Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Tobias sighs before making eye contact with Jake, staring intently. My gaze flickers between both of them as they speak to each other silently solely through eye contact.

"What?" I frown towards Tobias, breaking the silence between us all.

"I don't think we should tell you," Tobias responds bluntly, turning to face me. My frown deepens and I raise my brow at him.

"Are you serious right now?" I hiss at Tobias, my eyes narrowed threateningly. Tobias holds his hands up in surrender, his eyes dropping to the floor.

"I jumped out of a window to get here Tobias, do not play me."

"I just don't think you need to know what happened." Tobias responds. My eyes widen in disbelief and I feel my fists clench into tight balls by my side.

"I need to know everything, you idiot! The police aren't just on your backs, they're on mine too! Not to mention the fact I'm carrying your cousins baby inside of me right now! So yes Tobias, I do think I have the right to know everything that went on. Especially since the father of my child is involved!" I argue back, leaning towards him.

Tobias' eyes widen and flash with guilt before he nods slowly, jaw clenched tightly from my words.

"You tell him Muffin," Jake smiles softly, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. He yawns and leans against the book shelf, closing his eyes.

"I'm really not cut out for this criminal life anymore," Jake mutters, running a hand over his face. My heart aches for him and I reach out to take Jake's hand in mine. I study him worryingly, my features twisted in worry.

"What the hell happened Tobias?" I ask him firmly, my words nothing but serious. Tobias glances between Jake and I before his eyes settle on an exhausted looking Jake.

"It started last night, when you told me Jane was cheating on me." Tobias starts quietly, his eyes trained on the floor in front of him.

"I was so angry so I went out looking for both of them, Jane and Dylan. I tried Jane's house first but her parents said she wasn't there. I called her constantly and she wasn't answering. All I could picture was both of their hands all over each other. I was angry so I went looking for them." Tobias says gingerly. I exhale deeply and Tobias' eyes shoot upwards to look at me —

"I was hurting Emily! I still am."

"So eat a tub of ice cream. When does violence ever fix anything?" I scold him, feeling disappointment settle inside me. Tobias was doing so well with moving on from the darkness in his life and one night seemed to spin him backwards, right back in that dark hole. When faced with difficulty in life, you don't drag yourself down with it, you learn from your mistakes and pick yourself back up, head held high.

It's a practise I've put into action multiple times in my life.

Tobias remains silent and I motion for him to continue, resting Jake's sleeping head on my shoulder. He's leaning against me, his body heavy with sleep almost knocking me sideways. Every now and then, he'd murmur something in his sleep, his eyebrows scrunched up tightly together. I run my fingers through his hair soothingly in an attempt to comfort him.

"Go on," I mutter to Tobias.

"Jake made me promise him months ago that before I do something stupid, I should call him. So that's what I did." Tobias sighs, running a hand over his face.

"I never should have gotten him involved," he mutters angrily and I know his anger is directed entirely at himself.

"What happened after that?" I ask quietly, feeling like his words are about to take a dark turn. I can feel it in the pit of my stomach.

"I called Jake and told him where I was. He asked me if I was in any kind of trouble and I lied to him. I told him a gang were after me and I needed the baseball bats."

I feel my teeth grind together in anger as I realise what Tobias is saying. He'd tricked Jake into bringing the baseball bats with him when all along, Tobias was planning on using them on Dylan. I exhale deeply, pinching the bridge of my noise in frustration.

"Go on," I repeat, my words almost sounding like a low growl.

How could he mess up so badly, so quickly?

"Jake met up with me and we were both walking back home, baseball bat in hand. We passed Jane's house and I decided to knock again to see if she was in this time. Jake was pleading with me to leave her alone but I was so angry. I knock on the door and this boy who I've never seen before opens it. His eyes immediately widen and in that moment, I just know that it's him. The idiot she was fooling around with behind my back. All I see is red and suddenly Jake's pulling me back as Dylan's running down the road, away from us. I scream at Jake to let me go but he won't, all I want to do is run after him to cause him the pain he caused me." Tobias explains, his voice cracking.

"A few moments pass and I eventually manage to get free from Jake's hold so I sprint down the road after Dylan. Jake's right behind me, yelling at me to stop and think about what the hell I was about to do. I ignore him and carry on running, searching everywhere for Dylan. I don't find him and by this time, it's into the early hours of the morning. I give up and I'm on my way home when I hear this scream come from the side of a building." Tobias says darkly, running a hand over his face. His breathing shakes and I reach forward, placing a hand on his knee to comfort him.

"I instantly follow the scream but I can't see anything because it's pitch black. All I see is a small figure hunched over a body, pounding it over and over again with a metal object. Jake catches up with me and we both stand there in shock as his screams eventually die down. Jake yells out and interrupts the person and they run off the opposite way, disappearing within seconds. Jake runs up to the body and checks for a pulse but it's too late, his brain was emptied all over the floor." Tobias shudders, his voice cracking from the horrific scene both of them had just witnessed.

I'm frozen to the spot by this point. My heart beats wildly against my chest and my eyes are glazed over with tears.

"Jake screams at me to get help, he breaks down right there and then in the alleyway. I run up to him because I know we need to get the hell out of there before someone see's us. That's when I see the face of the body, it's Dylan. It turned my stomach seeing his face beaten up like that, his eyes were still open." Tobias says quietly, darkness lining his voice. A shiver runs down my spine and I remain silent, wanting him to continue.

"I had to drag Jake away because he didn't want to leave his side. We were on our way home when we hear the police sirens all around us and we instantly know they're coming for us. So we run and stay low for the rest of the night until you called Jake. I didn't mean for anyone to get murdered Emily, you have to believe me." Tobias chokes out, his head falling into his hands.

I blink the tears away and sniffle, forcing myself to stay strong. Right now, both of the boys need me and I look at Tobias intently, reaching my hand out so that he can take hold of it. He pauses for a moment before his fingers lace with mine and I give his hand a squeeze, clutching it tightly.

"I believe you Tobias." I whisper, my voice shaking unsteadily. Tobias simply stares back at me, his eyes wide and vulnerable with a layer of unshed tears. He nods slowly at me before crawling over to my right side. I lift my arm up, motioning for him to get closer and he does, a single tear escaping from his eyes. I put my arm around him and he drops his head onto my shoulder, shielding the pain in his eyes.

"This is all such a mess," Tobias mumbles, his voice thick with emotion. Silence falls upon us and within moments, his breathing evens out. I feel his body become heavy with sleep, leaning against mine for support.

I turn briefly, glancing at him before turning to look at Jake who's on my left side, equally as passed out. Both of them look broken, troubled from the night they'd spent together. I sigh deeply and close my eyes, my hands still running through both of their hair soothingly. The strands feel soft and warm through my fingers.

Who knew I'd end up being stuck between two ex gang members, both of them passed out and emotional on my shoulders. . .

Whilst on a library floor.