Fight With Me (Fight and Fall) (16 page)

“What, Emma?” he
asks sharply.

What the fuck? I really didn’t expect him to answer like that.

“I wanted to talk to you, Aiden,” I say, the surprised hurt hindering my voice.

What I want to say is ‘fuck you’ and ‘how dare you talk to me that way’ but I don’t.
His tone deeply bothered me.

“When is it ever a good time? I came to the bar to surprise you tonight and I find you with Lucas. I told you that I wouldn’t be so forgiving and I guess you didn’t listen
me,” he breathes out.

“I
wasn’t
with
Lucas. I saw you singing with that blonde chick and you guys seemed a little…too friendly. I got upset and Lucas comforted me, that’s all,” I say, trying to not let my voice quiver.

“Don’t fucking put this on me,
Emma. I was just singing with her and if you can’t tell the difference, than that’s your problem. Do you honestly think that I would want anybody else but you? You have no faith in me, in us, and you run to Lucas whenever you want to get back at me. Well, this time it worked,” he says chuckling harshly.

I
suck in a sharp breath, trying to comprehend what he just told me. Everything has been a huge misunderstanding, at least on his part. He has the nerve to accuse me of cheating when I saw with my own two eyes how he looked at her.

“
You listen to me right now, Aiden. I’m not with Lucas. I never really was and I never will be. We’re just friends and if you can’t trust me, than there’s nothing more I can say. I called you because there are things going on with me that you don’t know about. I wanted to talk to you and figure out where you and I stand. But…I guess I kind of already figured that out,” I say, my voice finally defeated.

“Fuck, Emma,” he says loudly into the phone. “I just don’t know what to believe anymore. I saw you two together. Do you know how much that fucking hurt?!” he says, his voice strained.

“It doesn’t matter anymore, Aiden. Think what you want. I’m not going to be around for much longer anyway,” I say.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he
asks loudly, panic lacing his voice.

“One of the reasons I called was to say that I’m leaving. I’m moving bac
k home to live with my mom and step-dad. I’m just done, Aiden,” I whisper.

I need to get away from this town. There has been nothing but pain and heartache
lying in wait for me. It’s not healthy remaining here. I can’t keep fighting with Aiden or everybody else for that matter, especially while I’m pregnant.

“Emma, baby, you don’t mean that. Look, I’m sorry for freaking out on you.
You’re just upset right now and not thinking clearly,” he rushes out.

“No, Aiden.
It’s so much more than that. You and I…we’re not healthy. I just…I need to talk to you in person tomorrow. It’s something important that I don’t want to talk about over the phone. We need to make peace before I leave.”

“I
believe you if you say that you weren’t with Lucas. Even if you were, I don’t fucking care. Please, Emma. Don’t do this, baby. You can’t leave. You can’t give up in me. We can work this out. I know we can.”

“I’ll come by your house tomorrow around one in the afternoon. We’ll figure everything out then. Goodbye, Aiden,” I say
firmly.

“
Fuck, Emma, please…” he says right before I end the call.

I close my eyes, tryi
ng to remain calm.

Have I done the right thing? Did I just make the biggest mistake
of my life? Aiden and I both have jealousy issues that I don’t think we can ever get past. How can you have a relationship with someone you don’t trust and doesn’t trust you in return?

I hear my phone ringing, seeing Aiden’s name pop up on my screen. I ignore it, putting the ringer on silent.

I can’t talk to him. I have to really think about everything that’s happened. If I talk to him while I’m still emotional, I won’t be rational. He’ll apologize and tell me he loves me, sucking me right back in.

Has he been unfaithful or
did I really just read the situation wrong? There might be a way I can find out for sure.

I grab my phone
, typing in
Aiden Crowe
into my web browser. I search through videos on
YouTube
, finding a few duets that he has done with several female vocalists. I pay close attention to his expression and behavior in each of them. He seems fully enamored and engrossed with each of the women, practically mirroring his show tonight with Heather.

I inwardly cringe, feeling
stupid by my reaction to his performance. Maybe he wasn’t really into her. Maybe he was just lost in the moment and caught up in the music. I mean, if you are doing a duet about love, shouldn’t you have some type of connection with that person or at least simulate it?

I realize that my jealousy caused all of
tonight’s events. Why couldn’t I just trust Aiden’s feelings for me?

Oh, I know why! Because I’m fucked up and want things to end badly. It seems like I sabotage things and cause problems that aren’t
truly there.

Aiden’s like that too though. He jumps to
conclusions and lets jealousy fog his view of reality. Our pasts haunt us and I’m not sure if we can fix it. We may be
too
similar in that aspect.

I need to tell him about our baby and figure out what he wants to do from there. All I know is that I have to get away from Astoria. I want him to have a relationship with our child
and maybe even me in the future. I just can’t be with him now. We’ll destroy each other faster than we can fix each other.

I close my eyes, hoping that a good
night’s rest will repair all the wounds that were re-opened today. I’m determined. Determined to grow the fuck up and take responsibility for what happens to me and our child.

You’ll never
know pain. You’ll only know love. I will never give up on you and I will always protect you. I may fuck-up and make mistakes but I won’t ever give up. I’m sorry, Aiden. I can give that promise to our child but not to you. Not right now.

My thoughts
scatter, leaving an empty feeling in their wake.

             
I wake up, my stomach in knots. Ugh, I feel so sick! It’s like morning sickness but way worse compared to yesterday. I rush to the bathroom, barely making it in time. I feel my head spin, as I empty last night’s dinner into the toilet.

             
I really feel like the girl from the Exorcist. I probably look like her too. I wouldn’t be surprised if my head rotated and I turned green. I guess I’m one of those women who has a hard time with their pregnancy. Go figure. I’m so relieved that Lucas stayed the night at Leslie’s place. I really wouldn’t want an audience right now.

             
I wash my mouth out and groan in agony and disgust. I walk back into the bedroom and notice that it’s already twelve in the afternoon. Shit! I have to go over to Aiden’s, like, right now! I grab my phone, ignoring all of the missed calls and texts from Aiden. Last night Lucas said that I could borrow his car anytime, so I guess I’m making the trek to Aiden’s place alone.

I quickly text Aiden, saying that I’m on my way over. I throw on some fresh clothes and muss up my short hair. Fuck it, I’m not even going to bother with makeup. Who am I trying to impress?

              I grab my purse, phone, and car keys, rushing out the door. I’m in a hurry because it takes me at least thirty minutes to get to his place, plus I just want to get this entire thing over with. The quicker the better.

             
I go outside, reaching Lucas’s car. I throw my purse in the passenger’s seat, unprepared for what I’m about to say to Aiden. I crank up the volume on the radio, in dire need of a little bad eighties music.

             
I’m almost halfway to Aiden’s house, when I see smoke coming out of the front of the car. I panic, not really sure what’s happening. My uncanny psychic abilities tell me that whatever it is, it’s not good. Fuck, I really hope it’s nothing big. I have no idea how to fix a car.

             
I notice a few vehicles on the road far behind me and I decide that the best thing to do is to pull over. Maybe I can call Aiden to come and pick me up if I can’t figure it out on my own.

             
I get over to the side of the road and turn off the ignition. I slam my hand on the dashboard in aggravation and anger. So not what I needed today.

             
I get out of the car, approaching the hood with caution. I go to open it but then freeze. I vaguely remember being told
not
to do that because I could get burned. I’m supposed to wait until it cools down or something. Double fuck!

             
I should just go and call Aiden to pick me up. What was I thinking? All of a sudden I will magically learn how to repair this car? Fat chance, Emma.

             
I start to go to the passenger’s side of the car to retrieve my phone, when I see a truck pull up behind Lucas’s car.

             
No, no, no! This cannot be happening! What the fuck would
they
be doing here?

             
I see Marcus, Todd and his ‘minions’ from the bar descend from the truck, smirks on their faces. Shit, this isn’t good.

             
“Car problems, Emma?” Marcus sneers.

             
“Nope, it’s all fine now,” I say trying to act casual.

             
“Damn, Emma, you look rough, baby,” Todd says laughing.

             
Fucking prick! Say whatever you want, but just leave me the hell alone!

             
I try to open the car door but Marcus comes over to me, seizing my wrist in his hand.

             
“Don’t touch me, Marcus. Let go,” I say firmly.

             
“I can’t do that, Emma. We have some catching up to do. Maybe if you were more polite, it wouldn’t have to be this way. You’re just too much of a fucking bitch to have a friendly conversation with,” he says, his eyes turning into slits.

             
I’m in way over my head. I know that if I stay here, something bad will happen. These guys are out for blood, maybe more. I’ve decided how far I’m willing to fight. What I’m about to do may not work but I have to try.

             
I raise my knee in the air, jamming it into Marcus’s groin. He groans in pain, as I rip my hand out of his grip. I hear him curse and I haul ass forward, running as fast as I can alongside the road. I know I probably can’t outrun them but I’m hoping somebody will drive by and help me.

             
I hear them yelling behind me but I can’t make out what they’re saying. I feel my heartbeat beating in my ear, my feet pounding against the dirt. My windpipe feels like its closing up, a panic attack on the verge of occurring.

Please, no! I
can’t have one now.
I need to get away, I need to get away
, I silently scream to myself.

             
I feel something solid crash into me from behind, as I fall face-first onto the ground below. My arm lands underneath me, as I hear the bone crack from the impact. I gasp for air, trying to cry out from the pain. I feel a warm calloused hand muzzle my mouth, restricting me from making a single sound. I flail my body back and forth, trying to get away from whoever has their grasp on me.

             
“Stop fucking fighting, bitch,” someone growls.

             
It sounds like Todd but I can’t be sure because he’s holding onto me from behind. He drags me backwards, as tears start dripping down my face. I try to breathe out my nose, to no avail. I struggle some more but his hold on me is unbreakable.

             
I start to feel lightheaded, when I see Lucas’s car in my line of vision. Hold on, Emma. You can fight this, fight them. They can’t win. You have to stay alive as long as you can.