Carter Brothers: Dane (OLD VERSION)

Chapter 15

 Chapter 15

Meanwhile, Kate turns up at Emery's door. Her mom left within minutes of Kate's arrival to quickly nip to the mall to find an outfit to wear for her date on Sunday. Slipping in a sappy but cute cliché movie they both get out some nail polish to paint their toes.

"Dane's upset," states Kate nonchalantly trying to ease into the conversation they've been trying to avoid for the past ten minutes. 
"He has every right to be," sighs Emery.
"I think he's overreacting. It was just a hug," voices Kate.

Emery sighs again, deciding to recount the events concerning Blake Grant to Kate. She can trust Kate and knows Kate won't say anything out of line to Dane or gossip. 

"Ew! That perv! Still, I should have known it'd be Charlotte behind the posters."
"Well, it's only speculation but it seems likely. Though she must have had help...not that it matter now. The damage is done and either way I'm sure Dane will listen to me, so Charlotte can just...suck it!"

Kate grins hearing Emery finally release some anger towards Charlotte. Kate had been starting to worry about Emery's mental state; how can one girl remain so indifferent to her bully? It's almost a relief to see that Emery holds some resentment to Charlotte and her awful behaviour.

"That is so true-" points out Kate cut off by Emery's phone beeping.
As soon as Kate had come around, she'd switched off the silent mode on Emery's phone and placed it on the desk for when Dane may call. As much as Kate loves her two friends, she doesn't want to watch them get it on and so had asked Dane to text either Emery or herself when he's on his way around. 
“That’s weird,” frowns Emery. 
“What is?” asks Kate, unfolding her legs and rising to her feet. 
“It’s a voice message...from Dane,” replies Emery still unsure if she wants to open it. What if it’s one of those kinds of messages? Kate’s still in the room. And if that's the case, it sure would be embarrassing. 
“Well, go on. Open it. I swear I won’t ‘aww’ at it,” grins Kate. 
“Not a word, okay?” retorts Emery. 
“My lips are sealed,” nods Kate making a show of zipping her lips and locking it. 
“Okay, here goes...”

‘...’
“What the-”
“Shh,”
“Okay, sorr-”

‘It meant nothing Emery. You meant nothing to me. It was all just a game. I never loved you and never will. You’re nothing more than a frigid, ugly, nerd that couldn’t satisfy me. I’m sorry you have this unhealthy obsession with me but just leave me alone! Don’t talk to me again.’

 

Both girls stare at the phone in shock. Unknowingly to her, tears start streaming down her cheeks like the monsoon rain. Then drop off her jaw and soak into her grey t-shirt turning the material black. 
Emery doesn’t know what to say, or what to think. Her mind's a whirlwind of pain, confusion and abandonment. How can he do this to her? Why?! ‘A frigid, ugly, nerd’ The same words he'd said she was not; now he’s saying she is? Was he lying to her before? Does he really believe she's those things? Why wouldn’t he? The rest of the student body believes it, or at least they did until today. Is he breaking up with her because of that? 

“Emery,” begins Kate in a gentle voice.
 Kate can’t believe her friend would do this and to his mate. He'd always seemed so in love with her. Why the change of heart? Why didn’t he tell her? 
“Kate...don’t, please,” whispers Emery. Still processing the pain. 

Two arms wrap around Emery’s sides and she finds herself pressed into Kate. Sobs draw from her lips as she cries softly into her only friend’s embrace. 

Minutes later and Emery's managed to pull herself together, at least for now. Her mind still burns with the single question-why? She nearly snorts to herself. He’d explained that, she reminds herself. He doesn’t like her. It was all just a game. 

“Ems, are you-“
Kate’s phone buzzes. Taking it out she stares at the text incredulously. 
“It’s him isn’t it?” breathes Emery. 
“Yeah. The asshole-the nerve of him-the-”
“Kate. Stop...What does he want?” 
“He asks how you are and if he can come ‘round. I can’t believe-! Ugh! Don’t worry Emery, I’ll kick his ass for you!” determinedly growls Kate, furiously texting a reply.
 Emery allows Kate to show her support through the anger but Emery's far from angry herself.

 She just can't bring herself to feel angry-she feels far too betrayed for that. She'd trusted him. Despite all her doubts and concerns, she'd put her heart out on the line like that and he'd torn it to shreds.  She just can’t believe how much he's managed to screw her over.
 He lied. About everything.
She’d asked him right at the start if it was a game and he’d said no. He convinced her no. He told her to trust him. He made her trust him. He took her to incredible heights-undeniably pleasurable, ecstatic heights. And she let him. She shouldn’t have let her heart wander like that. She should have only lost her mind in those times not her heart as well, because now look at it...shattered and grinded into a fine powder. It was already cracked when he rejected her the first few years but this...this is too much. 

“Kate...I want to be a-alone,” whispers Emery, feeling a gaping, empty, hole in her chest where one vital organ should be.  
Kate bites her lip, wondering if it’s the best thing to leave a broken-hearted girl alone. But it is her request...
Fiercely hugging her, Kate decides to do as Emery wishes, despite her own instincts. 
“Alright, but promise me you won’t talk to that bastard yet. I need to kick his ass first. And no trashing your room or pigging out on ice-cream, trust me you’ll regret that later,” smiles Kate getting a watery, quiver of Emery’s lips in return. 
“Wait, Emery are sure you want me to leave? I can stay if you want. We could watch boy-hating films?” 
“Thanks Kate but I-I just...I just need time to wrap my mind around the fact that....Da-Da-he...he’s...rej-reject...”Sobs break through and Kate hugs her crying friend again. 
“Shh...it’s alright. You’re alright. It’s normal to cry. Don’t worry. But tomorrow, I’m coming around and we’re going to get mind of ‘he who shall not be named’ but tonight...you’re allowed to cry and feel sad. He was your mate.”
Was. Oh God. Emery shudders into more sobs but nods absently against Kate’s shoulder. 
“Thank you, Kate. I’ve never had a friend before,” mutters Emery. 
“Well you got me now, and trust me, I’m sticking around...Okay, leaving now, but I will be back tomorrow remember.”

Emery agrees and escorts Kate out. She locks the front door and drags herself back up to her room before sliding down the wall with her phone in hand. Another onslaught of tears come before the raking cries and bellowing sobs. With those off her chest, her eyes blink out the few remaining tears even though the sobs continue. It's cruel and she knows she shouldn’t do it but too late, she presses the keys to replay the message, wanting to dissect it word-for-word.

As the message played, she focuses on the first few lines.
‘Nothing. Game’. What about when he said it wasn’t just a game?  Oh for fuck’s sake, Emery, she growls to herself. How could you fall for that? Fall for him when he said that you mean something to him? Look at yourself, she snorts.
That brought her onto the next few sentences. ‘Never loved. Frigid, ugly, nerd. Couldn’t satisfy me.’ So he hadn’t meant it when he said he loved her? He promised he wouldn’t leave her! Frigid, ugly, nerd. Frigid, ugly, nerd. They ran through her mind, again and again. She’d heard them before. Countless times. But coming from Dane, it just hurts too much. Especially when he’d numerously told her he didn’t see her as those things...and now-now the harsh, bitter truth finally comes out. Which brings her onto the last bits of the message. ‘Unhealthy obsession with him. Leave him alone. Don’t talk to him.’ She’ll show him obsession, she thinks. Pain flows into anger and she vows she’d do as he wants and leave him alone. She doesn’t want to turn into a Charlotte after all and if Dane doesn’t want her, then she doesn’t need nor want Dane. 

“Emery! Oh sweetheart, you just have to help me for this da-...Emery? What’s-what are you doing? What’s wrong?” 
Tory drops the shopping bags and heads for her huddled up daughter. She bends down and gently touches her shoulder. 
“Emery?” She asks again.
 Emery turns her wet face to her mother. Tory stares back at her in alarm. What could have possibly happened in the 1 1/2 hours she’d been away? 
“M-mom...he-I-he...Listen,” chokes Emery, pressing the play on the recording once again.  

Tory feels her mind freeze over. To think she’d trusted him with her daughter. Now look what he’s done to her. And after promising he’d take care of her. 
“Oh...my,” breathes Tory, slouching next to her daughter and hugging her.
 She says nothing as she strokes Emery’s hazel hair and lets her sob to her heart’s content.
“I thought he was one of the good ones, mom. But...But, I guess he’s no better than dad,” murmurs Emery causing Tory’s heart to crack a little.
Her little girl had never had the best male role models and she’d hoped Dane could help her to trust in mates again-love too, but...maybe it’s the Collin’s curse. To never have a reliable, good, loving mate. 
“Emery, I’m so, so, sorry. You don’t deserve this, sweetheart. You honestly don’t, but there will plenty of other good guys out there, who will treat you right and never break your heart,” soothes Tory wondering why Dane would do or rather say such things to his mate. It makes no sense. He seemed so into her. What could have possibly changed?
"Sweetheart...do you think, there's something else going on? Maybe you should talk to him-"
"After everything he said, mom?! Didn't you hear him? He wants me to leave him alone. He doesn't-he doesn't want to be with me, seen with me and I...I can't listen to it again mom. Not face to face. I just can't...." cries Emery. How could this be a misunderstanding? It's Dane's voice that's saying all of that-there's no denying that and apart from Kate, who else at school has her number? As much as it pains her, she has to accept that it's him-the real him. Not the one she thinks she knows.
"Okay...okay, baby, shhh, it's all going to be okay," soothes Tory, knowing that teenage heartbreak is just a small bump in the long road of life but nonetheless it still hurts like hell.



Dane on the other hand, re-reads the text from Kate, in confusion and fury. Why the hell is his friendcalling him an ‘a-hole’? Baffled and tired he decides to just go home; if Emery doesn’t want to see him, then fine. He'll deal with it tomorrow. Today's been a fully loaded day as it is.  

He's just managed to dump his football bag in his room when there's loud banging of his front door. 
“Kate!” he cries in shock. 
“Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing, Dane Carter! Huh? Breaking that poor girl’s heart like that-“
“Kate. Stop,” orders Dane, snatching the prodding finger from his chest and flinging it away. 
“What are you talking about? Who’s heart?” he asks confused. 
“Don’t you dare act innocent Dane! Emery’s crying her eyes because of you. How could stuff like that and to her? Your mate!”
“Okay, now I really am lost and Kate you better calm down...Why is Emery crying? Stuff like what? I have no idea what’s going on so better start explaining instead of accusing,” grits out Dane.
He’s never really loses his temper. He doesn't have much of one in the first place. But today seems to be a day of exceptions and surprises. Unpleasant surprises at that too. 
“Wait. You really have no idea?” asks Kate in bewilderment.
What the fuck is going on? She takes a moment to analyse Dane for any motions that might prove him guilty. But he stands his ground, firmly as ever. 
“Give me your phone,” she then demands.
Confused, he sees no reason not to, so reaches for his phone from the back pocket of his jeans. Handing it over he watches silently as she goes through it to find his last sent message. Playing the recording he listens to himself in shock. 

“I never said that and I never sent that,” he growls in a low tone, feeling his anger peek at an ultimate high.
“Oh really? Well, it’s your voice and it’s sent from your phone! Who the fuck else could imitate your voice that well, record it on your phone and send it to your girlfriend?!” cries Kate.
Dane can’t help the rage that overtakes him as he traps Kate against the door behind her. Kate's own rage fuels at that move. 
“Don’t you fucking dare get angry Dane. If anyone should be mad, it’s your mate! She’s heart-broken and it’s all your fault. You lied to her Dane, you made her trust you and now, you’ve crushed her. Every tear that’s fallen from her eyes, that’s all on you Dane. I hope you can fucking live with yourself having destroyed your own mate,” lowly spits Kate, darting out of Dane’s loosening grip and slipping out of the apartment. 

Kate dashes home herself, replying her conversation with the pair. She can't believe Dane would do something like that...she wants to believe him when he says he didn't. But the evidence....the evidence is far too compelling and she can't just ignore that. Not when it's right there in front of her. Coupled with Emery's heartbreak, Kate finds herself sliding more towards the side that labels Dane as a traitor. Still a part of her, just can't let go of the notion that he's innocent. Confusion clouds her mind and has no idea what to think of it all but she knows one thing-she is so over this bullshit high-school drama.



When Kate leaves, Dane doesn't bother chasing her down; she’d said what she wanted to anyway. All Dane can do now is numbly replay himself spitting words of disgust towards the one he loves, only to feel the self-hatred wash over him. What has he done? What the hell has he done? He has to prove his innocence to her. He just has to.
He tries calling her several times only to have them be ignored. 
“Goddamit!” he yelps in frustration. They're all going to voicemail. Guess he'll just have to leave a message then.
"Emery, please call me back. Please, Honey Bee. I need to explain..That message wasn't me. I would never say or even think though things about you...I love you. Please, please, don't ignore me Honey Bee. Please."

And with that message flings the gadget of all this mess onto the couch and exhales slowly. He needs to set this right. He's come too far-fallen too hard-to lose his mate now. 

A/n Please, DO NOT leave death threats, vulger language filled comments ect.. about/to Charlotte. It makes me feels highly uncomfortable to read them and if I feel uncomfortable reading them then I'm sure there are others too that feel the same way. 
You are of course, more than welcome to express your opinion of her but as readers/writers I'm sure you can come up with something more creative than 'bitch'/swearing. 
All that being said, she is a purely fictional character and her role is vital in this simple plot (as I'm sure you've realised). 
Thank you for support (and making it this far :P)