TORN FLESH

CHAPTER THIRTY: THREE'S A CROWD

THEY all sat there for a while, Violet eating as much as she could fit into her small stomach while the two adults basked in the sudden happiness.

"How you feeling? You were out for a good two days or so." the girl shook her head, "I'll be better once I get some more cake." she spoke as she shoveled more into her mouth, Mitch let a laugh pass his lips before glancing towards the door as if he was planning to leave again.

"I can go and get her some." Margo spoke lifting her gaze from the small blonde to the brunette male seated across from her, he shook his head before standing, "as if you'd be able to find your way there."

Margo scoffed, not because the remark hurt her feelings, but because she found it somewhat funny. "That's coming from the person who couldn't find me?" she watched as he pursed his lips, "you seem to be feeling a bit bold today." she added raising her hand to glance over her nails as if Mitch wasn't staring down at her.

"You're lucky I like you." he mumbled quickly exiting the room and making his way down the hall, "he said he liked you..." Violet began as she set her fork down, "hmm?"

"Mitch, he said he liked you, I thought you were closer than that."

Margo shrugged her shoulders, "so did I, but it's just you and me V."

Violet cracked half-smile, she didn't want to seem ungrateful for the statement, but she also felt bad, it was clear Margo cared for the man, and yet, it seemed he had completely drifted away from her.

At least from the way the older girl had explained him to her.

She wondered what had changed between the two adults, had it just been the time?

She'd have to wait and see, but for Margo's sake, she hoped the two talked it out soon.

"You know Rav, you could just find someone else, if it really matters."

Margo closed her eyes and let a chuckle fall from her lips, "Violet, you're an intriguing child."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned forward in bed to glare at the older girl, "I'm being serious, I don't see what's so great about him if he can't even treat you like he did a few months ago."

Margo opened her eyes to look at the girl, "things change Violet, you'll realize that when you're older."

Neither of them spoke, Violet knew she wouldn't win the argument and Margo didn't want to continue it, they were at a standstill. So when Mitch returned to the room it was no surprise that they could hardly find it in them to look up at the man, he must've not have cared enough to ask as he set the small plate of chocolate cake on Violets lap and turned to Margo.

"They're serving lunch, if you wanna go grab some?"

Glancing away from the man, she looked to Violet as if she was asking her if it was alright, the girl reluctantly gave a small nod, she'd be fine on her own for an hour or so, she knew that much.

But even as she watched the two leave the room to get lunch she felt her stomach begin to twist itself in knots, she could tell something bad was going to happen, more so, between the two adults.

As they walked, neither of them spoke, Mitch mainly just looked down the hall as if he was searching for someone, hoping they wouldn't magically appear behind him as he suspected. Marog had her hands settled in her pockets her eyes glued to the floor lining the hall, some time before everything she could remember a time she enjoyed the silence that allowed for awkwardness, now? She despised it.

Mitch flicked his finger in the direction of her boots, she must've thrown them on when he wasn't paying attention, but he was gesturing to the fact that one of her laces was untied.

"What?" she questioned letting her eyes drop even further until they rested on her shoes, letting out a sigh, she stopped and lifted her leg to rest on the lower bit of her thigh before attempting to tie it.

Which did not work as she'd planned, not in the slightest.

Instead, she began to fall to the side, and with her laces still wrapped around her fingers, she had nothing to catch her fall with. She let a yelp fall from her lips as her side collided with something firm, but there was something odd about it, it wasn't firm enough to be tile.

Opening her eyes, she quickly realized it was Mitch, and not the cold tile she'd been expected to slam into. Somewhat grateful for his sudden actions, she gave a small nod of her head as he righted her- standing her up once more- allowing her to lean against him until she finished tying her shoe.

"You know you could've just bent down and tied it, right?"

Margo shook her head a look of clear distaste rolling across her face, "I don't like that, I've always preferred balancing while I tied them, easier to see if I need to work on something."

There she was, that girl, the one he'd met at the barn.

The cold, calculated girl he'd almost feared at first, but instead, had come to see as worthy opponent, and later, a worthy adversary.

He didn't like it, he'd always been forced to be careful around her, until she'd softened up at least.

And even then she'd managed to slip back into her old habits.

He had no clue what he was supposed to do, he was probably the only person that knew the things he knew about her, the only person that ever would.

How she couldn't stand the smell of mints and yet the only candles she ever bought were mint scented.

Or how she marked the days on the calendar to show how long she'd kept a plant alive.

Or even how she smelled the way Mitch imagined Fall.

Hell, he knew for a fact that he was the only one who knew that with the rain, brought the tears that dotted her cheeks.

That was the only time he'd ever seen her cry, that silent evening as the sun had drifted over the horizon, lingering long enough to shine light on the little beads of liquid that were gliding down her cheeks.

She'd always been good at silently crying, but Mitch hadn't realized how good, until that day.

He'd waited a few moments before moving from his spot in the kitchen to where she sat in his desk chair by the window. Unsure of how else to comfort her, he'd simply wrapped his arms around her torso and pressed his head into the crook of her neck hoping that his presence would somehow make her feel the slightest bit better.

He longed for those days more than anything, to just sit and stare at each other in bed. It was selfish, he knew that much, to think of that when he still needed to let Morgan down, but he couldn't find it in his heart to care. Because all that currently mattered to him, was the blonde that had started walking beside him once again.

It wasn't until they reached the cafeteria that Mitch spotted her, and that was when chills went down his spine.

Morgan was staring dead at him.

And it almost seemed as if she was.... confused? Mad?

Mitch couldn't even begin to try and decode her expression, but he knew it wasn't good.

As carefully as possible, Mitch tried to steer Margo away from him and towards the small line at the front of the cafeteria, unfortunately, she didn't' move very far before Morgan approached him.

Glancing at the blonde beside him, she flicked her gaze to Mitch, "can we talk, privately?"

The man let the tiniest bit of his upper lip slip in between the sharp ridges of his teeth before he closed his eyes for several seconds until he found an answer worth sharing, "right nows actually not a good time."

His words came to Morgan like small daggers, later to be followed by a large knife, "who's she?" Margo mumbled her eyes lingering on the girl standing before Mitch.

"Yeah Mitch, who am I?" she questioned crossing her arms across her chest, when he didn't answer for several seconds, Margo turned to him with a frown, "Mitch, who is she?"

Morgan offered her a tight smile, "I'm his girlfriend, and the fact that you had to ask really makes me wonder what all he's told you."

It seemed that for the first time ever, Margo shrunk, "oh."

It was the only thing that came from her mouth as she turned, everything felt like it was in slow motion, Mitch opening his mouth to counter Morgans statement while Margo moved to exit the room, it seemed that suddenly she didn't belong again, just as she'd felt when she'd first woken.

"Who is she Mitch?"

The man shook his head at the girl, all he wanted to do was go outside and yell, to yell at her, to yell at the world, to yell at himself.

"We dated before all this, I don't get why that's any of your business though!"

"It is my business!" she countered letting her hands drop to fists at her sides, "if you were having doubts about us you should've said something!"

She let out a sigh before leaning back from him, "I can't even believe you right now, hell, I don't even want to look at you. Don't come around anymore, and don't go anywhere near Faye."

And that was it, that was the end of the only relationship he'd had since Margo and Katrina.

He didn't know how to feel, some grief had released its grip on his heart while more had taken its place.

At least they both knew now.

Margo.

She'd run off, shit.

He felt like a stranger among those in the cafeteria as they stared at him from where they'd sat, they'd just witnessed everything he'd hoped he'd never have to deal with.

Rushing out of the room, he tried his best to think through all the places Margo could be, which weren't many, she didn't know her way around the place, meaning she could only be in Violets room, it was the only place she knew how to get to.

So that was where he went.

Making sure to remain quiet as he approached the doorway after a few minutes of quickly walking through the building, Mitch settled himself in the doorway watching as Margo sat somewhat leaned over Violets bed with her hand laced in that of the small girls.

"You could've told me you know, I wouldn't have been upset." Mitch bit down on his tongue as she spoke, he felt so much regret bubbling in his head that it felt as if it would burst within the next few seconds.

"I did wanna see you go back to the girl I met at the barn, I didn't wanna see all those smiles disappear from your face." he paused slightly lowering his head before he continued, "I didn't want to hurt you, I planned on telling you tonight, but I guess I ended up hurting you anyway."

Margo let a dry chuckle escape from past her lips, "yeah, you definitely did that."

She turned to glance over her shoulder at him, "and it's funny, because that's all it seems you've managed to do to me these last few months."

Mitch watched as she released Violets hand and stood, "coming here, was obviously a mistake."

He shifted himself from where he'd been leaning against the door frame, "that's not true."

"But isn't it?" she countered taking a step forward, a step away from Violets bedside, "I should've died on that bathroom floor, but y-" she let another small laugh escape her lips to cover her voice cracking.

"You wouldn't let me."

"You were just too damn selfish."

TORN FLESH

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: THREE'S A CROWD