Chapter 58- Taunting Truths

[] L E O []

"The number you have dialed is unavailable. Please leave a voice messag-"

I let out a low growl and threw my phone against the edge of my bed. I groaned in frustration and put my head in my hands.

Just then, the door to my hospital room opened. I looked up in annoyance only to see Andre's face come into view.

"What got your panties in a twist?" He asked, walking over to me.

I only huffed and stared him down.

"What?" He said, raising his arms as he came to a stand beside me.

I noticed he had a paper bag in one hand, holding food I presumed. Andre set the bag down on the table beside me and started to open it. He was humming a soft tune, avoiding looking at me.

"Where is she?" I asked suddenly.

Andre's happy demeanor instantly deflated. He tried to cover it up, but I already saw through it.

"I don't know man," was all he said, his eyes straying from mine.

"Don't lie to me Andre. She knows I'm here, doesn't she?" I tried again.

Andre tried to busy himself with the bag of food he brought me, his hands shaking.

"Couldn't tell ya man. But look at the bright side, I got you your favourite-"

"Andre," I said sternly, enough to get his attention.

He froze at the table, and after a few moments, he turned to me.

"Why isn't she answering my calls?" I asked, almost desperate this time.

Andre's shoulders deflated. He took a few hesitant steps towards me and took a seat at the edge of my bed. I braced myself to hear some horrible news.

She's got to be hurt.

She's got be stuck somewhere.

Because there's no way she wouldn't come to me when I'm here.

Right?

I stared at Andre, waiting to hear the truth. Andre opened his mouth once, then closed it. He finally took a deep breath and looked up at me.

"She's not coming yet Leo."

All the air left my lungs at his answer.

"What?"

Andre sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"She isn't coming back yet Leo. She... she wants to be with her family right now."

With every word he spoke, my heart shattered even more. I turned to him desperately, now worried that there must be a serious issue going on.

"What's happening there Andre? What's so important that she can't even answer my call?"

Andre stayed silent.

"I'm sorry," is all he said.

A few traitorous tears escaped my eyes. I angrily wiped that away.

"What do you mean, 'I'm sorry?' Do you not realize what happened? I got beaten up by Jackson's gang. They know where Amelia is. They can get to to her! Just let me talk to her!" I said frustrated.

Andre shook his head sadly at me.

"I can't Leo. She knows that Jackson is the cause of this. She can protect herself. Gemma and Amelia's family will make sure of it."

"How Andre? Her family doesn't even know that that bastard's been hurting her!" I nearly screamed.

Andre sighed and looked down.

"I'm sorry man. She doesn't want to speak with you."

And there it was.

All the excuses Andre was giving me, was just that. Excuses.

He was taking my mind off of the truth.

I looked away from Andre's pitiful gaze and threw an arm over my eyes.

We were both silent.

Yet I could hear the sound of my heart breaking in two.

"Why won't she just let me in?" I whispered brokenly.

The truth was there all this time. But I saw it now.

She just didn't love me.

* * *

[] A M E L I A []

I stared at my phone, hitting the 'end' button as soon as Leo's name flashed on the screen for what felt like the hundredth time. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I saw his rare smiling face flashing on my screen for a split second.

Just as I was staring at Leo's picture, I heard my door open. I glanced up, only to see Gemma entering the room, a tray in her hands. I nearly nauseated at the thought of having food right now. But one stern look from Gemma, and I knew I would have to at least eat something in front of her.

I sighed and put my phone away as she walked over to me. She sat down beside me quietly, only handing the tray over to me. I peered down at food and sighed in relief when I saw a bowl of fruits and a simple sandwich. I ate quietly, while Gemma studied at my table. I had nearly begged her to go home and study this morning but she declined everything and told me she and I would be going home together, whenever that may be.

I guess the events of last night gave her quite the scare.

After I ate, I put the tray away on my sidetable and leaned back against my headboard.

After a while, I heard shuffling across from me. I opened my eyes to see Gemma sitting crosslegged on my bed, facing me.

"Talk to me Amelia," she said, her voice desperate.

I stared at her for a few minutes, before finally voicing out what I had been thinking.

"That night could've went so differently if I had her back like you guys did with me."

Gemma's eyes widened at what I said.

"That's not fair Amelia. If I said that to you when my mom died, you would've slapped me unconscious," she said, her voice holding a twinge of anger.

I shook my head at her and let out a low humorless chuckle. My eyes watered as I tried to think of 'Amelia.' But who was she even?

Who was Amelia Harrison?

"Gosh Gemma, I can't even remember the old Amelia anymore," I said bitterly, looking down to my lap.

"Well I do. The old Amelia would never hurt the people she cares about like this!" Gemma said angrily, her arms flailing about.

I shook my head at her and looked up to catch her gaze.

"Maybe I've always been that person Gemma. Maybe I never cared about anyone in the first place. What if I helped Brittany and Levi to get together? What if I followed her that night until she safely found John? Then Jackson wouldn't hurt me. And Leo-"

I choked on my own words, the endless possibilities running through my head repeatedly.

"-Leo would be okay," I breathed out.

There was silence afterwards. Gemma stared at me, her eyes burning with anger and sorrow. My own were too blurry with tears.

"Amelia, thinking about this won't fix it. Let's wait to hear what the police have to say, okay? We'll find out what happened that night, and we'll also make sure that the people who hurt Leo pay for their crime," Gemma said, her voice softer.

More tears fell at her words.

"No Gemma. Nothing will ever be fine. No matter what happens. Nothing can take back the fact that Brittany's still dead. That she's not here anymore. Nothing will ever fix that."

I took a deep breath.

"And nothing will fix that Leo got hurt because of me."

With that, I lay down in my bed, throwing the covers over myself. And I cried once more. Cried for all I've lost, and cried for the boy who I nearly did.

* * *

[] G E M M A []

I closed Amelia's door softly and sighed. I leaned against the door, closing my eyes for a brief moment.

Her parents were gone to the lawyer's office again, leaving me alone with her. However, I didn't exactly seem to be helping this situation. I was trying my best, but her breakdown yesterday made me realize that Leo meant much more to her than what I had initially thought. I couldn't figure out why she was avoiding him until now.

She thought Leo getting hurt was her fault.

All because Jackson was involved.

And somewhere deep in her head, she thinks Jackson hurting her is okay, because she thinks she could've stopped the incident 4 years ago.

But what she needs to realize is that it was never her fault. It wasn't her fault that Levi ended up being a sick criminal, or that Brittany was killed that night. No matter what happened that night, whether Brittany took drugs or was drugged, nothing changes the fact that Amelia couldn't have stopped it.

How can I make her see that?

I tried to work this out, however, I couldn't think of anything.

Suddenly, I had an idea. It was was probably stupid, and I didn't know how it could help me in any way. However, I quickly headed for Amelia's car keys that were sitting on the kitchen counter, and started heading for the main door.

The roads have been better today, and thank goodness for that otherwise this wouldn't exactly work. I got into Amelia's car and started it up. I had driven her car a few times before so I wasn't nervous about driving it. However, the roads were slippery, so I knew I had to be careful.

I slowly made my way down the familiar streets of the neighbourhood, since I used to live nearby during my high school years. Nearly two years ago, my dad and I had moved places, wanting a smaller place since it was just the two of us, and just him for when I would inevitably move out. I hated the thought of leaving him, but he insisted that I chase my dreams and go to the college I had wanted to all this time.

I wish I could see him now, but he had been away on a trip for the past week. He would be coming back next week, and by then, I would sadly have to go back to campus to write finals. When I had called to let him know what was going on here, back when I was still in Lethbridge, he had immediately booked my flight to get here as fast as possible. He wanted to help me get to my friend as quickly and safely as I could. I truly loved him to death.

I sighed as I passed by our old house, knowing that another family was probably living in there now, making good memories I hope. Ignoring the nostalgia growing in me, I started heading for the way I needed to.

I didn't know if he still lived there, since I never asked, but I had only hoped and started journeying my way there. I crossed familiar roads and took not so familiar turns, to finally get where I needed to. His house looked the same as always, too big to be labelled a simple two-storey house. Instead, it was nearly a mansion. It always surprised me that he didn't boast about all the money his family had.

I parked in the driveway and slowly got out. I saw two other cars in the driveway, and hopefully, one of them was his.

I made my way to the entrance and stopped at the door. I quickly reached for the doorbell, not having any time to feel nervous. I held my breath as I waited for someone on the other side to open the door.

I waited a few moments before the door finally opened.

I didn't think he would actually be here.

But once my eyes latched onto his, I couldn't help but smile in relief.

"Gemma? What are you doing here?" He asked, his eyes wide.

"I need help. It's for Amelia."

* * *

[] A M E L I A []

It was 8 in the evening when my parents and Gemma had called me out to the living room. I had barely been out all day and I felt horrible about it, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything.

I felt hopeless once again.

I wrapped my blanket tighter around myself and slowly eased my way to the living room. Gemma was sitting in a spot by the fireplace, and mom and dad sat on the big couch across from me. I made my way over to the loveseat and sat down, pulling my legs up to my chest, the blanket falling loosely around me.

"Hey sweetie. How are you feeling?" Dad asked.

I nodded.

"I'm fine dad," I mumbled.

Dad nodded, smiling softly at me. I gave him a small smile back, unable to help it.

"Alright girls, I need both of you listen close okay?" Mom said, her voice serious.

Gemma and I shared a look and nodded. However, before mom could continue, the doorbell rang, interrupting us all. I frowned in confusion, wondering who'd be here at this hour.

To my surprise, Gemma shot up in her spot. She rose to a stand and started heading for the door.

"I'll get it, you guys can continue," she said.

We all nodded and watched as she left to get the door. Dad cleared his throat then and turned to me.

"Amelia, we're about to talk about some serious case-related information. Are you okay with Gemma being here?" He asked with a hint of worry.

I nodded without hesitation.

"A hundred percent, dad. I can trust Gemma with anything."

"I hope I can get included in that too," another voice suddenly said.

My heart fell to my stomach as I turned to the source of the voice. Familiar brown hair and eyes caught my attention. I stood from the couch, my eyes watering once more.

"John?" I mumbled.

He gave me a small smile.

"I'm here, Lia."

With a single cry, I launched myself into his arms. He was startled for a second before he caught me and hugged me back.

"It's okay Amelia. I'm here. We're all here. We'll figure this out," he said, smoothening my hair down.

I didn't bawl in his arms as I wanted to. I held it back this time, wanting to just know already. I wanted to know what was going on with the case. I wanted to know if it was safe to go back to Leo.

I slowly pulled back from John, taking in his familiar appearance. He looked healthy, but his eyes still held the dull ache that never seemed to vanish since Brittany's death. My dad cleared his throat and I pulled away fully from John to look at my parents.

"Hello, Jerry and Cassandra," John greeted.

My parents smiled sadly back and dad got up to give him a warm hug. I took a step back to give them space and smiled as I saw dad smile with pride as he gave John a once over.

"What are you doing here John?" Dad asked.

John pointed a thumb behind him to a sheepish looking Gemma.

"Gemma came to find me," John said.

"I thought he should know too." Gemma shrugged.

Dad smiled warmly at her.

"You did good, Gemma. I think it's great John's here," mom said.

When all the greetings were over, we all sat down sat again. This time, Gemma sat beside me, with John on the other side. I turned to Gemma and mouthed a 'thank you' to her for getting John here. She smiled back.

"Okay kids, I need you guys to know that none of the following of what I'm about to say has been leaked to the media yet, okay?" Mom said.

That meant we can't talk it about at all in public or to anyone about it.

We all nodded in understanding. After sharing a look with each other, Dad finally turned to us. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he spoke to us. Unintentionally, I gripped John and Gemma's hands tighter.

"Last week, we had found out that an officer found an original autopsy of Brittany. In it, they found Brittany had overdosed," dad said with a sigh

We all nodded, all of us caught onto that part. It seemed like Gemma had filled John in too. Dad took a deep breath, his jaw clenching.

"Today we found out what it was."

We all braced ourselves for what they had to say. All of us waiting for the worst to hit us. And when it did, it knocked me off my feet.

"Brittany was given a date rape drug that night."