Running

Chapter 8

"You are a good shot." Corey said, as they walked back in the house from shooting targets.

Vyla grinned at him, "Thanks. You'll get better too one day." She said gigglng.

He smirked and narrowed his eyes at her, "Laugh it up smartass." He said jokingly.

" Come on, I need to get some clothes." She said pulling him up the stairs to her room.

He sat on the bed watching her pull some of her clothes out of the closet. "So I was wondering," he started, "Have you ever been to one of our shows before?"

"No. I haven't. Probably never will honestly." She said. "Too many people. I, uh, get panic attacks in crowds." She said embarrassed.

" What if you could watch back stage on a TV or something?" He asked.

" Why are you asking me this?" She asked him.

"We have a show next weekend. And we start a new tour in 2 months. I want you to come with me for both." He said carefully.

He saw her instantly freeze. She had her back to him, and she didn't turn around. "Why? Why do you want me to go?" She asked still not turning to face him.

" Because I can't leave you by yourself. And I don't want to either. It's not safe for you." He said.

"I don't need a babysitter Corey." She snapped at him.

"I know that. But you also said you would let me help you, right?" He asked

"Fuck! You really think this is easy for me? I went from no one in my life for years, to having you in a matter of days? Do you have any idea how insane this is? Can you give me at least a few days to think about it?" She asked, turning to face him. "I also have a job too, remember?"

"A job you hate." He pointed out.

She sat down on the floor, burying her face in her hands, sighing.

Corey sat down beside her, pulling her to his chest, "I didn't mean to upset you. I, wasn't thinking. I'm sorry." He said gently

"Stop apologizing. You didn't do anything wrong. This has just been so much for me to take in. I have had a shitty 10 years. I keep waiting for something bad to happen now that my life is just looking up a little bit. I am petrified." She said pulling away from him. "I just need a little time to take all of this in ok? You don't need to apologize all the time. I'm not made of glass. I'm not going to break." She said turning to look at him.

"I know your not. But maybe you need to break and let someone take care of you for once." He said as she looked away from him. "It's okay to trust other people, and it's ok to admit when you need help." He continued.

" You have any idea how hard that is to rely on other people to help me? I don't know how to." She said looking back at him.

He grinned at her and said, "Well admitting it is the first step."

"You're an ass." She laughed, making him laugh too. He nodded in agreement.

" So where are you from?" He asked.

"Originally? Springfield Illinois. I lived there all my life until 3 years ago. I have been all over Illinois, and most of Iowa since. This is the longest I have stayed in one place. I have been here about 6 months." She said turning back to grab more clothes from her closet. "What about you?" She asked.

" You don't already know?" He asked sarcastically. He figured she would have googled him by now.

" What? I really don't. Was I supposed to search you on the web or something? I honestly only watched some UTube videos, and listened to you guys on Pandora. I can search the web if you rather." She said scowling at him.

"No I just figured you had done some reading on all of us is all. I didn't mean to be a dick about it." He said feeling bad for giving her shit now. "I'm from Des Moines. And Waterloo." He said. He looked at her as she nodded her head.

"So I wanted to ask you, why weren't you bothered when I sat down at the coffee shop?" He asked

" Because you got rid of that dick bag that was bothering me. You honestly looked rather amused by it all." She smirked zipping up her bag.

"I was actually. That guy wasn't taking no for an answer, but you weren't fucking around with him, huh? I thought if I didn't step in, he may of gotten his ass kicked." He chuckled.

"He was going to get his ass kicked. I was already pissed off and that dick bag grabbing at me like I was his property about set me off. I didn't even see you come up until you spoke. I was zeroed in on ripping that guy's fucking head off. I was even more surprised when I realized it was you that stepped in." She said feeling pissed off all over again.

" What made you leave that night? What made you so scared?" He asked softly.

Sighing, she got up and started pacing the room. He sat on the floor watching her as she spoke. "He sent a text. He asked how the coffee was, and told me he loved the color green in me. He asked if my new 'boyfriend' was ok with dying. I knew I had to get away from you. I was planning on leaving town right then. When I started to walk up the block, hoping to catch a cab back here, he came out of fucking no where. All I felt was his hand on my throat and then being slammed into a brick wall. I remember yelling back and forth, and then him backhanding me. I didn't even feel the pain. I was just pissed. I was going to jump on him, then you showed up." She said starting to feel sick again. " He really is a cunt, you know? Shit. Sorry. Hope I didn't hurt your virgin ears." She said dryly as she kept pacing.

" So he was watching us? That's fucked up." Corey said trying to make sense of it all.

Before she could respond, Corey heard his car alarm going off. They looked at each other. She was fucking terrified. "Grab that bag Corey. We have to go Now!" She yelled as she picked up the other bag and they ran downstairs.

Peeking out the curtain, they saw the tires of his car were slashed. "Fuck! Fuck!" She whispered. " Come on, we are taking Elenore." She whispered, making him confused by who Elenore was.

She grabbed her keys off the keyrack, and they quietly crept to the garage. Opening the door to the garage, she kept the lights off. She unlocked the doors, and they both got in. She put the key in the ignition, looked at him and said, "Buckle up and hold the fuck on." She pressed the button opening the garage door, and slammed it in reverse, squealing the tires. " You have 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500? Are you serious?" He yelled.

" We can talk about it later!" She yelled getting close to the gate. She looked around and didn't see anyone as the gate opened, and she floored it.

As she turned the corner of the road they were on, she saw Mason. But he was just standing there smiling as she sped away.

"Why is he standing there like that?" Corey demanded.

"He's fucking with me." She said quietly.

She was flying down the road, almost in a trance. She grabbed the front pocket of Corey's shirt, pulling out his cigarettes. She grabbed one out of the pack, pulling a lighter from her bag next to her. She lit it, inhaling the smoke, then exhaling.

"I didn't know you smoked." He said staring at her. "What else don't I know about?" He asked.

She glanced at him, then the rearview mirror, making sure they weren't being followed. "You really want to do this right now?" She asked, taking another drag.

He lit a cigarette, staring at her. "Yeah. I do." He said, sounding almost angry.

She drove a few more minutes. She suddenly jerked the car around a corner, and down a short road, leading them to a pond. She slammed the car in park, and killed the engine.

"What!? What else do you want from me!?" She snapped at him, as she whipped around in her seat to glare at him.

"What other secrets do you have? Anything else I should know?" He demanded, almost glaring at her. She noticed his eyes had darkended. They were a deeper blue, and he looked at her intimidatingly.

"The car was my dad's. I got it when they died. I wasn't going to sell it. It's a rare fucking car, and it was my dad's pride and joy. It holds a ton of memories for me. I had quit smoking, but I am stressed as fuck right now, so I started again! Happy now?!" She yelled, not noticing the tears falling down her face. "My parents died in a car accident, and my brother blew his fucking head off and no one knows why."

She threw open the car and got out, walking away from him. Corey opened his door, following close behind her. She stopped, turning to face him, but kept her distance from him. Her face was red with anger, her eyes red from tears.

He could tell her tears weren't that of sadness. They were tears of rage and anger. Years of repressed anger, spilling to the surface at all once. She was raging pissed off.

Her hands clenched in fists at her sides, her knuckles white. Her chest heaving almost. She looked like she was ready to go toe to toe with Mike Tyson.

He actually felt a little intimidated by her. He had seen plenty of women pissed at him over the years, but this was a whole different level of rage he had never seen in one woman.

He knew he needed to tread lightly approaching her. He slowly walked closer to her, hands at his side's, not wanting to scare her. His eyes were locked with hers. He knew she was ready for a fight. If he wasn't careful, she may knock him on his ass.

"But let's not forget about my ex boyfriend either, right?" She spat at him. "I did a stand up job on that one, huh? Let's pick the most sadistic fucker on the planet. Good job Vyla. And, hey, maybe he'll beat the shit out of me, and put me in the hospital numerous times. Or better yet, maybe if I didn't have the house to his liking, maybe I would get the shit kicked out of me AND raped in the same fucking day! Or how about when he wouldn't let me go to my own brother's funeral? Is that enough of my shitty life for you Corey!?" She was screaming at him now.

"Stop." He said quietly, moving closer to her.

"No! Fuck You! You wanted to know! You don't get to back out because it's too hard for you to hear! You dont get to pick and choose! You want to know me? Well this it! Every fucked up part of me! So fuck off!" She yelled backing up slightly from him.

He took a chance, stepping forward, figuring he would get hit by her, and grabbed her waist, trying to pull her to his chest. She started to smack at his hands, almost as a warning to him, while she pulled back from him.

He grabbed her again, "Vyla, stop. Please." He said gently. She pushed on his chest, trying to get away from him. He tightened his grip around her, holding her closer to him.

Feeling defeated, she stopped fighting. He hugged her and she cried even harder than she did the first night, throwing out a scream every now and again, as she clung to him. Her hands gripping the front of his shirt tightly.

"Look at me Vyla," he said trying to pull back from her. She clung to him harder, shaking her head. "Vy, look at at me." He said in an almost demanding tone.

She didn't want to look up. She wanted to turn and run away from him. Slowly, she eased her grip, pulling back from him slowly, she looked up at him.

He gently took his thumb, wiping the tears from her face. His eyes had tears in them too. "None of that makes me hate you. Dont you see? You cant push me away that easily. None of that makes me want to get away from you. We all have a past. Some worse than others. I meant what I said today. I love you." He said in almost a whisper.

" What? How can you love me after how shitty I was to you just now? After the shit I just told you? Why? Why would you still love me?" She asked, looking at him in amazement.

" Because I love all of you. Good and bad. That's what love is." He said pulling her in and kissed her. He was kissing her like he would never see her again. They pulled away, and looked at each other

" Come on, let's get out of here." He said.

She tossed him the keys, and walked around to the passengers side. He caught them, staring at her, surprised that she would trust him enough to drive it.

"Corey," she said, "I love you," smiling softly, then getting in the car.

He smiled, opening the car and getting in. He started up the car, backing out onto the road. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly as he drove.

"Be nice to my car. If your not, I may cut your balls off." She said sarcastically

He laughed, "I don't doubt it for a second." He said.

They arrived back at his house a little while later. He looked over at her and she was asleep. Grinning, he got out, opened her door, and picked her up. She stirred slightly against him.

He carefully opened the door to the house, and carried her to his bedroom. She was exhausted. He could tell from the dark circles under her eyes she hadn't slept well in a long time.

He laid her down, pulling her shoes off. He took his shirt and pants off, leaving his boxers on. He looked at her and thought, 'There is no way she can be comfortable wearing jeans to bed' He started to take her pants off, hoping she wouldn't wake up. As he started to pull them down, her eyes instantly snapped open. She started fighting him. She was kicking and hitting at him blindly. One of her throws, connected with his face. 'Fuck! She can hit' he thought, shaking his head in disbelief. "Vyla! Vy! It's just me. It's Corey." He said to her.

She was panting, looking around the room, not realizing where she was. She looked at him and realized it really was him, and not Mason. "Oh, oh my god! I'm so sorry Corey! I'm, I, didn't mean....I didn't." She said crying, not able to find the words.

"Shhh. It's ok. Don't be sorry. I was just trying to make you more comfortable. You're ok now." He said hugging her. He pulled her back to lay down. "Don't worry about it. I'm good." He said comforting her. "Go to sleep. I'm right here." He whispered.

"I can't. I can't believe I did that to you. I...I just...I thought..." She started

"I know." Was all he said holding her close. They wrapped their legs around each others. She was laying on his chest listening to him breathe. She started relaxing, taking comfort in his heartbeat.

Soon they both drifted off to sleep. Not letting go of the other one.

Hours later, she woke up scared. She started to pull away from Corey, when he tightened his hold on her. "There's nothing there baby." He said quietly in the dark. "You don't need to check the door. I already did." he said.

"Oh." Was all she said.

"Baby, lay down. It's ok. You don't have to be scared at night anymore." He said softly pulling her back to him.

"I'm really sorry about the entire fucking day." She said not looking at him. "I will pay for your car to get fixed. And I REALLY didn't mean to hit you. Or yell at you. Or tell you to fuck off." She rambled.

Corey chuckled, "You're not fixing my car. I don't care. It's a car. I know you didn't mean to hit me. Or yell at me. Or tell me to fuck off." He said jokingly.

"Why did you get mad at me earlier when we left my house?" She asked.

"Mad at You? I wasn't mad. I knew you were at your breaking point. And I knew if I didn't get you to yell at me or talk to me. You never would. So, I, uh gave you a little push. Um, I knew you needed to get it out, and it kinda seemed like the right time. I didn't realize how scary you are when you are mad though." He chuckled nervously.

She slowly turned her head up to him. She sat up, and turned on the light. She narrowed her eyes at him, and this time it was him who looked away. "You decided to fuck with me then?" She asked almost eerily calm, staring at him, watching him move uncomfortably under her.

"I...no! I didn't fuck with you. I just wanted you to let everything out...thought I might of been helping....maybe I didn't help..." He was almost squirming away from her now.

"I'm fucking with you dude." She said smiling, watching him breathe a sigh of relief. She giggled at him. "You said I was scary when I was mad. Guess I am, huh?" She smirked at him.

He narrowed his eyes playfully at her. "You're going to pay for that." He said grabbing her and tickling her sides. She squealed and laughed as he hovered over her and tickled her. "Okay! Okay! I give up! She cried out laughing. He stopped and stared at her. "What?" She asked smiling at him.

"I like seeing you smile." He said smiling at her. He leaned down kissing her tenderly.

"I didn't hurt you earlier when I hit you, did I?" She asked sheepishly, looking down at her hands.

"Let me just say, if you were to ever fully hit someone, I am positive you would knock them out." He chuckled. "I'm fine. Stop worrying." He smiled at her.

"My brother taught me how to fight when I was younger. Just wish I wouldn't have been scared when I needed to actually use it. Maybe things would of been different." She said looking back at her hands.

"You did what you needed to do in order to survive. I don't think you gave up. Otherwise you wouldn't be here." He said grabbing her hand and kissing it.

"Are you hungry at all?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "I can't really eat right now. I feel sick. My ulcer has been acting up." She said laying back down. "Go eat if your hungry, dork." She smiled at him.

"Dork? Are you 12?" He laughed at her.

"I'm 39, you ass hat." She chuckled.

"Ass hat? Really?" He laughed "Know what I like about you?" He asked her.

"I have a great set of tits, and an awesome car?" She asked playfully, raising her eyebrows at him.

Corey laughed, "Well l agree that both of those are awesome perks, I'm not going to lie. But I was going to say....everything." He said.

"You're making me blush! Go eat!" She smiled at him. He climbed over her, half laying on her,

"I think it's hot when you blush. And when your pissed, it really turns me on." He said wiggling his eyebrows at her. "You get demanding, and bossy. It's hot." He said smiling at her.

She laughed, "Go eat so you have some energy." She said, watching him raise his eyebrows at her curiously

" Do I need to spell it out for you Taylor?" She laughed at him as he hopped off the bed and ran to the bedroom door.

"Nope. Give me 10 minutes." He smiled at her and ran to the kitchen.