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Chapter 26: Crazy
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Point of View: Jake T. Austin
*
I feel the heat of June air flash my skin as I step out of my Bentley. It's so hot that I can feel my skin burning because of the scorching sun.
I can't believe I'm late for recording today. I would've woken up earlier, but I didn't want to wake myself up from the dream I had since Marian Lara was in it. The way she and I walked on a beach while the moonlight accompanied us - God, that was such an amazing dream. I need to tell her to go to dinner with me tonight, so after we can go on the beach and do just that.
I grab my phone out of my pocket and check to see if Lara texted me, but she didn't even send me a good morning text. Well, I'm gonna see her in a few minutes, so I'll just greet her instead of texting it.
I walk down the paved ground and look around for set 22; someone stole my parking spot, so I had to park by set 7. It's been so long since I had to park here since I always drove with Lara, and we were never late. I look up at the blocked buildings and search for the numbers and pass by set 9. I look forward and turn right to go through the shortcut I made months ago. I look up again and pass by set 13.
A few more minutes go by in silence, and I begin to hear faint, quick steps. I look to my left and right and do not see anyone in sight.
I continue to walk and see somebody running like crazy. I squint my eyes and realize it's Lara speedily sprinting with her eyes looking forward and notice she doesn't even know I'm right in front of her. A smile takes over my face as I put my arms out to wrap her in a hug. She's the first person I get to see in the morning. Her running doesn't slow, and instead of her jumping at me for a hug, her body pummels towards my chest. I grasp onto both of her arms before she can fall forward.
"Woah, babe. Why are you running around out here?" I can't help the grin on my face realizing that she's the first one to greet me today.
She doesn't answer me, and I hear her sniffle. "Babe. Marian Lara," I remove one hand from her arms and lift her chin up, "Look at me." Her eyes are dead shut and I remove my other hand from her arm to cup her face.
Has she been crying? Something is definitely wrong.
She keeps her eyes shut as she rests both of her hands gently on mine, but with a sudden movement, she pushes me away causing her to take three steps back.
"Don't you dare touch me," her voice holds pain and sadness as her glossy, red eyes reveal her sadness.
She's been crying. I need to know what's going on with her. Who did this and why is she like this.
"Babe," I feel her emotions welling up inside of her, making me want to hold her in my arms, "What happened?" I continue to gaze into her eyes, "Why were you crying? Who did this to you?" I step closer, wanting to hug her tight and wipe away all the tears formed in her eyes. I pull her into me, grabbing her by the waist, but she struggles to remove me.
"Stop. Stop it please, Jake," her voice is tied with desperation and neediness, like she's afraid of being near me. Her breathing is irregular, and she uses her hands to give her enough distance for us to look at each other's eyes. I stare right at her for a brief moment and realize her eyes are swollen and tears still fall from them. Who did this to her. I feel the sadness absorb into my eyes, and I feel guilty for not being with her when she's like this. "Lara... Tell me what happened. I need to know. Who did this to you? Why are tears falling from your eyes?" I beg her as I reach to wipe the tears continuously falling from her cheeks. She retaliates by screaming at me, "Don't touch me!" I flinch from her bluntness and remove my hands away from her face right away. She gasps from the loss of touch and doesn't look into my eyes.
Suddenly, I feel her fists pounding onto my chest. "Lara! What's wrong! Tell me what's -" She cuts me off with her voice while bursting into tears, "Y-you're my problem! You're my fucking problem!" She doesn't stop slamming my chest, and my heart drops down to the ground. What did I do? How did this happen? Why?
Instead of asking, I pull her into me and feel her tears roll onto my shirt as she continues to hit me. Don't let go, Jake. She needs you right now. She's vulnerable. You need to calm her down.
She pounds me even harder with all her might, "Release me! Just stop!" I take into account that she might have trouble breathing near my chest, and I hold her out a few inches, but before I can process what's going on, she is out of my hands and tries to run away from me.
Why is she running away? From me? What the hell happened when I wasn't here that caused her to be like this?
I wrap my hand around her wrist firmly, causing her to stop her attempt from leaving me, but as soon as I try to twist her to look at me, I feel a sting on my right cheek.
"Shit!" I let go of her wrist as soon as possible, not knowing why that just occurred. I lift my hand to my face... Did this really just happen.
In barely a whisper, I speak to her, "Lara, what did I do?" Lara backs away a few feet and looks right at her hands and at the ground. It takes her moments to speak up and anxiety is building all over me. What happened for her to do this to me?
"Jake, I thought I could trust you."
My eyes widen at her statement, and my heart is already beating rapidly. Shit. What happened? "I trusted you more than anyone else because," her voice transforms into a whispered cry, "I thought you actually liked me!"
Who said I didn't like her? For crying out loud, I adore her to the moon and back. I want to scream that I love her, I just don't know if she feels the same way. I need to tell her that I do love her.
"But I do -"
Before my thought is complete, I am stopped by her screams, "Stop. Don't you dare lie to me right in front of my face," her voice is angry as she winces in pain and grasps her head with both hands and closes her eyes for a short moment.
"Lara, a-are you okay?" I begin to panic inside as I see her fingers twitch on her head; what the hell is going on. I need to take her inside to get her checked on, this isn't good for her. Her screaming will make her head hurt even more, and it will not help her situation. I step closer to her and she shakes her head vigorously, "Stop! Don't g-go near me. David told me. He told me everything!"
Did I hear that correctly? Did she say David? What does David know about me...
"How you used girls, how you don't give a shit. How you dumped Anna when she fell for you."
Scenarios begin to overcome my brain as she continues to speak - how did David tell her? Did David make her cry? Of course, it was him. He must be the last person Lara talked to. I feel flashbacks inside my brain as well as I remember all of the things I said before: those were when I was hurt. That was before I even met Lara.. She needs to know that; David must have given her the rumors that made me look like a total asshole even though I was the one who was in love. Anna was never in love with me. She needs to know this before it gets out of hand.
It already has, dumbass.
Why the fuck did David tell her this shit?
I run my hand through my hair and breathe out, "Lara, please listen to me. Those are all lies. Let me explain that -" She doesn't hear a word I say as she blurts out her following statement, "I can't believe I fell for you! I even - I even wanted to tell you that, that I - I"
Does she love me just as I love her?
Oh my god.
My voice seems strained and weak, "You love me?" I feel my heart race as I look right at the girl who I fell for break down in front of me. Her eyes widen and I finally realize that tears have overcome my eyes, God. I'm such an asshole. I should have told her. Why did I - why did David say this shit. He doesn't even know the full story.
I look at Lara to continue her statement, but before she can complete it, her body falls forward. "Lara!" Oh my god. What is happening. Fucking hell, why is this happening.
As soon as I hollered her name, I drop down to my knees right in front of her and try to wipe her tears, and she weakly pushes me but I don't even move a muscle.
"Please, get away from me... You don't give one shit -" her eyes look down at the pavement as she begins to throw up, but nothing comes out of her mouth but clear liquid, which I assume is water. "Babe. Babe," I try to hold onto her.
"Lara!" I look at the corner of my eyes and realize it's David's voice. I look at Lara and her eyes are drooping. Before I can tell him to leave us be, he pushes me to the ground and steps in front of Lara on his knees but looks at me. "Jake! What the hell happened to her? What did you do?" His voice is angry but I can tell by his facial expressions this was his plan all along. To make himself the hero while I look like the asshole. Lara's eyes are completely shut, and I want to punch David right at this precise moment, but this won't help the situation at all. I try to figure out what I want to say, but Lara begins to scream.
She clamps her hands onto her ears, "Stop! Please stop!"
I almost push David until he caresses her cheeks, forcing her to open her eyes. I'm frozen in my place as I look at what he's doing. "Lara. Look at me. Look at me now. Come on, Lara. Look at me." His voice is desperate, but it seems like she's falling into his trap. Her cheeks are tear-stricken, and I feel horrible for being the reason she's crying. Well, the stupid lies that David spoke about me at least.
She stares into his eyes for the longest time with a blank expression.
Please, Lara. Listen to me... He's the one who's lying - He's lying to you to break us apart.
In that moment, she slithers her arms around his neck and begins to cry even more. I feel my heart crack as I see the sorrow in her eyes and squeeze them shut. He breaks his eye contact with her and speaks to me, "Jake, get away from her."
He then looks away from me again and whispers into her ear to taunt me, "Lara, I'm going to pick you up, okay. I'm gonna take you inside." I feel my anger towards him heighten at his close proximity as Lara shakes her head and lets go, dropping back onto the floor coughing and gagging.
"David, give her to me. She's my girlfriend. She should be with me. She needs to know the truth," I gaze only into her eyes to calm myself down even though my heart is breaking as her eyes show nothing but hatred and sadness.
"I told her the truth, you bastard," David's voice is cold while his smile is plastered onto his face. Lara, look at him now. He's doing this to destroy us. He's not who you think he is.
"You're lying. That's not the -" I try to start until a new voice from behind me speaks, "Jake. David. Lara. What's going on."
I look at Lara as her eyes forcibly open. I turn around and Cierra is in sight.
"Lara, you're -" before she can finish her statement, I look down where her eyes are settled. I see Lara do the same thing and she begins to shake her arms as her eyes widen.
That's not water anymore. It's blood.
"What's going on here? Why is she bleeding!" Cierra screeches out as she bends over and makes Lara sit up straight. There is blood sliding down her chin, and she avoids every person around her. I notice her body is shaking at a very quick pace, almost like she's vibrating. I gaze at her face and see the blood pouring from Lara's mouth down to her chin.
"Lara, it's Cierra. I'm here. Look at me," Cierra whispers to Lara.
I glare at David as he stands back up to his feet, looking at Lara just like me. He needs to back off, or I swear to God he's dead for. He meets my gaze and I feel my blood boil. This is all his fault. I turn away from him and realize that Cierra is helping Lara up again. She wraps Lara's arm around her neck and pulls her up. I come close, but Cierra's hand stops me from going further.
"Go to the nurse," Cierra points to David, "She's turning really pale. Tell her we'll be there soon." I'm glad Cierra got David to leave. It eases the thick air around me.
I look at Lara and her eyes meet mine before reverting to the ground. I need to know what she found out. I can't lose her like this.
"Lara, are you sure you can walk?" Cierra takes a few steps as Lara limps behind her. I finally realize that she must not have any sleep. I should be the one carrying her. "Cierra," I come closer, "Let me help... Please."
Cierra looks at Lara, and I hold Lara's free hand.
"You'll have a hard time carrying Lara to the main building," I speak to Cierra, but in reality I'm trying to get a chance for Lara to come closer to me. I feel Lara's grasp tighten as she removes her arm from Cierra. I immediately close the gap between us as she hesitates to wrap her arm around my neck.
I feel the air thicken as the tension rises. My body seems a lot heavier with her near me since I caused her pain in a way; I shake that thought away and without even processing what I am doing, I scoop her off the ground, so she won't get anymore tired from walking. Her head immediately rests on my neck, and I feel the heat transfer onto me. She's burning up right now.
I glance at her to see her expression, and her eyes are shut. Underneath her eyes are dark circles. She hasn't slept yet while I was late for sleeping in.
Cierra breaks the silence by telling me to move. I begin to jog towards the main building: the faster I get there, the faster Lara can get treated.
Moments later, we are inside the building in the white room I brought Lara a few weeks ago. David is nowhere in sight, so I take my time placing Lara on the small bed where she'll be given her checkup.
I sit next to Cierra on the chairs next to the bed.
"Cierra, can you call someone for me?" My eyes shoot towards Lara immediately as I hear her voice croak. Her hand digs into her pocket as she searches for her phone, "Just call my friend, Aubrey, and tell her to pick me up."
Cierra gets out of her seat really quick and grabs the phone out of her hand. She puts the phone right next to her ear and I take notice how her case is still me sleeping. I force myself not to smile, and Cierra steps out of the room, leaving me with a silent Lara.
Come on, Jake. Tell her what she needs to know.
Her eyes are connected with mine although neither of us speak.
Jake, stop being a fucking wimp and speak up.
"Jake..."
Shit.
The rush of blood begins inside my body as I hear her croak out my name. What do I say? Does she want me to speak?
"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," her voice is soft and it cracks at the end of her sentence.
What? Why is she apologizing to me.
"You shouldn't be -"
"I shouldn't have slapped you. This is all my fault for thinking that I'd be different. I should have known that this wouldn't last," she shakes her head with a smile that reflects no happiness, "I'm really sorry for being a bitc-"
"Lara," I finally find my voice, "You have nothing to be sorry about," I lift the chair up in order to come closer to her bedside, "This is all my fault. I'm the one -"
"Please. Let me finish," her hand rests on my shoulder, "I-I'm fine if you think I am. I mean, I've told you so much about me and my life, and I've done nothing but -"
"You've changed me," I blurt out. Her eyebrows furrow and a small frown takes possession of her face.
"I-I'm sorry," she breaks her eye contact with me and looks down at her lap.
"No, I meant that in-" my voice is panicked as I stand to my feet and realized how she took my statement. The door creaks open and cuts me off. The nurse comes in with her clipboard and her heels tap on the hard flooring. She smiles as she sees me and looks at my girlfriend in a very poor condition. I hope she's going to be fine. I transfer seats and move farther away from the bed, so the nurse can have her space as she checks Lara's vital signs.
"Mr. Austin, what did you do this time?" the nurse chuckles at me, not realizing the tension in the room as she puts the stethoscope on Lara's chest. I'm glad she's trying to keep the mood light, but I'm scared for Lara right now.
After a moment of silence and analyzation, she walks towards me with a frown on her face. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave," her voice holds no fear which causes the hair on my back to rise. I look pass the nurse and see the worry on Lara's face. I can't leave her.
"Do I have to leave? Can I stay? I need to know she'll be fine and -"
"Jake, I'll be fine," I look at the female who holds my heart with a weak smile on her face and no hatred in her voice like from earlier outside. I want to beg her for me to stay or tell me that she wants me next to her, but the door opens once again and Cierra's head pops in.,"Sorry, nurse Kasey. Can I steal Jake for a moment?" I look back and forth from Cierra and Nurse Kasey, sighing in defeat as I leave the room.
"Uhm, Aubrey... She wants to speak to you," Cierra holds out Lara's phone out and I grab it quickly.
Before I can even greet her, my ear bursts with Aubrey screaming, "Jake T. Austin! What the hell happened to my best friend?" My eyes widen and I look at Cierra, realizing she didn't tell Aubrey any details. "I'm on my way there, and you better tell me what shit happened and why Lara was bleeding and you didn't do anything."
"Aubrey, it's not -"
"Austin is leaving his concert right after his meet & greet and meeting me there. You better have a good explanation for all of this shit," she spits through the line.
"Aubrey, don't you have work right now?" I dare ask her as she screams at me. "I'm taking a long lunch now because of this. I'll be there in twenty minutes." The phone immediately hangs up and I look at Lara's screensaver. I can't help but smile as I see our photo together in my car at a stop light.
"What did she say?" Cierra asks causing me to lock Lara's phone. "Oh, she's coming here."
"Well, I know that. I mean - what else did she say?" She rolls we eyes at me as if I'm the most idiotic person in the world.
"Who said what now?" I turn to see David walking towards us with an emotionless face. "Nothing," I state and move towards the room that she's in. I hold onto the door knob and twist it, but it's locked.
"Nurse Kasey, I have Lara's phone, so can I -" the door opens slightly, and she grabs the phone from my hand and closes the door. "Sorry, Jake, she told me to only let her friend, Aubrey, in." She shuts the door in my face and I hear her heels clack onto the flooring.
"Jake, just sit in the waiting room with me," Cierra holds onto my shoulder. I turn around and realize David disappeared. I oblige and follow her into the hallway that connects the nurse and the elevator and vending machines.
I need to be with Lara right now.
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Point of View: Marian Lara Estrada
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"Here's your phone, my dear," Nurse Kasey smiles and places it on the table.
"Uhm... Thank you," I say softly before worry flushing in my tone, "Are you sure it's not that bad?"
She looks at me with full sympathy in her eyes, "Yes, my dear. It's not as bad as what people assume. Your head has been throbbing for a while. What happened that caused this?"
I ponder on what happened exactly. Well, today I slipped in the bathroom not realizing what I was doing since I kept worrying what David was going to say. I should've called him back instead of coming on set. Well, I can't blame anything but my stupidity for that. It's all my fault, but then again it began because of Quinn. The way he slammed me into the wall at the restaurant I refuse to go to for the rest of my life. I didn't realize that my head hurt so much until now. My head was aching because of these events, and I'm the only one to blame. If it weren't for me and my idiocy, I wouldn't be here right now. It's always my fault.
I shake my head, "I'm just a failure. That's all," I rest my head on the pillow and sigh deeply, but my breathing is staggered causing me to gasp, "I-I'm having a hard time - b-breathing." I raise myself from the bed to catch my breath, and Nurse Kasey grabs a tank.
"You're not a failure," she pulls me up to sit up straight an gives me tubes that are suppose to be placed in my nose, "You're just having a bad day." I smile at her kindness, "How do you think I even got this?"
"It's pneumonia, dear. There's a lot of bacteria in California. You could've breathed in some gases that got you this sick, and then everything else fell forward since your head is bruised and you cut your hand," she grabs a glass of water and puts it in my hand, "How did you even get your bruise and cut if I may ask?"
I look at the glass and touch the rim with my finger. How did I get myself into this mess? I picture the way Quinn slamming me onto the wall as Jake's voice echoes in my mind.
"It's all my fault," I take a sip of water and place it on the bedside table causing a loud thud. She grabs her clipboard from her desk and stands by the door, "I'll let you rest for a while and tell your friend to come in this room."
She shuts the door behind her and I lay my head on the pillow. I shut my eyes and try to drown out the cold air running through my body into my lungs.
You've changed me.
How did I change him? Does he hate me for doing this to him? I should end this now since he hates me already... Why did I let my emotions override my body and slap him?
Tears well up in my eyes as I hear a knock on the door. I look at the clock: it's been thirty minutes I've been in this room.
The door creaks open and I shut my eyes right away pretending that I'm asleep.
Relax your breathing, Lara. Slow down.
I hear the door shut and the tapping of feet on the floor. My body shifts a little as someone sits at my bedside.
"He isn't worth your time," David's voice is brutal and venomous. He chuckles sinisterly, "If only you saw the whole video."
What does he mean by that? Did Jake say something more than that?
I feel his hand rest on my leg, and I struggle to maintain my breathing pattern. "I'm sorry I had to do that. You don't need him in your life," his voice is barely a whisper as he rubs his hand up and down my leg. I feel goosebumps start to form as he continues to do his action.
Please stop.
I hear the door swing open and slam onto the wall. David instantly shifts his body and removes his hand from my leg.
"Miss, you didn't need to slam the door open," Nurse Kasey speaks to a person while chuckling.
"Oh my god, Lara," I hear my best friend muffle out. She must be covering her mouth right now.
"Mr. Lambert, you are not allowed in here," I hear Nurse Kasey's voice loud and clear. I feel the taste of blood in my mouth once again, but I keep it closed.
"Sorry, I'll get going now. She's asleep anyways," his voice is completely different from seconds earlier. The bed shifts again, and I hear the door close a few moments later.
"Marian Lara Estrada," Aubrey approaches me and whispers, "They're gone. You can't fool me. Open your eyes and tell me what happened to you."
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Hello my lovelies!
Sorry about the late update. I've been trying to figure out what to do, because there are so many ways I can go with this story. I know it's very late, and I've been busy with a bunch of essays and homework. Anyways, it's almost spring break, so I will try to update twice during break! Anyways...
Question of the day:
What do you think Aubrey is going to do after she finds out what happened to Lara?
Shit's about to go down in the next chapter.
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READ I'M INNOCENT - my NEW Jake T. Austin story!