"Autumn?!?!" He looked into the empty living area. Did he not see her come in here? He scratched his head thoughtfully. He looked around again and noticed the bathroom light on.
No matter how much he wanted to win this bet, he didn't want to be..rude. But...he could hear sounds, sounds that a normal person wouldn't make in the bathroom....
He slowly nudged the door open and gasped.
"Autumn, hunny whats wrong?!" She was in a crumbled heap on the floor a towel wrapped around her soaking wet body. Rivlets of water were cascading down her shoulders from her hair being sopping wet. She didn't say a word, just continued to let out gut wrenching sobs that filled his heart with pain.
"Kevin.." that one word was held with so much remorse, disdain and pain. It was barely a whisper and he had to crane to be able to hear it.
"Autumn..." his legs were immoble stone bricks. His mouth was agape in horror, he could barely keep from tears rolling down his cheeks.
She curled in on herself and started shivering. Thats when he noticed how pale she looked. He also noticed that there was alot of water on the ground and bits and pieces of a cell phone strewn about. Still not knowing what to do, he just stood there and stared in horror as the sobs seemed to go on and on...not letting up once, not even for air. It was the sound of a woman who just lost her whole world. A world not even he could help put back together.
He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, watching her crying. A piece of his heart broke off each time he would hear her yell. Not being able to take it anymore, he bolted from the bathroom,hating himself for it. He could handle sex and even an occassional compliment. Heartbreak, however, was a whole different story.
Autumn gasped for air for what seemed like the millionth time tonight. Her nose, which was soo red from her crying was running with her tears, making it impossible to tell the difference between the two. The pain in her chest hadn't subsided once. Kevin entering the bathroom was long forgotten as she curled in on herself and began to sob even loouder. Hoping the noise would help the pain go away.
How did this happen? Someone so beautiful, carefree, young. Guilt rushed through her as she remembered their last words to each other before she left to persue her dreams.
"Why can't you just understand, I don't want to be like you! I don't want to have to work 100 hours a week just to barely get by! I want to do what I love, not what I'm good at. I might be good at dancing, but I don't want to be you, mom. Please just try to understand." Her mother looked at her with disapproving eyes and turned her nose up at her. She didn't support her dreams, but her dad, her dad always did. Her dad beamed at her then made a gesture behind Molly's (her mom) back.
"No daughter of mine is going to run a resteraunt with the commoners and go to college. Thats for people who don't have anything else to do. Autumn, you have the body of a prima ballerina and the looks of one too. How could you let the go for some silly dream?" She gagged, appalled by the very thought of going after your dreams. That was Molly for you, very precise and old fashioned. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized that she would never get her mothers approval on anything, short of dancing.
"I'm sorry you feel that way mother.I guess I'm not your daughter then. I'm sorry I can't be like your precious Blair." She walked away stiffly, giving her dad a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek on her way to her car. Blair, her younger, perfect step-sister, was always competing for moms attention. Even though there was really no competion , not really. Mom adored her because from the very second she was born, she had ballet on the brain. Knowing Autumn was a lost cause after the first year of ballet lessons, she gave up on her and focused her engery, love and money on Blair. Blair got away with anything, while she had to pay most of her bills and buy herself her first car. Her family thrived on being the perfect brady bunch wannabe's. At least on the outside that is.. On the inside, scandals, lies and divorce are what plagued her heart. Her parents had divorced not long after she was born. Her dad claiming her mom was a tramp, and vice versa. She never knew the whole story, nor did she want too. Blair was everything she was not: Blonde, green eyed, petite beauty. She got all the guys, compliments, attention, love. At least from her stepdad, and his family. She was the outsider of the bunch always. And her mom, being the retired ballerina that she is, always went where there would be good publicity.
She smiled once more at her dad and came up to him tears rolling down her cheeks. "I love you daddy." He wiped away the tears from her cheeks, like he always did, and pressed a hundred dollar bill in her hand. Which for him, was hard to come by. She looked up at him uncertain, knowing she needed the money, but was too afraid to take it because he needed it too. "its okay sweetheart, you can pay me back when you get famous." He winked and let her fall away stepping back so she could go back to her car, a beloved Mazda tribute. She looked at her mother once more. The look of dislike clear in her eyes. Blair just looked amused. Now there was no getting in the way of her and her mother. She sighed as she drove away only looking in the reaview mirror once. Okay, twice.The last words she heard was his soft voice, letting her know that she was well loved by him.
She never spent that hundred dollars, keeping it in her wallet until she finally opened up her resteraunt. After that, she framed it and put it on her office wall, making it a solid reminder that family comes first before all things. And that there are at least some people that are still nice.
Her dad would come and visit her from time to time, but as the years progressed, she saw less and less of him. She heard Blair got into the top Ballet School in New York: America Ballet Company. Blairs family, including her mom hadn't talked to her since that day outside her apartment.
She quickly wiped her nose with a tissue before continuing to sob. She dimly remembered arms being thrown around her and a warmth at her back. Before too long, her memories came back to her tenfold.
She quickly got dressed and put her hair perfectly into place. She was supposed to meet her dad, Robbie, at her resteraunt and treat him to a nice dinner. She laughed at the conversation they had just yesterday.
"Hey sugarplum, whats shaking?" He was smiling on the other end, she could tell.
"Hi daddy, whatcha doing?" She was generally happy to hear from him and you could hear it in her voice.
"Oh nothing, just standing outside a nice looking condo, wishing someone would notice I was here. Its kinda rainy out and my umbrella will only hold up for so long." He grinned and chuckled a bit.
"But daddy, why would someone not let you -----" She squealed as she threw open the door to her condo and rushed him inside. She could hear an echo of laughing, both from him and the phone, since he still hadn't hung it up yet. She didn't care how old she was. She'd always be a daddies girl.
The whole night was such a blur to her because she was having such a great time.
She strained her memory to try and remember more, but she couldn't and she hated herself for that. Her sobs started to slow down and get quieter, but they were still coming on strong.
Was all of this her fault? Was it because she forgot to return phone calls? She distinctly remembered her dad calling her a few nights ago, but she just didn't feel like talking to anyone. That was the night that she found that Brooke had shacked up with Kevin. Her mind went in a whirlwind of directions to where she could find it a struggle to breathe. She shot up and leaned over to the toliet, loosing what little stomach contents she had. She forgot someone was there holding her, comforting her without even knowing why. She looked at the disgusted look on his face and didnt even care.
"What are you doing here Alex?" She noticed how sheepish he looked when she caught his look.
"Kevin sent me to come help you..he sounded pretty upset..We've been in here for about 2 hours." She almost forgot why she was upset or how upset she was. With that note, the tears started again and she curled up in the fetal position.
"Baby, whats wrong?" You could hear the near panic in his voice. Its very hard to deal with someone when they won't tell you anything, just cry uncontrolably.
She looked up for a minute as soundless tears slid down her face, plinking onto her already wet towel. She contemplated telling him, but really, who would understand? He didn't say a word as he wiped the tears from her face, one by one. He looked at her a minute and licked one off her cheek, making a funny face. He was rewarded with a small smile.
"My..my.." she got choked up as she tried to tell him all about it. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively not wanting to tell anyone but knowing she had too.
"My...My..dad..." she still couldn't get the words out. They were too hard to bear. She felt her heart give a final leap as pain flooded through her once more. Her mind was completely exhausted, but yet her eyes kept on producing tears.
Alex looked at Autumn and frowned. He felt his eyes tear up as he watched this beautiful girl fall apart in his arms.
"Take your time honey." He soothed her and held her close once more.
"My-my-my dad was in the car with-with-with..."she couldn't seem to ge the words out...She hated when she stuttered, but it didn't matter now...nothing did anymore.
She tried once more.."My dad was in the car with my mom, for what reason I don't know....They-they-they got hit...."She stopped there as she looked at the broken pieces of her phone on the ground.
As soon as she returned back to her room after practice she took a nice long, hot shower. Her phone ringing persistently in her ear was the cause of her getting out a little early. She sighed as she looked at the unfamiliar number. Who would it be this time? A fan trying to get the guys number? Paparazi trying to get news? She flipped open her phone as a feeling of dread filled her.
"Helllll...o?" A paniced voice filled her ears. She tried to remember where she knew that voice from..
"Autumn...its Blair..." She could hear the girl crying uncontrolably into the phone. She didn't know why she called her, since they had never really been close.
"Hi..." She could hear herself say reluctantly...
"Autumn...Mom and Robbie got killed." She could tell thats not how she wanted to say it, but it didn't matter because the next minute her emotions caught up to her brain. She screamed as tears started rolling down her face.
"Autumn...Autum...Will you listen to me? A drunk driver hit them about an hour ago. They were on their way to try and make amends so that they could suprise you for your birthday." She didn't hear the rest as she threw the phone across the room. It hit the wall and shattered into a million pieces.
She snapped out of it as she realized the look on Alex's face was expectant.
"Mymomanddadwerekilledtodaybyadrunkdriver." she said it all in one breath. Hoping she wouldn't burst into tears again, she took a deep breath,. But it was no use.
She flung her arms around Alex and cried into his shoulder , knowing he wouldn't ask questions. He would just hold her. She felt her grip around him tighten, as hands went around her waist.
It felt so right, so much like...home.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Hope this is an unexpected turn..Leave Feedback please :D
