Chapter Forty-Five
Emma's Point of View
Last Tuesday had just finished their set, and while the next band set up, Annabelle, Zack, and I went back to the back room. Alex, Jack, and Rian were no where to be seen. Suddenly, Norah came rushing into the back room, a girl with her I'd never seen before. The girl was tall, rail-thin, with short blonde hair that ended just past her ears. She had ghost pale skin, and a spattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. But what was most outstanding about her appearance was a thin, red scar that started just beneath her right eye and trailed down to her chin.
She had on a short dark blue dress with electric blue heels and a tight leather jacket. Norah led the girl over to us, looking exasperated. "Where's Melody?!" Norah practically shouted into Annabelle's face. "She's fine, Norah, she's with Jack. They were right in the front of the crowd for Last Tuesday." I hadn't seen them in the crowd, but I took Annabelle's word for it. Norah seemed to relax, then looked at the girl next to her like she'd suddenly realized she was there.
"Uh, guys, this is Caroline. Caroline, this is Annabelle and Emma," Norah introduced her to us. Caroline waved and said hi. Annabelle and I said hi back. They then told us they were going to try and find Jack and Melody, and we said our goodbyes, then they quickly left. Zack walked up to us next, a Sprite in his hand. "Who was the blonde that was with Norah?" he asked, his eyes flickering between us.
"She's Norah and Melody's friend, Caroline," Annabelle answered him. Zack nodded, then said, "I was instructed by Vinny to ask you guys. Apparently, he thinks she's hott." I laughed, and Annabelle gasped. "Vinny?! Where is he?!" she asked Zack. He pointed to a corner of the room, where Vinny was standing with a couple guys I didn't recognize. He smiled and waved at us.
"Vinny! Get over here!" Annabelle shouted at him. He came over to us, and Annabelle pulled him into a hug. "You come to a show and don't say hi to me?! What's that shit?!" she asked him with a laugh before playfully punching him in the shoulder. Vinny laughed and hugged her again. Then he locked eyes with me. "How ya been, Em?" he asked. My stomach tightened a little, and I said, "Pretty good. Yourself?" Zack must have sensed the tension between us, because he leaned in closer to me. Zack was always so protective of me.
"Same old, same old. Alex treatin' ya good?" I just nodded. Zack cleared his throat, then said, "The girl's name is Caroline, Vinny." With his eyes still on me, Vinny replied, "Really? She's pretty hott." Then he looked to Annabelle. "Think you could get me her number, Belles?" She shoved him. "Do your dirty work yourself, Petrocelli!" They laughed together, but Zack looked at me and mouthed, 'You okay?' I just nodded. He shook his head, like he didn't believe me, then gently took my arm and led me away from Vinny and Annabelle.
"We'll be just a second," he said to them; they barely noticed. When he was satisified we were far enough away from them, he dropped my arm and asked, "Alright, what's going on?" I sighed. "Come on, Emma, I know something's up, and it has to do with Vinny, so spill." I sighed again, then said, "At the beginning of the summer, Vinny and I slept together after one of your guys' shows." I expected him to gasp, or scold me, or at least react somehow, but his face was still blank. That was one of the things I loved about Zack; he didn't judge people, especially his friends.
"It didn't mean anything. I mean, we were both piss drunk. When I woke up the next morning, I left his house without a word. I think he was upset about that. Ever since then, he's been kinda weird around me." Zack sighed. "If Jack found out..." I interrupted, "But he won't. He doesn't need to know anything about my sex life." I felt someone's arms wrap around me from behind. "Are we talking about sex over here?" Alex.
"No," I sighed. "I'm just going to stay out of it, alright Emma?" Zack said before walking away without another word. "What's he talking about?" Alex asked as he turned me around in his arms. "N-nothing." Alex's eyes looked me up and down. "Did I mention that you look wonderfully sexy in that dress?" I grinned, and he leaned in to me and whispered, "But you'd look even better without it." I raised an eyebrow at him, then took his hand and led him away. "Where are we going?" he asked. I didn't reply.
I led him into the girls bathroom, which thankfully was empty, and pushed him against the wall. "I like where this is going," he said as I leaned in and kissed him. He rested his hands on my waist, and I pressed myself closer to him. We made out for awhile, when he started to help me out of my dress and I helped him take off his shirt. Wait, what was I doing? I was just using sex to avoid telling Alex what I felt like I had to tell him, especially now that Zack knew.
Alex started to kiss my neck, when I said, "Alex, wait." He stopped and looked me in the eyes. "What's wrong, babe?" I took a deep breath, then said, "I slept with Vinny." He raised an eyebrow. "When?" I bit my lip. "A few months ago. Like in June." He shrugged. "So?" I was confused; why wasn't he mad? "So? You're not mad?" He sighed. "Honey, I know both of us had relationships before we started dating. I mean, we obviously weren't virgins when we met." We both laughed at that.
"My point is, we shouldn't let our past relationships ruin what we have now." I relaxed, then hugged him. "Can we continue what we started?" he asked. I laughed and kissed him again.
Annabelle's Point of View
I stood at the bar and waited for the bartender to reach my end. I know, how cool is it that The Breaking Point has a bar?! Technically, we're only allowed in the back room, since we're under twenty-one. But Zack told me the only place to get something to drink was at the bar, which was where he got his Sprite. I was dying of thirst, and I needed something before All Time Low came on so I could scream and cheer for them like I always did.
The bartender, a tall, muscular black guy with a shaved head and his left ear pierced, finally came down to my end. "What can I get ya, sweetheart?" he asked with a wink. "Umm, just a Sprite, is fine." He winked again, then left to retrieve my drink. I guess they keep the non-alcoholic drinks in the little room behind the bar. I turned around and leaned against the bar with a sigh. The crowd was huge, and that band Playing With Fire was making everyone go crazy.
"Here you go, sweetheart," I heard the bartender say from behind me. He set down my Sprite right as I turned to face him. "Oh, thank you," I said as I started to dig around in my pocket for money. He put both his hands up. "No need to worry about that, it's on the house." I put my money back and picked up my drink. "Really?! Thanks!" He grinned. "No problem, it's just a Sprite, anyways." I thanked him again, then he left to attend to the people at the other end of the bar.
I turned back around and leaned on the bar again. The stairs leading up to the back room were crowded, and I didn't feel like pushing through all of those people just yet. I took a drink of my Sprite, and that's when I saw him. My stomach dropped; he was already looking at me, that evil look in his eyes still present after all these years. He smiled when he realized I noticed him, then he started to walk my way.
I was frozen. I didn't know what to do. He reached me, his long legs able to cut across the space between us in a few quick strides. He was wearing a red t-shirt with some band name on it I didn't know, and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans with a hole in the right knee. His blond hair was still as curly as ever, and his brown eyes were dark like coal. "Well hey there, Annabelle," he spat my name like it disgusted him.
He stood over me, and I was trapped between him and the bar. "C-Colton, leave me alone," I stuttered. And just like that, I was fifteen again, just a small girl all alone in the world. He laughed in my face, then mocked me in a high-pitched voice, "C-Colton, leave me alone!" I tried to go around him, to get away, but he quickly moved in front of me. "Not so fast, prick tease." Hearing what he used to call me, every day of my freshmen year after what happened to me, angered me.
"Fuck off, Colton!" I shrieked. He raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Fuck off? Oh, isn't that cute? The little bitch that fucked my best friend, then lied and said he raped her, is telling me to fuck off!" Before I could say anything, he grabbed my arms, tight. "My best friends in jail because of you, you little bitch!" He yelled into my face; some spit even hit my lips. "Let me go!" I shouted before throwing my arms up, making him lose his grip and stumble backwards a little bit.
"Leave me the fuck alone, Colton! I don't ever wanna see your face anywhere near me, ever again! I didn't lie about being raped!" I shrieked, my hands in fists. "Annabelle?" I looked up to see Zack, Vinny, Jack, Melody and Matt standing just a few feet to my right. "What's going on here?" Zack asked, his eyes narrowing when they fell on Colton. "I saw this guy yelling at you, so I went and got Zack," Matt explained to me. I noticed then that Melody and Jack were holding hands. Colton looked at me, eyes wide. Zack came over and stood by my side and took my hand in his. "It's alright, baby, I'm here," he whispered into my ear.
"I don't know what you were saying to my girlfriend, but I don't ever want to see you lay a hand on her again, understand?" Zack said to Colton, his voice menancing. "Annabelle!" A girl's voice shouted from my left. I turned my head to see Alex and Emma pushing through the crowd towards us, Rian and Mary Anne trailing behind them, along with Norah and Caroline. They reached us, looked at us, then Colton. I was now surrounded by all of my friends, and I'd never felt safer in my life.
Emma took my hand that wasn't holding Zack's, and asked, "Are you alright, Belles?" I took a deep breath and nodded; I wasn't really able to find my voice yet. "You need to leave." Zack said to Colton. Colton looked at me, and at all of the people that were now surrounding me, and turned and left. I looked at all of the people that were standing by me, and against Colton; Zack, Emma, Vinny, Jack, Rian, Alex, Mary Anne, Melody, even Norah and Caroline. Tears started to form in my eyes.
"Babe, why are you crying?" Zack asked me. "Because I'm so happy!" A few people laughed. "You guys love me!" I exclaimed. That time, everybody laughed. "Group hug!" Jack shouted, which of course we did. Matt pulled away first, then said, "Alright guys, we're on in ten minutes! Let's have an awesome last show of the summer!"