Save Your Heart for Someone Who Leaves You Breathless

Anthony drove all the way through the night. Since it was Friday, he didn’t have school the next day, and neither did Renee. He was praying that her parents were gone to work and she was awake when he got there.

For any other girl, he would have never done this. Hell, he never even came to see Emily, just his parents.

At about seven o’clock in the morning he swung into her driveway, choosing to go to her house instead of Ryan’s, knowing that he very might actually kill Ryan if he got his hands on him.

His adrenaline still pumping, and briskly walked to the front door, and banged on it.

After a few minutes of violent hammering, the door swung open to reveal a small petite girl in her pajamas, short shorts and a tank top.

“A-Anthony?” her small voice said as her eyes grew.

Banging, that’s all Renee could make out in that distant world that was reality. She sat straight up in her bed, realizing it was the front door. She sprinted downstairs, afraid that it was Ryan, and swung the door open, but her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

Anthony stood on her front porch, his eyes wild with anger, his breathing ragged, and completely pissed off.

“A-Anthony?” Renee mumbled.

“Renee, I-I need to talk to you.” He said, breathing heavily.

“O-Okay.” She said, opening the door to let him in and shutting and locking the door behind him. They both sat down on the couch and she tried to find a smile. “How have you been?” she asked him.

“Fine, how about you?” he asked, eyeing her down.

Her face turned beat red, “I-I’ve been okay.”

“How’s basketball?” he asked her, calculating her reaction.

“I think I might quit.” She said looking down and away.

“What?” he asked shocked. Renee was amazing at basketball, why would she ever quit?

“I just don’t think it’s for me anymore.” She said, just above a whisper.

He looked at her, hurting and scared, and it broke his heart.

“Did you drive all the way here just to ask me how I was doing?” she asked him, changing the subject and looking up.

“Yes.” He said honestly.

She blushed. “You must be really tired. Come on,” she said standing up. “you can sleep in my bedroom for a little while. My parents won’t be home until tomorrow, they went on a small honeymoon.” She said, trying to smile.

“Won’t Ryan wonder why I’m here?” Anthony asked her.

Her body went stiff at the sound of Ryan’s name.

“I-ugh, he… is out of town this weekend. Went to Florida with some of his friends.”

“Oh, that sucks.” He said, waiting for her reaction.

Relief flashed through her eyes, but she said, “Yeah. I miss him.” stiffly.

She showed him her room and he lay down on the bed.

“I’ll, uhm, be downstairs if you need me.” Then she walked out of the room, shutting the door.

Anthony was sleeping noiselessly when he hears rummaging in the room. He opened his eyes slowly, and saw that it was Renee. She got her clothes and tip toed past Anthony to get to the door. There was a cord in the way, though. So she tripped and fell onto Anthony.

Before he could wrap his arms around her, or even enjoy the way she felt against him, she was up and stumbling back, away from him with her hands rose over her head.

“I-I-I’m so sorry. P-Please don’t…” she was about to say ‘hurt me’ when she realized that that would give away everything.

Anthony was up and to her in an instant, wrapping his arms around her waist, trying to calm her down.

“Renee, Renee, sweetheart, calm down.” He whispered into her ear, trying to soothe her.

He led her back to the bed where they both sat down, but she disengaged herself from his arms and sat away from him.

“Renee, why did you act like that?” he asked quietly.

She just looked down and tried not to cry.

“Renee, sweetheart, please, tell me what’s been happening.”

She just shook her head, closing her eyes.

He gently touched her shoulder and she jerked away.

“I-I’m sorry.” He said.

She just continued to look down, biting her lip.

“Renee, beautiful,” he whispered softly, guiding her face up to look at his by her chin, “tell me what’s wrong so that I can fix it.” he whispered, holding her with his eyes.

Tears filled her eyes and her chin quivered in his hand. She blinked the tears away but that just made them fall down her cheeks.

“I can’t.” she whispered. She moved her hair away from her shoulder, where there was a bright purple bruise.

Anthony’s heart broke once again for this girl.

“Renee.” He said, his voice getting hard once he realized that he was right. “How did this happen?” he asked, gently guiding his thumb over the bruise and struggling to keep himself from leaving right that second and ripping Ryan’s head off.

Renee opened her eyes and looked down at her shoulder. Then she broke down.

Anthony pulled her to him, cradling her in his chest as she sobbed.

Anthony pulled Renee to him, cradling her to his chest as she sobbed. As she sobbed freely, without being punched or beaten. She sobbed out the past six months of beatings and abuse that nobody seemed to notice.

When he sobs died down Anthony whispered into her ear.

“Tell me, just tell me what he’s doing and I’ll fix it.” She shook in his arms.

“I can’t.” she whispered, once again, into his ear.

“Why?” he asked, as his voice choked with the pain that she was suffering.

“B-Because he’ll kill me.” She said as violent sobs and shudders filled her body.

“B-Because he’ll kill me.” She said as violent sobs and shudders filled her body.

“You stay her,” he said when her sobs lessened, “and I’m going to go rip his fucking head off.” He said struggling to control his anger as he started to stand up from her.

“No!” she said, almost screamed. She opened her arms up at him, begging him not to go. “Please don’t! H-He’ll just hurt me even more!” she sobbed, once again.

“I have to.” He said getting on his knees in front of where she sat.

“No.” she said, violently shaking her head as tears fell down her face. “No, you don’t. I can handle it, really. It doesn’t hurt that bad. I can take it.” she said, still sobbing and shaking her head.

“Why? Why won’t you let me?” he asked her, gently grabbing her face in his two large hands and putting their foreheads together.

“Because,” she whispered, “he’ll kill you too.”

“No, he won’t—” Anthony said before she interrupted him.

“No.” she said, grabbing each of his hands in hers, stopping him from leaving. “I can’t lose you.” She says, before she can stop herself.

“And I can’t let you get hurt any longer.” He said, abruptly bringing his face to hers and locking their lips.

Tears fell down her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck, moving as close as she could.

Finally, everything that he had wanted, her, was his.

The lucid Anthony knew that was a lie, but the one who was living his dream, kissing her, believed it.