Always There

Chapter Forty-One

Songs for this chapter:
• If I Die Young - The Band Perry

Chapter Forty-One:

Bryce's POV

I watch her walk away.

Out of the apartment building.

Out of my life.

She'll never be able to leave my heart, though. I hope she knows that.

I don't think I would blame her if she broke up with me. Hell, it sort of seems that she just did break up with me.

I watch the elevator doors slide all the way shut before I turn around.

I walk as slowly as I can back towards the apartment, through the doorway, and into the living room. Scarlett is still sitting on the couch. Her face is in her hands and her shoulders are shaking as she sobs, not even bothering to try and remain quiet or hold in her feelings.

Scarlett doesn't cry very often, and so when she does cry, it's hard to watch. She likes to hold back her emotions to the point that everybody around her thinks that she's a robot, but unbeknownst to her, I see through that facade easily as I do the exact same thing when I'm away from my dad and my girl.

My girl, who is pissed at me for good reason, and will probably never want me to speak to her ever again.

I sit down on the couch next to Scarlett. The apartment is silent except for her sobs as the tears streaming down my cheeks are falling silently.

"I suppose that karma really is a bitch," I mutter, tipping my head up to face the ceiling before leaning back on the couch.

The apartment feels empty without Blossom here.

I don't think I've been home alone for the past month as she likes to be close to me, which I love so fucking much. I know how timid and anxious she can get when she's alone, as she still has all of that trauma from when she was kidnapped, and so I'm thoroughly happy to be at her side no matter what.

But now, she's roaming the streets of downtown New York City alone because she's so mad at me that she won't even look at me.

I want to go find her. I think that really, I need to go find her and make sure that she's safe. I don't want her to do anything stupid and I'm so fucking terrified that something terrible will happen to her.

Perhaps I should call Kennedy. Blossom would probably run to her first. I don't think she has anywhere else to go in this big city where she'll feel safe.

My anxiety is through the roof right now, and I think I should probably go and take my medication, but I'm scared that I'll pass out if I stand up from the couch. My head is pounding and aching and all I want to do is curl up in bed and sob, but I know that the bed will feel empty without Blossom to lay with me.

"I thought that I would feel better if I fucked up your relationship. I thought it would make me happy to see you suffer just a fraction of the suffering I had gone through," Scarlett whispers. Her voice is hoarse from crying. "But I don't feel better. If anything, I feel fucking worse. Lexi is such a sweet girl, even if I hate to admit it, and she loves you with her whole heart. I can see it in her eyes. I can tell that you love her just as much, and apart from all the lying, you seem to treat her really well. She deserves that."

When my eyes meet Scarlett's, I give her a small smile. "You deserve to be happy. So does Anders."

She sniffles, wiping away some of the tears off of her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Fuck, Bryce. We all deserve to be happy. Including you. I just couldn't handle the fact that you found happiness before Andy and I even though you were hurt the least by Brit's death death."