The Complications Of Loving The Opposite Sexes

One Day

I'm alone.

Bare. In a dark room with no one else to call for.

"Hello?" I find myself saying, inching my way farther into the darkness. "Where am I?"

Nothing is heard, except for the echo that my voice makes. I don't understand why I'm here. I don't know what this place is. Then, I think of the worst.

I'm dead.

It's simple. I blacked out from exhaustion and fell into a deep trance that no one could wake me up from. I was probably in a coma for months, years even. And then finally, I died.

But wait, am I not in heaven? Is this where God wanted me to be? Have I committed sins that could not be forgiven?

"Julia!" That's my name. Someone's yelling my name.

"Julia!" I can't move, I'm stuck in the darkness.

"Julia!" I can't breathe, my breathing has stopped.

I can't hear that voice anymore, I don't know who belongs with that voice. Moments later, I hear my name being called again, but it's a different voice.

It's his voice.

Tears pour freely from my eyes as I hear him call my name again. I still can't move. My body is stuck in place and I think I'm starting to lose oxygen. "Jake!" I cry out his name as if I haven't seen him in years and he is the only one that can save me from my darkest nightmares. He is the only one. "Jake!" My voice is cracking, losing its pitch and volume. "Help me!" That's all I can say, I need him.

The ground starts to shake and I look down in fear. I bawl out and my sobs turn into yells and shrieks.

"Jake, Jake! Help, help me please! I need you. Where are you?!" I shout, my voice cracking as I whip my head from side to side, trying to find him through my tears.

Then, I scream. It's an ear piercing, heart shattering, knee weakening and petrified scream that I've never known I could manage. It creates from my stomach and rubs its way up to my neck, breaking its way through the bile in my throat. Everything shakes, and then everything disappears. Leaving white and bright pieces to form around me.

I scream again.

"Jake!" It's the only thing I can say.

"Julia! I'm right here," his voice becomes softer as everything starts to become clearer.

My vision starts to blur some more, but this time, it isn't from the tears.

* * *

I awake with a frightened gasp, finding myself clutching onto my blanket for dear life. Sweat is dominating my body. My heart is racing along with my breathing. I can't find control over myself as a silent whimper is forced out of me.

Why am I in my my room? I question myself in thought. How did I get in here?

 Memories flood through my mind in a flash. The fight, the yelling, the beating. The crying.

"Jake," I murmur, my throat dry.

Maybe I was never in a coma, maybe I only blacked out for a while.

Jake pops out of nowhere and holds me to his side. "Julia, you were screaming." He claims, his hands fiddling through my hair.

"You could hear all that?" I'm a little embarrassed, I thought that was only part of the dream.

Jake pulls back a little and looks me in the eyes. "Of, course I did," he says and then chokes. "It broke my heart." He cries and huddles back into me while I savor the moment.

There are always times when Jake is vulnerable. It usually only happens when he is with me. It could be about the littlest things, really, but when I'm involved, he loses his mind.

That's something that to this day, I still do not understand. I'm nothing. I don't deserve to be cared for, and I most certainly do not deserve Jake.

I hold Jake close with all of my might. "Where's Tyler?" I ask him with my eyes closed. When he doesn't answer, I shake him a little. "Jake," I try again, but he doesn't move. "Where's Tyler?" My voice is more firm and stronger.

I gently pull away to stare at his beautiful face. His face is beaten up and bruised, dry blood smudged away. There are a bunch of scratches along his chin and cheeks and I see a few pieces of glass still lurking on his skin. I look up and meet his beautiful eyelids that are fluttered shut, hiding his wonderful eyes. A ghostly smile forms onto my lips as I stare up at him, watching him as he calms, as he looks utterly beautiful and beyond words breathtaking.

"Jake," I mutter under my breath and I lean in slowly and place my lips on his left cheek. I keep my lips there for a while, and then I pull away with a grateful smile.

 * * *

"Where have you been?" I ask harshly at my brother once he fully enters the house. Through the dim light, I can make out a few bandages covering his hands and wrists. "You've been fighting." I acknowledge dryly.

I walk over to him and stand in front of him, never breaking eye contact. We both stare at each other for what feels like hours, but it might just be minutes. I slowly lift my arm up and slap my brother in the face. The slap booms and stings my palm. Tyler cradle's his face and hisses, both of us breaking our glares.

"You told me you'd stop." I state and slap him again, harder. "You told me you'd stop!" I cry and hit him again. I kick and punch out of anger, angry for reasons only we know. "You said you wouldn't be like him! You said you'd protect us! You said you have been taking it, too! You're a liar, a liar, a liar, a fucking liar!" I continue for a while before I freeze, the feeling of guilt flooding through my system.

I crouch down, holding my stomach in the process, and I fall to my knees, tears falling to the floor. "Why did you do it?" I squeak, my voice so low that it's barely a whisper.

Tyler holds my chin and lifts my head up, gazing into my eyes with sadness. "I don't know," he mumbles back and we both just look at each other with tears.

"You have to stop," I inform him and sniffle. "I'm serious." I stand up.

Tyler nods his head and looks down. "Where's Jake?"

Jealousy swirls in the pit of my stomach and I frown, giving my brother a hard stare. "In my room, why?" I step closer to him and he puts his hands up in mock defeat.

"Whoa, I'm sorry, I only want to apologize. I didn't mean to step on your tail." He smirks and I know that our brother and sister moment has ended. "Don't worry, I won't steal your man." Too late.

"I don't like him." I love him. "He's my friend." He's my everything.

***

Finis! Oui, j'ai finis cet chapitre pour vous!

I'm done this one.

Please check out my other books.

Oh, and have a Happy Halloween, (I won't be updating then, so yeah).

Byers!