The Elements Trilogy: The Secondaries

Chapter 24: Metal

"And stay out!" My sneaker hit the door with a thump, as Derek swung it quickly shut. I felt bad for yelling at him, but I just wanted to be alone and no one seemed to understand that.

I sat alone in the dark room for several minutes, until there was another knock at the door.

I threw my other sneaker at the door, as it started to swing open, and it forced it shut with a slam. "¡Fuera, puta, fuera!" I shouted at whoever it was.

"You know, I don't speak much Spanish," I heard Evie say angrily, her voice muffled by the door. "But I speak enough to know you called me a bitch."

I ignored her, and pulled the covers over my head.

"Tony?" I heard the door creak open a little, and I sprang out of bed. I threw my entire body weight against the door, and it slammed shut against Evie.

My shoulder was jarred, but my mood was greatly improved by Evie's yelp of pain.

I locked the door, and flopped back down onto the bed.

"That's it!" I heard Evie snarl. She began pounding on the door. "Tony, open the damn door!"

"Go away!"

"Tony! Don't make me break down this door!"

"Yeah, I'd like to see you try!" I shot back, and even though I was fairly certain she could, I doubted she would.

She let out a frustrated yell, and continued pounding on the door with such ferocity that I was torn between letting her knock the door down, or opening it, just so she wouldn't hurt herself.

But then suddenly the pounding stopped. "Tony, please?" she asked, her voice sounding pathetic.

I immediately knew what she was up too. Begging. The guilt trip. Trying to act innocent enough to get me to open the door. My little sister used to pull it on me all the time.

"That's not going to work!" I yelled out from under my pillow.

She gave an ear splitting shriek, and then suddenly there was the sound of wood cracking. A rush of wind ruffled the covers around my feet, and I heard the wooden door hit the floor with a thunk.

I calmly lifted the pillow off my head, and gazed around the room. The door was split cleanly in two, the top part still barely hanging on by it's hinges. Evie was standing in the doorway, face red, breathing hard, her knuckles bleeding.

"Why'd you do that?" I complained, shocked that she actually did.

"Why?! You wouldn't let me in!"

"Yeah, and for a damn good reason."

"Too bad, we need to talk."

"You could have knocked," I said bitterly, trying to piss her off.

It worked.

She stomped right into my room, and yanked the covers off of me. "Get up!" she snapped.

"No," I mumbled. I rolled over, burying my face in my pillow.

"Tony, get up!" she said, more impatiently.

"I don't wanna."

"For God's sake, get out of bed!" I was suddenly shoved onto the floor as she pushed me off the bed.

"Leave me alone!" I said as I picked myself up off the floor.

"What is the matter with you?!" she asked angrily.

"What's the matter with me?" I asked, astounded. "I just found out that my girlfriend doesn't love me, and I'm to scared to ask her if its over, because I don't want to hear the answer."

"Diamond does too love you!" she said viciously.

"Then why did she never say it first?!" I spat out.

"Because she was afraid that you didn't love her!"

This stopped me in my tracks.

"What?"

"She was afraid you wouldn't say it back."

"She...she didn't think I loved her?" I asked softly. "She made me say it first cause she didn't think I'd return it if she said it first?"

"Yes!" Evie smiled. "See? You love her, and she loves you. Everything will be-"

"She doesn't think I love her?!" I exploded. "How could she not?!"

Evie jumped, and looked terrified.

"I gave that girl everything! I told her how many times per day that I loved her, and she still didn't think that I did?! After all that I did for her, after everything we've been through?!"

"Tony, wait-"

But I didn't wait. I walked under the broken door, out through the main room and into the hallway.

I felt mental. She didn't think I loved her. What possibly could have made her think that? What did I ever do to even give her the slightest reason to doubt me?

"Tony, wait!" Evie appeared next to me, half jogging to keep up with my long strides. "What are you doing?" she panted.

"I need to talk to Diamond," I said angrily.

"Don't, you'll make her more upset then she already is!"

"Oh, she's upset is she?" I sneered.

"Yes! Tony, think about what you're doing! You're making a huge mistake!"

"Evie, I need to know exactly why she thinks I didn't or don't love her, okay? I don't understand why!"

By now, I had made it to their dorm. I flung the door wide open, and was greeted by a bored looking Evalynn sitting on a couch.

"Where is she?" I snarled.

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me!"

Evalynn rolled her eyes. "In her room. But be nice!"

"Shut up, I'm still mad at you!" I said heatedly.

She gave a huff, and I flung open the door to Diamond's room. "Why do you not think I love you?" I demanded.

She looked startled, staring up at me with her brown eyes, which were red and puffy from crying, and I felt a twinge of guilt for yelling at her.

"I...I don't know," she said quietly.

"What could possibly make you think that?"

She looked down at her bed.

"I don't know." she said again.

"Did I give you any reason not to think I love you? Say, or do anything? Because I have this burning desire to know what I did wrong."

She mumbled something under her breath.

"What?" I asked irritably.

"You didn't do anything wrong." She said louder. "But I was certain I was going too,"

I sat down on the edge of her bed. "Di." I said softly. "There is nothing you could do that would make me stop loving you."

She looked up at me, tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. "Not even if I gained 300 pounds and grew a beard?"

"Hey," I said firmly. "If you could grow a beard, I would be damn impressed.

She gave a small laugh at that, and a single tear slid down her cheek. "Tony?" she said.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

My face split into a huge grin. "I love you too, Diamond."