20
Made For Each Other
NO ONE could ever be prepared to hear the news that Kendall had just heard. Things like this could come up completely unannounced. One minute everything could be fine, and the next, all hell could break loose.
Kendall walked through the hospital in long strides. She was extremely tired due to lack of sleep, but that didn't matter. It didn't matter that they were broken up. All that mattered to Kendall was seeing Ryan and making sure he was okay. She knew that he was still alive, but it felt like he was dying. When Kendall had heard that Ryan was in the hospital, her heart sank to her stomach. The sound of her mother and father arguing had turned to white noise.
After what seemed like an excruciatingly long climb up multiple flights of stairs, Kendall made it to the ninth floor and into Ryan's hospital room.
That's when she saw him, hooked up to an IV, lying still on the hospital bed. The side of his forehead had been bandaged with gauze. Seeing him in this state pained Kendall. She couldn't have ever imagined Ryan lying weak and unconscious in a hospital bed.
Kendall took Ryan's limp hand and brought it to her lips, immediately breaking down. Her life was in shambles and there was nothing she could do about it. Her mom was sick, her parents were divorcing, and Ryan was in the hospital. Nothing seemed to be going right for Kendall.
A woman, who Kendall assumed was Ryan's mom, walked into the room. Her face was almost similar to Ryan's, aside from a few features. "He's been asleep for hours," she said, an expression akin to sadness written on her face. "Apparently my son was attempting to contact you when he crashed."
Kendall was speechless. It was her fault that Ryan was in the hospital. If she had just stayed in LA, then none of this would have happened. If she had just listened to Ryan, then she wouldn't feel the huge lump of guilt in the pit of her stomach.
"I'm so sorryâ"
Ryan's mother held up her hand. "It's all right. You should go home and rest," she suggested. "I'll call you as soon as he wakes up.
"Are you sure? Is there anything I can do?"
"I'm sure. Right now you should go get some sleep," Ryan's mom repeated.
Hesitantly, Kendall left the hospital, only to find a mass of paparazzi outside. Rolling her eyes, she walked to her car as multiple men and women took pictures and hollered questions about Ryan's condition. She ignored them and slipped into her car, wondering how people could invade other's privacy for a living. She found the paparazzi to be pathetic people who linger around celebrities as if they were animals in a zoo.
Once she finally got to her apartment, Kendall left her suitcase by the door, deciding that she'd unpack her things when she needed them. She sat on her bed and fell back, unable to sleep due to the guilt that was now consuming her. Knowing that she could be responsible for Ryan getting into an accident made Kendall feel sick to her stomach.
She laid awake, sobbing quietly and waiting for her phone to ring and cut through the thick silence in her apartment. Finally, around noon, her phone rang beside her.
"Hello?"
"Ryan just woke up, and he's been asking for you. I think he's a little confused due to the head trauma."
"I'll be there soon. Thank you," Kendall replied promptly, hanging up.
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"Hey," Kendall greeted as she entered Ryan's hospital room. "How are you feeling?"
Ryan smiled weakly, pulling himself up in the hospital bed. "Better now."
Kendall pulled a chair up to the hospital bed. "What happened?"
Ryan shook his head, as if he was trying to remember what happened on that dark night. "I was driving angry . . . it was rainy and dark, and the road was slippery. I guess I just lost control."
His entire story was a lie and he knew it. The car accident wasn't an accident, but something he made happen, knowing that Kendall would hear the news and come back to him. He purposely left his phone on in hopes that the police would see who he was trying to contact. He knew that Kendall would put the blame on herself. She'd feel terrible, but he would be there to reassure her.
Everything that happened was planned accordingly by Ryan. He didn't attempt to contact her because he had to make Kendall miss him. She had to realize just how empty life would feel without him.
Ryan truly was a master manipulator. He had the incredible ability to read and understand people, and he could make a person feel like they were everything or nothing. He was able tell what a person's intentions were or what they wanted out of life with a single glance.
Although he could understand the emotions of others, he often had trouble understanding his own.
"Why were you angry?" Kendall asked.
"I was mad at myself for what I did to you," Ryan answered, taking Kendall's hand. "I'm so sorry."
"I know you are. And I forgive you." Kendall took her hand back. "But we can't get back together."
Ryan furrowed his brows. "Why?"
"My mom is sick and divorcing my dad, and my singing career is just taking off. I don't think I can build a relationship while so much is going on."
"That's bullshit," Ryan countered. He didn't drive himself into a cement pole for no reason, and he wasn't about to let Kendall give up so easily.
Kendall shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I've already thought about it."
"So you came all the way from Georgia to see me, yet you have no feelings for me?"
"That's not what I'm saying."
"Then what are you saying, Kendall?" Ryan asked, almost hysterically. "We were made for each other. Don't you feel that way?"
Standing up, Kendall sighed softly. "I don't know."
"Yes, you do."
Kendall shook her head. "I have to go," she said, walking toward the door.
Ryan knew he had to think fast. He had to say something drastic to make Kendall stay. She was making a mistake, and he had to do something about it.
"I'll kill myself."
Kendall froze, an angry expression contorting onto her face. "Are you fucking kidding me? Stop being so melodramatic."
"I'm not being melodramatic. Life is nothing without you, Kendall."
"Oh my God. Get a fucking grip." Kendall then stormed out of the hospital, unaware of the extreme lengths Ryan would go to in order get her back.
©2019 Brianna Loriston
All Rights Reserved
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Author's Note
You know you've made it when someone talks about your story in their rant book.
(Sorry for the poor quality)
Thank you so much for 20k.
Lots of love,
-Bri