If you've never experienced deafening silence you're lucky. It could drive a person mad within a few minutes. Everything was still, every slight movement and breath could be heard, and I felt like I was hearing my own thoughts. Trying to focus on one thing at a time was hard, so I continued to take deep breaths while waiting for Drew to show. Did I want her to show up? A big part of me said no. This wasn't safe for her, but it wasn't safe for me either.
We had sat her in silence for ten minutes, those minutes dragging on like hours as I stayed trapped in Evan's car. It was eerie. One of his hands resting on the gun while the other tapped impatiently against the steering wheel. The drumming of his fingers matched my heart beat, like he could hear the way it was pounding out of my chest.
I didn't know what was going on or what he had planned but I prayed something happened or I would lose my head. I couldn't stay like this much longer.
"You know," Evan's low voice cut through the silence like a knife, "Maybe this will help you in the long run."
I felt the bile rise in my throat, wondering if Evan was that sick in the head to believe he was doing me any kind of favor. Help me in what way? Was he planning on murdering us tonight? How in the world would that solve anything? I didn't want to respond, at least not verbally because I knew I would still have the fearful tremble in my voice.
He faced me but I remained looking forward, too afraid to lock eyes with the devil himself.
"Maybe this will show you how fucked up Drew's life really is," he chimed, igniting a familiar anger in my chest. I wanted to hurt him, I wanted to do something besides sit here but a gunshot to the head wasn't worth it. If I was dead I couldn't protect Drew. "She's weak because of it," he finished.
But my fear became replaced with anger, allowing me to speak, "Drew's anything but weak."
"Is that why she left you?" He continued the emotional torture as if playing mind games with me was fun for him. I shook my head, still unable to look him in the eyes.
"She left because she was trying to protect me," I answered, realizing that Drew was the most selfless person I had ever met. I didn't know why it had taken Evan pointing a gun to my head for me to realize, but it was clear as day now.
She wasn't weak, she was so strong, but she had let me in regardless of her logic and look where I was now. Stuck in the car with Evan who had a gun, and now Drew was blindly on her way to meet up with us.
She had been right concerning how dangerous Evan was and I had ignored her.
"Yea well," he leaned back in his seat and cracked his neck, "Guess she didn't do such a good job."
I tightened my jaw, wondering when and if she would even show up. Not knowing what could happen scared me. I was terrified to see Drew, but also ecstatic at the same time. Nothing about this was right, but it wasn't till I saw her roll up on her bike that my stomach dropped all the way to my feet.
His hand grabbed the gun, ordering, "Get out."
I did as he said, following him out of his car as I heard my heart pounding in my head. My eyes focused on Drew, who's eyes focused on Evan who had the gun pointed against my temple. This was the ultimate showdown, and when Evan grabbed my arm and yanked me closer I almost bit my tongue off in fear. Drew moved but stopped when the gun switched towards her.
She didn't hesitate to speak, "Evan, what the fuck are you doing?"
My heart was screaming as I watched Drew, who was now at Evan's complete mercy under the gaze of the loaded .45. I knew what she was feeling, and I knew it could be worse for her. Evan actually had hard feelings towards her, he didn't have any towards me. He had a motive and a reason if he decided to pull the trigger. I could only pray that didn't happen.
He waved the gun, "I'm doing multiple different things, Drew... Are you sure you want to know everything?"
I watched in a panic as Drew's terrified eyes darted between Evan's and my own, as if she couldn't believe this was happening. She was shocked, just as surprised as I had been when I had been face to face with Evan and his gun earlier.
Drew raised her hands a little, "You can put the gun down and we can talk like normal people."
He shook his head, a manic laugh escaping his lips as he addressed her statement, "I tried that, Drew. Your girlfriend... or ex or whatever stopped me from doing that at my Ronnie's funeral. Then the next time you broke my nose, so I'm fed up with talking like a normal person, because no one listens to normal, now do they?"
I had never encountered someone like Evan my entire life, but now I understood why Drew was so afraid of him. He could pass off as a mentally-stable member of society, who had a job and a car and everything going for them. The hidden darkness inside him as there, and it only showed itself to certain people. It revealed it's presence whenever someone provoked it, and Drew had seen the truth in Evan. She had seen the truth and couldn't do a damn thing about it.
Drew tried to move closer, my eyes desperately begging her to keep still or Evan would shoot. I couldn't watch that, I couldn't witness the death of Drew because it would kill me. I needed her to cooperate with him, no matter what because I couldn't let her get hurt.
She refused to look at me, her eyes locked on Evan and the gun, "What do you want then? You want the money? You can have it. Just let her go."
He yanked me harder, my arm burning from his touch as he laughed, "Well, I wanted the money but I also wanted you to know the truth first. That's before I kill you, because I will."
My blood ran cold as his true intentions shined right through. The reality of this situation hit Drew like a mean upper-cut, and she became terrified even more than before.
This was the first time I heard her stutter from fear, "T-The truth about what...?"
"About why I showed up in the first place."
My throat was tight, the lump settling in it like a lodged softball. I felt as if I wasn't getting enough oxygen as my awareness of time grew blurry. How long were we going to stand here shouting? How long would he hold that gun up before firing? And if I moved would that result in a premature shot to Drew's chest?
He dropped the gun then, allowing me to breathe a little as Drew attempted to step closer. He pulled it back up, "Stay right fucking there or I'll shoot her."
I felt the cold barrel rest against my skin, my eyes shutting as I sent a silent prayer. I wanted this to be over, I wanted to tell my parents I loved them and that this wasn't me or Drew's fault. If I died they would blame her, everyone would, but it wasn't. She tried protecting me. She tried pushing me away and keeping me safe.
Evan was just stronger and more powerful, and I felt he always would be.
He dropped his arm again, this time Drew remaining frozen where she was. He started, "I'm not doing this because I hate you..." his grip on me loosened but never let go. If he did I still wouldn't move, but I was too busy listening to his words that made little sense. "Okay, maybe I hate you a little, because you broke my fucking nose but I'm doing this because of your low-life father."
I watched Drew's entire demeanor change at the mentioning of her dad, as if he had slapped her right across the face. It didn't add up, at least not yet, but she was trying to put the pieces together. I remembered the night at the studio, when Drew broke his nose, and how he claimed to have a message concerning her dad. I thought he had been lying, but maybe we had assumed wrong.
She was shaking her head, "My dad?"
"You're dad's the piece of shit that ruined my life," He added, as if Drew was supposed to know this. Drew hadn't talked to her father in years. So how in the hell had her dad ruined Evan's life?
Drew's confused silence stimulated Evan to continue his horrible explanation as to why he was going downright crazy.
"He killed Ronnie," He yelled, as if the pain was still brand new. I couldn't be mad at him for being hurt, I mean Ronnie was his dad, but how was Drew's dad involved with that? Ronnie had so said been in a wreck...
Drew shook her head, "I don't understand..."
Evan laughed, as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. His grip on me tightened as I flinched, "Your dad was the drunk driver that hit him. Go fucking figure, huh? The fucker that ruined your life also found a way to ruin mine."
It was like the air had been sucked out of all three of us from hearing and acknowledging the truth. Drew was caught off guard, and soon things began making a little more sense.
"So now that that's out in the open I guess you can say I got a little pissed when I found out about the money. My dad, who had died in the same hospital your father was in, had given away my investment to the daughter of the man who killed him. Pretty fucked up, right?"
I watched Drew's heart break into a million pieces at learning the truth, but it still didn't explain why Drew's dad had been in Boston in the first place. That just didn't add up.
I questioned, "Why the hell was Drew's dad in Boston to begin with?"
Evan squeezed my arm, smiling down at me, "Good question, Bree. You know, I went talk to him one day to find that out. While visiting I learned that he was looking for you..." his gun raised again, pointing it straight at Drew. She froze, the look on her face returning to the same fearful expression she had before.
When was this going to end?
Evan laughed, his gaze locked on Drew as if it was just him and her and nothing else. I was an onlooker at a confrontation I wish I never had part in, but here I was face to face with a true maniac. I needed to get us out of here.
"Evan... this isn't how you fix the problem..." Drew attempted her best at calming him down. I knew Drew had a good way with words but Evan was different. He wasn't someone who was sad, but rather psychologically unstable, and Drew talking would only anger him more. Evan felt out of control, and this was his only way of retaining any ounce power.
I watched him smirk while tilting his head, "Actually, it is Drew.
Drew shook her head, "You don't have to kill me to get what you want. I'll give you the damn money."
"It's not just about the money!" He shouted, as if everything in his head was growing too loud for him to function. I flinched at the sound of his voice, my heart beating faster than ever. This was true fear, and the scariest thing about it was that Drew couldn't get any closer without potentially being shot.
"Then what, Evan?" Drew's voice grew smaller, as if she was giving up and accepting that she would lose. She couldn't give up, and she couldn't give into him. She had to fight, no matter how scared she was. I was fighting, Evan was fighting, but she needed to stand up against him. She had to stay strong.
Her eyes darted to me, looking for some support. I had already been staring at her, like it was the last time I would see her alive. I didn't want to think negatively, I didn't, but nothing about our current situation told me things would turn out okay. We were both at the mercy of a deranged man.
He switched the aim of the gun away from Drew again and back towards me, an involuntary whimper escaping my lips. The constant fear was exhausting, and staying strong was becoming hard. I knew it was the same for Drew, and I knew going through this was hard. Everything was spiraling out of control.
"It's about revenge, Drew," he stated, almost lifelessly, like he had no sympathy inside of his heart anymore. Hearing this managed to piss me off because the last thing Drew needed was any kind of pity revenge on the boy who had hurt her in ways he could never imagine.
I shouted in her defense, "Revenge? Are you kidding me? This isn't Drew's fault!"
Drew gave me a look that told me to shut the hell up, but I couldn't help it. I would always be defensive, she deserved someone to stand up for her. I would do that, and I didn't care if Evan was wielding a loaded gun. Revenge would solve nothing. It wouldn't bring Ronnie back and it wouldn't fix any problems he had weighing on his shoulders.
He hissed in my ear, pressing the barrel harder into my temple, "Did I fucking ask you?"
I noticed Drew stepped just a little closer while Evan was distracted, and soon she was close enough to reach out. I knew she wouldn't, not yet, because he could still blow my head off if she moved to quick. Or he could turn around and end her instead. Rash moves wouldn't win the game.
Patience would.
"You know your dad sounded so regretful when I spoke to him about my dad's death," he moved his attention to Drew, "but I don't think he understands the pain of losing someone. He said he was sorry, but he ruined my life, and now I get to return the favor."
Drew continued to stall, "Evan, I know he's to blame, but it was a mistake. And God yes he is a fuck up, but that's not my fault. Bad things happen, and you can't let it determine the rest of your life..."
At that moment her eyes found me, like she had realized something. For a second I thought she was confessing this to me rather than to Evan, but God had it hit a nerve in the both of us.
Evan's hand trembled against my arm, "You don't understand... I lost everything. I lost the inheritance because I had to pay off that stupid fucking house he left me with and his funeral. I lost my job. I lost my dad, and then the one thing I had left was given to you."
Everything was twisting and turning in my head, the fear overtaking me. I wanted to move, I wanted to grab the gun, but I couldn't as long as it was pointed at Drew. I could be patient for so long, but now I finally understood Evan's motive, and it encouraged me to stop this from going on even more.
"You think I didn't lose everything too?" Drew coaxed, distracting Evan from the gun that was trembling in the air. She didn't move but she continued to speak, "I lost my dad, and then I had to move, and then I lost my mom. Evan I lost a lot too, and I lost because of you, but you don't see me pointing a gun at your head. I'm not striving for revenge because I'm trying to move on."
I watched tears form in both pairs of eyes, as if the pain was becoming too much. Drew was utterly terrified, but she was keeping the gun off of me which scared me because I would rather the gun be pointed in my direction rather than hers. Then there was Evan who was about to have a breakdown, and we couldn't have that while he still possessed the gun.
"Stop making this about you!" He shouted, his voice cracking this time. It shook me to the bone, but the fear from his outburst overcame that. "It was always about you when you moved in. How good your grades were, how good you danced... That's all I ever fucking heard. Drew this, and Drew that... I'm so fucking tired of it. I'm so fucking tired of you."
That's when he pulled the hammer of the gun back, his hand tightening around the trigger. I knew what was coming, everyone right here knew and I couldn't let this happen. Drew's eyes were wide whenever I yanked off of Evan, Drew quickly moving out of the way of the gun as the loud bang echoed off of the nearby buildings.
Evan's shoved against me, hard, sending me flying to the ground. I felt my head crack against the hard cement as my vision went blurry. It was like everything that was happening was in slow motion but in a split second at the same time. I turned over slowly, long enough to witness Evan on top of Drew, who was covered in blood. The sight petrified me, but she was fighting back against him.
I watched in fear as he was trying to shove the gun down towards her, Drew's hands wrestling upwards to keep the gun away from her head. She screamed out in pain as I realized why. She had was shot in the shoulder, and the struggle against Evan only made it hurt even worse.
I needed to move. I needed to get up and do something but it was like my feet couldn't move fast enough. Then before I knew it I witnessed a flash and another loud bang, my eyes closing as I screamed out in horror.
All was still. The quietness of the night overwhelming as I refused to open my eyes. I couldn't see Drew lying there, I couldn't see her like that... Was she dead? Was she hurt? Was Evan dead? I was to afraid to open my eyes to find out.
That was until I heard a groan, "Bree..."
I opened my eyes as the pain of the fall ran through my skull, my sight still a little blurry. I moved over as saw Drew had in fact been shot, but it took a little while for it to register in my head. It was Evan that was lying lifelessly besides her, blood seeping out of the gaping hole in his head. I gagged at the sight.
I wanted to cry but now wasn't the time, I needed to act. She groaned again, her hand running over her mangled shoulder, "You need... to call... the police..."
All I could do was nod, trying my best to stop the tears from falling from my eyes. I needed to be strong, but calling 9-1-1 would take entirely too long. She needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible or else she would bleed out.
I protested, "We need to get you to the emergency room."
Her breathing was deep, and the amount of blood covering her clothes was beginning to scare me. I watched her force herself into a sitting position, me trying my best to help her without hurting her too much. She refused to look down at her wound, which was good because it was bad.
I demanded, "I need you to keep talking to me, okay?"
Starting the car up I sped off, driving like a maniac through the deserted streets that crowded the building I never wanted to step foot in again. Drew was still breathing but I could tell it was becoming shallower, which worried me.
She whimpered, "I fucking killed him..."
I shook my head, knowing damn well that's not what had happened. I protested, "You did not, Drew. You were defending yourself."
"He's fucking... dead," she finished, as if she couldn't believe what had happened. How had everything gone from bad to horrible within the matter of an hour? How had we gotten out of all of that alive?
I continued talking to her to keep her here with me, "Stop thinking about that, at least for right now. I need you to thing about something else."
I glanced at her, watching her cringe as she panted, "Like what?"
I stumbled over my words, trying to pull her head away from the pain in her arm, "Uh, well... you're finally talking to me... so..."
She laughed but stopped immediately from the pain, "God..."
I groaned internally at the sight of her bleeding everywhere, "We're almost there..."
She continued to press her hand into her arm, panting as she talked a little bit. "When you called me... last week... I thought you were in trouble."
"I kind of was," I joked, realizing this could be a good topic to keep her distracted.
"But when you called me tonight... I just thought... you were drunk again..." She confessed.
"Well I'm glad you answered anyway," I continued, refusing to glance at her again. I couldn't focus knowing she was bleeding and in pain, all I needed to focus on was getting her to the hospital down the street. We were almost there.
"He would've killed you..." she mumbled, sucking in a tight breath as I pulled the car into the parking lot and sped towards the emergency entrance.
I abruptly stopped, glancing at her as I shook my head, "But he didn't, and you need to shut up and get yourself in there."
I bolted to the other side of the car and threw her door open, grabbing her good arm and slinging her around my shoulder. She was weak but she wasn't disabled, I was just grateful he hadn't shot her in the leg.
Barging through the doors all eyes were on us, and when the nurses realized Drew was bleeding out there as no hesitation to take care of her. I could feel her tense as they approached, her head turning to face me, "Stay here... please."
I just smiled up at her, "Of course. I'll be right here waiting."
She leaned in, her lips capturing mine and filling me back up with the life I had been missing for what felt like forever. It was like time kind of stopped, and it wasn't long before she had to leave. She whispered, "I love you."
I responded breathlessly but she had disappeared behind the doors of the emergency room, leaving me to wait and call up Demarcus and Maria.