Then You Look At Me |COMPLETED|

An Eye For An Eye

~Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness. And I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life~ The Fray.

Chapter Theme Song: 'How to Save a Life' by The Fray.

N:B: Chapter contains swearing and violence.

A/N: Swipe left for the song audio :)

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Rainey

Aunt Valerie is sitting at Riley's bedside, sobbing softly in her hands. At the sight of my best friend's battered face, my heart becomes heavier.

"Aunt Val?"

She lifts her head at the sound of my voice. Her eyes are red and swollen, her lips quivering with grief.

"Rainey..." She staggers up from her seat and moves over to me, weeping as she pulls me into a hug. "Oh, dear...what are we going to do?"

I close my eyes, rubbing her back to comfort her. Riley's Dad stands by the drapes of the window, a look of horror on his face as he watches Bailey holding onto his sister's pale hand with wet eyes.

Ansel and Alex both have expressions of distraught as Valerie cries on my shoulder. I am trying to be strong, but her sobs are contagious. Riley has a bandage wrapped around her head and dried blood under her nose. My eyes well with fresh tears as I somehow feel that this is all my fault.

A tear escapes as Valerie pulls away and I quickly sweep it off. "She'll be fine," I tell her but my voice breaks, betraying the confidence I intended to have.

She nods, wiping her nose. "I hope..."

"Where did you guys find her?" I manage to ask, blinking back tears.

"She tried to call me...she tried to call me after they-" she presses a hand against her forehead, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. I rest a hand on her shoulder for encouragement. "She called and she was breathing so heavily; trying to tell me where she was, but she became unconscious right after getting the first word out. Then we tracked her cell and found her in the old warehouse on Vincent's Street."

"FUCK!" Alex curses aloud, pulling everyone's attention. He angrily prowls away, kicking the door on his way out. Riley's Dad stares at his disappearing figure; he seems a bit startled by the sudden outburst.

Ansel forces an apologetic smile. "Sorry for the profanity...he's just mad..."

The man nods in understanding, smiling weakly. "It's okay..."

Ansel purses his lips and leaves the room to find his brother.

"I tried calling you, sweetie. But it went straight to voicemail." Valerie continues, as I turn my face back to her.

"I am sorry...my mom took my cell. Riley and I were texting the night before it all happened, and everything was alright but now-" I am unable to finish the sentence as my heart breaks at the memory. I press a hand over my face. "She was probably trying to call me..."

Valerie lays a hand on my shoulder as she sniffles. "It's okay, it was out of your control, dear. I called your house phone last night and I told your Mom that Riley is in the hospital. I asked her to pass on the message. I guess she didn't..."