Getting Away With You

When Matt and I got home I got my shower, and Matt got his after. I had dug my phone out of my backpack, but I couldn’t find the strength to turn it on. All of the messages my parents and friends had probably left…I just didn’t want to hear them, or read them. I didn’t want to face them. I wanted to stay in this life I had made, and never turn back. But I had to. I had to because they were my parents, and they did have the right to know where their sixteen year old daughter had run off to, and with whom she had run off with.

“Hey, you alright?” I looked up at Matt as he walked out of the bathroom in his pajamas.

“I’m fine just…” I trailed off, holding my phone up. He knew I had to turn it on at some point too, but I could tell he was also dreading it.

“Oh…” He said, his voice dropping slightly. He walked over and got into bed, sitting behind me as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I lay back against his chest, staring at my phone. “Have you turned it on yet?” He asked, and I could hear the dread in his voice.

“Not yet. I don’t really want to turn it on.” I said, and he sighed, his fingers tracing up and down my side.

“I don’t want you to either, but it’s something that has to be done.” He said and I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Tomorrow.” I said and took one last look at my phone, temped to just do it and get it over with, but I couldn’t. I placed it on the nightstand before settling back into Matt.

“You know, Danni, when I told you that I loved you…I wasn’t just saying that because of the situation. I meant it.” I smiled at Matt’s words, and I turned slightly to the side to look at him.

“I know.” I whispered. “I meant it too.” I leaned up and kissed him, our lips molded against each other’s perfectly, and soon the gentle factor was lost as he turned us over to where he was on top of me, his hands on my sides, mine locked around his neck. He began kissing away from my mouth, down my jaw and neck. “Matt.” I tried to push him away but he pinned my arm to my side. “Matt.” I said, my voice a little more urgent. “Matt! Stop!” Finally he let go of me.

“Shit, sorry.” He got off of me, and I sighed.

“Are you…okay?” I asked him and he sighed, rubbing his eyes.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry. I’m tired and…I’ve just been through a little too much today.” He said, his voice quiet. “I think I should go to my own bed.” He said, but before he could get up I grabbed his arm, pulling him back down.

“No, you aren’t going anywhere.” I said, and sat up. “Something’s wrong.” I said and he leaned back against the headboard. “What’s wrong?” I asked, sitting beside him.

“Noth-”

“Don’t give me that shit.” I said sternly and he sighed.

“I-I feel like you’re going to leave.” He whispered, looking over at me. “I don’t want to lose you. It nearly killed me today when I had to do that.” He said, staring into my eyes. “I feel like rather someone’s going to rip you out of my hands, or you’re going to leave on your own.”

“Matt, I’m not going anywhere. If someone tries to take me away, I’m not going to let him. And you better not either.” I wrapped my arms around his torso, and he wrapped his arm around me. “I don’t want to go anywhere.”

“I love you, Danni.” He said and I stifled a yawn, trying not to let my eyelids drop just yet.

“I love you too.” It was all I was able to get out of my mouth before I fell asleep.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
^*Matt’s POV*^
I was scared. I rediscovered how easily someone can be ripped out of this world; out of my arms. I had been through this before. This strange feeling of wanting to keep everyone you love as close as possible in fear of some freak accident. I had been through it with…with Michelle, and the rest of my family. But now it’s worse, because Danielle didn’t get taken away from me, but it was such a close call… I mean, I feel like I owe Brian my life for saving hers. He put himself in the hospital to keep Danni from getting shot. By…by me… I nearly killed her, and Brian saved her life. But she told me to. She told me to shoot her. She wanted me to spare her the sight of Chase killing me first. Though I had no intentions of living without her, I would’ve killed myself. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately. I truly don’t. I would have never attacked Danni like I did I few moments ago but lately it’s like I can’t control myself. The whole thing with Chase pressuring me to kill Danielle, and the fact that her parents probably already have a search party out looking for her, and everything Jimmy, Brian and I could get charged with if the cops ever found us. God knows we’ve done a lot of bad things and each one of them is going to come back and haunt the fuck out of all of us one day. Brian specifically has rape on his side, what kind, I’d rather not go into, and sexual battery, Jimmy specifically has driving with a suspended license and driving without a license, I have arson, assault with a deadly weapon and firearm, stalking, fraud, then we all together have the ongoing list of trespassing, first and second degree murder, manslaughter, robbery, bribery, false imprisonment of a hostage to avoid arrest, forgery, DUIs galore, battery with result of serious injury…there’s so much that I can’t think of that can have us all in jail for life. I mean, with us, cops would have the right to call in the FBI, and the SWAT team, and have them lock us all up in solitary confinement for life. I can feel it all weighing down now. This whole situation. It’s getting to my head. It’s driving me insane. It’s making me want to throw caution to the wind and actually live and do whatever I want before my past demons catch up on me and drag me to hell.

But right now, there’s only two things I need to worry about. The first is Brian. He’s in the hospital because I couldn’t put my foot down and say no. He could die in this surgery tonight. They could hit some vein or blood vessel and not fix it quick enough, and he could bleed to death. Jimmy’s worried, Danielle’s worried, and I’m on pins and needles. Second are Danielle’s parents. She has to turn that phone on by tomorrow, and when she does, a whole other hell is going to be opened up, and we’re all going to suffer through it. Her parents are worried as fuck. I know they are. Why shouldn’t they be? Their minor daughter run off with a guy she just met only about an hour before and they haven’t heard a word from her since, and they have no clue if she’s dead or alive. They have a legitimate reason to call the cops and worry themselves into a coma. In a way, I know it isn’t right, but I hope they have. We’re going to find out two things tomorrow; if Brian survived basically giving up his life for a girl he’d only known a couple of days, and if Danielle’s parents have worried themselves sick. Really, I can live without finding out about Danni’s parents, but I really hope that Brian is okay. He’s like my brother. I care about him.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
^*Danielle’s POV*^
I hadn’t gotten dressed, by the time Matt was ready to go to the hospital to check on Brian. He had been on my mind all morning, I felt bad. I felt really, really bad about what he did for me. He took a bullet that was meant for me. We still haven’t heard any word from Jimmy if he’s made it out of surgery or not. He may have died because he saved me. I was willingly to have my brains blown out if it meant they would be okay. But…but having to think that he may not be here anymore… Having to think that he could be gone for good, because he saved me, then…that just rips my heart apart.

“Danni, he’s okay.” Mat insisted as we stood at the door. I had told him to go on without me because I didn’t think I could go and see him in whatever condition he was in. “Come with me. Please. I’ll wait down here until you can- you know what, you don’t even have to change just…come with me.” Matt said, taking both of my hands in his.

“I just…I can’t.” I sighed and he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against mine. Then pulled away, and gave me a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry about him, Danni. He’s fine. Everything is going to be okay.” He said, spacing out his words slightly, and I nodded.

“Okay.” I said, looking down and he brought me into a hug.

“You’re very hard to assure, you know that?” He asked and I couldn’t help but laugh lightly as I pulled away from him just enough to kiss him again.

“I guess.” I said and he smiled.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” I said and pulled away from him. “Take your time.”

“If I have to stay down there for whatever reason, I’ll have rather Freak, or Sonny to come by, okay?” I took a deep breath at his words, and nodded. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

“Bye.” I watched as he walked off of the porch and down to the Escalade before I shut the door. I sluggishly made my way over to the couch, and grabbed my big thick quilt I had come to call a friend. I wrapped up and grabbed the remote, thoughts about Brian still swimming around in my head.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
^*Matt’s POV*^
I had called Freak and asked him to run by and check on Danni, and he obliged. I told him about what had happened and he was extremely glad Chase’s lifelong game was finally over, and we were finally free, but also super worried about Brian. Almost as worried as Danni was. Though, I wasn’t really sure if Danni was worried, or just thinking it was her fault in some way that he’s in the hospital. It was his decisions that landed him there. I just hope Jimmy has good news. Hope is really the only thing making me walk through the doors of the hospital right now. I spotted Jimmy over in the corner, slouched down in his chair, his head tilted back and his mouth slightly open. He was completely out. I walked over to him and considered just waking him up normally. But no. No, that wouldn’t be right. I kicked his left leg, the one keeping him from falling out of the chair, and he slipped down, landing hard on his ass in the floor and hitting head his hard.

“What the fuck?” He muttered, his hand going to the back of his head as he sat up.

“Morning Sunshine.” I smiled at him.

“Oh, morning, asshole.” He muttered, and I held my hand out and helped him off of the floor. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. “Where’s Danni?”

“She didn’t want to come.” I said and he looked at me for a moment and I knew what he was thinking, but then he got it.

“Oh.” I nodded. “I can see why.” He said, and sat down in the chair he had been sleeping in. I sat down beside him and he yawned.

“Yea… Is he okay?” I asked, not really sure if I wanted to hear the answer or not.

“He just got out of surgery about three hours ago. It’s only…” He trailed off, looking up at the clock on the wall, which read eight forty five AM. “Fuck, it’s later than I thought.” He muttered, then turned back to me. “He’s okay, I guess you could say. They let me go back and see him and he wasn’t…all there. I guess. It was about an hour ago after he woke up. They had given him a lot of pain meds. So…” He trailed off and I nodded. “You can go back if you want; he’s down the hall in room two twelve. He would be in the ICU, but the ICU is full, so he has to stay down here for now.”

“Think he’d be awake?” I asked and Jimmy shrugged.

“I’m not sure.” He answered and I stood up.

“I’m going to go see how he’s doing. I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be asleep.” Jimmy leaned back and closed his eyes, and I walked off towards the hall. I walked down, glancing at each number until I finally found two twelve. I knocked lightly, and when I didn’t receive an answer I slowly opened the door, and peeked in.

“Look who showed up.” I looked over at Brian as he looked over at me, a slight smile on his face. I stepped in and closed the door behind me as I went over and sat down. “I…I take it you’re going to be like Jimmy…and ask a lot of…pointless fuckin’ questions…right?” His breathing was labored, and this only increased my worry.

“Probably.” I said and he nodded. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh…like I got shot multiple times. …Same…as usual.” He shrugged lightly. “Before you ask anything else… Don’t we need to…get out of here? …I mean…Chase…” He took a moment to get another breath of air. “Chase is-”

“Brian,” I leaned forward, cutting off his worried, strained voice as I rested my hand on his arm.

“You need to make sure Danni-”

“Brian.” I cut him off again, raising my voice slightly and he fully stopped talking this time, giving me his full attention. “Your stepfather’s dead.”