'I'm so done with this shit!'

Néomy grumbles, throwing her phone on the couch as she turns to me.

'She isn't picking up her damn phone! She could at least send us a text not to worry...'

'Like it would actually make a difference.'

I sigh as I begin to clean up the mess from the party yesterday evening. My sister has always been a little selfish that way, keeping to herself whenever she's suffering. Rather being alone than having to explain herself to others, even if that means all of us are worried sick! I grumble stuffing a bunch of empty containers into the trash. The same thing happened when our parents died. Alex and I were crying our hearts out together, while Lexi took off with her car. Not giving us any sign of life for over two days...

'Oh, shoot!'

I shout, throwing the garbage bag aside as I quickly grasp my phone.

'What is it?'

Néomy asks, walking over to me to see what I'm doing as I ramble.

'I was thinking how irritating she can be in these kinds of situations, remembering the time she gave me and Alex a death scare just after our parents died... The two of us were livid she disappeared on us like that, so we forced her to put a tracker on her phone. That way we could at least follow her in case she pulled such a stunt again!'

'You only think of that now?!'

Néomy yells frustratedly as I give her a sheepish smile in return.

'Well, believe it or not, she kinda behaved since then so I totally forgot about it!'

I defend myself, heaving a sigh of relief as soon as I see the dot appear on the screen that indicates Lexi, showing it to Néomy as I say.

'Found her! She's in a hotel downtown.'

'Okay, at least that's something...'

Néomy sighs as her eyes linger on the screen for another few seconds. I give her a soft smile, putting the phone away to go and inform Alex I've found her before we both continue tidying up the place. Not knowing what else to do at this point... We've all been trying to get ahold of Lexi for hours ever since we found out she'd left. Matt providing us with a whole different challenge since he had locked himself in his room, reluctant to speak to anyone.

'It's all my fault...'

Néomy suddenly grumbles softly, putting all of the empty bottles by the door. A sullen expression on her face as she crouches down next to Bear, absentmindedly patting him on the back.

'We both know that when she sets her mind on something there's no stopping her. She would've gone to him no matter what, Néomy.'

'I'm not talking about that... I never should've urged her to drink! I know it turns her emotional filter to shit. Why did I let her drink goddammit?!'

She groans as Bear licks her cheek, trying to cheer her up.

'Stop it! No one could've predicted something like this happening. If we're going down that road I'm just as responsible as you! I was the one that let that shrew alone with Matt so she could carry out that vile plan of hers!'

'Rebekah is right...'

Alex breathes from behind us as he leans against one of the pillars. Every one of us feels and looks like crap... I grunt, putting down my stuff before sitting down next to Néomy and Bear.

'Am I to blame too then? Since I was stupid enough to invite Nick, thinking he would keep his manners. Hoping he would stay away from Lex after all these damn years?'

Alex goes on with a gloomy voice, clearly feeling guilty as well. We all know deep down that none of us are to blame. We're just frustrated we didn't pick up on the signs earlier, so we could've at least limited the damage somewhat.

'What did you do with that idiot anyway?'

Néomy asks not hiding the bitter tone in her voice, looking up at Alex. He waves her off, plopping down on the couch as he mutters angrily.

'At the moment I'm really fed up with him. Dane took him home and I told him he'd better not show his face anytime soon.'

'Sorry, Alex. I know he's your friend and all...'

I mutter, getting back to my feet and giving Bear one last stroke over his head before walking back to the trashbag I put to the side as Alex growls frustratedly.

'He wasn't my friend when he tried to stick his tongue down my sister's throat yesterday!'

'This is really fucked up!'

Néomy groans getting back on her feet as well, helping me with the glassware as Alex cleans the floor.

'I guess this means you won the bet..'

Alex mocks toward Néomy, making her face scrunch up as she grumbles back.

'It's not like I wanted this to happen. I want nothing more than to see Lex happy, I just had a gut feeling things weren't going to play out as she imagined...'

'If you ever get a gut feeling which number is going to win the lottery, let me know. Because I'll be buying that ticket!'

Alex laughs wryly when Néomy's phone suddenly starts beeping, making the three of us look up. She instantly drops her things and dashes over to her phone. Her eyes scan the screen as she reads out loud, commenting in between.

'I just need some time to think everything through, last night ended up in a disaster. No kidding. I don't wanna talk to anyone right now. I'm sorry, Nomes. It has nothing to do with you guys and I didn't mean to worry you. Well. We're worried anyway, twat! I'll be staying in a hotel for a little while, at least until Matt's shop is opened. I just can't face him at the moment. Love you. Would've loved your sorry ass even more if you'd reached out earlier! Please tell Bheks and Alex I'm sorry... Xoxo Lex.'

Her fingers dash over the screen sending a quick text back, probably a little nicer than the remarks she gave earlier. Groaning frustratedly, she puts it back down and looks up at us when I grumble.

'Okay, I'm done with this shit show! I wanna know what happened in that bedroom yesterday evening, now!'

'And how are you planning on doing that? Matt has his room barricaded and hasn't said a word to any one of us. I tried talking to him a few minutes ago, but not as much as a sigh came from the other side.'

Alex mutters irritated. I don't care. I shake my head, motioning the two of them to continue the clean-up as I head up the stairs and mutter.

'He'll open that damn door... Even if it's the last thing I'll do.'

I stalk up to his bedroom, determined to get to the bottom of this as I slam my fist against the wooden door and bark.

'Matt, goddammit, open the door already!'

No answer. Come on! I groan exasperated, not in the mood to give up as I continue to assault his door and yell.

'I can keep this up all day long, Mattheo Blackwell! Lex hightailed out of here, while you're locking yourself in your room! Now open the damn door and explain what the fuck is going on!'

Still no sound. Jesus, you stubborn mule! I grunt, harshly kicking the door as I growl.

'You can't ignore me forever, you know! In a week's time, we'll be working together every minute of the day!'

Not even a squeaking sound. Okay, my patience is running out! I grunt, rapidly kicking the door as I swear at the end of my whits.

'Matt, I swear to God! If you don't open this door right fucking now, I'll break the damn thing down!'

It worked? I blink when I hear a shuffling sound after a second or two. Didn't think he would fall for that. He knows there's no way I'm able to bring that door down, even if I wanted to... I think slightly astonished taking a step back. I can hear Matt move some stuff around before opening the door, still not saying a word as he walks back to the window sill.

'About damn time...'

I mutter, following behind him so he can't change his mind anymore. Jesus Christ! I cough, walking into a wall of smoke. The smell of it alone is enough to make someone stoned and go off his rocker. The stench of liquor is also very evident, only adding to the eerie feeling in his room as I make my way to his window. Swiftly opening it to let in some fresh air inside as I mumble.

'This place reeks! Did you smoke an entire bush or something?'

He keeps his eyes averted, still giving me the silent treatment as I sit down next to him. What on earth happened? I sigh, gazing at my best friend who looks like he's just been to hell and back.

'Please talk to me...'

I breathe, studying his broken face. There's no question that you've been crying, which is something you rarely ever do... The same goes for him drinking and smoking his troubles away. That's usually a page out of Lexi's book.

'Matt, come on! Or I'll start smashing things until you say something!'

'I fucked up, okay?!'

Matt snarls, reluctantly looking my way as he clenches his fists. Finally, something! I sigh. Glad to see he's talking, even if his answer is rather vague and I huff.

'Yeah well, you both did. We've established that much...'

'I'm not talking about the damn party, Rebekah!'

Matt fires back as he jumps to his feet. A tortured look on his face as he turns to me again and yelps.

'I mean, I really fucked up!'

'I know she came up here late last night. What happened?'

I ask worriedly, walking up to him. He immediately takes a step back, not wanting me anywhere close to him as he murmurs.

'We got into a fight over the party... Jesus, Bheks. I was so damn mad about what happened. I... I can't.'

He shakes his head, unable to finish. Sauntering around his room like a beast locked in a cage that has nowhere to go. I grasp his shoulders midstride, forcing him to look up at me as I ask.

'Matt. Talk. What did you do?'

'I can't. Just leave me alone!'

He yelps, shugging my arms aside. Continuing to march in circles as his face twists with anguish. Goddammit, Matt! I grunt, crossing my arms as my eyes follow him around the room and I boom frustratedly.

'No! For once, I'm not going to let it slide! Never, ever, did I interfere with something that happened between the two of you! It's your business, fights included, and I wanted you guys to figure it out yourselves. But right now a lot of people are involved in your shit! And all of us are worried sick! For once, I'm going to do the thing both of you hate the most. Make you fucking talk!'

He stops in his movement, still looking on edge as he grinds his teeth.

'Matt... I'm your best friend! Please, just spit it out! I can see the regret of, whatever the fuck you've done, in your eyes. I know you'd never wanna hurt her, so~'

'But I did!'

He cries painfully. Swallowing hard as he looks away from me down to the floor, and whispers in a broken voice.

'I did hurt her, Rebekah...'

'What do you mean?'

I ask, not trying to force his gaze back up to me as I sit down on the corner of the bed. He sighs, walking back over to the window. Gazing outside with a dull and hollow look in his eyes as he croaks out.

'I... I grabbed her arms too tight, yelling about her kissing Nick. I was fuming! I still am, but then I couldn't control my anger and~'

He draws a shaky breath, cringing with torment as he yelps.

'I swear I aimed for the wall! I never meant for it to happen! B-But because of all the booze... I... I partly hit her shoulder...'

'Oh my god.'

I breathe as Matt clenches his eyes shut, his fingers itching with frustration and guilt as he clamps them to his sides. Fuck! I walk over to him, hugging him from behind as I ask hesitantly.

'I-Is she ...alright?'

He twists his head, a tear leaking from his eye as he whispers sorely.

'When I saw her this morning she was covered in ...b-bruises.  Nothing looked broken, not that that makes it any better!'

Fucking hell! No wonder Lex took off, I can't even imagine how she feels right now! I cringe, tightly holding my arms over his as I swear in a low voice.

'Goddammit, what were you thinking?!'

'I know, alright!'

Matt whinges, his entire demeanor filled with guilt. 

'I know she must've been furious after Charlotte's little stunt ...but Nick?!'

'I know she messed up, big time. So does she! She cried her eyes out for over an hour last night. Eventually, Néomy and I dragged her to her room. She was starting to have blackouts, so we figured she should go to bed.'

I tell him as I let him go, convinced he needs to hear this.

'But she didn't! You know why?!'

I yell, jerking his shoulder so he'd look me in the eye.

'Because she wanted to see you!'

He clamps his jaw, the look in his eyes desperate for me to stop as I continue to scream.

'Even though she was drunk as hell and feeling like absolute shit! Crying to the point that she nearly collapsed from the pain, the only thing she wanted to get to was you! I know my sister and I know she never regretted a decision in her life so fucking much as what she did last night!'

I smack his arm as soon as he tries to look away, tears threatening to flow over in the corners of his eyes.

'Believe me when I say she knows exactly what she did. The way you looked at her right after made sure of that. I know and understand your anger, but give her a break! Charlotte was pushing her buttons and you know it! Char always had a thing for you, to have to watch her kissing you? Even though you don't feel something for her? That must've crushed her.'

'I know!'

He bawls, stomping the ground underneath his feet. I'm not saying this to hurt you even more, goddammit! Just understand how much she loves you and fix it, for fucks sake! I groan to myself as I mutter.

'We all know what happens when Lex goes ballistic. There's no reasoning with her ...and even though I don't agree with her actions, I get it!'

'Urgh, you think I don't?! I would've gone mental as well if it was the other way around! It's just that I probably wouldn't have been so pissed off if it wasn't for Nick she'd kissed.'

Matt growls as he once again starts pacing around the room.

'You know she'll regret that decision for the rest of her life! He was just collateral damage, he was the first guy within reach. Her maddened rage prevented her from thinking rationally. She only realized it was Nick when she was already kissing him!'

I mutter, trying to reason with him. She isn't all at fault here! Matt's shoulders instantly recoil as soon as he thinks back about that kiss while he cusses.

'I want to kill him...'

'Well, join the club! Everyone including Lexi is fucking pissed off at Nick for not letting her go and kissing her a second time! Alex nearly throttled him himself last night!'

'Charlotte too! Goddamn skank didn't only kiss me, but also told her about that kiss ages ago!'

'You mean at the birthday party?'

I ask, not able to keep the judgemental tone out of my voice. Matt looks up, stopping in his tracks as he asks flustered.

'Y-You knew about that?'

'Yes. I told you I knew more about you guys than you do about yourselves... I saw you two together. Wanted to rip your throat out, but figured it was best if I stayed out of it. Especially since you told us the day after that you were leaving. Besides, I wasn't going to be the one to tell my sister ...that! She would've killed everyone in her path until she could get her hands on her.'

'Yeah, well, guess the cat's out of the bag now!'

Matt scoffs angrily as he drags a hand through his hair while I ask, curiosity taking the better of me.

'Why did you do that, anyway?'

'Urgh! It was a bloody mistake, I was frustrated and sought an outlet. Regretted it right after!'

'Whatever, what's done is done. But if Lex got word of that yesterday? From no other than Charlotte herself? Who probably made it sound like something much more than it actually was? I understand her frustration, even more, when she saw the two of you together ...again.'

'I didn't know that then! She told me yesterday in the middle of our fight, which is what made my anger spin out of control even more... I wanted to tear Charlotte's goddamn throat out! I've told her repeatedly that that kiss didn't mean anything and I wasn't interested. It didn't even cross my mind, she would go and tell Lexi about it! Why did you think I wanted to punch that bloody wall in the first place?! I was mad she managed to sink her claws in the both of us and screw everything up!'

Matt roars in frustration, his anger flaring up again just speaking about it. If I ever get my hands on that bitch, she's going down! I grumble to myself as all the pieces of last night start to fall into place. Walking over to Matt, I grab his fists trying to calm him back down as I ask uncertainly.

'What did you do ...after you~'

'Hit her?'

He finishes for me, his voice cold and distant. I give him a soft nod looking up at him, hoping he'll be honest about the rest as well.

'She wanted nothing to do with me... Not that I blame her, I didn't want anything to do with me anymore either.'

He sighs, biting the inside of his cheeks as he mumbles.

'She sank to the floor crying and ended up fainting. I carried her to the bed, hugging her close as I cried for her forgiveness... I never meant to hurt her like that Rebekah! Eventually, I dragged myself away. Figuring she wouldn't want me close after what happened. I barely had a wink of sleep and when Lex woke up and she said she needed time alone. I offered to go away instead, but she wanted to get away from everyone and everything. Saying she would be the one to walk away this time ...or something along those lines.'

I can see Matt doesn't understand why she would say that, even though it's clear as day to me. She was terrified you'd leave her once again, beating you to the punch by leaving herself... I sigh, understanding my sister's heartbreak like no other.

'She claimed the bruises weren't a big deal. But I could see them, Bheks!'

Matt yelps as he looks disgusted with himself. The horror in his eyes makes me tear up as well while he snivels. 

'There's no doubt in my mind that they are painful as fuck. I promised her I'd never lay a finger on her, I'd never hurt her again ...and I did!'

I swing my arms around him, hugging him close even though he tries to be resilient. I've never seen Matt like this, so broken... He hates himself for what happened. I think as he finally tightens his grasp around my shoulders and we both continue to sob in silence.

'Listen... Don't beat yourself up too much. Last night was just one big disaster, one thing lead to the next and things spun out of control. You both made mistakes, but you need to work it out...'

I murmur against his chest, trying to soothe his pain at least a little. You love each other... There has got to be a way to work things out.

'This is different, and you know it.'

Matt mutters in a gruff voice, making sure to keep my head turned downwards so I won't be able to see his face as he squalls.

'I've never hit a woman in my life... And the one person I end up hurting is her! The only one in this world, I can't bear to see in pain...'

'Oh, Matt!'

I blubber, squeezing him a little more tightly before letting go of him.

'I... I just think we both need some time alone to work this through...'

He sighs devastated as he sits back down in his seat by the window, wiping his face with his hands. God, this will be harder to fix than I thought... I sigh, giving him a short nod as I whisper.

'I understand. Just tell me if you wanna talk, alright?'

' Thanks, Bekah...'

He murmurs with a weak smile before turning his back on me again as I let myself out. Quickly heading down to the others to inform them what went down exactly. Néomy is going to be so pissed! I groan, reluctant to tell her about the hands-on part. Knowing I'll have to keep her from tackling Matt the moment she finds that out.

***

'You guys are positive about this?'

I ask, looking up at Shelby and Ruby while holding the shop calendar in my hands. They both give a stern nod in return as Ruby chuckles.

'I wanted to get another one anyway, might as well get one for the greater cause...'

'Same here! If they need an eye-opener, I'm all in!'

Shelby grins as I put their names down as the first ones for opening day.

'This started as a stupid joke. Never thought everyone would actually go for it.'

I huff a laugh, seeing all the other names scattered on the page. Ty, Alex, Jake, the girls, and even Néomy decided to go along with the idea. I smile sideways, clasping it back shut as Shelby asks anxiously.

'How are they doing anyways?'

I sigh disappointedly, sitting back in my chair as I look up to both of them as I tell them.

'Matt barely left his room these past few days. I've been forcing him to eat at least something every day, but other than that he hasn't spoken a word since... Lexi has not contacted any of us once. Néomy is on her way there now.'

'Does that mean she has calmed down after she heard what happened?'

Shelby murmurs hesitantly, making me wobble my head uncertain as I mumble.

'Yeah, no, somewhat? I don't know. I made sure she understood Matt never meant to hit her, but you know how she is when it comes to Lexi...'

'I like her, she's a good friend.'

Ruby smirks. The two of them are much alike in that aspect, they'd both do anything for their best friends. I nod compliantly, although I find myself in a much harder spot. I'm both Matt's best friend and Lexi's sister, so I really don't want to take sides on this. Besides, I still think it is both everyone's and no one's fault what happened. I sigh to myself as I continue chatting with the girls, wondering if Néomy might be able to make some progress with Lexi...

***

'Pity party is over!'

I clap my hands as soon as I stroll through the door, making Lexi dash up in confusion as she looks over to me from the bed and stutters.

'Nomes?! H-How did you get in here?!'

'I threatened the clerk downstairs that I would call the cops if he wouldn't give me the key to your room. I showed him several pictures of us together to prove him I actually knew you, instead of being some lunatic fan.'

I tell her proudly, closing the door back behind me as I look around the room. Jesus, what a mess! I grunt, seeing a ton of ice buckets scattered on the nightstand along with a bunch of empty liquor bottles.

'Can you at least inform me if you still remember everything that happened since you've been drinking? Because I really don't want to go over it all...'

I groan, kicking off my shoes and pushing the blankets aside so I can crawl into bed next to her. She nods reluctantly, keeping her eyes down as she drags her knees up to hug herself.

'At least that's something...'

I sigh, pulling her into a hug as I ask her if she wants to talk about it. She shakes her head, tears already forming in the corners of her eyes. But she snivels them away, digging her head deeper in my chest and keeping herself curled up into a little ball.

'You need to talk, Lexi... We've respected your need of space long enough, don't you think?'

She grumbles some incoherent words in return, knowing I'm right as I usher her some more.

'We've been keeping an eye on you the past few days, and I know for a fact you didn't leave this room. Not that the empty buckets and bottles weren't enough indication of that, but this needs to stop Lex. We're worried! I wanted to check up on you earlier, but I listened and gave you the time to think. But enough is enough!'

'So what if I've been cooped up in here? I've sobered up for the concert the day after tomorrow, so don't sweat it.'

She mutters with a flat tone in her voice, still keeping herself in a fetal position as I stroke her hair and snort.

'Like I care about that damn concert... I'm worried about you!'

'Honestly, I expected you days ago...'

She mumbles, impressed that I managed to stay at bay for so long. Well, I know when and where to show up... I smile softly, brushing my fingers through her messy hair. And with messy, I mean messy! A greasy glow shines on her blonde curls, which I don't think I've ever seen before.  Damn, when is the last time you took a shower? I wonder as my fingers get stuck between some knots when she mutters.

'Just don't lecture me, I'm not in the mood for that...'

'I'm not here to lecture you. I wanted to see how you were doing, considering the shit you're both in...'

I tell her softly, making her eyes dart up for a second with a questionable look on her face.

'Yes, both! 'Cause, let me tell you what your sister and I have been dealing with all week. Matt has completely shut down. Rebekah managed to get the gist of what happened between you guys, but he hasn't spoken a word since.'

I can see a certain amount of fear creep up in her eyes as she wants to ask me what we know exactly. I heave a large sigh, kissing the top of her head before looking back at her as I say.

'If what he told her is correct? Then you both got into a fight over basically ...everything. Matt blowing up over Nick, not able to keep his emotions in check since you were both wasted.'

I clear my throat, trying to act like Switzerland even though I still want to punch him in the face as I grumble my next words through clenched teeth.

'He said he aimed for the wall ...but partly hit you instead.'

She swallows hard, giving me a short nod telling me I'm right as I lift her shirt a little to the side. Inspecting her skin as I mumble.

'I'm glad to not see any evidence of it anymore. So I'm guessing those bruises must've healed?'

She nods again. Looking back down as she places her hand over her upper arm, probably where some of the bruising used to be.

'After that, you've had a meltdown and passed out. Matt carried you into his bed and you slept until making a run for it the next day. You said you wanted space... But Rebekah and I both know you left for different reasons. You were terrified he would up and leave again, weren't you?'

Her shoulders shake as she buries her head back into her arms once again. Crying softly as she hears me voice my question, but not answering me.

'Just confirm for me if I'm close to it, or not?

'You've basically nailed that theory...'

She sobs, looking up at me through her teary eyes. Poor thing... I sigh, shuffling a little closer so I can hold her again as she snivels.

'I just couldn't... I couldn't watch him leave me again!'

'He wasn't going to leave you, Lex... I might've wanted to kick him out, a part of me still does, but he wouldn't do that to you...'

I sigh. If I've learned anything these past few days, it's how much he cares about Lex. The look on his face when I walked into him the other day, on my way to the bathroom proved that much. Even if I want to kick his ass for hurting Lexi, I could see he was already torturing himself enough...

'The bruises looked worse than they were...'

Lexi blurts out, still wanting to defend him even after everything that happened. I quirk my brow, not impressed as I grumble.

'Not commenting on that. I don't wanna lecture, remember?'

She gives me a halfhearted smile in return, probably just glad to see I'm not fuming with anger as I continue.

'Anyways, back to my side of the story. He told Rebekah everything the day you left, but he hasn't spoken a word since. She's been bringing food to him every day, forcing him to eat at least something. Because all he does nowadays is stare out of that frikkin' window of his. He would've starved himself and not given a damn about it. Other than that, I've been helping Rebekah taking care of all the shit from his, their, shop. Things he was supposed to do.'

I groan wiping away Lexi's tears, before pressing on.

'The concert and shop opening is in two days! He's a fucking mess ...and clearly so are you~'

'Nomes, don't!'

She yelps, begging me to stop as more tears start flowing from her eyes. Both a relieved and twisted pain visible in her eyes once she hears that Matt has been a wreck, same as her.

'Th-This is killing me, Nomes! I c-can't do this a-anymore... We're slowly killing each other.'

Fuck it, I'm done being nice. You need a damn wake-up call and I'm going to give it! I groan, shaking her shoulders slightly as I snap.

'Bloody hell! Open your eyes, Lexi!'

She blinks with astonishment, clearly not expecting me to be the one to speak up on both of their behalfs as I yell.

'Can't you see that you the two of you are the only ones keeping this from happening?! Matt is head over heels in love with you! He hates himself for what happened. I could see the regret as soon as I laid eyes on him! I know you regret it as well, so get over yourselves, kiss, and makeup!'

'This is not just another stupid fight we're talking about!'

She sulks, not impressed enough to truly listen. Tough love, darling ...though fucking love! I groan, bracing myself for whatever reaction will come next as I roar.

'Lexi Davins! Stop wallowing and whining like a goddamn child! Even a blind man can see the two of you are miserable like this. Fear of what could've, would've, should've is chipping away your rational thinking, and it'll be your damn downfall! Just forgive each other and be done with it! I don't care if you back to bickering like you used to. Anything is better than this! And coming from me, that says a lot!'

'Forgiving him is not the problem, Nomes... I wasn't even mad at him, to begin with. He isn't the problem.'

Lexi whispers still sobbing as she looks down at her feet. Okay, at least she seems to be listening now...

'Then what is?'

'How can I ever forgive myself for hurting Matt like that? Out of all the people I picked the one Matt absolutely hates! Not to mention I unintentionally twisted that knife I already drove in his heart, when I pointed out the promise he had made to me... That was just downright evil and I didn't even mean it! I was hurting so much and just blurted it out without thinking after he punched my shoulder!'

Her voice cracks as she explains it's her own mistakes she's worried about. And for the first time in our lives, she actually looks small and broken as she continues to weep into the blankets.

'Jesus Christ, you're both the most stubborn people alive! Are you really willing to sacrifice everything because you're not willing to excuse your own actions? Because I will give you both a kick in the ass if that's what it takes!'

'You don't get it!'

She wails, shrugging my hand off her shoulder.

'Then fucking explain it to me! I know he'd forgive you, so why can't you?'

'I feel like we're playing some kind of dangerous game together. If either of us makes one bad move, we're back at the beginning while losing another life!'

'In every game, you get three lives.'

I try to outsmart her. I never thought I'd live to see the day where I'm defending Mattheo fucking Blackwell! I mutter to myself. Usually, it's the other way around.

'All I want is to rush back home and jump into his comfy enormous arms! But it's too late! Life is no Nintendo game, remember?! If you lose all of your lives in a game, you just push the reset button and start all over again. I'm down to one and I choose to fucking save it, Néomy! I can't do it anymore!'

'Why can't you just have a little faith?!'

'Faith?! Faith and hope is nothing more than postponed disappointment. I've never felt such agonizing pain before! We're star-crossed lovers, doomed to fail! Even if we were hypothetically getting through this... I only have one life left, Néomy... I know if I lose that one, I won't recover from it. Ever. There will be no reset button. There will only be me, heartbroken. And I'll never trust another guy again.'

'Hold it right there, firecracker! What do you mean it's too late?'

I question, interrupting her rant as I slowly see the life drain out of her with every sentence. This is just ludicrous! You love each other! I shake my head, not knowing how to make her understand that this way she'll only hurt herself, even more, when her eyes glance over to her phone. You didn't... She immediately breaks out in tears again, shaking uncontrollably as I grab her tight when she squalls.

'I... I send h-him a m-m-message just b-before you g-got here!'

'Oh, fuck!'

I groan already reaching for her phone, still remembering her password as I scroll down searching for what she sent to him. *Uh, Hey? I don't really know what to say exactly, so~ It's just that I'm coming back tomorrow evening and I just needed to let you know ...I can't go on like this anymore, Matt. It's destroying us both. :'( Maybe it's better if we just continue to live our own lives, separately... I'm not saying you have to move out. Stay. Leave. That's up to you. I just can't be in any kind of 'relationship' with you anymore, please understand. Lexi.* This is bad... I cringe tossing the phone back to the side as I try to comfort my best friend.

'I'm here for you Lex... Shh... If you really think this is what's best for you, I'll be there for you! Even if I can't agree with it, I understand where you're coming from. I just don't want to see you in pain anymore.'

She screams with agony as her hands claw on my shirt not knowing how to stop the pain inside of her. I drag my hand over her hair, trying to hush her as her cheeks look puffy and wet from all the crying.

'Shhh... It'll all be alright.'

This will be the biggest mistake of your goddamn life. I whinge, trying to console her in any way possible as her desperate cries continue to echo through the room. I just hope Matt won't let it happen... If I can't change her mind, that'll be her only hope. Man up buddy, 'cause I have no choice but to put my faith in you ...and you better not screw this up!

***

'Well. That went like absolute shit!'

I swear as soon as I see Alex and Rebekah standing in the kitchen. Ruby and Shelby are also still present as they sit at the counter, sipping their drinks while they all turn toward me.

'Have you been ...crying?'

Ruby asks, slightly astonished. No shit, Sherlock! I roll my eyes, hoping it wouldn't be as obvious anymore as I grumble.

'What am I supposed to do when my best friend just decided to break her own heart?'

'W-What do you mean?'

Rebekah asks, jolting to my side with a worried expression on her face.

'You were right, Matt is our only chance. There's no reasoning with Lex at the moment. The dumb twat texted Matt she doesn't want to get involved with him anymore ...and I mean that in every sense of the word.'

I sigh as I start to explain to all of them what went on in the hotel room. Turning back to Rebekah as I cuss.

'This plan of yours better work! Because I'm not getting tattooed by that moron, so he can throw away everything they have!'

'My god... Shit just got real now you're actually rooting for him.'

Roxy snorts humoredly as she gets another refill. I wave my hand at her, trying to play it off as I scoff.

'Don't get anything in your head. I just wanna see my best friend happy, that's all.'

'If that's the case, you'll be stocked to hear Bear is with Matt.'

Alex smirks, leaning back against the counter looking all smug. I was wondering why he hadn't shown his face, traitor... I grumble silently as I grab something to drink from the fridge before turning back to Alex, giving him a fake smile as I mumble.

'At least he's enjoying someone's company then... We certainly didn't make much of an impact these last couple of days.'

He tilts his head, a slight grin still on his lips as he nods in agreement and teases.

'Just let me know if you miss someone to cuddle with at night, I'll happily fill the void.'

'Keep on dreaming, Alex!'

I snort, throwing my bottle at him nearly hitting him in the head as he pleads laughingly.

'Oh. Come on, Greenwood... One date?'

'And make things even more complicated around here? No thanks... Besides, that hair of yours would only keep me awake at night.'

I chuckle, sitting down on the countertop and snatching away some of his snacks. Popping them into my mouth as I give him a little wink. You're still cute though...

'Mmm, imagining me in your bed already? I like it when a girl knows what she wants...'

'Oh yeah? ...And what do I want?'

I taunt, wiggling my eyebrows at him as I lean over. Tempting. My actions almost make him trip in response, but he quickly recovers. Leaning his elbow on the counter as if that was his plan all along, meanwhile, the other girls are laughing their asses off but he ignores them as he continues haughtily.

'Me, in your bed ...obviously.'

God, the confidence in that goofiness almost makes him even more adorable. I giggle, shaking my head as I whisper playfully pushing him aside.

'Nah... Pizza and movies sound way more appealing at the moment. Besides, if your giddiness were to rub off on me I'd lose my dark sparkle. What would we do then?'

'That would be a travesty...'

Alex mumbles as the girls snicker watching the both of us. The corners of his mouth still turned up into a smile, he swings his arm around my shoulder and whispers.

'Order me an extra cheesy one?'

'You got it. But you know the words, right?'

I laugh, looking up at him. Can't go there, you know that. He reluctantly looks away from me, still holding his arm around me as he mocks.

'Don't drop the F-bomb on me again...'

'Oh, so you do know the words?'

I clasp my hand in front of my mouth. Exaggerating my movements to show my surprise, fanning myself with fake shock. Apparently, today is full of surprises! Making the others laugh even more before I eye him a bit more seriously urging him to finish them.

'Yeah, yeah. Just friends...'

He scoffs, putting his hands up in surrender.

'Good boy. Are you guys coming as well? We need to get over the plan once more because nothing can be handed to chance at this point...'

They nod, already getting up and setting their stuff away as I look back at Alex. Who's looking like a disappointed puppy since he isn't going to be the only one to keep me company.

'Stop pouting, you can still sit next to me...'

I smirk, quickly following him with a warning. Also trying to cover for myself as I mumble.

'No hands though!'

He rolls his eyes at my threat. Not able to stop himself from glancing at my butt as he whispers under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear.

'Can't blame a guy for trying...'

Well, continue at it... I smirk before walking off to the living room. Who knows? I might cave in someday... I can't say I haven't thought about it in the past. It's just that because of my job, I promised myself not to get involved with anybody. Long-distance just doesn't work with relationships, I've learned that the hard way. Even if you're getting cuter every damn time I see you...