12/12/2021- Hi again everyone. Thank you to those of you who were patient with me, it means a lot. I'm currently a senior in college & life has been crazy busy in ways I never imagined. I barely had time for myself the last few months. I couldn't even think the word "hobby" before there was something else I had to do for school and/or work. BUT, finals and the semester are over and I wanted to give you all an update. Enjoy!!
Silently Falling: Chapter Thirty Nine
The next day, I don't get as lucky avoiding Warren at school. As Toby drives into the school parking lot, a sense of dread washes over me and I spot Warren's black Audi in its usual parking place.
"You okay?" Alyse asks, reaching for my hand as Toby puts his truck in park.
Toby glances over his shoulder at us, eyes swamped with worry as he watches me and analyzes my reaction.
Panic begins bubbling deep in my chest, constricting it and making me breathe deeper to feel like anything is reaching my lungs. The fact is that I don't know if I'm okay. I had such an amazing night with West and his family, and came home to my dad and Toby downstairs watching football together and pulling me in to watch with them.
For the first time in a long time, I felt normal. I could react just like them to the game, could laugh and add my input into their awful dad jokes, and was able to text my boyfriend the whole time without any worry washing over me.
That feeling of normalcy was gone the second I spotted Warren's Audi in the parking lot.
I begin fiddling with my black wristband, thoughts soaring through my mind of what act Warren may pull today. Is he going to smear my name? Is he going to taunt me? Is he going to back me into a corner and make me relive the events again?
"Raine," Toby says, taking me away from my thoughts. "This isn't a game, remember?"
I open my mouth to respond, but icy fear shoots down my spin when nothing comes out. Alyse is the first to notice, and she quickly takes my hand in hers, giving it a squeeze of love.
"Hey, it's okay," she tries to soothe.
I swallow hard and begin to nod, but a feeling of uneasiness washes over me again when nothing comes out as I try to say thank you. My hand starts shaking in hers, not reacting to her attempt to calm me down. My eyes instantly shut when the world around me feels like it's closing in and the scent of Toby's cologne suddenly shifts to start smelling like his.
I try to picture West's brown eyes instead of the icy cold one's that are threatening to appear. I force myself to regulate my breathing.
In. One, two three.
Hold. One, two, three.
Out. One, two, three.
Alyse's hand slips from my grip for only a second, coming back stronger and warmer. This time it engulfs my hand rather than matching my size, and it's rough around the fingertips. I ignore that, though, and continue to focus on my breathing, finally changing the icy eyes to the beautiful brown of West. It works so well that the repugnant odor of Warren's cologne disappears and is replaced with the savory campfire aroma that surrounds West.
And, when I open my eyes, I recoil slightly when the image of West's eyes doesn't go away. Instead, they're right in front of me, filled with concern. I blink a few times, trying to convince myself that my eyes are, in fact, open and not still closed. Then I shift my gaze to the hand in mind, follow it up to the muscular arm filling out a black long-sleeve shirt, and meet his eyes again.
Behind West, the door to Toby's truck is ajar and Alyse and Toby are standing next to it, West's Jeep behind them.
My gaze slowly shifts back to West and my shoulders finally relax. His free hand comes up and rests delicately on my cheek, the tender touch matching his gaze.
"I'm here, Sunshine."
I let out a shaky breath and lean into his hand, squeezing the one held tightly in mine.
"I know," I manage to say, and in that moment a weight goes tumbling off of my shoulders. My voice isn't gone. It's still here, and Warren can't take that away from me again.
Behind West, I notice Alyse let out her own giant breath of relief, turning to curl into Toby's arms.
"Are you okay?" West asks quietly.
My lips twitch up at the corners. "How cliché would it be if I said I am now that you're here?"
"About as cliché as you manifesting your knight in shining armor to come to your aid just now."
I can't stop the blush that dusts my cheeks and I gently shove his knee. "Who says I was thinking about you?"
"Because, Sunshine, you can't even stare discreetly in your own mind."
I narrow my eyes at him with a small pout, but it only makes him smile.
"One of these days you're going to be wrong and your cunning little remarks are going to make you embarrass yourself," I retort.
West shrugs, a smirk ghosting his lips. "For all I know I'm wrong every time, you just don't know how to play it off as if I am."
I take my hand from his to cross my arms as I make some sort of grumble as my response. West chuckles and leans closer, guiding my face to his. He gives me a second to back away if needed, but I just close the small gap and his lips meet mine. He kisses me softly, a reassurance that no matter what happens I will be okay.
"You can do this," he says softly when our lips part, referring to surviving the school day with Warren in attendance.
With newfound strength, I hold my head high and we step out of Toby's truck. West takes my backpack for me, and the four of us begin walking into school and towards my locker with Gray meeting us there. However, I don't have long to relax because within minutes, Warren makes his presence known.
His face is still black and blue from Toby's vengeful fist, only his expression doesn't match the wounds he possesses. His smirk is just as vile as I remember, and when his icy eyes meet mine, I have to fight with every natural instinct I have not to cower and run away.
Instead, I swallow away my fear and reach for West's hand. Both to boost my own strength, and to ensure he doesn't lunge forward and attack Warren. I know how badly he wants to, and I can't lie and say that I don't want that too. But more than wanting Warren to get what he has always had coming to him, I want West to never have to leave his family again by ending up back in juvie.
I shift my gaze from Warren to West's eyes that are dark with a deep, terrifying anger. His focus is zeroed in on the manila folder in Warren's hands.
Toby opens his mouth to tell Warren to piss off, but I don't want the others to have to defend me anymore. I don't want to have to fear my voice going away just because Warren is near.
"You need to leave. Now." I say, causing the others to snap their eyes to me for a brief moment of surprise.
Warren shifts his gaze to me, and I fight back the vile memory of his hands all over me.
"So you really did get your voice back," he muses darkly. "What does one say to that? Congratulations?"
West slightly steps in front of me, free hand clenched into a fist I know he's ready to throw at any moment.
"Do what she says," West says lowly.
"Well now, I've never done that," Warren remarks cockily as his lips split into a slimy grin and his snakelike eyes shift to West. "Why start now?"
West goes to lunge forward, but I squeeze his hand hard to root him into place. He snaps his raging gaze over to me and I shake my head.
"He just wants to get a reaction out of you," I sign the best I can with my free hand.
West stares at me for a second or two before his jaw clenches and he takes a small step back, hand tense in mine.
"Let's just go," Alyse says, her disgusted eyes moving from Warren to the rest of us.
I send her a small look to say thank you and tug on West's hand to start walking, but before any of us can move, Warren speaks up.
"Calm down, I'm not here for her. I'm here for you," he says, eyes zeroing in on West.
"I have nothing to say to you," West grits out, "Let's go." Now he tugs gently on my hand and we all begin walking with him, no one uttering a single protest.
"I went digging in my dad's office the other day," Warren yells after us, "Started asking him some questions about your family and I found this."
West stops walking. His shoulders tense up. I watch with wide, worried eyes as he once again takes Warren's bait and looks over his shoulder. Warren holds up the manila folder in his hand.
"Pretty interesting stuff if you ask me," he says, opening it up to glance at it as he walks closer to us.
"West, dude, let's go," Toby says, but West stays firmly planted as he stares, unwavering, at the folder in Warren's grasp.
"Here," Warren says as he stops in front of us, closing the folder and stretching out his hand to give it to West. "I think you'll want to read this."
However, West doesn't move. For a few painfully slow seconds, he stays still as a statue. The only thing tender about him is the hold he has on my hand.
He stares Warren down, calculating thoughts circling through his mind. The rest of us stay silent, afraid to speak up or move from the tension in the air. Even the students around us have started to notice the shift in the hallway, slowing their paces to avoid walking past any of us but unable to turn away as curiosity pulses in their veins.
After what feels like a lifetime, West takes the folder from Warren but keeps his gaze tight on him.
"Okay, you've given me the folder. Now leave."
"Read it." Warren says, a terrifying excitement causing his lips to curl up and it sends a chill down my spine.
West's hands tighten on the folder and he cautiously opens it, slipping his hand from mine. He keeps an eye on Warren to ensure he doesn't make any sudden movements before he begins to read whatever it is that Warren handed him.
My entire body goes cold at West's reaction. His face goes pale. His breathing stops. I think I even see his heart stop for a moment. His eyes devour every word on the page, widening the more he reads, and his hands begin to shake slightly. Suddenly, there's disbelief and fear in his eyes.
"West," I say, ditching my fear of Warren to step closer to West and be by his side. "West, what's wrong?"
To my horror, West flinches away from me, keeping his eyes tight on the contents of the folder with his brows scrunched together in torment.
"I..." he says, his words failing him.
"What is it?"
I try to come closer to him again and he finally lifts his gaze from the folder to look at me, and my heart drops deep in my stomach as his eyes cloud with fear and anguish. He holds my gaze for only a second or two before flinching away and swallowing hard.
He shuts the folder in an instant, backing away from all of us.
"I- I have to go," he says, his breathing suddenly faster and heavier. I reach out for him, but he once again winces away.
"West, talk to me. What does it say?" I ask, but he ignores me and the others and turns to rush away, the sea of students parting for him.
"West!" I yell, beginning to run after him.
He pauses for a second, body tensing as he glances over his shoulder at me, but something in his expression makes me stop. He stares at me for a moment and the rest of the hallway disappears from my mind as I focus on the look in his wide eyes. Then, he drops my gaze and slightly shakes his head with guilt and turns to continue on his way, barging through the doors and to the parking lot.
I stand there, staring after him as the others rush over to my side.
A look of tormented fear took over his expression. But that fear wasn't directed toward me or Warren.
It was directed at himself.
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12/12/2021- Leave your best guesses as to what was in the folder! For my re-readers...you may have an idea, but for the FTR, I am very curious to your thoughts! I am on winter break, so I want to finish this book within the month!