CHAPTER 49

Genesis's POV

        I headed down the stairs in a rush with my mind in shambles. I was thrown off balance and shock was an understatement. Keegan with Miranda? I knew he had been very intimate with other girls since the time of our split and I tried not to think too much about it but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine her to be among the list. I harked back to the few encounters I had with her and how she aided me in the bathroom. Was that staged? Did she know him more than I did? Did they know each other? Had she always wanted him? Was that why she called? To tell me she was sleeping with him and I needed to back off?

Suddenly, I needed a drink. My brain was short-circuiting and all of a sudden, I couldn't think. I made a beeline for the bar and grabbed a chair. The bartender smirked at me and came my way.

"What should I fix you up, beautiful? I've got lots of..."

"Just something strong but not exactly. Something that could help me get things off my mind for a little while."

"Ahh." He grinned. "I know what you need. I know what you need beautiful. Coming right up to ya."

I gave him a faint smile and turned away. Then I saw him, jogging down the stairs, without her. He looked...happy and stress-free. Was she the cause of it? A regretful throb in my chest indicated its presence and a heavy lump wedged in my throat. Steeped in guilt, I watched him squeeze into the drunken crowd, just about to blend into the craziness, then he stopped. I wondered why. I soon realized it was because of her. She had called his name. He turned around and exited the crowd, ambling towards the bottom of the stairs were she stood, waiting for him, like a princess waiting for her prince. Her face was enveloped in a grin as he trotted closer. He swaddled his arms around her waist as soon as he could and she dipped his head to meet hers, taking his lips in an open-mouthed kiss. I averted my eyes immediately, wishing I had done that earlier.

"Your boyfriend cheating?" Someone asked and grabbed the chair beside me and ordered a beer. The bartender slid my drink and I grabbed the glass and dumped it down my throat in an instant, regretfully wishing I hadn't done that. My throat burned like fire and my eyes started to sting.

I swallowed and burped, turning to the side to stare blurrily at the person. "No. I...I cheated first. I'm sorry I shouldn't have bothered you with that."

"No shit. He ain't hitting it well?"

"Hmm. What?"

"He ain't fucking you like he should." He smirked. "I can do better baby." Eyes hungrily trailing up and down my body, with more concentration on the outline of my breasts.

I stared at the blonde-haired guy with a ring on his nose, with disinterest and a sudden discomfort.

"Have you seen Dario? Do you know where he is?" I asked instead, rising up from the chair.

He shook his head and popped the gum in his mouth.

"Where you going?" He stood up and grabbed my arm harshly. I wrenched it away. He grappled my waist and dragged me with so much force that my breath was leaked out of me as soon as my back hit his chest.

"Let go off me." I struggled with him, trying to escape his wondering hands.

He nipped at the lobe of my ear, sticking his tongue in. "I know you want me baby. I could give it to you nice and slow, hard or rough, whichever you want it. I could make you cum so hard on my dick and eat you all up like the big, bad wolf himself. Girl, you hot and pretty and I wanna have a taste."

"Let go off me. I said leave me alone." I dug my nails into his skin and stomped my foot on his.

A hand to my breast, he squeezed, while the other slipped under the dress. I jabbed my elbow to his side, causing him to yelp in pain. I thought I was free and made to make a run for it but he yanked me back by my hair and I screamed out in pain.

"Bitch."

"She said let her the fuck go." Someone punched him in the face and I was involuntarily set free. I staggered back, almost tripping but a pair of hands caught me and held me steady.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" The person holding me asked. Instinctively, I turned and my eyes grew.

I gasped. My heart skipped. "Keegan."

He cupped my cheek. "Genny. Please tell me he didn't hurt you."

There was a great noise all around me. The whole place was in complete disarray. Everywhere was in shambles. Total chaos. The party had already dissolved and a dirty fight had taken place. Bar stools were flying from every direction as I heard the sound of bottles shattering. A guy picked up an empty liquor bottle and threw it while screaming and cursing. Some girls screamed and began to flood out of the house in fear. The whole place was a riot. It was insane.

I panicked. "What's...what's happening?"

Deep within the chaos, I heard Lana yell out, "Dario!"

I froze. Eyes bulged out. He is here?

At the sound of a deep, angry growl, I snapped my head over to the bar and instantly became paralyzed with shock. There he was, wild and untamed, reconstructing the body of my assaulter. Dario had his head trapped in his palms and repeatedly slammed it against the bar counter. He dragged him across the bar and crashed him into a nearby wall, going after him with wild eyes and blood stained hands. He was like a wild animal, unchained and unrestrained. Though the guy was just about doing the dirtiest thing to me, I feared for his life.

I turned to Keegan in panic, "You have to stop him. He would kill him."

"He deserves every shit he's getting." He angrily spat.

A blonde-haired guy grabbed a bar stool and brought it down on Dario's back just as he was about going for the other guy's throat. Dario staggered for a split second and paused. Then he turned, angry-faced and blazing eyes. The guy started to back away but he was too slow. Dario grabbed him by the throat, clawing his fingers into the sides of his neck, causing his mouth to widen, then he began to choke on his own saliva. He hoisted his feet off the ground and flung him across the lounge. I gasped sharply. Our eyes connected and he stalled. I mouthed a plea to him to stop but his rage had gotten the better of him. He turned away from me and resumed rendering hard blows to the other guy's face who laid, bloodied and eyes shut on the floor.

A girl who I recognized to be the one her boyfriend had cheated on with Lana slapped her across the face and Lana immediately retaliated. Then they took each other down by the hair.

Keegan began to take me away from the entire commotion and I tried wriggling free from his grasp in a bid to get to Dario and stop him from killing him and getting himself into a much bigger trouble.

"We have to stop him Keegan. Let me. Let's go back."

"Ian will take care of it." He backed me away, going for the elevators.

"How are you so sure he would listen to him?" I argued. "They don't get along like the two of you do Keegan."

"He would." He pinned me against the doors of the elevators. "Trust me." His hands reached up and skimmed across my cheek. My eyes fluttered close and breath leaked out of me.

I felt his breath fan across my face as he whispered to my hearing. "I told him to Genny. You have nothing to worry about."

My heart beat accelerated. "I don't want him to get into trouble."

"He won't." His palms ran across the side of my face and tipped my chin up gently so we were almost at eye level.

He breathed out, "Genny," My heart pounded.

"Keegan..."

"I miss you." He confessed, leaning our foreheads together. "I miss you so damn much."

I swallowed, eyes squeezing close as he placed a feather-like kiss on my lips. My heart was thumping so hard against my chest I was worried it might pop out.

"Keegan p-please stop...." He tilted his head and kissed me. I turned my head to the side, eyes closed. Immediately, they reopened and who I saw next made my insides twist into cramps.

Keegan sighed in front of me. "You wouldn't even kiss me. I messed up pretty bad huh?"

He was missing his hood and leather jacket. There, he stood, staring at Keegan and I. I couldn't take my eyes off him and for some reason, in that moment, I wanted to know what he was thinking. Out of the blue, he turned in the direction of the stairs and disappeared.

"I-I have to go." I slipped away from Keegan.

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have kissed you."

"No, it's not that. "It's..." I glanced at the stairs. "I really have to go. I..." i silently apologized and ran up the stairs to find Dario.

His door was ajar. His room was wild. But then, he owned it. I stepped in and scanned the four walls. It was empty.

"Dario?"

The curtains were drawn and the lights were out, except the one illuminating the main room from the bathroom. I sauntered closer, towards the bathroom. I noticed the door was half-open and the lights were on. Someone was in there.

"Dario?" I creaked it open. "Dario, are you in there?"

I heard a sharp exhale of breath and I couldn't be wrong.

"Dario?" I pushed the door open and immediately, I froze. My heartbeat increased. I was unable to move. My feet became glued to the ground. My stomach twisted and my hands flew to my mouth. There was blood, so much blood. On the sink, dripping from his wrist and dropping to the tiled floor. I stared at Dario with eyes wide opened and mouth that couldn't be shut as he stood in the midst of all the blood, his head thrown back, eyes closed and his lips slightly parted. His bleeding hand hung in front of him and a red-soaked blade was in the other. He looked like he was in space, out of the world, like he was getting a high. Nothing would have ever prepared me for this moment.

I staggered back, shocked. Then, I cried out. "Dario!"

Immediately, his eyes flew open, his head snapped to the door and his expression turned sinister.

I ran to him, panic-stricken. "Jesus. Oh my God! Dario, you're bleeding so much." I took his slit wrist. "Lord! What is all of this? Did you do this to yourself? Why? Why did you...."

He shoved me to the wall. I gasped and looked up at him. He looked mad and furious.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He growled. "What said you could come in here? Get out! Get out now!" He screamed at me, coming at me.

I flinched, stunned at his attitude. "Dario." I squizzed at his wrist, worried it might get an infection. The first aid box was right above his head. I would need to climb the tub to get to it. "You're bleeding Dario." I complained worriedly. "Please, let me help you."

He slammed his palms against the wall, right above my head. I shrunk in fear, cowering away, but he was close, too close.

"You haven't answered my fucking question. Why the flying fuck are you in here? Are you stalking me now?"

I risked a look at him. "You told me to come here. You wanted me to come, remember?"

"Well, I changed my mind. Leave! Get out! Go away!"

"Dario, you-you are shouting at me. Did I do something wrong? Or something you don't like?"

He growled, turning away, running his hands through his long hair. "What the hell is this shit? Why the fuck are you always in my space huh? Why the hell won't you leave me alone? Do you want my blood? You want it? There..." He shoved his wrist in my face. "...there you have it."

I took his injured hand in mine, to ascertain the extent of the wound but he jerked it away.

"Dario, please let me...."

He began to leave the bathroom. "Go make your boyfriend's life a living hell instead and leave me the fuck alone."

What?

I followed him out. "Dario, is this-is this about Keegan? Is he the reason you are being so..."

He snapped immediately, snarling. "Do you think I give a shit what you do with him?"

"Then why are you being so rude with me? We were talking and...and we were okay. I thought we were getting along with each other. I thought we were finally understanding each other. Dario, I thought we have gone past this."

He started to draw closer, making subtle, threatening steps. "I. Hate. You." He seethed. "I despise you."

"No." I swallowed. You're trying to hurt me. You're trying to push me away. I'm not going anywhere Dario."

"I mean every damn bit of what I said. I hate every little shit about you and how you always nibble on those cheeks when your heart's unsteady and the color of your eyes, the shape of your lips and that thing you do when you laugh and the sound of it. You make me do stuffs I would never have done. I hate how you watch obscure musicals on the freaking tube on repeat, memorize the whole shit in a day and follow me around, singing the crap to me, and your voice is like a fucking shit hole."

"Then why did you save me?" His brows furrowed and I continued. "Why did you save me from him if you hate me so much, hmm? Why didn't you just let him rape me and...and harass me? Why?"

He said nothing for a moment and only gazed at me with angry eyes.

"Sometimes I don't understand you. I just don't. You treat me as friends, then as something more than friends and then as if we were strangers. It's so hard to keep up with you."

"You stupid. So damn stupid to have fallen victim to a dick like him. You can't protect yourself. You weak. You ain't strong enough. You can't survive on your own in the real world. You always gon' need someone...someone to look out for you."

"Stop. Stop saying things like that to me."

"I don't need you. I don't need you around me. You a dead loss, a wiener and you wanna know what's new? I'm done. I'm done with this shit...the bullshit, the lame friendship. Fuck you. I don't do friends. I don't need that and not one such as you. I got what I wanted from you in the first place and you were too quick to give it to me. I. Fucked. You. I took your damn innocence away from you."

"Dario, please stop. You're hurting me."

"I told you before, remember? You a shitty tramp who is so much of a fucking whore she doesn't even know it yet."

I wrenched my hand back and slapped him hard across the face. His head snapped to the side from the impact and a red imprint of my palm took over the right side of his cheek.

"Don't you ever...don't you ever talk to me this way ever again or call me names because you are the only one I have ever been with. Don't ever do that again." I set the records straight angrily.

He reached up to touch his cheek and looked at me. I glared at him, breathing hard. His hand fell back and he began to backtrack. Without a single word said, he stormed out of the room, banging the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone, I closed my eyes and released a shaky breath, falling to the bed. I sank down on something and immediately stood up. It was a book. An old Jane Eyre novel. I took it from where it was settled and turned it over. The novel was opened to the eighteenth page. I quickly realized he had been reading it. The novel fell from my hands and I bent to pick it up. I saw a name on the front, just at the beginning of the book. Soledad Campbell Guerra. On the floor was something else, something else I hadn't noticed had slipped out of the pages of the novel when it hit the floor. An old picture. I turned it over and immediately recognized the person in it, without a single tattoo. Though younger and ill-kempt, what concerned me more were the hideous bruises and burns littered all over his body. The top right part of his chest was completely mutilated.

***

Hi, I apologize for the late chapter. By the way, do tell me your favorite scene in this chapter. Mine was when Dario was listing all the things he hates about Genesis. Who noticed the reverse was the case in that scene?

He was telling her what he liked about her instead. Oh well, please don't forget to vote and comment. It surely makes my day :)