Chapter 22- Taunting Confessions

[] L E O []

"You just thought it'd be cool to see how far you can take it with the murderer's' sister. That's all anyone ever wants," she whispered.

My eyes widened at her words.

"What the hell?" I mumbled, not being able to form any other thoughts.

Amelia let out a shaky breath at my words. Slowly, I reached out to her. I wanted to shake her as hard as I could to snap her back into reality.

But the moment I reached out to touch her again, she got up and ran.

I stayed frozen in my spot, still not processing what she had just said.

'Was it even real? Her sibling, was a murderer? How? Whose?'

All of these questions stayed unanswered in my head, but I wasn't going to stop here. Determined, I got up from my spot and followed after her.

As soon as I left Andre's room, I noticed the heavy atmosphere in the apartment. I ran into the living room and searched for Amelia. However, I only found the worried gazes of Andre, Jamal, and Gemma.

"Where is she?" I asked, almost desperately now.

The three of them shared a confused look.

"We just heard the door slam," Andre said.

And that was all I needed. I spun on my heel and started making a run for the door. However, before I could make it, Andre came into view, blocking me from going further.

"Hey Leo, you're really riled up right now. Let her go, we'll check up on her," he said, holding his hands out in front of me.

I shook my head.

"That's not possible, so get out of my way Andre."

Surprised by my answer, he dropped his hands. Taking this as my chance, I pushed past him and followed after Amelia.

Once I was out of the building, I looked in every possible direction to find her. The night was cold, since winter was approaching, and I found myself wondering whether she was wearing a jacket or not. I don't remember her wearing one on her way here, so she must not have. That means she must be freezing out here now.

That made me look for her harder. I started heading in the direction of her dorm, hoping to see her on the way. I started jogging lightly, twisting my head around every possible way to see if I could spot her.

At last, I saw a figure not too far from me on the opposite side of the street. Recognizing the pink sweater, I froze.

She wasn't running now, and instead, was walking slowly down the sidewalk. It looked as if she let her gaurd down.

As if she didn't think I would follow her.

Quickly checking the road for cars, I started running after her when the road was clear. She hadn't noticed me yet, and I used that to my advantage. I ran after her and in a few quick strides, I was just a few steps away from her. Not thinking twice, I finished the last of the distance between us, and wrapped my arms around her from behind.

They fit around her waist almost perfectly.

Out of instinct, I wrapped them tighter around her, making sure she was still here and that this wasn't some sick dream. That, and to warm her up.

A loud gasp escaped her lips and she struggled to get out of my hold.

"Shh, Moonie. It's just me," I simply said.

Hearing my voice, she stopped struggling and froze in my arms. Sighing, I brought my chin down to rest on top of her head. A strangled breath escaped her lips, and I let out one of my own. Her body was shaking due to the cold, and I was surprised she didn't pass out from hypothermia yet. She wasn't too far from Andre's place, but still. It's been a cold night.

Snapping out of my daze, I remembered why I was here in the first place. I let out a sigh and spoke to her.

"You don't have to be scared to trust me, Moonie. I'm not going to hurt you. I felt horrible enough the first time."

Whether it was what I said, or how she was feeling already, I finally heard Amelia crack.

A small whimper escaped her lips and soon enough, I felt a few droplets of water on my arms that were wrapped around her waist.

When sobs start wracking her body, I realized that I couldn't take it. It was the worst sound I had heard come out of her, and I didn't like it. However, I knew it was necessary.

To make myself feel better, I slowly turned her around so that her head rested on my chest instead. I doubt she noticed the change since she was crying heavily.

I slowly brought one hand up to her hair, the other still wrapped tightly around her waist. I slowly soothed down her hair, loving the feel of it. It was soft and silky, just how it looked, and I found myself leaning closer to it, trying my best to hide myself in it.

Another sob racked her body, making me nearly lose myself in her sadness.

"Shit, Moonie. How long have you had that stuck in you?" I whispered in her hair.

She continued crying in my arms.

And I held her.

I held her for as long as it took. And in that moment, I decided that I can do more than just hold her. I can do more than just listen to her story. I can do more than hurt the ones who have hurt her.

For Amelia Harrison, I can do anything.

* * *

[] G E M M A []

I knew something was wrong the moment I heard the front door slam shut. When I saw Leo running in a second later, I knew something was really wrong.

As he started running after Amelia, I didn't trust Leo to fix this on his own.

However, it was the worry in his eyes, the shivers running down his spine with the thought of losing her, and more importantly, it was in the way he jerked away his best friend Andre to get to Amelia. All of this led me to believe something I had suspected long ago.

Leo liked Amelia.

It was as simple as that, although it may get more complicated later on. For now, Leo liked Amelia, and for some reason, I think she reciprocated that feeling.

Ever since we parted ways after high school, I hadn't seen Amelia until my last shift in Leslie Foods, the only grocery store near where we lived. After that, I was so happy to find her in college again.

However, I noticed the change in her. I noticed that she hadn't moved on. I had hoped by now that her hood would be gone, and that at least she would smile more. Sadly, she was in the same place I had left her, nearly 2 years ago.

But something was different this time, and that was that Andre, Jamal, and Leo were in the mix.

They were a weird trio, the sporty guy Jamal, the overly friendly Andre, and quiet and mysterious Leo. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of them. I simply tagged along to lunch because Amelia was there, and some part of me wanted to see how she was doing in life. They were quite the unexpected surprise, but after Amelia told me how she met them, I finally understood.

They were just a few nice guys that happened to stumble upon Amelia. And that was quite the win, not for her, but for them. Because in the last few weeks we all spent together, I realized why Amelia wasn't able to go back to the way she used to be. It was because of the people she surrounded herself with. With the addition of new friends, she's finally finding herself back again. And that is why I knew I had to trust Leo.

Because despite his brashness, he cared for Amelia.

And to me, that seemed good enough for now.

As soon as Leo left the apartment, the boys shared a look, then ran to the window. I watched them quickly pull the curtains and peer down to the street below. I sighed watching them, and had the sudden urge to see what was going on too. However, I stopped myself and went up to the boys.

I came just in time because from here, I caught a glimpse of Amelia on the street, two blocks over from here. She was mostly covered by Leo's frame, since he was hugging her from behind.

I nearly started squealing out loud, but held my composure.

I looked over to Jamal and Andre who were watching the scene below with pure admiration and I thumped both of their backs. They turned to me surprised and I gave them a stern look.

"Let them sort it out on their own."

* * *

[] L E O []

After her breakdown, I offered to take Amelia home. She had hesitantly nodded, and I simply grabbed her hand in mine and led her to my car. She was silent the whole time, and making a quick decision, I swerved the car so we were enroute to my apartment instead.

There was no way I was letting her out of my sight so easily yet.

She didn't comment as I took her to my place, and I was hoping this was because she was okay coming to my place, and not because she was simply lost in her own world and didn't notice. I occasionally stole glances over to her and was surprised to find her with the same dazed look she had at Andre's place.

When we got to my place, I parked in my usual spot and turned off the ignition. I sat in silence for a while, then finally mustered enough courage to look up to Amelia. This time around, she was looking ahead at her surroundings with a small frown. Ever so slowly, she turned to me with a questioning gaze.

"Why are we here?" she asked.

"I'm not leaving you alone until I know you're okay."

It was as simple as that. She didn't need to tell me anything. All I needed was some sort of reassurance that she would be okay. However, as I saw her look out the window and discretely wipe away another tear, I knew it wasn't possible for her to be fine alone tonight.

Sighing, I unstrapped my seatbelt and got out of the car. Then I jogged over to Amelia's side and opened the door for her. She peered up at me and slowly got out of the car. When she was out, I shut the door and started making my way towards the apartment building with Amelia in tow.

We quietly made it to my apartment and once we were in, I gestured for Amelia to take a seat at the couch. She obliged, and I headed to the kitchen to fetch her a glass of water.

I quickly filled up a glass and made my way to the living room where Amelia was sitting silently on the couch. I held out the glass for her to take, and she quietly grabbed it. Then, I took the seat beside her. We sat in silence for a while, both lost in our thoughts.

I didn't want to startle her with my nosy questions, but on the other hand, I wanted to know everything. Everything that went wrong. I finally mustered enough courage to talk, but before I could, Amelia broke the silence.

"That day at The Pub... when you said that that I reminded me of you, what did you mean Leo?" she whispered.

I sighed and thought back to that time.

I had completely blurted that part, not intending for her to know. But when I did say it, I realized I meant it.

It wasn't hard to look past Amelia's exterior and see that something was completely eating her away, leaving only a shell of a person she was. She had completely lost her faith in people, and I wanted to know why.

"I meant what I said Amelia. There's no reason for you to feel like you can't share something with me. I know I haven't been the sweetest guy around and I haven't exactly shown you that I care. But I do Amelia. Because somehow, you made it onto the friend list," I said, hoping she could understand the sincerity in my voice.

A breathy sigh escaped her and she bit her lip at my words. Subconsciously, she started tracing the rim of the glass in her hands, and I had the urge to pull it away so that she can focus her attention on me instead.

"You have, too," she suddenly murmured.

I snapped my attention to her and slowly grinned. Then, it vanished as soon as it came. Suddenly, I saw an opening. I saw a way to get in, and I wasn't going to let it go.

I leaned toward her, enough so that she would turn her attention to me. Surprised, she looked up, her brown eyes finally meeting mine.

"If that's what you consider me then know that I have a right to worry about you Amelia."

Her eyes widened at my words.

"Where did that note come from?" I finally asked in a soft voice.

Suddenly, her whole body tensed up. She snapped her attention away from me and looked down at the cup in her hands. Annoyed with the cup, I finally reached forward and slowly pulled it out of her hands. Amelia gasped in surprise and looked up, ready to protest with me, but I simply shook my head at her.

"I just need to know that you're safe Amelia," I said sternly.

Her eyes finally softened at my words. I sighed and put the cup down on the table and turned my attention back to her. Her eyes were now calculating, staring at me as if she was trying to decipher me. Finally, she let out a shaky breath.

"We have to stop now. You can't be friends with me Leo."

I did a double-take at her words.

"What?" I spluttered.

"You can't be friends with me," she repeated.

I frowned at her words.

"Why not, Amelia?" I replied.

"I told you Leo. My brother is a murderer."

I held her gaze, unable to do anything else. She tried really hard to look stern, rude even, but she just couldn't. The way she bit her lip, and the way she desperately tried to hold in her tears, all of it gave her away.

All of it gave the real Amelia Harrison away.

"That doesn't answer my question, Moonie."

She finally broke her gaze, turning to look at the table in front of her. I kept my gaze locked onto hers, waiting for her to say something.

"Do you remember John?" she suddenly said.

"John wrote the note?!" I asked in disbelief.

At this, she turned to me, shaking her head wildly.

"No! Of course not."

For some godforsaken reason, my jaw ticked and I turned to glare holes to the ground, my hands fisted by my side.

"Of course I remember him. He seems like quite the dick of a boyfriend if you ask me. Why did you even date him in the first place?" I asked, unable to hold in my hatred for the guy.

"That's what I always said to her," Amelia suddenly whispered.

I snapped my head up to her in confusion.

"He was my best friend's boyfriend."

'Wow. Way to freaking go, Leo!' I said to myself.

I cleared my throat, trying to think of possible ways to get over this. However, I still couldn't grasp onto what she just told me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," I mumbled stupidly, scratching the back of my head.

"They were cute. Extreme opposites. She was the hard-headed girl and he was the laid-back star quaterback. She was always swearing and he always soothed her with warm words. They were truly a sight to see."

She let out a sigh.

"I wasn't fond of him at first. He was quite the player at the time and she just wasn't into dating. I was skeptical of him. But then, he showed me that he really cared for her. Soon enough, I found that him and I were quite alike. Before I knew it, he was someone I considered a special friend. More like a brother than anything."

'Wow. He was on the bro-list.'

Now, I just wanted to smack myself over and over again.

"What happened then?" I asked.

She sucked in a shaky breath and looked down at her hands that were clasped in her lap.

"Then someone came in between. He loved her from the very start, but she never liked him back. She always treated him like family, but he loved her like a partner. When he told her he loved her, she rejected him. Unable to handle it, he killed her."

My mouth fell agape at her words.

'She lost her best friend? When? Is this what made her like this?'

But now I was confused. Why was she suddenly talking about her best friend after telling me her brotber was a murderer? Did she have two tragedies in her life? Two moments that broke her?

With all these thoughts consuming me, I didn't notice when Amelia had shrunk further into the couch.

"Amelia," I said. "Why are you switching topics all of a sudden? I thought you were talking about your brother?"

A lone tear trailed down her cheek, and she sniffled away the rest. I leaned toward her, unable to see her look so hurt.

I wanted to comfort her. Wanted to tell her that it will be okay. Slowly, I leaned closer to her and put a hand under her chin, tilting it toward me. Her sad eyes met my own and I swallowed to compose myself.

"Moonie. I'm not going to judge you for anything," I said.

A shaky breath escaped her lips and she stared at me with a look so painful, I nearly collapsed.

"Who killed her?" I finally asked.

A whimper escaped her lips and she suddenly sprang away from me, coming to a stand in front of the couch. Surprised, I stood up as well.

"Amelia-"

"My brother is in jail. He raped and killed my best friend."