Breaking the Rules - COMPLETED

22: misery

•Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness•
~Markus Zusak

Nate~

When I get back back home, and with home I mean Matt's house, I find it empty.

Weird.

"Mrs. Dennehy?" I shout and put my keys into the bowl that is sitting on top of a small cupboard next to the door.

I'm about to put off my shoes when frantic footsteps race down the steps and a dishevelled looking Emily stops in front of me. Her eyes where red and her lips trembling. I immediately tense up.

"Nate, finally," she breathes and suddenly she is crying. And doesn't stop. I don't know what else to do so I reduce the space between us in a few small strides. I wait for her to push me away as she loved to do but she doesn't so I quickly embrace her as her breathing shallows and sobs escape her.

And just like that her knees give up under her and I lower us slowly to the floor so she won't hurt herself. Her hands clutch my shirt and I hug her even tighter.

"God, Emily, please tell me what's wrong. You're scaring the shit out of me," I breathe. I've never seen her like this. She was always the strong and independent Emily to me. But now I realize that this breakdown, she has been strong for far too long and I would be here for her.

I want to ask where Matt is because he was always the one who could help her. But what she says after she's able to calm herself down a little bit causes a shiver to roll down my spine and my heart to stop.

"It's Matt," she cries. "He had an accident."

--

It took Emily half an hour to calm down enough so we could head over to my car which Keytlin and I picked up after we spent enough time at the beach.

"I don't know what exactly happend," she whispers, her voice still hoarse from crying. "But Mr and Mrs Dennehy and I were just having dinner, waiting for Matt to come back. We had a fight, you know? We had a fight and he left without taking his car. He just stormed out of the house." Her voice cracks and I glance at her in worry. "An hour after dinner the hospital called Mr Dennehy and told him that Matt was in an accident. He got...he got run over by a car."

"Do they have the driver?" I ask quietly, my knuckles whitening as my grip tightens in order to keep me from shaking in anger or worry - I didn't know.

"No." Her tears are back but she still keeps it together. "It was a hit and run. No one saw anything or heard anything. Matt had probably been found an hour or two hours after it happend."

"And what happened after the call?"

"Mrs Dennehy insisted that I should go with her husband to see Matt and she would wait for you since you didn't pick up the phone," she explains.

"Shit, I forgot my phone in my car and-" I start but Emily interrupts me

"It's okay, I called your mum and she said that Keytlin needed your help and you were probably there."

"If I had known-"

"I know. You would've come. It's okay Nate,"she says softly but somehow her understanding aggravates me. My best friend was in an accident and I wasn't there to help him, or his parents or Emily.

Sensing my anger she continues. "It didn't feel right that Matt's mum would be at home while her son was in the hospital. So I stayed behind, in case Matt didn't .. In case he-"

"He'll make it," I interrupt her not wanting to ear the other option.

It's silent afterwards as I race through the streets, desperately trying to reach the hospital as fast as possible.