Rhythm of Love

Xavier's Point of View

I sat back and laid out sprawling on the picnic table. We were l chilling at a nearby park, acting stupid as usual. Alex and Addy had claimed the slide, and Damien was pushing Nicolette on a set of swings. Next to them Nora and Eli chatted and laughed, and just beyond Mitchell braided Dawn's hair as she spoke in rapid French, talking about her friends back in France. Conner and some of the guys from Behind the Unknown-- Dylan and Noah-- chased Beech and Cyn around the park, while Ivan sat talking to his girlfriend who was currently in New York and still lying about who she was with.

I sat alone, content with the quiet. No one bothered me, to which I was gratefull. The one thing I hadn't told Nora was that I had a nightmare of my own.

There had been no closing darkness, no eyes belonging to unknown persons. There had been Alex, with a noose around his neck, that same blank look on his face, and Addy with the lever in her hand, smiling at me with Damien behind her and a noose around his neck as well. He cried out and reached for me but as I reached for him she pulled the lever and the two guys dropped, causing the rope to jump. I hoped that it would snap with their weight but it held.

Alex looked at me with his crazy blue eyes, that same blank expression, and said, "I lied." And he died, right before my eyes.

Addy lined up the next two, Conner and Beech. Behind them were Nicolette and Ivan and Dylan and Mitchell and Noah and Cyn, and at the end I could see Eli and Nora. Nora stared, crying, at Alex's dead body. Eli made no move to comfort her and she fell to her knees.

"You could have tried!" Eli shouted. "You could have saved him! Instead you had to lie to me!" I made a sluggish move to stop it; Nora had become a little sister to me. But when I moved Addy pulled the lever and Conner and Beech dropped. I watched them all die, until it was just Eli and Nora. I moved toward Eli, wanting to comfort and save Alex's little brother. Eli dropped before I could get there.

Nora's rope snapped, dropping her to the floor. She looked up at me, sobbing, and looked over at the pile of dead bodies Addy had created. Eli was tossed ontop.

"Xavier, I'm sorry," she gasped. Addy drew my attention away, stepping toward me and rubbing her hand along my chest.

"Ignore her," she whispered into my ear, pulling me away, still rubbing my chest.

My eyes flew open as I realized someone was actual rubbing my chest. Addy was leaning over me, her lips too close to mine. I pushed her off and she fell off the table and onto the ground.

"Ow!" she exclaimed. I jumped away from her.

"Nicolette wasn't kidding!" I said angrily. "You are a whore!"

"You were having trouble breathing!" she defended. Alex rushed up to help her up as everyone turned their attention to us.

"What's your problem, Xavier?" Alex asked.

"What's my problem!? This whore you call your new girl is my problem! She invaded my sleep and killed everyone but Nora, and now she's trying to seduce me!"

"Xavier, get real--" Alex said, his face wearing that awful blank mask.

"No, Alex! I don't even know you anymore. Hooking up with strangers, telling someone you know you love that you hate her, and defending a cheater!? Where'd you go, Alex!?" I looked at him in disgust and turned away.

"I won't deal with this anymore. After Battle of the Bands I'm done. I quit Welcome to Paradise."

I walked back to the Verizon Center by myself.