i woke up in my bed. i looked at myself and saw that i had justin's shirt and sweats on. i turned on my cellphone and opened the camera.
"holy fuck." i said.
i had a cut on my lip and a black eye. justin walked in.
"oh my god, you're awake." he said, coming up to me and hugging me.
"ow, sore body, j." i told him. he nodded and then sat with me.
"how're you feeling?" he asked. "you got knocked out pretty good."
"i'm feeling okay." i told him. "your face though." i said, examining his face.
"it's fine. i'm gonna be okay." he told me. he kissed me.
"how long was i out?" i asked.
"6 hours." he told me.
"can we just sit an watch netflix or something? i don't feel like doing anything today." i said to him. he nodded and we cuddled up together.
we had fallen asleep watching some dumb comedy special when justin's phone rang. he ignored it and when it went to voicemail, he listened to it.
"oh shit." justin said.
"what? what happened?" i asked.
"we have to go. clay's gonna do something bad." justin said. we jumped out of my bed and got into clay's car.
"what is he going to do, justin?" i asked him, as he was driving.
"i don't know, but i think he's going to try to kill bryce." he told me. we finally got to bryce's house. i saw clay walking up to his door with a gun.
"oh my god." i said to myself.
"kylie, get in the back seat, and stay in the car." justin told me. i jumped to the back seat. justin opened the car door and went up to clay.
"clay, what are you doing?" justin asked him. "where'd you get that?"
"get out of my way, justin." clay told him. "you shouldn't have brought kylie."
"come on, clay, this is fucking crazy." justin told him. i had my hand over my mouth.
"no one's gonna get justice for her." clay said, talking about hannah, and moving past justin.
"hey, come on." justin said.
"hey!" clay said, pointing the gun at justin. i got out of the car.
"clay! you don't need to do this!" i told him.
"kylie, get back in the car." justin told me.
"clay, please!" i exclaimed. justin looked back at me. "i'm not getting back in the car, justin." i told him. "not when he's got a gun pointed at you." he looked at me and looked back at clay.
"kylie wants me to testify, clay. she told me she wants me to testify." justin said.
"bullshit, no she doesn't." clay told him, still pointing the gun at justin.
"clay, i swear. i did. i told him to testify for me, for jess, and for all the other girls hurt by what bryce has done to them." i said.
"so you'll just run away or fucking overdose again?" clay said to justin.
"clay, come on." justin told him.
"i can't count on anyone else anymore. i have to do this myself." clay told us.
"you don't have to do this yourself. we can get him tomorrow." justin told him, trying to plead with him.
"i need to do it now." clay said.
"why?" justin exclaimed.
"for hannah." clay said, about to cry.
"listen, clay, i know you loved her, but she's gone. going in there and hurting bryce is not gonna bring her back. she's gone."
"how do i make her stop? she won't stop." clay told us.
"make who stop? who, clay? who are you talking about?" justin asked. clay pointed the gun to his head.
"clay!" justin and i shouted.
"clay, come on." i told him, tears running down my face.
"just stop, give me the gun." justin told him. suddenly the door opened, revealing bryce.
"what the fuck?" he said. "the fuck are you three doing?"
"just hold on." justin said. he looked at me. "baby, get back in the car. i don't want you getting hurt if this goes south." i nodded and went back into the car.
"he's gonna keep doing it. we have to stop him, justin." clay said.
"not like this." justin told him.
"i'm calling the cops." bryce told them.
"just shut the fuck up and hold on, bryce!" justin exclaimed.
"it's never gonna get any better. you were right to run away." clay said. i looked at him, still crying.
"no, i wasn't. that's why you came and got me, remember? for kylie, for jess, and for hannah." justin said.
"hannah wants him dead." clay told him.
"no, i don't think she does. i don't think she wants to keep seeing people get hurt. i don't, okay?" justin said, stepping closer to him.
"please be careful." i said to myself about justin. he successfully grabbed the gun from clay's hand. i saw clay let out a breath. he started crying. i got out of the car and ran toward them, hugging clay. he hugged me back.
"this is fucking ridiculous." bryce said, walking back inside. justin cocked the gun. i had my arm around clay's waist, with his arm hoisted over my shoulders.
"you're gonna go back inside and you're gonna pour yourself another glass of whiskey, and you were gonna forget that we were ever here, got it?" justin said. bryce looked at all of us. i walked clay to the car and got in the back.
"you're lowering yourself by being with this nobody." bryce said to me. "you were better off with monty."
i just ignored him.
"i heard they just filed for another additional witness. that wouldn't be you by any chance, would it?" bryce asked. justin ignored him. "you should be more scared than you are, justin." bryce told him. justin opened the driver door.
"bryce, i've got nothing left to lose. that makes me the dangerous one." justin said, getting inside the car. we started driving. it was quiet until justin spoke up. "what the fuck."
"what is it, j?" i asked.
"we're being followed." justin said. clay and i looked back.
"are you sure?" clay asked. justin made a turn and the car turned with us.
"we'll lose 'em." justin said.
"dude, it's a prius." clay said.
"and i'm a fucking awesome driver." justin said, making a bunch of turns.
every turn, the car became more familiar to me. i just couldn't remember why.
we got to clay's house, and clay and i looked back.
"we're clear." clay said.
"what the hell was that?" i asked.
"probably the person who's been fucking with all of us." clay said.
"bryce." justin said.
"it wasn't his car." i told justin.
"well, one of his boys." justin said.
montgomery.
"because you're testifying. tomorrow." clay said. "you're really gonna do it, right?" justin nodded. we got out of the car. clay walked inside. justin and i sat on the steps of the house.
"it was really brave of you to do what you did tonight, justin." i told him, looking at him. he kissed me, then pulled away.
"i love you." he told me.
"what're you going to do tomorrow when you testify?" i asked.
"what do you mean?"
"i mean what if things don't go the way you expect?" i asked.
"i'm just hoping for the best." justin said. he grabbed my hands. "all i want is for you to finally feel like there's been some kind of justice done for the times bryce did what he did, not only to you, but to hannah, jess, and every other innocent girl. i don't want you to be a victim. i want you to be an overcomer, or whatever that shit is." he said, i smiled.
"everything is going to be fine. you'll do amazing." i told him, grabbing his hand.
i looked out at the stars.
"what's on your mind?" justin asked. a few tears came down my face. justin turned toward me.
"when i was 6, just about a week before he died, my dad took me to this place because my mom was on her weekly drug binge and my dad didn't want me to see her in the state she was in, and we could see all of these beautiful stars. when he took me to this beautiful place, i saw so many different types of them. my dad just told me all about it. as a 6 year old, i'd never felt so at peace with life. just in that moment with my favorite person on this planet." i said. i continued looking up at the stars.
"marry me." justin said. i looked at him, shocked.
"i'm sorry, come again?" i asked.
"marry me." he said.
"justin, were barely going to be seniors." i told him.
"it doesn't matter. we can wait until we graduate. i just want you to marry me." he told me.
"okay." i told him. i kissed him and smiled.