One Hundred Sleepless Nights

**********************Essence's Point of View**********************
I try not to cry as I watch Austin change from the sweet person I met earlier that night to a enraged monster, hitting Tony with all of his strength. "What the fuck did you do to her?!?" he yells, over and over again while Vic and Mike try to pull him off of their friend and fellow band member. I turn my head and sob when Vic, Mike, and Jaime get Austin off of Tony's now bloody and bruised body.
This is all my fault. I'm the reason Tony is hurt. I curl up against the wall and sing "When You See My Friends" by Mayday Parade quietly to myself, focusing on the song in order to block out the events currently happening. I stop crying when I get to the fourth word. "...like a bright light, I wasn't ready for this. You're adorable as hell, but I'm glancing at your wrist..." The next thing I know, Jaime is next to me, his arm around my shoulder.
I stop singing and look at him, suddenly realizing that the fight is still occurring, only a few feet away from me. "Shhh, everything's okay. Don't stop singing, you have a beautiful voice," Jaime says to me quietly. I nod and start over.
"I'm burned out like a bright light...I wasn't ready for this. You're adorable as hell, but I'm glancing at your wrist....Oh please have faith, I can be so cavalier, and when they start to ask questions, I'll make sure to be clear. When you see my friends, tell 'em hi for me, tell 'em what you think about the way you handled everything. You turned and all you left me with was this broken key. So tell me what you think.."
I look up before continuing, and notice that Tony is gone and Vic is sitting next to Jaime. Mike and Austin are standing across the room, watching intently. "Oh, s-sorry," I stutter out, my cheeks burning hot. Vic just shakes his head and Austin says, "Do not apologize. Your voice.... wow, you should sing more, Essence." I shake my head, and reply, "Thank you, but I'm not even good." Vic scoffs, and says, sighing, "Don't say that, baby. I mean... wow. Your voice...."
I quickly shake my head, and then we sit in awkward silence for a moment. Vic clears his throat and then gets up, heading towards the hotel bedroom. The sound of a drawer being opened and then closed echoes through the calm silence. He comes out, a black pair of skinnies and a Anthem Made t-shirt in hand. "Here, hon," he says, tossing them to me, "That dress has got to be uncomfortable." I nod, and get up, walking to the bathroom. I wince as the fabric of my dress rubs against my stomach, but quickly hide it. No one can find out what I just did. They'd hate me. I go into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me. I quickly pull the dress off and gag when I see my ugly, scarred body in the full length mirror. I mean, one person has seen my body, unclothed, before. And that's how I know that the scars I have are disgusting; he freaked out and left. I sigh as tears start to come to my eyes. I wipe them away and grab the skinny jeans. I slip them on, the pair only baggy where Vic's muscle fills them out. I pull the t-shirt on, and look in the mirror. My hair and makeup are a mess, so I run a brush through my hair and fix my makeup. Just as I'm about to leave the bathroom, I realize something. The Anthem t-shirt I'm wearing is white. And very see-through. Through the fabric, my bright red cuts and pink scars stand out, practically screaming at everyone: "LOOK AT ME!". I start hyperventilating. Shit. This is not good. I calm down, and hug myself around the waist, ignoring the pain of pressure being put on my fresh cuts. All I can do is hope that they don't start bleeding, all over Vic's nice white t-shirt.
I walk back to the living room, keeping my arms crossed in front of my stomach. I sit on the couch in between Vic and Austin, putting on a fake smile and leaning into Vic's shoulder. "Better?" Vic asks me, smiling and taking my hand in his. I nod, squeezing his hand. I look at Austin, and notice that he's staring at my arms crossed in front of my stomach. "Essence, are you okay?" he asks, a concerned expression crossing his face. "I'm fine," I lie easily. I've said that so many times, the guilt that usually comes hand in hand with lying has faded. Austin frowns, and points to my stomach. "Then why are you covering your stomach?" I look around the room to see that Mike and Jaime are both gone. They must be in the kitchen. "Austin, I said that I'm fi-ine," I say, my voice cracking. "Then move your arms," he insists, and Vic says, "Essence, just do it so he stops..."
I whisper, "But I can't..." Vic gives me a questioning look, and just as I'm about to explain with some bullshit lie, Austin quickly grabs my arms and pulls them away. I stutter out, "Uh, um, I-ii can expla-ain..."
I look at Austin, who's staring at my stomach as if he can't look away, and at Vic, who's eyes are shimmering wetly, as if he will cry.

*Cliffhanger..... ;) Bet you readers hate me right now*