Hey, Rulers! Here's a Merome song-fic using the song “What Hurts the Most” by Rascal Flatts. Just a warning: Mitch does try to kill himself. So, if that bothers you... I'll try to make the next one more happy. Anyways, EN-JUH-HOY!
xXx
I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house;
That don't bother me.
I can take a few tears now and then and just let 'em out.
I'm not afraid to cry,
every once in a while,
even though going on
with you gone
still upsets me.
There are days
every now and again
I pretend I'm OK;
but that's not what gets me.
“No, I'm fine,” I lie.
He frowns. “You don't seem fine. Wanna come to the bowling ally with me and Louise?”
I shake my head. “I'm sorry, but I can't.”
“How come?”
My heart breaks when I see you two together, that's how come. “I'm just sort of tired.”
“...Okay. Rest well.”
“Thanks. Bye, Jerome.”
What hurts the most
Was being so close.
And having so much to say,
And watching you walk away.
I watch as Jerome waves and heads out the door. Then I let the tears roll down my face. I did it again! I just let him leave! What's wrong with you, Mitch? He even invited you to come with him!
But, no. If I were to go, I'd just be the third wheel, forced to fake a smile while Louise rewards Jerome's strike with a kiss.
And it breaks my heart to see him kiss her back.
Never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do.
It's hard to deal
with the pain of losing you
everywhere I go.
But I'm doing it.
Every time he leaves to go with her, I feel like I've failed. And I have. I'm just too scared of ruining our friendship to tell him how I feel.
Maybe I should go find Sky or Ty or someone else to hang out with.
It's hard to force that smile
When I see our old friends
And I'm alone.
Still harder.
Getting up, getting dressed,
Living with this regret,
But I know,
If I could do it over,
I would trade, give away
All the words that I saved
In my heart
That I left unspoken.
It's torture. Watching Sky and Ty be together, having to pretend to be happy for them.
I would give anything for that to be Jerome and me. But I never even told him I love him. I probably never will. I don't want him to hate me.
But I don't want to keep living like this, either.
What hurts the most
Was being so close,
And having so much to say,
And watching you walk away.
Never knowing
What could have been.
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do.
“I have something to tell you.” I'm going to do it.
“What's up?” he asks.
I take a deep breath. “Jerome... I... I love you.”
I can hear the phone falling from his hand and clattering against the tile of his kitchen floor. HE hates me now, doesn't he?
“I'm sorry,” I choke out. Then I hang up. I slam my phone onto the counter and run up the stairs, my vision blurring with tears. I made a mistake. I ruined our friendship. He probably thinks I'm a freak, now. The one I love hates me.
What hurts the most
Was being so close.
I would kill my self. There's nothing else for me to live for if he hates me. I would kill myself.
I would, if I wasn't so afraid.
That's another thing he probably hates about me. I'm such a scaredy-cat. I have so many flaws. I've made so many mistakes.
I am a mistake.
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away.
Honestly, how scary can death be? It can't be that bad. Really, I'd rather be anywhere but here.
And never knowing
What could have been.
I'm done. I grab a strangely colored tub about half my height and dump all the junk out of it. I drag it and its lid down to the living room. Then I walk outside, grab the hose, and take it back inside. Quickly, I fill the tub until it's about three fourths of the way full. Then I thread the end of the hose through the handle on the tub's lid and position it so it slowly leaks water into the tub.
Smiling, I lift a cinder block that I had on the front porch. I place it on the tub's lid, making the lid incredibly hard to move. Then I slide into the tub and duck down into it while slowly moving the tub's lid over.
Finally, the lid latches into place. As a test, I use both hands to push against the lid from inside the tub. It doesn't budge. I'm trapped.
Good.
The water is still leaking into the tub. It's up to my chin now. All that's left to do is wait.
Third Person
Mitch's phone beeped with texts and rang with phone calls, all from Jerome. But Mitch couldn't hear them; he was too busy drowning.
Jerome sped through the town, rushing to Mitch's house. He was worried about his best friend – the best friend he had a crush on. Only it wasn't just a crush. Jerome was truly in love with his friend. He was still shocked that Mitch liked him back.
But now he was worried. Mitch hadn't answered any of his calls or texts.
What if he killed himself, Jerome thought, all because of my idiotic reaction?
He drove faster.
Jerome parked his car next to Mitch's house and ran up to the door. It was open, and the hose ran from the water faucet on the porch, all the way to the living room. Jerome walked into the living room and gasped at the wet floor. Then he spotted the oddly colored plastic tub in the middle of the room. His eyes widened, and he ran forward and shoved the cinder block off the tub's lid.
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do.
That's what I was trying to do.
Jerome pulled Mitch out of the tub, which was now overflowing with water. Mitch coughed up a bit of water, not paying the slightest attention to the person who had saved him and focusing instead on getting air into his lungs.
As soon as Mitch was able to breathe again, Jerome hugged him tightly. Tears dripped onto Mitch's shoulder, but he was already soaked anyway. “Mitch, don't ever do that, ever again! Promise me!”
Mitch sighed. “I won't.”
“No, promise me, Mitch! I can't lose you! I need you, OK!”
Mitch's eyes widened. “I thought you hated me...”
Jerome shook his head sadly. “I could never hate you, Mitch. I love you too much.”
A choked sob escaped Benja's mouth, and he pulled back from their hug, looked at Jerome for a second, and then whispered, “I'll never do it again. I promise.” Then Mitch leaned forward and Jerome met him halfway. According to them, sparks flew. According to Louise, who had worriedly followed her boyfriend when he dropped the phone and practically flew to the car, they looked adorable together. According to all their subscribers, who found out when they posted a video about it later, (and I quote:) “FINALLY! MEROME!”