Don't Make a Scene

I rolled over in the hotel bed at the sound of my phone. I groaned and grabbed it, "Hello?" I answered groggily.

"Anna?" Alex asked softly.

"Hey, Alex. What's up?" I asked, sitting up. I glanced down at Gabe, sleeping soundly next to me.

"I'm going to California to pick you up. We need to talk." Alex said seriously.

"Alex, what's wrong? Are you and Patrick okay?" I questioned.

"Everything is fine. We really need to talk...in person and without Gabe."

"Okay. How long before you're here?"

"I'm getting on the plane right now. It'll be two hours."

"Do you need me to pick you up?"

"Um...I haven't thought about that," I laughed, "So yes, please pick me up."

"Okay. I'll be there at twelve."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and sighed. I felt Gabe stir next to me, "Good morning, Baby." I smiled, stroking his short black hair.

"Good morning. Who was on the phone?" He asked.

"Alex. She has to talk to me in person. It's really serious and says I have to go alone."

"Sounds like a heist." He laughed. I smiled.

"I hope everything is okay. She says her and Patrick are doing great, so I don't know what's going on." He shrugged.

"Maybe she just needs a friend. I mean, all she has right now is Patrick and Ryan. You know she won't open up to anyone else. No matter how much she loves them." He explained. I nodded.

"Well, I should start getting ready. What are you doing today?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I'm gonna go down to the pier. Maybe do some shopping. Maybe after you and Alex talk we can meet up somewhere for lunch." He suggested. I nodded.

"I'll check with her. I don't know when she's going back." He nodded and stretched.

"I think Sisky is in town. Maybe I'll call him up." I laughed. He scrunched up his nose and I kissed it.

"You're a retard." I laughed.

"But you love me for it." He smiled before turning on the television.

I got up and brushed out my hair. I pulled on a pair of plaid shorts and slipped on some flip-flops. I brushed my teeth and looked into the mirror. I shut the door and locked it. I looked back to the mirror and lifted up my shirt. The bruises scattered around my stomach. I ran my fingers along the injuries, stopping at a peculiar one.

It was a dark purple bruise that hadn't healed...It looked like it was in the shape of a heart. I smiled slightly, thinking of Gabe. I pulled my shirt back down and changed into my new one.

I looked to the clock and noticed the time. I grabbed my keys and walked out of the bathroom, "Bye, Gabe." I said, kissing his cheek.

"Bye. Love you." He said.

"I love you too." I turned to walk away but he gently grabbed my wrist. I turned back, confused, and he pulled me into a kiss on the lips. His lips lingered with mine for a bit before letting go. I laughed and walked out the door.

It wasn't long before I was in line at the airport, looking for the familiar black and red hair. I saw her across the way. She had one suitcase and a make-up bag with her purse. I honked so she could see me. She smiled and put her stuff in the trunk before getting in, "Hi!" She said cheerily. She hugged me and I laughed.

"Hey. So how are you?" I asked, pulling out of the line and heading towards the freeway.

"I'm good."

"So what's up? You sounded worried on the phone." I said, turning down the radio.

"Let's go somewhere to talk. Somewhere private." She said, turning the radio back up. I nodded, knowing I wasn't going to get anything else out of her.

"So how long are you here for?" I asked.

"Um...I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Okay. Well Gabe was going to the pier and he said maybe we could meet him for lunch."

"Later. We need to talk." She said. I furrowed my eyebrows at her strange behavior.

"Are you pregnant?" I ask.

"You ask me that every time I'm worried. For the last time! If I were pregnant I would have called you amidst me throwing up my food in a toilet!" She exclaimed. I laughed.

"Hey, you never know." I smirked. She laughed.

"Yeah...whatever." She rolled her eyes playfully. I sighed.

"The house is beautiful. I think Gabe is the one...Really." I breathed as if in a dream.

"Oh...That's great. Has he been hinting he's going to propose?"

"No. But I just think it's right. I think me and him are going to make it our whole lives."

"Mhm." I turned to her.

"What's with you? You usually would be ecstatic for me. You were happy when I left Brendon and Gabe saved me. Is this is what our talk is going to be about? Do you not approve of Gabe?" I snapped. She sighed.

"It has somewhat to do with Gabe. But it's not that I don't approve of him. You'll understand it later. We just really need to talk alone." She stated. I groaned and nodded. I pulled into the house me and Gabe had moved in to not that long ago.

"Here it is." I said.

"It's gorgeous." She smiled. I grabbed her bags and we went into the house, "Don't I get a tour?" She laughed.

"No. I want to know what's going on. You're scaring me." I said. She sighed and sat down on the couch.

"You should sit down too." She warned. I hesitantly walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Anna, this may scare you...and I'll tell you why I had to tell you this in person...later. Right now you need to just listen." She said.

"Alex, is this about Brendon?" I nearly whispered. She nodded. Fear immediately ran through me, "Is he okay?" I asked. I may not love him, and he may have hurt me, but I still care.

She hesitated before shaking her head no, "He...Well, I'll start from the beginning. After you and Gabe left we started seeing less of him. Ry had mentioned how the band was close to falling apart. Later that day Brendon came to the studio. It was really hot and he was still pretty beat up. He had this long sleeve shirt and I figured it was to cover the bruises the guys had given him."

"So?" I questioned. She was about to answer but there was a knock at the door. I went to get it.

"No. I know who it is. Let me get it." She said. For a moment I panicked, thinking she had invited Brendon over. She opened the door and there stood Ryan.

"Ryan!" I squealed and hugged him. He hugged back.

"Let's get inside." Alex said.

We all sat down. I sat in the middle. Ryan put a hand on my shoulder and Alex grabbed my hand, "Anna.... I pulled up Brendon's sleeve and-" She went to say it, but somehow couldn't.

"He cuts." Ryan finished. I gasped. Brendon? A cutter? My sweet Brendon?

"What?" I breathed.

"His arm was so badly cut...You couldn't see his arm much. He had cut different words too. He had 'Love shouldn't hurt' and 'Mistake' in his arm." Alex explained.

"Is he okay? Is he in the hospital or something?" I asked. Ryan shook his head.

"He's fine. He still goes on with life...but the cutting is becoming bad. The other day I noticed his shirt go up a little bit. He has cuts on his stomach too. He has them on his stomach, chest, back, arms." Ryan explained.

"Ohmygod." I said. Alex nodded.

"Alex talked to him they day she found the cuts. He told her why he hit you." Ryan nodded to Alex.

"Um...He said it was because he's always wanted a girlfriend that he could...fix. Like, a girl with problems and he could help her. You didn't have problems, so he hit you. He said he would kiss every bruise. He said that was earlier. He said that he started to get stressed and started hitting you worse and not caring about you afterward. It was an addiction."

I looked down at my lap, remembering the days Brendon would hit me and kiss me so softly after.

"He did do that. He would like...fix me after. That's why I thought I loved him." I confessed.

"There's no easy way to say this, so we're just going to." Alex said.

What did they want to tell me? What's going on?

"We want you to move back to Vegas alone. So you can live with Brendon and try to get him to get over you." Ryan explained.

"What!?" I exclaimed.

"It's what he needs, Anna. He didn't decide this. He didn't ask us to come over here and tell you. We did this on our own. He needs this. It's either this or he dies in a matter of time." Alex explained.

"Just think...He tried to fix you, now you can fix him." Ryan said.

I was speechless. Me and Brendon in the same house again?

"Ryan will be right next door. He just bought a house. Keltie's moving in after a few months. So he'll be there if anything happens." Alex said.

"Yeah, I'll be there as long as you and Brendon are there. I'll listen to closely for any yells or bumps and make sure he doesn't hit you." Ryan said.

"Guys...I want to help him, I do. But...Let me talk this over with Gabe." I decided. Alex and Ryan looked at each other.

"This is what we were trying to avoid. This is why we wanted to talk to you alone. Gabe won't let you go. You have to decide for yourself and tell Gabe what you're going to do." Alex said.

"You won't be leaving Gabe, just a short vacation. You and Brendon will be in separate rooms. It'll be like his own rehab." Ryan shrugged.

I sat there, thinking about what to do. I had no clue.

It wasn't long before I had made up my mind. We were driving down the street to meet Gabe at the pier. I hadn't told Alex or Ryan what I had in mind. But they'll find out at the restaurant.