Some Days

The moment John had mentioned Lakelyn was in trouble, Garrett’s adrenaline started pumping. He had close to no clue what was going on but he didn’t care. Lakelyn was in danger and that was all he needed to hear.

As John turned the car around and sped back to the hotel though, his brain began to process more and more of the situation and he was somewhat disturbed that Lakelyn and John were supposed to be meeting eachother.

Garrett knew how John was with girls, never looking for more than a one night thing, and he didn’t want Lakelyn to be that. He didn’t want to find out that was how she was because even in the short time he’d known her, he’d been convinced that she was worth much more than that. John wasn’t good enough for her, and not that he thought he was, but he knew without a shred of doubt that Lakelyn deserved much more than John was ever going to be willing to give.

He looked over at his band mate, who was intently gripping the steering wheel and not obeying the speed limit in the least, and began to wonder though. He had never seen John so frazzled over anybody before.

Garrett could only hope that John didn’t have his sights set on Lakelyn, he knew in that case he’d never have a chance with her. John was the ladies man and the lead singer, the one with all the moves, he was just Garrett. She’d fall for John in the blink of an eye, they always did.

“Hello? Are you fucking awake? What the hell is going on?” John waved his hand in front of Garrett’s eyes and he glared at him before looking away.

“Yeah, Pat found her. They’re in his room with Ken and Jared,” he said in a monotonous voice and kept his head turned toward the window. The idea of Lakelyn and John was making him feel a little bit sick and he was having difficulty looking at his friend.

“Are you being serious? That’s all you’re going to tell me right now?” Garrett could practically feel John’s eyes burning a hole through the side of his head and he shrugged.

“I was on the phone for a whole two seconds, how much do you think he had time to tell me? Besides, it’s not like you told me what’s going on. I don’t even know why you were supposed to be meeting Lakelyn in the first place,” he said, still not making eye contact.

“Oh my god, fine. We’re five minutes away from the hotel, we’ll figure everything out when we get there,” John said and Garrett simply nodded. The rest of the ride was in silence, something Garrett was entirely ok with.

When they got to the hotel, neither of the guys wasted anytime in getting to Pat’s room. Standing outside the suite door, they both looked at each other in surprise. There was no noise coming from inside. Their normally rambunctious friends were practically silent. John raised an eyebrow and knocked on the door hesitantly. They waited for a few moments and then John looked at him.

“Are you sure they’re-“ Just as he was talking though, the door slowly opened and Pat peeked out, waving them in.

“Is she-“ Garrett tried to ask about Lakelyn but Pat cut him off, signaling for him to be quiet, then led them into the suite and pointed at the bed.

Lakelyn was sprawled out on the mattress, her dark hair fanned out around her head. It didn’t take long for Garrett to notice the large bruise on her cheek and the blood all over her hands. He stared at her, entirely stunned. John was right, this girl needed their help.

Hesitantly, he climbed onto the bed and inched his way up beside her. He avoided the stares from his friends and allowed himself to relax beside Lakelyn with one arm on the pillow above her head. Garrett knew that she’d need someone there when she woke up and he was determined to make sure he was.

John stood beside Pat at the bottom of the bed and Garrett could read the disappointment on his face. He almost seemed unsure of what to do and for a moment, Garrett felt bad for him. Clearly, John was feeling a lot more than he let on, but Garrett’s sympathy could only last for so long because he had every intention of keeping Lakelyn away from him. No matter what, he was still John O’Callaghan with a reputation that was not one for his long-lasting, respectful relationships.

Jared and Ken were sitting in chairs on the other side of the room and passing each other knowing looks. Garrett noticed them and rolled his eyes, not in the mood for their judgment of the situation. Finally, Pat cleared his throat and everyone turned their attention to him.

“She was on the bridge when we saw her,” he whispered, glancing between John and Garrett sadly. Garrett’s eyes closed and he let out a slow breath.

“She passed out once we got her in the car, but honestly, I think if we hadn’t found her she would have done it. I don’t have any idea why, but she would have.”

******************

Her hands were on fire. They stung like an absolute mother fucker and her head was pounding against her skull. Every single inch of her body was aching and for a moment, she couldn’t remember why. As she began to wake more and more up though, Lakelyn’s memory came back to her and she heard herself let out a whimper. Somebody was lying beside her in the bed and judging by his smell, it was Garrett.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. Garrett was asleep, as well as Pat, Ken, and Jared who were scattered around the room. Lakelyn immediately blinked in surprise when she realized John was kneeling next to the bed, looking at her carefully. He must have realized how strange that would seem because he offered her a gentle smile before holding up a wet washcloth.

She was confused by this but when he reached for her left hand she realized that her other one was clean of blood. Lakelyn let him take her hand and watched in amazement as John examined it before pressing the warm cloth against her palm. She flinched when it made contact but didn’t pull away.

John seemed to be handling her with extra care, keeping his touch feather light and Lakelyn couldn’t help but find it endearing. He gently cleaned her cuts, the ones she'd given herself when she broke the bottle. He stared down at them with a focused, unreadable expression. She laid still as he worked and gazed blankly up at the ceiling, feeling all her emotions return to her full force. All that she’d been trying to bury inside herself had come out in one alcohol filled afternoon and none of that was about to disappear just because she was sober.

Lakelyn didn’t completely realize she was crying until the tears made burning tracks down the sides of her cheeks. It was strange because when her body began to shake, she barely noticed. Everything felt like she was unattached from her body, not controling or feeling anything. John came into view above her head and she felt his hands snake between the sheets and her body. He gazed down at her with the most heartbreaking sadness in his eyes and she felt a sob rip from her chest. She had let another person down, as usual.

Why did the guys have to find her? Why couldn’t they have let her make things right? It would have been so easy, so simple, to just jump and let the water take her. It was what she wanted and honestly, there wouldn’t have been very many people who even would've noticed. She was a loner, an outcast, a nobody. She didn’t deserve all that these guys were trying to do for her.

John cradled Lakelyn up to his chest and carried her somewhere she wasn’t paying attention to, she just closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against his flat chest. When the feeling of movement stopped, Lakelyn turned slightly to see and realized they were on the balcony.

John lowered himself to the ground but continued to hold her. He shifted Lakelyn so her legs were draped across his and her head rested against his shoulder. He leaned back against the wall behind him and rested his chin on her head, squeezing her tighter as her sobs grew louder. Lakelyn allowed herself to cry, harder than she had for as long as she could remember, and let John rock her gently. It was nice to be held by someone like that and she knew it was a feeling she wouldn’t forget, even when he was long gone.

He didn’t speak for a long while, just let his hand make circles on her thigh and the other play with her hair. She knew John was trying to give her time and not push her for an explanation.

Lakelyn’s sobs slowly began to fade away and she tried to breathe regular again, still hiccupping every once in a while. John lifted her chin up with a long, slender finger and wiped her cheeks with his thumb to erase the wetness on them. She made eye contact with him and realized that his hazel eyes were glazy and they smoldered as he stared back at her.

“You are beautiful Lakelyn. Don’t you dare ever try that again,” John told her, sounding strangled even in a whisper. He lifted her right hand up and gently pressed his lips to the cuts while still holding her gaze. Lakelyn squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she was anyone but herself.