Aubrey #3
“Bunny! What’s going on!? Are you okay!?” Greyson comes rushing in, probably from hearing Emma’s scream. He straightens instantly when he sees us. “What the hell are they doing here?” he growls out.
Emma releases me and faces him with a scowl while Shane wraps his arm around me once more. “I invited them. It’s my birthday party and they deserve to be here.”
“We talked about this, Emma,” he says through his gritted teeth.
“Yes, we did, and I told you that you didn’t get to decide who I invite.” She folds her arms over her chest.
“Emma…” he warns her.
“Oh, don’t you ‘Emma’ me. I’m tired of your childish behavior, Greyson. Put your freaking attitude aside for one day and let me have the birthday I want!” she snaps back at him and it only seems to fuel his anger.
“No, I won’t put my ‘attitude’ away. This is my fucking house, and I don’t want them here! So, get them to leave before I kick them out myself.”
“Greyson, you’re being ridiculous,” Cecilia steps in.
He quickly whips his finger in her face. “You, don’t fucking start.”
Silas pushes his wife behind his back, stepping up in my brother’s face. His voice dips to an icy-cold level filled with fury that has the hairs along my arms rise in effect. “Speak to my wife like that again and see what happens to you.”
“Yeah? What are you going to do about it?” My brother levels him with his own anger.
Soon, everyone is jumping in, trying to settle the two. But it only develops into more arguments, more threats, more shouts. I watch as the grandparents in the living room quickly collect the kids and bring them down the hall, likely to the toy room and away from the chaos taking place here.
My heart begins to pound, my vision blurring slowly as I try to shake it off, but the lightheadedness only worsens with the sudden movement. I take deep breaths, trying to settle everything happening in my body and head as I get dizzier by the second.
The shouts echo in my ears and my hand tightens over Shane’s. “Stop…” I whisper with my eyes closed. “Just… stop,” I say a little louder, but no one’s paying attention to me, except for Shane.
“Angel?” he asks, but my mind is too jumbled to focus on him right now.
I take another deep breath, the world feeling like it’s spinning around me with no stop in sight. I need it to stop. I need it to stop.
“EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!” I yell as loud as I can. My insides are shaking vigorously as I pant for air.
Somehow, my words do the trick and the room falls silent except for the few shocked gasps from hearing me swear. All eyes are on me, and normally that would cause my entire body to flush. But right now, I feel sweaty and weak, and my blush clearly isn’t responding.
I swallow the dryness in my throat and face my brother, looking him dead in the eye.
“I’m done, Greyson. I’m done. You clearly won’t ever accept us together, so what’s the point in trying.
Why should I keep trying to make you see how happy Shane makes me?
How he’s not ruining my life but making it better?
When in the end, you’ll never listen. You’ll still refuse to see what’s right in front of you.
You clearly don’t want me here, so fine. We’ll go.”
I unwrap myself from Shane’s arms and take a wobbly step toward my brother, straightening my spine and holding my head high as I say my last words to him.
“But let me make one thing clear to you… brother. This is the last time I walk out of this house. You don’t want me in your life and around your family, and I’ll respect that.
” A tear slips past the center of my lower lid, slowly tracking down as my heart breaks for the final time.
“But know that you no longer have a place in my life either. And you’ll never have one in my child’s. ”
I can’t read the expression on his face, but I also don’t stick around to find out either. I don’t give him time to talk back, to say whatever nonsense he’ll spew next. Instead, I turn my back on him as Emma and all the other girls beg me to stay. But like I told him, I’m done.
I’m tired of fighting, this isn’t me and it isn’t the life I want for my child.
My head spins as I take a few unsteady steps away from everyone. My breathing becomes labored and my vision grows fuzzier by the second. But that doesn’t stop me. I just need to get outside. Air will do me some good. I sidestep Shane, not bothering to tell him to follow me because I know he will.
But on my next step, everything feels heavier, like moving is suddenly too hard, and my body is too weak. My hands shake violently as I reach out for something to hold onto. I hear someone call my name, but it sounds so distant. I can’t tell if it’s real or my imagination.
My hand finally connects with a flat surface, but I can’t see what it is. I can’t make it out. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the fog to go away. But all I can hear is the pounding of my heart in my ears.
And when I try for another step, I barely get the word out before my world tips over.
“Sha…”
And everything goes black.