. "I don't want to do this anymore, and I want to stop now."

He chuckles. "Are we really going to have a problem here?" Something in his tone is making me nervous. I swallow hard and fold my arms.

"Uh- Yeah, Yeah we are." I nod. He sighs and shakes his head.

"You know, I really liked you, Disney." He walks back to a desk he'd set up in the building and opens a drawer.

"What are you-"

His actions answer the question I'm about to ask. He picks up a gun from the drawer and examines it.

He clicks the safety off as he walks towards me.

"I'm gonna give you sometime to rethink your decision," He says and smiles coldly-

***

I stare down at my beer and realize I've been sitting this way for at least ten minutes.

I take a slow sip from the glass and look around the neon-lit club.

There's people everywhere, shouting above the music, and laughing. Intoxicated strangers dance with chemicals in their veins, not caring about a thing. I want that, but I don't want it alone. And certainly not with another faceless person that I could hurt.

I'm destined to be alone. Fate determined that from the day Courtney pushed me away one last time. Fate laughed in my face when I tried to love Olivia. And to somehow love a stranger? It isn't worthwhile if they're going to be left in my path of destruction too.

I take another swig from my beer and check the time on my phone.

2 AM.

Underneath the clock is a lone notification: 1 Missed Call from Court.

I'd have to call her back. I look around the club again and finally find Ryland with a glass of something influential in his hand as he leaves the other end of the bar to return to the dance floor.

"Ry! Hey, Ryland!" I call after him and catch his arm before he tangles himself into the mass of people. He turns to me, an exuberant smile painted on his rosy face.

"Oh hey man, what's up?"

"I think it's time we get out of here," I nearly shout over the music. He makes a whining noise at me.

"We just got here!"

"Yeah, three hours ago!" I roll my eyes at him. "Come on, I'm driving." As we leave, I throw my half-empty bottle out.

Ryland almost stumbles as we leave the club, and I end up with his arm around me, supporting most of his weight as he staggers beside me.

"That was lit," He giggled at me.

"Sure," I nod, tolerating his drunken comments as I look for the parking lot we'd came from. It was down the street a bit, so we would have to walk a little longer.

I walk nearly on the edge of the sidewalk, since Ryland is unknowingly steering me to the side.

Two bright lights appear ahead as a dark blue car approaches us a bit too fast.

The car is dangerously close to the curb, and it's not slowing down either.

But everything else around me slows as it powers forward. 

In this adrenaline-charged slow motion, I lurch sideways into Ryland as the car swerves towards where I was just standing. And just like that, everything is moving quickly again. Ryland and I sit on the ground, composing from the surprise.

"What the hell was that?!" Ryland yells towards the car that's already sped down the road. "Watch where you're going, dude!" He snaps angrily.

I dust myself off and stand up, looking off as far as I can where the car had gone.

It must've been a drunk driver, or someone new to the road. No one was that careless with their driving.

I shake the bitter thought away and turn towards Ryland to help him up.

"Come on, let's go."

Before we turn, he flips off the car's direction then proudly stumbles to the parking lot with me.