Who Said Anything About Love?

Omniscient POV

Three months had past since that day in Georg’s apartment and everyone had almost forgotten about it, or at least they tried. It was hard to just dismiss something so heartbreaking, something that put everyone in the places they were in now. To some degree the small group of friends owed thanks to the troublesome, broken teen, Cerise. If she had played by the rules she would have never broken hearts and lied and deceived, and she may have become friends with the girls she claimed to hate so much. If she would have done right, Madeline would still be stuck in Shayne’s clutches; she may not have made it out alive.

Madeline, with the help of her current boyfriend Tom, has succeeded in staying far away from Shayne and his malicious hold over her. After confessing of the rape and abuse he inflicted on her to Tom, he had taken it upon himself to care for her and never allow such a thing to take place again. Madeline felt it was time to confess of this to more than just Tom and asked him to be there with her when she explained everything to their small group of friends and her sister.

Now that everyone knew about Shayne they were sure to never allow him near Madeline again. Tom had suggested she take out a restraining order and she’d done so, saying that he was bothersome and she wasn’t going to take his antics any longer. Tom being who he was made obtaining this document very easy and she never had to expose Shayne; part of her knew that deep down he wasn’t as awful as he’d become and she had hope for him.

Cerise’s had crossed Madeline’s mind time and again, and Madeline wondered if she’d undergo the same treachery she had long before. See, when Georg kicked Cerise out of his home he had joked harshly of her staying with Shayne since he seemed to take quite the likeness to her. After she’d packed up her entire belongings she phoned his residence and he’d immediately taken her in.

Madeline wasn’t the only one who worried about her of course; Gustav, who had taken to her quickly and become great friends with her, worried that she’d only get worse while in his care. Although he had lost hoped of their friendship, the lingering of what could have been burned deep in his chest.

Georg also wondered how his young cousin was doing from time to time. However angry he was at her for causing his relationship with Samantha to falter and break under pressure, he was still concerned and wished he could rise above his bruised ego and go to her again. She was family and like a younger sister and he knew she needed him…at least he hoped.

Truth was that Cerise had felt awful for what she’d done to her family and friends. For the first few weeks she was staying with Shayne she mourned over her loses and wondered if there was anyway she’d be able to get them back. She mulled over it night after night as she was curled into Shayne’s bare, glistening torso. He’d told her that if they truly loved or cared about her as he did they would have come to apologize themselves already. Since they had yet to do so Cerise soon gave up hope. Shayne would make love to her and tell her just how beautiful or important and special she was to him and she couldn’t help but wonder why Madeline had stopped loving him. Of course Shayne never spoke a word of his previous relationship to her, if he had Cerise might have been inclined to leave him.

Cerise felt in place when she stayed with Shayne and her two newest friends Brian and Camilla. The two couples had become somewhat of a small family and Cerise was thankful for that. Of course the small parties amongst the four never lessened and Cerise’s alcohol intake was only increasing with each passing day. After time she failed to remember why she stayed with Shayne, she only knew he loved her and her friends cared about her, so she stayed.

Camilla’s friend Shannon had stopped by on occasion to produce small baggies of some white substance Cerise had never seen before. Shayne assured her that the coke was no worse for her than the alcohol, just that it was a different, better kind of high. Trusting him she’d started small with only one line but after time she’d become somewhat dependent on the drug and one line turned into two, then three, until now when she would hit line after line after line and then pass out in the middle of sex with Shayne. It never bothered him; he’d finish her off all the same and start new the next day.

In her clouded, drunken state of mind Cerise had failed to remember that only a 15 minutes drive away Bill sat day in and out grieving over her. Bill had given himself heart and soul to her only to find out that she’d tied strings to them and used him as her puppet. He of course was never mad at his brother Tom for being one of the other men she had cheated on him with, for he was the same to Tom.

Bill only wished he could be as strong as his brother and find someone else to love. He and Madeline had been together since that fateful day; Tom had saved her from Shayne and she was eternally grateful. Bill had grown attached to Madeline’s sister Amelia before he found out about Cerise. He had even considered breaking it off with her so that he could get to know Amelia on a new and heightened level. In the end he had realized that Cerise had never done anything wrong to him and he wasn’t able to just leave her on the spot. If only he had known then what he does know he would have saved himself from so much heartache.

Bill wished he could love Amelia; she was a spectacular person and always there for him when he needed someone the most. He just couldn’t stop comparing her to Cerise, he knew he shouldn’t and that Amelia was far better, but his heart was still not entirely his own and found he couldn’t only give Amelia pieces of it. He wondered though if he’d ever have a whole heart to give to her.

Amelia knew Bill was still upset over everything and that he didn’t think of her as she thought of him. She was so completely in love with him that it hurt; he was blinded by his suffering and she felt he never fully saw her there in front of him. Still she made sure she was, whenever he needed someone he hadn’t to look any further than his side, for she was at all times there. Amelia knew that he compared her to Cerise and it bothered her to know this. Sure Bill had never said it to her face, but he had confided in Tom who spoke of it to Madeline. Madeline could keep nothing from her sister and therefore Amelia knew whatever Bill was thinking.

So although no one spoke outright of Cerise, everyone still thought of her and she was a big part of everything they did. She knew she had some kind of effect on them but never would she realize just how much. Or would she?