Dance with a Devil

"Violet?" Garrett said, approaching them.

John dropped his hands, but he kept his eyes on her. She cowered away from both of them and if she could, she would melt away into the building. But this had to happen. She couldn't keep avoiding it forever.

"Um, did I interrupt something?" Garrett asked, looking between the two of them, with a slight harshness to his voice.

"Yes," John replied.

Violet sighed as Garrett shot him a glare.

"Well, could I borrow Violet?"

"No."

Garrett crossed his arms. "What the fuck is your problem, dude? I just want to talk to my girlfriend."

"Last I checked, you two broke up," John said, trying to keep his cool, but Violet could tell he just wanted Garrett to leave.

Garrett threw an arm around Violet, yanking her into his chest. John rolled his eyes and stuck the cigarette between his lips. Violet pushed herself away from Garrett's chest. She didn't want to be in the middle of this, but she saw it in both of their eyes.

"After everything that happened, you're willing to take her back?" John asked.

Garrett nodded her head.

"There's a little something you're not familiar with, John, and it's called 'love'. Violet and I have been together for two years. You can't just throw that kind of relationship away that easily," Garrett retorted.

"You think I don't know what love is?" John scoffed, throwing the cigarette on the ground. Violet watched as he stomped on it, angrily, extinguishing the fire.

"Oh, and you think you love her like I do?" Garrett laughed, bitterly. "You've hurt her before. You've insulted her. You've made her feel bad about herself before. What kind of fucking love is that?"

"I've changed," John said, harshly.

Violet cast her eyes downward, trying to block out their voices, but she could hear them perfectly. She could feel John's eyes on hers. She could feel Garrett's grip tighten on her waist. She wanted it to go away.

"Guys, stop," she whispered, but neither of them heard her.

"I'm not even close to being that person anymore and I know that I can be good for her," John continued.

Garrett scoffed. "I highly doubt you can–"

"Guys!" Violet finally regained her voice. The two boys looked at her, both angry at each other. She sighed and looked between them, stepping away. "You guys used to be best friends. What the hell happened to that?"

"He kissed my girlfriend," Garrett deadpanned.

"I'm not gonna allow myself to come in between you two, especially just after John came back."

"Don't do that," Garrett shook his head. "Don't fucking cop out."

Violet shook her head. "There's more important things than me right now."

"So, what? You choose neither of us? That's your answer?" Garrett asked, unamused.

Violet said nothing. He muttered something under his breath and gave one hard look to both John and Violet and he walked away. Violet closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them again, she turned on her heel and started to walk away.

"Violet!" John caught her arm.

Violet yanked herself away and exclaimed, "I love him, too, okay?!" John stopped. "You don't know what it's like, John. Garrett's all I've had these past two years without any of my family here. He is my family and I can't just let him go that easily. I love him."

"You broke up," John said, quietly.

"I know we broke up. I thought that would make it easier for me to run into your arms, but I don't know how I feel about you, John!" Violet exclaimed, hysterically. "You're John and he's Garrett. Why can't anyone understand my dilemma?" she scoffed and turned on her heel and walked away, quickly, so John couldn't catch her again.

If she were being honest with herself, she knew that her decision wasn't the best and she would have to make a choice someday. She was just so tired and exhausted from everything in the world that she thought that it was best.

Violet drove home, except it didn't feel like home anymore. Garrett wasn't there and she was all alone. That's not home at all. She cried herself to sleep that night, slightly wishing someone was there holding her. Garrett used to hold her and say sweet things to her to try and make her feel better. That was his job.

Violet was alone now.