𝑅𝐸𝐷 𝑀 𝐴 𝐷 𝑁 𝐸 𝑆 𝑆

𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑒

We shouldn't have gone. I knew something bad was about to happen. The moment she opened her mouth on that stage, she was dying. The windows rolled down when she almost fell trying to drown herself. She was hurting herself, wasn't she?

It was the only explanation.

Why did she have that bruise then?

Loren Bell was the only one allowed in the room until her father would come and allow us permission to see her.

The thing was, he didn't show up.

Victoria had nothing that was too bad, her rib cage was fine, just very damaged. Even there, he should have come. None of us truly was surprised, that was what happened when you had a filthy rich family. Her father was the most powerful man in this town. He valued family, or so he said. He proved to us that he didn't give the slightest fuck about her.

"Is she okay? She'll be fine, right?" Alexei asked, his voice trembling with fear. He was worried, he really was scared for her.

I twisted my head to see Loren standing in front of us, his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't happy to see us, why would he have been? We didn't belong here. I didn't even want to go. But now that we were there, I wanted nothing more than to go into that room and hug her.

His eyes were red and his cheeks were wet. I presumed he had been crying. Why? It was nothing too serious. Victoria was going to be okay, she was tough.

Was that why she forgot everything about me? About us?

"She's awake," he said, looking me up and down. He was stiffed, why was that? Did I make him nervous?

Awn. He was scared I was going to take away his girl, wasn't he?

"She's asking for you, Torrance"

Something stirred inside me. Like birds singing around, never seeing them too long on the ground. I was flying and then I was down. It was exactly like a roller coaster.

She asked for me?

"Now!" He snapped, his eyes finally meeting mine. He didn't understand. In fact, none of the people in this room understood, except Will.

Was she remembering?

Why was she asking for me?

"Alright, tiger," I said, brushing his shoulder as I opened the door and went inside.

I didn't have time to be here, Banks was waiting for me. We had school tomorrow and for fuck's sake, she wasn't remembering. I tried to make this memory of her work but nothing worked. Why would it work now?

I didn't need this rollercoaster anymore.

But, I craved it.

As I approached her bed, her eyes didn't leave mine. There was something extremely appealing about them. And something very dark, too. She was suffering. About what? What was it that made her life so miserable?

Was it her mother?

"Hi" Her voice belonged to a little angel. My little redhead, she didn't know why she made me come here in the first place. I didn't want to fill in the gaps. I was already so nervous, my heart tumbling and pounding as she gestured for me to sit down.

I watched her, every time she walked through a door, every single time. Now she wanted me?

"Hey" I scratched the back of my neck. Our eyes locked and I wondered what her friends were thinking, what mine were thinking. Whatever it was, I didn't want to know, I didn't want to hear it.

I'd walk out of that door, pretending as if nothing happened. Because I was pretty sure nothing was going to happen. She had trouble keeping eye contact, she didn't fucking know why I was here.

Her pretty mouth of hers didn't open, her lips weren't moving. What did she want from me?

"You doing okay?" I asked and crossed my arms over my chest. Her gaze fell to my biceps and I smirked. I wouldn't let her take over me, not again.

I stayed away from her before, I could do it again. Only if she stopped looking at my arms like that.

"Yeah" she quietly whispered, her bright blue eyes meeting mine once again. Up in flames, there I went. She wanted me, she denied it but she wanted me.

Now, I really tried not to think about her, I really tried not to think about showing her, about reminding her.

But, I saw this little flash of hope. Her thumb brushed her nose and I think my eyes grew wide, out of their eyelids. She narrowed her eyebrows and she must have felt it too, the tension.

"I- thank you" she avoided looking at me. She locked her hands together and played with her fingers. What was she trying to hide?

"For what?"

"Helping me?" She questioned, her eyes narrowing. She used to do that when we were younger.

She was anxious, having me here in the same room with her, and alone. What did she think would happen?

"That was Kai" I teased her. But, teasing her was teasing me. She didn't smile or frown. She was just confused and I knew, she was trying to remember. She couldn't, could she?

I waited for her to talk again.

She didn't.

I tilted my head to the side, trying to catch her eyes. She was running away, she was waiting for me to chase her.

I was already doing that, couldn't she see? Of course not. She had eyes only for her dear friends. This fucking Loren Bell.

"I'll go get him"

I stood up and she grabbed my wrist Her fingers lit up my entire body and I couldn't walk away. I think it happened to her too because she gasped.

I drew in a short breath before daring to advert my eyes to hers. The twisted look in her eyes made me mistake it for mischief. She was rebelling, against everything and everyone. Maybe I could help with that, I thought.

As I was about to say something again, James Lane opened the door and Victoria let go of my wrist just as quickly. A vision of us together running around on Devil's night made it through my brain.

She wanted rebellion?

I could show her.

In fact, we would all show her.

Why not try to make her remember at the same time?