This Heart Still Feels
This Heart Still Feels-35
The next four days seemed to drag by horribly. Teresa mopped around as if she had lost everything, which she pretty much did. She missed work, and school, and... everything, even meals. She refused to come out of her room and refused to talk. She was getting thinner at an alarming rate, and you were getting extremely worried. Everyone asked about how she was, and you told them the truth: Very bad. Today you finally had enough and decided to take some action.
"Hey Tree," you popped your head through the door of her room, "I'm gonna go to work."
Teresa was sitting on her bed, looking down at a bracelet she was holding. You recognized it to be one that Oliver gave her.
"Teresa?" she didn't move, "If you get hungry, I made some pasta and a salad. They're in the fridge," You looked at her sadly, "I'll see you later," You closed the door behind you. You lingered there for a moment, as if you were looking right through the door at your saddened friend, before taking a deep sigh and going to get your coat. You grabbed the keys to your car and zoomed straight out the door. You had lied about where you were going, for you were not going to work: you were going to Oliver."
...
You rang the doorbell and waited patiently for Oliver out in the frigid cold. When Oliver did open the door, he seemed surprised to see you standing on his porch, "Deana,"
"Hey," you said awkwardly, "Can I come in?"
Oliver hesitated, but then nodded, taking a step back to let you in. You walked in and looked around the house as Oliver closed the door. You took off your coat and pulled off your gloves. "I guess you know why I-"
"Did Teresa send you here?"
You were taken back by that, "No. She doesn't even know I'm here. I just-"
"If you're here to talk me into going back to Teresa, you're wasting your time," Oliver cut you off angrly,
"Oliver, can we at least talk about this?"
"What is there to talk about?" he raised his voice, "She slept with my brother! What more is there to say?"
"Did you let them explain?" you asked
"Yes, and I thought it was one hell of a story," Oliver grumbled, turning his back to you.
"I know it sounded completely pathetic and made-up," you said to him, "but you have to believe her. And James,"
"Why should I?" he snapped back around,
"Because they're your brother and girlfriend!"
"EX-girlfriend," he corrected
"Come on," you argued, "At least the told you right away instead of trying to hide it from you."
"That still doesn't make anything better,"
Youu rolled your eyes, "Don't get like this with me. Please,"
"Don't you tell me how I should act!" he snapped at you "How would you feel if Dan came up to you and said that he slept with another woman and that he didn't mean to?"
You paused for a few seconds "I would feel hurt and betrayed," you said in a soft tone, really thinking about the situation, "And I know that is exactly how you feel, but you have to listen..."
"I'm though with listening!" Oliver shouted,
"Well too bad, because you're going to shut up and listen to what I have to say!" you screamed, which really shocked him, "All I'm hearing from you is how bad you feel about this! How hurt you are and that this is only affecting you! How do you think Teresa feels?"
He didn't answer.
"I'll tell you," you said in a calmer voice, "I came home Thursday, I go to my room to unpack and I find Teresa in her room, on the ground, crying her tears out." You shook your head, "It was the most horrible thing I ever had to witness." You met Olivers gaze, "For the past four days, she has not eaten, spoken, or left the house, and I even suspect she's cutting herself."
"She wouldn't do that," Oliver shook the thought off,
"She also wouldn't mope around for just any guy." you told him, and that really hit him hard, "Plus, when I went to check up on her, I could have sworn I saw scars on her arms."
Oliver looked to the ground without a reply.
You walked up closer to him, "I know you think you can't ever forgive Teresa for what she did, or James for that matter. I understand that, but James is your brother. Like it or not, he's family and you're stuck with him, so you might as well try and get along with him. And as for Teresa," you continued, "You told her you loved her, and I can tell you still do, so I know you want to go back to her really badly. And she loves you, too. She is just as crazy about you as you are of her. She admitts it was a mistake and is torn up, not just because she lost you, but...because she hurt you. She is very, very sorry, and all she wants is for you to forgive her."
Oliver gave you a serious look, "Thanks, Deana, but you're wrong about one thing," he smiled, "She never lost me,"
You smiled "So you forgive her?"
He nodded, "And I will talk to James about this, too." He wrapped his arms around you and squeezed, "Thank you so much, De."
You pulled back, "Come on," you pulled him by the arm to the door, "I want you to see her right now,"
He grabbed his coat and handed you yours, "So do I," He opened the door and allowed you to zoom out to your car.
"Hey, Deana?" he spoke before you sat down, "How did you know I still love Teresa?"
You smiled, "Because it's the people that we love the most than can make us feel the most pain,"
...
"Teresa!" you called out excitedly. You couldn't wait to see her reaction when she'd see Oliver on your apartment. "Teresa, I have a surprise for you." You runed to Oliver, "She is gonna be so surprised when she's you."
Oliver took off his jacket and hung it up on the hanger, "I'm just glad I can talk to her again,"
You skipped happily to the end of the hall and threw open the door, "Teresa," you sqealed, but when you looked you found that she was gone,
'That's odd,' you thought. You opened the your bedroom to see if she was there, and then knocked on the bathroom door. When you opened that door, she wasn't there either.
'Something's wrong,' you thought with fear, 'Teresa has never stepped out of her room in days, let alone this apartment,'
"Teresa!" you called into her empty bedroom. You looked around frantically for any trace of her, and found nothing, until you looked down: there were drops of blood that stood out from the white carpet trailing off to the corner of the room. Your fingers began shaking as you followed the trail slowly, leading you straight to the closet.
"Oliver," your voice shook. You could hear his footsteps as he neared the bedroom, you continuing to step towards the closet.
"What is it?" he asked by the door. You said nothing. You approached the closet, sensing a slow heartbeat coming from inside as you grasped your shaking hand around the handle and pulled it open nervously.
"Oh my god!" you stepped back with your hands over your mouth. "Call 911!" you screamed. There sitting in the far corner was Teresa, with a knife in one hand and both her wrists slashed very badly, blood pouring from them. Oliver walked in far enough to see Teresa. His eyes widened with fear and he dashed to the kitchen phone. You scrambled down and pulled her from the closet, resting her head on your lap. Tears poured from your eyes as you pressured your fingers under her jaw.
"She has a low pulse," you shouted to Oliver, who by now was on the phone with the police. You looked back down at Teresa's pale face and held her close, stroking her cold face "Please don't die, Tree," you blubbered, "Dear God, please let her live. Don't let her die,"
"Hey Tree," you popped your head through the door of her room, "I'm gonna go to work."
Teresa was sitting on her bed, looking down at a bracelet she was holding. You recognized it to be one that Oliver gave her.
"Teresa?" she didn't move, "If you get hungry, I made some pasta and a salad. They're in the fridge," You looked at her sadly, "I'll see you later," You closed the door behind you. You lingered there for a moment, as if you were looking right through the door at your saddened friend, before taking a deep sigh and going to get your coat. You grabbed the keys to your car and zoomed straight out the door. You had lied about where you were going, for you were not going to work: you were going to Oliver."
...
You rang the doorbell and waited patiently for Oliver out in the frigid cold. When Oliver did open the door, he seemed surprised to see you standing on his porch, "Deana,"
"Hey," you said awkwardly, "Can I come in?"
Oliver hesitated, but then nodded, taking a step back to let you in. You walked in and looked around the house as Oliver closed the door. You took off your coat and pulled off your gloves. "I guess you know why I-"
"Did Teresa send you here?"
You were taken back by that, "No. She doesn't even know I'm here. I just-"
"If you're here to talk me into going back to Teresa, you're wasting your time," Oliver cut you off angrly,
"Oliver, can we at least talk about this?"
"What is there to talk about?" he raised his voice, "She slept with my brother! What more is there to say?"
"Did you let them explain?" you asked
"Yes, and I thought it was one hell of a story," Oliver grumbled, turning his back to you.
"I know it sounded completely pathetic and made-up," you said to him, "but you have to believe her. And James,"
"Why should I?" he snapped back around,
"Because they're your brother and girlfriend!"
"EX-girlfriend," he corrected
"Come on," you argued, "At least the told you right away instead of trying to hide it from you."
"That still doesn't make anything better,"
Youu rolled your eyes, "Don't get like this with me. Please,"
"Don't you tell me how I should act!" he snapped at you "How would you feel if Dan came up to you and said that he slept with another woman and that he didn't mean to?"
You paused for a few seconds "I would feel hurt and betrayed," you said in a soft tone, really thinking about the situation, "And I know that is exactly how you feel, but you have to listen..."
"I'm though with listening!" Oliver shouted,
"Well too bad, because you're going to shut up and listen to what I have to say!" you screamed, which really shocked him, "All I'm hearing from you is how bad you feel about this! How hurt you are and that this is only affecting you! How do you think Teresa feels?"
He didn't answer.
"I'll tell you," you said in a calmer voice, "I came home Thursday, I go to my room to unpack and I find Teresa in her room, on the ground, crying her tears out." You shook your head, "It was the most horrible thing I ever had to witness." You met Olivers gaze, "For the past four days, she has not eaten, spoken, or left the house, and I even suspect she's cutting herself."
"She wouldn't do that," Oliver shook the thought off,
"She also wouldn't mope around for just any guy." you told him, and that really hit him hard, "Plus, when I went to check up on her, I could have sworn I saw scars on her arms."
Oliver looked to the ground without a reply.
You walked up closer to him, "I know you think you can't ever forgive Teresa for what she did, or James for that matter. I understand that, but James is your brother. Like it or not, he's family and you're stuck with him, so you might as well try and get along with him. And as for Teresa," you continued, "You told her you loved her, and I can tell you still do, so I know you want to go back to her really badly. And she loves you, too. She is just as crazy about you as you are of her. She admitts it was a mistake and is torn up, not just because she lost you, but...because she hurt you. She is very, very sorry, and all she wants is for you to forgive her."
Oliver gave you a serious look, "Thanks, Deana, but you're wrong about one thing," he smiled, "She never lost me,"
You smiled "So you forgive her?"
He nodded, "And I will talk to James about this, too." He wrapped his arms around you and squeezed, "Thank you so much, De."
You pulled back, "Come on," you pulled him by the arm to the door, "I want you to see her right now,"
He grabbed his coat and handed you yours, "So do I," He opened the door and allowed you to zoom out to your car.
"Hey, Deana?" he spoke before you sat down, "How did you know I still love Teresa?"
You smiled, "Because it's the people that we love the most than can make us feel the most pain,"
...
"Teresa!" you called out excitedly. You couldn't wait to see her reaction when she'd see Oliver on your apartment. "Teresa, I have a surprise for you." You runed to Oliver, "She is gonna be so surprised when she's you."
Oliver took off his jacket and hung it up on the hanger, "I'm just glad I can talk to her again,"
You skipped happily to the end of the hall and threw open the door, "Teresa," you sqealed, but when you looked you found that she was gone,
'That's odd,' you thought. You opened the your bedroom to see if she was there, and then knocked on the bathroom door. When you opened that door, she wasn't there either.
'Something's wrong,' you thought with fear, 'Teresa has never stepped out of her room in days, let alone this apartment,'
"Teresa!" you called into her empty bedroom. You looked around frantically for any trace of her, and found nothing, until you looked down: there were drops of blood that stood out from the white carpet trailing off to the corner of the room. Your fingers began shaking as you followed the trail slowly, leading you straight to the closet.
"Oliver," your voice shook. You could hear his footsteps as he neared the bedroom, you continuing to step towards the closet.
"What is it?" he asked by the door. You said nothing. You approached the closet, sensing a slow heartbeat coming from inside as you grasped your shaking hand around the handle and pulled it open nervously.
"Oh my god!" you stepped back with your hands over your mouth. "Call 911!" you screamed. There sitting in the far corner was Teresa, with a knife in one hand and both her wrists slashed very badly, blood pouring from them. Oliver walked in far enough to see Teresa. His eyes widened with fear and he dashed to the kitchen phone. You scrambled down and pulled her from the closet, resting her head on your lap. Tears poured from your eyes as you pressured your fingers under her jaw.
"She has a low pulse," you shouted to Oliver, who by now was on the phone with the police. You looked back down at Teresa's pale face and held her close, stroking her cold face "Please don't die, Tree," you blubbered, "Dear God, please let her live. Don't let her die,"