Baby Sugg

Byrons story part 1

*warning this chapter contains, violence, some readers may find this upsetting and distressing to read. If you have been affected by this please seek help.*

"Dee who the fuck did this to you?" Byron said angrily, "Dee I am not a violent person, quiet the opposite, but I swear to god I am going to beat the shit ought of however did this." He shuffled forwards on his seat leaning towards me. "I'm sorry,  I didn't mean to upset you. It was as Archie wasn't it"  Dee nodded slightly, Byron faced turned again from angry to sad. "I knew it" He out his face in the palm of her hands, "I thought, I told myself, if ever again, if I saw something else or had another suspicion I would say something. I'm so sorry."
"B...Byron" Doe said her voice wavering, she was unsure where this had come from, what Byron was talking, but she knew that she wouldn't want to know.
"I... I felt something, I knew Archie was off, something wasn't right, by the way he spoke to you, his manner. How different you acted around him, when you guys were... when you were kissing and making out and stuff I felt something wasn't right. And... and then on Halloween, it was the first time I saw you two together, the next day, the next day when you were ill I noticed" Byron shakily breathes out slowly and then in again. "I noticed a bruise on your wrist, it made me think. Maybe Archie was aggressive and was inflicting violence upon you, and then I thought maybe I was just being over conscious, maybe it was just physiological, maybe I was looking for signs." Byron put his head in his palms and sighed, "maybe I was trying to make up for last time, when i was oblivious."
"Byron?" Dee whispered quietly from the passenger seat.
"My... my best friend" he managed to stutter out. Byron's deep eyes began to glisten with tears. "I loved her, I loved her so much. But I never told her. And maybe. Maybe if I was confident enough to tell her that I loved her she would still be here." Byron was now struggling to hold back tears. "It's my fault she's dead" tears erupted from his eyes, it had been 5 years since he had spoke about her, and never did he open up and say he loved her, except to her grave, the day she was burried. Doe slowly reached her hand out and held Byron's. he looked up at her gratefully as she gave him a week encouraging smile. "My best friend Grace, we ... we were best friends since diapers. I had been crushing on her for as long as I could remember, but never once told her. I was too scared to, I had no confidence. When we were 18 she met a guy, he was older. 20 I think at the time. Obviously I wouldn't like him, but I pretended to. I made an effort. He wasn't even a nasty guy, in fact I thought he was nice, I really grew to like him. One day Gracie stopped messaging, I didn't see her for at least three weeks. We used to see each other every day. There was only 4 occasions that we didn't see each other in the space of 24 hours, but we always messaged. I assumed she was busy. I texted her once, but didn't want to intrude. A month after not seeing her I called her, George answered, he said she was busy, she couldn't answer the phone. I tried again three hours later but no one answered. Until two weeks before our 19th birthday, she was born the day before me. She used to call me young. And would joke and say, Byron you can't climb this tree yet, your too young. I would then of course do it anyway to prove a point as she was always smaller than me and looked younger, she was like a little sister. And still like a big one at the same time." With the sleeve of his jumper, Byron aggressively wiped his eyes. "I saw her, she seemed off, secluded. Didn't talk much. She was timid, she had lost her bubbly bright personality and her glow. But I... i was oblivious. I then would go to her apartment every day, but she always made me leave before 5, I thought it was because she was busy. 5:30 George would return. George was violent. But would never touch her face. Making me oblivious. The day before her birthday, she was walking weirdly, I asked her if she was ok? Assuming she had pulled a muscle, she told me. She said she was just aching from the gym. I had organised a beach party for our birthday, it was meant to be a surprise for her. But, in her birthday, when I texted her to meet me at the beach, there was no reply. The message was opened, but she didn't reply, she didn't come. I was too drunk to check on her, I tried calling a couple of times, but then I gave up. I began celebrating our birthday." Byron let out another loud cry and wiped his eyes. Dee was watching him, her eyes glistening with tears. "The next morning, I had a lie in, I was hungover. Oblivious to what was happening. Later in the morning I drove to Gracie's to see where she was, why she didn't show yesterday, why she hadn't called me. I was annoyed. I felt betrayed. Ditched."