After leaving Trace standing there with a look of complete and utter disbelief on his face, Michelle headed back up the driveway and over to where Jackson was waiting for her.  She couldn't help but feel bad for leaving him just standing there like that, but at the same time, she couldn't resist going back inside to hear what Chris had to say.  Especially after there were so many times that she had wondered deep down, if Chris really was the guy who he came off trying to be. 

"Are you ready?"  Jackson asked, reaching for the door handle.

"Honestly, no.  I really don't think this is something you can be ready for."  she replied, tucking a small piece of hair behind her ear.

"It's going to be alright.  You just have to trust that whatever I say or do in there, is for the best, for the both of you.  Can you do that?"

"What do you mean by, 'whatever you say or do' in there?"

"Can you trust me?  That's all I want to know."

"I........guess."  Michelle said, questioningly.

"Michelle, I need to know that you trust me before we go in there.  This isn't going to work unless you trust me.  I need you to believe me when I say that nothing is going to happen to you.  Alright?"

"Ok."

"I'm serious."

"Alright Jackson.  I said I trust you."  Michelle said, glancing back at Trace as he made his way down the driveway.

After taking a large breath of air and exhaling it slowly, Jackson opened the front door and walked back inside.  Once Michelle had joined his side, Jackson closed the door and headed back down the hall with her cautiously in tow behind him.

"Jackson..."

"It's going to be alright."  Jackson said, briefly glancing back over his shoulder at her.

Hearing the sound of Jackson's voice coming from the other end of the hall, Chris leaned back and slowly turned to his right.  As he did, he saw Jackson making his way back down the hall with Michelle nervously following a few feet behind him.  Instantly taking note of her tear filled eyes, Chris immeadiately tried to get to his feet.  Unfortunately, he momentarily forgot that he was still hooked to the rail, and instead only managed to get himself in an upright position before the handcuff pulled him back.

"Sit down."  Jackson said, continuing his walk down the hall.

"That's funny, I could have sworn you told me to sit down."  Chris snickered.

"Well I'm glad you found it amusing Chris, but it wasn't a joke.  Sit down!"  he repeated, quickly drawing his gun out from the front waistband of his jeans.

Seeing Jackson aim the gun directly at Chris, Michelle instantly began backing up.  This wasn't what she had agreed to.  All she wanted to do was talk to him.

"Just remember what I said."  Jackson said, pulling Michelle closer as Chris looked on curiously. 

"What the hell did you say to her?!"  Chris asked, his voice just as angered as it was startled by the turn of events.

"SIT DOWN CHRIS!  NOW!"

Worried that his actions were only going to add fuel to this new fire that Jackson had started, Chris slowly sat back down on the stairs, never once taking his eyes off of Michelle.

"Do you mind not pointing that thing at me then?!  You're scaring the shit out of her!"

"You don't want me aiming the un at you?"

"No, I don't" Chris replied coldly.

"Is this better?"  Jackson asked, quickly shifting the aim of the gun from away from Chris and over to Michelle.  "Do you like it better if it's pointed this way?  Do you think she's even more scared now?"

Seeing the look of sheer panic sweep over her, Chris attempted to get up once again.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"

"I'm putting an end to this mess.  What does it look like?  She's done nothing but cause trouble for you, and the business.  It's time to cut ties, don't you think?  Get things back to the way they used to be?"  Jackson asked, taking a step closer to brush her hair back off of her shoulder. 

"Get your fucking hands off of her!" 

"Come on Chris, you know this is for the best.  I mean, you really didn't think you would ever work things out between the two of you, did you?  That she could forgive you after everything you've done to her?"

Trying to control the sickening feeling that was flooding through him, Chris glanced over at Michelle and saw the tears once again threatening to spill from her eyes. His stomach instantly twisting in knots with the realization that this could actually be happening.  That this whole plan of Jackson's could have been nothing more than a ruse for something more sinister.

"If it's any consolation though, I'll do it quick.  She won't feel a thing.  I promise." 

Hearing the words fall from Jackson's mouth, Michelle turned and stared at him wide-eyed.  What the hell was going on?! 

"Jackson...don't do this."  Chris pleaded.

"It's not up for discussion Chris.  It needs to be done."  Jackson said, gently grabbing a hold of her upper arm.  "Just be thankful that I decided against taking a little piece of her sweetness before hand." 

Unsure of what to even say, Chris stood there like a deer caught in headlights and just stared at his best friend.  A fresh set of tears threatening to spill from his own eyes as he studied the serious expression on his best friend's face.  Clearly this wasn't a joke.

"So, any last words Chris?  Do you want to give her a goodbye kiss maybe?"  he continued, letting a slight chuckle escape his lips as he gently pushed her over to where Chris was still standing.

Knowing that he wasn't going to let Jackson take her away from him without a fight, Chris quickly grabbed a hold of Michelle and tucked her safely behind him on the stairs.

"Awww, isn't that sweet.  Are you trying to be the hero now Chris?"

"I don't know what the fuck your problem is Jackson, but this isn't what we agreed to!  You were supposed to bring her back in here so I could talk to her!  Not pull this shit!"

"Well plans change Chris.  You of all people should know that."

"Yeah I guess so, because I just changed your little plan.  You're not going to touch her!"

After exhaling deeply, Jackson just shook his head and looked back over at Michelle.

"Touching, isn't it?  This sudden display of concern for your wellbeing?  It almost makes you stop and wonder, doesn't it?"  Jackson asked, as he glanced back and forth between the two of them.  "Shame that it's too little, too late huh?"

Feeling her trembling against his back, Chris turned his body slighty to his right and reached behind him, wrapping his arm around her waist.  After gently turning her body to face his, Chris pulled her firmly against him and rested the side of his face against hers.

"It's ok.  I'm not going to let him hurt you."  Chris whispered, his eyes locked on Jackson as he stood a few feet away from them. 

"Don't make promises you can't keep Chris, because I think it's a little more than obvious that you're the one at a disadvantage here."  Jackson said, motioning towards the set of handcuffs that still held Chris firmly in place.

"And you think that this will stop me?!"

"I don't know, but you know what, I'm more than willing to find out.  So, for the sake of arguement, let's just see how far you're willing to go to save her."  Jackson growled, quickly smashing his foot in to Chris' hand.  The disturbing sound of bones breaking, only briefly proceeding the screams of pain that were now coming from Chris' mouth. 

"Come on.  We're just wasting time now."  Jackson said, quickly ripping Michelle away from Chris' side and pulling her back up the few stairs. 

"Jackson please don't do this!  You said he just wanted to talk to me!  You promised me that nothing would happen!"

"Don't always believe everything you hear Michelle."  he continued, leading her down the hall towards the guestroom.

Forcing the excrusciating pain to the back of his mind, Chris began desperately trying to slip his now crushed hand through the confines of the handcuff. 

"Come on God damn it!"  Chris grunted, a pained expression consuming his features as he braced his foot on the marble pillar to try and gain some leverage. 

Knowing that the pain he was experiencing now, would be nothing in comparison to the pain he would feel if he lost her, Chris squeezed his eyes shut as tight as he could, and continued on with the painful process of free himself from what he could only describe as hell on earth. 

Once Jackson had made it down to the guestroom, he gently pushed Michelle inside and closed the door behind her.  He knew it was only a matter of minutes until Chris came rushing through that door and he needed every second to set up. 

"Time to get started."  Jackson said, tosssing his gun down on the bed before heading over to the other side of the room.  "Here, sit down."  he continued, quickly pulling a small chair over to the foot of the bed.

"Jackson please don't do this."

"Unless you enjoy gambling with people's lives Michelle, I'd advise you shut up and sit the hell down."  Jackson said, quickly making his way around the room as he searched through the various dresser drawers.

"But you said that..."

"SIT DOWN!"

Knowing that resistance never worked out in her favor, Michelle did as she was told and joined Jackson on the other side of the room.  Her mind and body both completely numb as she took her position on the chair.

"Now don't move." 

Finally spotting what he had been looking for in one of the bedside tables, Jackson grabbed the set of handcuffs and quickly removed the keys, depositing them back inside the drawer.  Once he had both ends of the cuffs opened up, he headed back across the room and over to where she was seated.

"Good thing your boy's a freak.  I'd hate to think of how this could have panned out if he didn't have another pair in here."  he said, crouching down behind the chair.  "But then again, you probably already knew that about him huh?"  he continued, a slight laugh escaping his lips.  "If you didn't, you will, trust me."

Ignoring his comment, Michelle continued to sit there silently.  Her mind reeling with everything that was going on.

"Alright, give me your hands."

After a few seconds had passed and she still hadn't placed her hands behind her back, Jackson reached forward and grabbed a hold of her right hand.

"I guess I gave you too much credit to think you could actually help me out here."  he said, fastening the handcuff through the chair and on to her right wrist.  "Sorry we have to do it this way, but I'm not quite ready to meet my maker, and as I said before, Chris is going to be here any minute now."  he continued, quickly fastening the other end of the handcuffs around her left wrist.

"You know, that might actually be comforting if I thought it was a possibility." she said softly, her chin resting against her chest as she continued to stare at the floor.

"Oh it's more than a possibility.  He'll be here, trust me.  It's just a matter of time." Jackson said, quickly getting back to his feet.  "He already has the motivation, which is you by the way, incase you were wondering.  All I had to do was provide the means.  Of course, breaking his hand was probably a little extreme, but if you ask me, he certainly......"

Unfortunately before Jackson could even finish his sentence, a loud bang echoed throughout the room and Chris came bursting through the door.

"DON'T FUCKIN MOVE!"  Chris yelled, his hand firmly wrapped around his gun as he aimed it directly at Jackson.

Instantly realizing that he forgot to grab Chris' gun from his bedroom, Jackson threw his hands up in defense and cautiously took a few steps backwards.  The painful reality quickly sinking in that his careless mistake could now very easily cost him his life. 

Chapter 187

As Jackson continued to stand there in a state of shock, Chris glanced over at Michelle and his temper quickly elevated from being simply pissed off, to completely enraged. 

"Chris, hold on man.  This isn't what you think."

"It isn't?!  ARE YOU FUCKIN KIDDING ME?!" 

"That's not what I mean.  Just let me explain."

"She's sitting here cuffed to a FUCKING CHAIR!"  Chris yelled, quickly kicking Jackson's gun off of the bed, before proceeding back over to the other side of the room.  "What possible explanation could I need?!"

"I wasn't going to do anything to her.  I was just trying to get you to......"

Not wanting to hear anything else Jackson had to say, Chris quickly cocked the hammer of the gun back and took a few steps closer to the two of them.

"SAY ANOTHER WORD, AND IT'S GOING TO BE YOUR LAST!"

Worried that she was about to witness Chris' extreme cruelty once again, Michelle quickly turned to her right. 

"Chris, please don't do this.  Please."

Hearing her heartbreaking plea, Chris reluctantly turned his attention away from Jackson and placed his focus back on her.  The frightened look on her face speaking volumes as she stared up at him.

"Chris..."

"It's alright.  I'm not going to hurt you." 

"I wasn't going to hurt her either Chris.  You have to know that?!  You know me man!"

"HOW FUCKIN STUPID ARE YOU?!"  Chris yelled, quickly making his way across the room and over to where Jackson was standing.  "DID YOU THINK I WAS JOKING A SECOND AGO?!  THAT I WOULDN'T FOLLOW THROUGH?!" he continued, forcefully shoving Jackson back against the wall as he jammed the end of his gun up under Jackson's chin.  "Don't think for one SECOND that you life means more to me than hers, because once you do, you've signed your own death certificate."

With her movement limited, Michelle did her best to try and glance behind her to see what was going on.  Unfortunately once she had managed to shift enough so that she could see over her shoulder, the sight before her was exactly what she feared she would see, and she quickly turned back around.  Her heart racing inside her chest as flashbacks of last night played like an old horror movie in her mind. 

"No.....no, no no, no." 

Hearing Michelle began her soft yet unnerving chant, Jackson cautiously broke eye contact with Chris and glanced over his shoulder at her. 

"I wasn't going to.....hurt her Chris."  Jackson said once again, forcing himself to swallow in spite of the pressure on his throat that was still present from Chris' gun.  "I was just trying to get you to let your guard down."

"Don't feed me that bullshit Jackson!  You don't like anything interfering or getting in the way of business, and that's exactly what you thought she was doing!  You wanted her gone from day one."

"Yeah, she may have been a distraction for you, but I never wanted her 'gone'.  I was just trying to help you out."

"BY PUTTING A GUN TO HER HEAD AND THREATENING TO KILL HER?!"

"I told her that nothing was going to happen to her, that she would be fine.  If you don't believe me, ask her."  Jackson said, finally bringing his gaze back to meet Chris'.  "I know how you feel about her man, and I wouldn't take her away from you like that.  I just didn't see you being able to tell her how you felt without at least some sort of outside motivation."

"Well let me just say that's one hell of a way to motivate someone Jackson!" 

"Right or wrong, I did what I did for a reason, and whether you believe me or not, that reason didn't have anything to do with hurting that girl."  Jackson said, the tone of sincerity in his voice causing Chris to slowly release some of the pressure he was using to keep his best friend in place.  "Now why don't you do everyone a favor and knock this tough guy shit off.  This isn't helping you out, and incase you forgot, this 'take no prisoners' mentality is one of the main reasons we're standing here right now.  Not to mention that it isn't doing anything to help your case with her."  Jackson continued, the slight tilt of his head directing Chris' attention back over to Michelle.

After taking a few moments to weigh his current options, Chris slowly lowered his gun and allowed Jackson to finally take a much needed deep breath of air. 

"Don't think for one second that this is over."  Chris growled, as he quickly placed his gun back in the waistband of his jeans. 

"Hey, do what you have to do man, but I wouldn't waste too much more time standing here discussing it.  She's not looking too good."

Quickly glancing back over his shoulder, Chris saw Michelle's trembling frame slumped over in the chair and felt his heart break.  The fact alone that she would willingly walk back in to his house to hear him out was weighing heavily on his heart, but to see her sitting there in the condition she was, literally killed him. 

"Where are the fucking keys at?"  Chris asked, panic starting to grab a hold of him as he watched the fear and confusion quickly spread across her pale face.

"They're still in the drawer."

Shaking his head with disbelief, Chris quickly walked over to the smaller dresser and pulled it open.  Once he spotted the small set of keys off in the corner, Chris grabbed them out and headed back over to where she was sitting.  Unfortunately, it only took him a second to realize that it was almost impossible for him to free her with only one functioning hand.

"Get those fuckin things off of her right now."  Chris growled, as he pushed the set of keys in to Jackson's chest and glanced down at his mangled hand.

Knowing that he wanted her uncuffed almost as much as Chris did, Jackson quickly removed the shiny metal restraints from her around wrists and allowed her arms to once again fall to her sides. 

"Now get the hell out of my face before I rethink letting you walk out of here."  Chris said, slowly walking over to the bedroom door and holding it open.

Knowing what was in his best interest, Jackson walked out of the room without any further explanation for his actions, and headed back downstairs while the opportunity was still present.  The rest could be sorted out later, that much he was certain of.  What was important right now, was that Chris finally put himself out there to let her know how he felt.

After taking a few moments to compose himself, Chris glanced down at his throbbing hand once more and then proceeded to walk back over to the middle of the room.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Too terrified to even answer, Michelle continued to sit there and stare at the floor.  Her tiny frame still shaking uncontrollably as he stood before her.

"Michelle?"

With his second attempt at trying to talk to her failing miserably, Chris knew that his former persona was not going to get through to her, and instead pushed aside any reservations he may have still held on to, and slowly crouched down in front of her.  His fingers gently taking position underneath her chin as he forced her to bring her gaze to his.

"It's alright.  I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

"I really wish I could believe that."  she replied softly, her eyes instantly glazing over with moisture as she looked up at him. 

Unsure of exactly how to handle the situation, Chris did the first thing that came to mind and kneeled closer to her feet, his hand uncharacteristically reaching up to wipe away the tears that were now finding their way down her cheeks. 

"Michelle...I...I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry.  I wish I could go back and change things, but I can't.  And I know that apology doesn't even come close to making up for what I've done to you, for what I've put you through, but I want you to know that...that I couldn't possibly regret it any more than I already do.  My intentions going in to this were never to hurt you."

"Going in to what?" she asked, confused.

"Just......just going in to that situation with him."  Chris replied, his voice laced with disgust and contempt.

Knowing that he wasn't about to volunteer any additional information pertaining to that particular aspect of his arrangement with Wade, Michelle wiped her eyes and tried another approach.

"Then what were your intentions Chris?  What did you get out of holding on to me like that?"

"Look, I really don't want to go back and discuss the ins and outs of why, or how we ended up here.  I think we both know that discussion would undoubtedly bring Wade in to this conversation, and I don't think that would do either of us any good right now.  Of course it would be for different reasons, but nonetheless, now is not the time to discuss him or his role in any of this."

"Then just tell me why.  Why did you do it Chris?  What did I do to make you hurt me like that?  Did I say something?  Did I do something?"  she asked, the tears once again spilling from her cheeks as her innocent expression begged him for answers.

After taking a few minutes to really let her question sink in, Chris exhaled heavily and knew he would probably never be able to fully answer that question.  Truth was, there was so much more behind what had gone down between them, but even HE was still trying to figure it all out.   Until he did, there wasn't any feasible way to explain it all to her.

"I wish I could sit here and tell you exactly why I did the things that I did, but I don't really have the answers myself."  Chris said, the remorse he felt forcing him to look away from her. "But just so you know, you didn't do or say anything to warrant my disgusting behavior, and despite what I'm sure you've been told, you didn't simply deserve it either."

Knowing that he was referring to himself, as much as he was to Wade, Michelle hung her head and once again looked down at the floor.  The shame she felt for allowing herself to be treated like that, making her almost sick to her stomach.

"Michelle, you didn't deserve that.  Do you hear what I'm saying to you?"  Chris said, quickly getting to his feet and pulling her up with him.  "This wasn't your fault.  You didn't do anything wrong.  I did.............he did.  You need to understand that." 

"I know you want me to believe you, but it just doesn't add up. I did something wrong.  I know I did."  she replied, glancing down at his hand as it still held one of hers.  "Things were great with Wade, and then something happened.  I had to have done something to make him do the things he did, and it was obviously the same with you.  You even said you didn't have any intentions of hurting me, and yet you did.  You want to know why?  Because I did or said something I shouldn't have."

"Look, I know that's the way you feel right now, and given the circumstances, I can't blame you.  Apparently we''ve screwed you up more than I can even comprehend right now, but I'm going to make things better for you, I promise.  You just need to let me inside this wall you have built up around you.  Give me the chance to show you that it doesn't have to be this way between us.  That I can be the man you deserve."  Chris said, his voice barely above a whisper as he reached up to gently caress the side of her face.  "Let me show you that my touch doesn't have to hurt you." 

Hearing the pain and regret in his voice, Michelle couldn't help but bring her gaze back up to his.  Unfortunately, his soft words did little to mask the cruel and heartless individual she still saw standing before her, and she quickly backed away from him. 

"I can't Chris.  I can't do this anymore."

"Michelle please.  Pleas don't just walk out of my life like this."

Wanting to respond to him, Michelle opened her mouth to speak, but quickly found herself at a loss for words.  What could she possibly say in response to that, and even more importantly, why did he even say it?  He couldn't be serious.

"I......can't"

Realizing that she was seconds away from bolting out the door, Chris quickly grabbed a hold of her arm. 

"Michelle....please."  Chris gasped, the desperation that was present in the tone of his voice, now matching the look on his face as he stared at her wide-eyed.  "I can't go through life knowing that I pushed away the only person that made me feel like life was worth living again.  Please.  I'll do whatever it takes.  Just give me a chance!  Let me start over." 

Knowing that his request wasn't an option, Michelle broke out in tears and began pulling away from him.

"I can't do this Chris.  Please.  Just let me go."

"Michelle......."

"I'm sorry."

Realizing that he was only causing her more distress by continuing to hold on to her, Chris reluctantly let go of her hand and she took a few steps backward.  After whispering another sympathetic apology for leaving the way she was, Michelle quickly ran out the door, never once stopping to look back at the man she left standing alone in the room, heartbroken and destroyed.

Chapter 188

After Michelle ran out the door, she quickly made her way down the stairs and the tears continued to flow steadily down her cheeks.  She knew that she had to get out of that house, but the astonishing guilt she was beginning to feel for walking out on him like that was slowly starting to get to her.  The look on his face alone literally broke her heart.  It felt like the equivalent of kicking a dog when he was down. 

"Hey, are you alright?  You ok?"  Jackson yelled, quickly getting up from his position on the couch when he saw her reach the bottom of the stairs.

Startled by the sound of his voice, Michelle staggered backwards and began crying even harder. 

"No.  I'm sorry.  I....I have to go."

Not giving him any time to try and stop her once again, Michelle quickly ran down the hall towards the other end of the house.  Once she reached the garage door, she quickly pulled it open and ran towards the front where she knew her car was parked.  After failing miserable at opening either door, Michelle quickly began searching around her body for her purse or the keys. 

"Come on.  Don't do this to me."

Realizing that she had lost both sometime between walking back inside and the hasty exit that she just pulled off, Michelle crouched down beside her car and began crying hysterically.  Why did this keep happening?!   Why couldn't she just put an end to it all?!

After a few more seconds of wallowing in self pity, Michelle made the decision to just leave the car behind and quickly got up to pressed the button on the side of the garage wallthat would open the door.  Once it got high enough, Michelle ducked underneath and headed down the driveway.  Unfortunately she only managed to make it a few feet before she saw an all too familiar truck speed up the driveway and skid to a stop a few feet behind Jackson's truck.

"Michelle what are you still doing here?!"  Justin asked, quickly getting out of driver's side door as Marty followed suit from the passenger side. "Why didn't you leave with Trace?!"

Not even able to properly format an answer at this point, Michelle just stood there and stared at the two of them.

"Are you alright?!"  Marty asked, as he did a quick survey of their surroundings. "Did he hurt you?!"

"No, I'm fine."

"Why did you go back inside there?!"  Justin continued once again.

"I don't know."  she replied, her own confusion over the whole situation now weighing heavily on her mind.

"You know what, that doesn't even matter right now.  Come on.  Let's just get out here."

"But I need my car."

"We'll get your car.  Don't worry about it."  Justin said, his voice cracking slightly as he grabbed on to her hand.

"But I came here for a reason, and I still don't have any of my things!"

"We'll get your stuff back Michelle, and if for some reason we can't, I'll replace it......even the car.  Now come on."

"Justin we need to get out here."  Marty said suddenly, interrupting their conversation.

"I know man.  We're coming." 

"No, I mean we have to go...NOW."  Marty repeated, quickly grabbing a hold of Justin's arm to try and pull the two of them back towards the Escalade.

Realizing there had to be a reason for the panic he heard in Marty's voice, Justin broke his eye contact with Michelle and glanced back over his shoulder.  Seeing the pale color wash over his friend's face as he stared blankly back up the driveway, Justin quickly turned back around to see exactly what he was looking at.

"Jesus Christ."  Justin mumbled under his breath, his eyes only briefly making contact with Chris' before he turned his attention back to Michelle.   "Michelle come on we have to go."

After taking a few seconds to study the look on both men's faces, Michelle quickly glanced over her shoulder and saw Chris heading in their direction.

"Michelle, COME ON."  Justin said once again, this time pulling on her arm slightly as Marty headed back to the truck.  "We need to get out of here."

Knowing that she agreed with him, at least to a point, Michelle turned back around and allowed Justin to start walking her back to his truck.

"Look, unless we want to start running, we're not going to make it."  Marty said, continually glancing back over his shoulder at Chris.

"I'm not running.  I'm tired of running."  Michelle sobbed, her pace suddenly slowing down until she finally reached a stop halfway down the driveway.

"Michelle come on!  If you don't start walking your ass back down to that truck, I swear to God I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you!"  Marty yelled, his fear with the situation quickly getting the best of him as Chris got closer and closer.  "Why do you keep making this harder for everyone?!"

"Just stop!  You aren't helping this situation any Marty, Jesus!"  Justin yelled, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest when he looked up and realized that Chris was now only a few feet away from them. 

"No one told you to come looking for me Marty!  You don't listen!  You've never listened to me!  I told you from the beginning to mind your own business.  If you had, you wouldn't be here right now!"

Instantly taking note of Michelle's defensive posture as she raised her voice, Chris quickly ran in between the two and forcefully shoved Marty backwards as Justin stared on in shock.

"Who the FUCK do you think you are yelling at her like that?!" Chris growled, taking a few steps closer to Marty as he tried to get his bearings about him.

"Chris don't!  It's alright!"  Michelle chimed in, her voice sounding on the edge of hysterics as she reached out to grab a hold of his arm.

Feeling her soft fingers wrap gently around his wrist, Chris' heart skipped a beat and he quickly turned his attention back to her. His desire to put an end to Marty, quickly taking a back seat so that he could once again try to focus on keeping her from walking out of his life.

"Michelle, if you want to go home, I'll drive you.  I'll drive you home right now.  You don't have to leave here with them."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to."  she replied, quickly casting a look back up at driveway at Jackson who was quickly running towards them.  "Please Chris, just let me go."

"I CAN'T!"

"Come on man, enough is enough!  Just let her go."  Jackson said, cautiously making in way in to the middle of the group.  "It's over Chris."

"It's not over!  It's not!"  Chris shouted, his eyes once again focusing on Michelle.  "Look at me!  Look at me and tell me that you don't feel something between us!  That walking out of here wouldn't be the biggest mistake of your life!  Tell me Michelle!  TELL ME!"

Seeing the pained expressions play so delicately across his features, Michelle's eyes teared up and she immeadiately looked away.  The two words she knew she had to say, suddenly seeming like the hardest words on earth to speak. 

"I'm sorry."

After standing there for a few seconds in disbelief, Chris forcefully pushed his way past Jackson and charged back up to the house.

"Hey, are you driving her home?"  Jackson asked Justin, as he continued to stand there in shock.

"Uh..yeah.  That's what we were trying to do anyway."

"Alright.  Look, I know you want to get your stuff out of here Michelle, but I honestly think the best thing to do right now is just leave.  I'll get your address from your driver's license and drop your stuff off later today. You just need to get out of here."

Quickly nodding his head that he agreed, Justin gently wrapped his arm around her waist and escorted her down to his truck as Marty followed a few feet behind them. Once Jackson was sure that they were on their way, he headed back up towards the house.

"Man, what the hell was that all about?"  Marty asked, jogging a few feet ahead of them to open the passenger side door.

"You know exactly what that was all about."  Justin replied, a look of concern quickly washing over his face as he helped Michelle up in to the truck and closed the door.  "He's right though, you know that.  As far as he is concerned, this isn't over.  In fact, as much as I hate to say it, I'm afraid that this is just the beginning."

Unsure of what to even say, Marty just shook his head and jumped in the back as Justin headed around to the driver's side.  After opening the door, Justin climbed inside and gave Michelle a sympathetic look. 

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"No, but then again, I'm not even sure I know what 'alright' feels like anymore." she replied, wiping away the few stray tears that still remained on her cheeks.

Knowing that the best thing to do was simply leave her alone and not interrogate her over this latest ordeal, Justin's started up the engine and backed out of the driveway.

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After making his way back up the driveway, Chris kicked the front door open with a fury and stormed in to the house, the rage and heartache he now felt, aggressively competing for the right to take center stage.

"Tell her how you feel!  Be honest with her!  What fuckin good did that do me?!"  Chris screamed in the middle of his frustrated laughter.  "She still left, and all you did was make yourself look like a fucking fool!"  he yelled, quickly grabbing a vase from the small table in the foyer and firing it across the room.  "GOD DAMN IT!"

Hearing the commotion come from inside the house, Jackson quickly grabbed the door handle and pushed the front door open.  He knew that Chris was upset with the ways things turned out, but the sight he walked in on, was far from what he expected to see.

"Man what the HELL are you doing?!"

"What am I doing?  What does it look like I'm doing Jackson?!"  Chris yelled, kicking over a small chest that held a few more priceless antiques. 

"It looks to me like you're destroying your house, a few grand at a time."  Jackson said matter of factly, knowing that he wasn't about to try and do anything to stop Chris' little tantrum.

"A few grand?  Is that reference to a momentary value supposed to be some kind of deterrent?"  Chris asked, quickly making his way over to the fireplace.  "Because it isn't!"  he continued, grabbing hold of one of the cast iron pokers that were resting alongside it's marble surface.

"Hey man, it's your shit.  If you want to go and ruin everything you worked so hard for over some girl, then who am I to stop you.  Tear the place up man!"

Taking his smugness as a sort of challenge, Chris quickly headed across the room and stopped in front of his entertainment center.

"You keeping a tab on all this?!"  Chris growled, quickly bringing the poker back to a position that resembled a baseball bat.  "Because if you are, here's a few more grand to add to that total!"  he screamed, forcefully swinging the iron rod in to his plasma TV.

"That's messed up dude.  Seriously."  Jackson said, the tone of disbelief clearly evident in his voice as he studied the broken fragments of glass that now spanned across Chris' hardwood floor.

"Good, at least now it fits in with the rest of my fucked up life!"  Chris yelled, continuing to swing a few more times to make sure that he connected with all the various pieces of surround sound equipment that still remained untouched. 

"You know, if I remember correctly, you're life wasn't fucked up until she came in it.  In fact it was pretty damn good!"

"Are you kiding me?!  Look around Jackson!  What did I have?!  The house?!  The cars?!  The cash?!"

"Yeah!  Sounds pretty good to me!"

"Well not to me.  Not anymore!"  Chris replied, firing the fireplace poker across the room and in to the wall.  "All this could be gone in a day, and then what am I left with?!"

"You'll still have me man."

"Now there's a comforting thought." Chris said sarcastically, as he plopped down on the sofa.

Seeing no end to the frustration Chris was feeling, Jackson headed across the room and collapsed down beside him.  He knew Chris was hurting, but there really wasn't anything he could do to make it all go away.  He did what he could for him, and now all either of them could do was let things run their course and hope for the best. 

"Look man, I'm don't know if the girl will come around or not, but you at least have to give her some time to process everything that's happened here."

"Yeah, she's going to process everything that's happened here, and then it's really over!  I mean, let's be honest Jackson, there's no logical reason for me to believe that my apology will make any difference for her.  She has her perception of me already, and it's the one I forcefully gave her, over and over again.  There is no light at the end of the tunnel for me."   Chris said, the tone of his voice clearly laced with disgust as he struggled to push himself back up from the sofa. 

Seeing the pained expression on Chris' face as he looked down at his hand, Jackson got up from the sofa as well and pulled his keys out from his front pocket.

"Come on man.  You need to go get that taken care of."

"Yeah, thanks for this by the way.  As if I didn't have enough shit to deal with already."  Chris said, turning his hand over to examine the bright purplish color than spanned from just below his knuckles all the way down to his wrist. 

"Hey, I'm not apologize for giving you the opportunity to set things right with her, and if you think about it, you deserved it man.  You hurt that girl, and you were getting off scott free.  Someone needed to make you pay, at least somewhat for what you did to her."

"If you really wanted to get some justice for her Jackson, then you should have just pulled on trigger on me when you had the chance."

Chapter 189
 

After a rather quiet and sometimes uncomfortable drive through the city, Chantal and Shane finally arrived at UCLA Medical Center and pulled in to the parking garage.  Not wanting to waste time trying to find a 'good spot', Chantal pulled in to the first open space she saw and placed the car in park.

"Are you alright?"  Shane asked, shifting in his seat so that he could look directly at his sister.

"No, not really.  This...this is just insane!  Why is this happening again?!"

"I don't know what drove him to head back on this path, but I think deep down we both knew that the likelyhood of being here again was a possibility, and a very real one at that.  I mean, look at his life Chantal.  It's centered in the middle of chaos, deadlines, stress and temptations.  That can take it's toll on anyone, but when you give that combination to someone with Wade's history, it's going to produce an unfavorable outcome.  I wish he would have just walked away from all this."

"That wasn't fair of us to ask him to do that, not that this is.  Not after everything he went through, after everything we went through."

"You're right, it doesn't seem fair, but it is what it is.  It's not going to do us any good to sit here and feel sorry for him, or ourselves.  We just have to pull together again and help him through this."

"I wish it was that simple."

"You mean.....because of the coma?"  Shane asked, his own voice cracking slightly as he said the words outloud for the first time.

Unable to verbally respond, Chantal just nodded her head and wiped away the few tears that were starting to form in her eyes.  After a few moments of unbroken silence, Chantal wiped her eyes once again and finally spoke.

"I just don't think he is going to come out of this.  I really don't."

"Well then I guess it's a good thing you're not his doctor, because I find it hard to believe, that if there isn't any physical reason for his current state, that he can't come out of this."

"Yeah, I know.  I was there when the doctor said that.  Trouble is, I don't think he wants to come out of it Shane.  Deep down, I think he's already given up."  she said, tears now readily streaming down her cheeks.  "Without Michelle in his life, I don't think he will find another reason that's good enough to come back to us."

"God!  Do you even hear yourself?!  We're his family!  Why wouldn't he want to come back to us?!  What about mom?  You think Wade would willingly hurt her this way?!"

"No.....I don't know!"

"Look, all of this, this yelling, this negativity, it isn't going to help him!"  Shane yelled, shifting in his seat once again.  "Do you even want to help him?!"

"How dare you say that!  Of course I want to help him!"

"Then stop with the all the drama and bullshit!  He's going to come out of this!"

Shaking her head with disbelief yet again at her brother's harshness, Chantal pulled the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car, slamming the door behind her.

"You better get it together before you get up there, or I'm telling you right now, you won't be stepping foot in his room."

Ignoring his comment, Chantal proceeded across the parking garage at a record pace, not once stopping to see if Shane was still behind her.  It was almost to the point where she wished he didn't even come back to LA. 

When she had finally reached the door that led to the elevator, she quickly pulled it open and rushed in side.

"Enough is enough!  God!  Grow the fuck up Chantal!"  Shane yelled, quickly reaching forward to catch the door before it shut on him.

"You know what, you can stand here and try to pull the big brother routine all you want, act like you know what's best for him, but your words of wisdom and advice don't mean shit to me right now!  You left!  I'm the one that has been here looking after him!"

"And to that I say, bang up job sis!  Way to go!"  Shane said sarcastically, giving her two thumbs up.  "I can only imagine how fucked up his life would be if you weren't here looking after for him."

Knowing that there wasn't anything really left to say to him after his last comment, Chantal stared coldly at him for a few moments, and then turned on her heels to head towards the elevator.

"Chantal wait.  I'm sorry.  I didn't mean it." 

"Don't even talk to me."

"Chantal..."

Pretending not to hear him, Chantal adjusted her purse on her shoulder and pressed the button on the elevator that would take them up to the hospital lobby.  As far as she was concerned, he no longer existed.

"Chantal, I said I'm sorry!"

Shaking her head that she didn't want to hear it, Chantal twisted her bracelet around on her wrist and waited for the elevator doors to open up.  Every second that passed, making the wait there with him that much harder to endure.

Realizing that Chantal was right, atleast to a point, Shane exhaled heavily and just stared ahead at his sister.  He knew he didn't have much room to talk or take the higher ground in the situation, especially when he WAS the one who left.  It was a decision that he struggled with on more than one occassion, but he had his own life, and even if he could go back in time, he couldn't guarantee that the outcome would be any different.

Hearing the small chime of the elevator car arriving on their floor, Shane took a few steps forward and wrapped his arm around Chantal's shoulder.

"I'm sorry.  I know this isn't your fault, and that you did the best you could.  I never should have made the comments or remarks that I did.  I'm just really fighting to keep it together, and my frustrations came out on you.  I'm sorry Chantal....I mean it."

Knowing deep down that Shane wouldn't intentionally do anything to hurt or upset her, Chantal walked inside the elevator and turned to look him.

"Maybe you're the one that needs to get it together before we get up there, because this isn't going to get any better you know.  You're going to see him in that bed, hooked to all those machines, and you're not going to like reality that's going to reach out and grab a hold of you."  Chantal replied, pressing the button to Wade's floor. 

Not knowing how to respond to her statement, Shane just turned the other way prayed that she was wrong.  That he would walk in to Wade's room and see that things weren't as bad as she had made them seem.  Unfortunately, knowing his sister the way he did, he knew his only choice was to prepare for the worse.

Once the elevator arrived on the ICU floor, Chantal stepped out of the car and Shane reluctantly followed behind her.

"Now what do we do?" 

"We check in and wait."  Chantal said, glancing up at the clock on the wall in the small waiting room as she signed their names on the visitor sheet.  "We still have a few minutes before we're allowed to go back."

Silently acknowledging his understanding of the routine, Shane headed over to one of the empty chairs and plopped down in to it.  After a minute or so of nervous foot tapping and looking around the room,  Shane leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.  The lightheaded feeling that was quickly building up inside him, turning his skin a pale shade of gray.

"Hey, are you alright?"  Chantal asked, quickly taking the seat beside him to rub her hand up and down his back.

Only nodding his head 'yes' in response, Shane took a few deep breaths and tried to sit himself upright.

"I don't know if I can do this, go back there and see him like that."

"I didn't think I could either, but it gets better.   You just need to get past the initial shock when you first walk in there."

After turning to look at his sister, the doors to the waiting room opened up and a nurse walked over to the desk where the clipboard was sitting.

"Visiting hours for the morning will be concluded at 11am.  For the well being of our patients, we ask that you keep the atmosphere in the room positive."  she said, taking the top sheet of paper and replacing it with another.  "For those of you with loved ones in the semi-private rooms, please be respectful and keep the visitors to a two person maximum."

Once the nurse was done talking, she walked back through the doors, and a few of the other people that were in the waiting room followed after her, down the long hall to where the patient rooms were located.

"Are you ready to do this?"

"No, but..."

"Yeah, I know."  Chantal said, slowly getting up from her chair.  "Come on.  I'll be right there with you."

After offering her a sympathetic smile, Shane stood up and straightened out his jeans.

"I really am sorry Chantal.  I hope you know that I didn't mean what I said earlier.  I know this isn't your fault."

"I know.  I'm guilty of the blame game too.  I think it's a natural responses to something like this."

"Yeah well..."

"It's alright.  Come on.  They don't give us that much time as it is."

Nodding his head that he understood that they were on borrowed time, Shane ran his fingers through his hair and scratched at the back of his head as he followed his sister down the hall.  Once they got to Wade's room, Chantal, gave her brother a reassuring smile and opened the door so they could walk inside.

"Jesus Christ."  Shane gasped, his hand instantly covering his mouth as he slowly made his way across the room.  "I knew you said it was bad, but I honestly didn't think it was THIS bad."  Shane continued, cautiously walking over to Wade's bedside as he fought back the tears.

Seeing her brother of the verge of beaking down, Chantal quickly joined his side and rested her head against his upper arm.

"It can only get better from here on out.  Let's try to focus on that."

Unsure of what to even say or do, Shane just stood there for a few more minutes, and let the harsh reality of it all sink in.  This was his baby brother.  Lifeless.  Broken.  After wiping away a few tears that fell from his eyes, Shane placed his hand over Wade's and leaned down.

"You're going to pull through this bro, you just have to be strong.  Don't give up fighting."

"He hasn't stop fighting yet."  a voice suddenly came from behind them, causing both of them to turn around. 

Recogonizing the nurse from last night, Chantal offered her a sincere smile.

"I just wanted to drop by and see how he was doing this morning.  Did you have any luck with what we talked about?"

"Not yet, but I promise you I won't stop trying."

"I'm glad.  As I said before, I think it could make a world of difference in his recovery."

"I know."

Feeling a sense of awkwardness wash over him as the conversation continued on without him, Shane took a few steps forward and extended his hand to the nurse.

"Hi, I'm Shane, Wade's brother."

"Karen Nadler."  the nurse replied, shaking his hand.

"She was one of the nurses that were in the room with Wade when they brought him in last night."  Chantal said, glancing back over her shoulder.  "She is also the one who said that Wade was asking for Michelle."

After raising his eyebrows at her obvious attempt to try and rally support against him, Shane bit down on his lower lip and shook his head with disappointment.

"I'm sensing you aren't in favor of her making an appearance."  the nurse said, slowly walking over to Wade's bed. 

"I can't honestly believe that it would have any positive effect on his condition, and because of that, I have to stand my ground when it comes to her."

"Well, I really hope you change your mind.  Your brother needs her here."

"What my brother needs is a stable environment to recover in.  He's an addict Ms. Nadler."  Shane quickly replied, the tone of his voice condecendingly harsh.  "Brining her here, feeding his addiction...it's not going to happen."

Not wanting to add to the stress of the situation she was already somewhat aware of, the nurse nodded her head and gently placed her hand on Chantal's shoulder.

"I'm sorry.  Enjoy your time with him."

Left speechless by Shane's outburst once again, Chantal just sighed heavily and walked back across the room to grab a chair.

"Chantal, I'm serious.  I don't want her here."

"Well I'm afraid this is one of those pieces of brotherly advice that don't mean crap to me Shane." Chantal replied, pulling her chair over to Wade's bedside to sit down.  "If  this is the only thing I can do for him right now, then you can damn well bet on the fact that I'll make it happen."

"Not when I'm here."

"I'm not going to get in to this with you again.  It's not a topic that's up for debate"

"You know what....what makes you think Wade even wants that girl here?  Seriously?   Because he said her name when they brought him in?!"

"Yeah, he said her name, and that's all he said."  Chantal continued, occassionally casting a glance back up at Wade.  "He wasn't asking for you, or for me, or even for mom.  He was asking for her."

"Maybe when he said her name, it came out of anger, and not the love that you seem to think it was.  I mean, you said yourself that he really did a number on this girl, that she was there when this happened.  Maybe he wants her here to hurt her, to make her suffer the same way he is.  Did you ever stop to think about that?"

Unfortunately before she even had a chance to respond, Wade's body stiffened and alarms began to go off in rapid succession.

"Oh my God.  What's going on?  Wade?!"

"Jesus Christ, I think he's having a seizure!"  Shane gasped, quickly pulling Chantal out of her chair, as Wade began violently thrashing against his restraints.

"You're going to have to step outside!" one of the nurses yelled over to them, as she quickly rushed in to the room with a few others.

"What's going on?!  What's wrong with him?!"  Chantal screamed, quickly trying to fight her way back to Wade's bedside as she watched another nurse inject something in to his IV.  "Shane!"

Unable to focus on anything other than the nurse that was headed towards them, Shane wrapped his arms even tighter around his sister's waist and began moving her towards the door.

"Come on, let them do their job."

"No, I'm not leaving him Shane!"

"Chantal stop!  You're not making this any easier, on anyone!"  Shane yelled, struggling to hold back the tears as he continued to drag his sister out the door and back down the hall.

"We can't lose him Shane!"

"We're not going to lose him.  Come on, let's just go have s seat and wait for someone to come tell us what's going on."

Chapter 190

As Shane continued to escort Chantal back down to the waiting room, he couldn't help but wonder how much more Wade's body could physically handle.  Especially when it was more than obvious that he had been through so much already. 

"Here, sit down."  Shane instructed, gently guiding her down in to one of the chairs in the waiting room.

"I can't take this Shane.  The waiting.  The not knowing.  It's like going through this all over again."

"He's going to be alright, don't worry."  Shane said, trying his best to reassure her as he handed her a tissue from the table.  "He's there Chantal.  He may not be able to physically respond to us, but he's there."

"What do you mean?"

"Growing up, what did Wade hate more than anything?"

"I don't know." 

"Think about it.  What used to set him off when we were kids?"

"When we used to fight?"

"Exactly."  Shane replied, sitting down in the chair beside her.

"I'm sorry...but I'm not following you."  Chantal said, a look of confusion plastered across her face as she continued to stare at the floor.

"We were arguing in there Chantal."

After taking a few moments to try and process whatever it was that he was trying to say, Chantal quickly glanced over at him.

"You think he heard us?!"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't rule it out.  I mean, it's not that far fetched, right?"

Unsure of what to even say, Chantal continued to sit there staring at her brother.  Her mind now racing with a million different thoughts, going in a million different directions.  Had he really heard them arguing?  Was that the cause of his set back?  Did their arguing upset him?  And what about last night?  Was there a chance that he could have actually heard her discussing his relationship with Michelle with the nurse? 

"Michelle."

"Huh?"  Shane asked, puzzled by her random outburst.

"Michelle.  We were arguing about Michelle!"  Chantal said, quickly getting back out of her seat.  "He can hear us Shane!"

"Whoa!  Hold on!  Where are you going?"

"Back down to his room."

"You can't do that!  We don't know if we are allowed to go back there yet.  We can't just go barging back in there!"  Shane yelled, quickly getting to his feet as well.

"But he can hear us!  I know he can!"  Chantal said, the smile that was slowly easing across her face, suddenly filling with hope.  "I didn't think much of it before, but now...now it makes sense."  she continued rambling on.

"What makes sense?"

"That he CAN hear us."  she replied, reaching out to grab his arms.  "He can hear us Shane.  I know he can."

"And how do you know that it wasn't just a random occurance.  That it wasn't an isolated incident?"

"Because it wasn't."

"Ok, now I'm confused.  You wanna fill me in here?"

"Last night after the nurse had left, I was talking to Wade, telling him that I would do my best to get Michelle here to see him."

"And?"

"His heart rate went up Shane.  At first I just thought it was just some random thing that could happen given the circumstances, but after this, after what just happened in there, I know it wasn't just an isolated incident.  He was reacting to what I was saying.  He was reacting to me talking about Michelle."  Chantal said, walking back over to the small table to grab a tissue.  "He wants her here."

"Oh come on!  Don't start this again."

"This isn't a joke Shane.  He wants her here!"

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Yes!"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Shane headed back over to the line of chairs along the wall and collapsed back down.

"What could it hurt?  Seriously?  If bringing her here could make a difference for him, why wouldn't you want to at least try?!"

Unsure of what to say in response, Shane just sighed heavily.  Trying to gain the upper hand with her wasn't easy, and keeping it was even harder.  It had always been that way.  Even when they were younger.

"We need to get her here Shane, regardless of how you feel about their situation, she needs to be here."

"You do realize you grasping at straws here, right?"

"I don't care.  I'm willing to try anything if it means that we could get our brother back."

"Alright!  Fine!  If you are that committed to bringing her here, then do what you have to do, but don't think for one second that I'm going to stay here and watch this disaster unfold."

Quickly getting up from his seated position, Shane headed across the waiting room to the door, leaving Chantal alone to rumage through her purse for her cell phone.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't want to be a part of this.  You call the girl and do whatever you want.  I'm going back up to the nurse's station to see if I can find out what the hell is going on."

Knowing that she should strike while the iron was hot, Chantal allowed Shane to continue out the door and down the hall without saying a word.  She knew that he could change his mind at any time, and the sooner she acted on her attempt to get Michelle there, the better.

"Come on now, where is it?"  Chantal mumbled to herself, scanning through the contact list on her phone.  "I know I have it here somewhere."

After a few more seconds, Chantal finally found Michelle's cell number listed as an alternate number under Wade's, and quickly pressed the send button.  After countless unanswered rings, Chantal began preparing the message she was going to leave on her voicemail, but unfortunately she never got the chance.  The second the phone attempted to kick it over, all she heard was '"Mailbox full.  Please try your call later."

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As Justin continued to drive as far away from Chris' house as he possibly could, the uncomfortable silence that had all but consumed everyone in the truck became more than he could manage anymore, and he decided to speak up.

"Do you feel like talking yet?"  Justin asked, slowly turning to face her as they stopped at a red light.

"No, not really."

"Michelle, why won't you let us help you?"

"There isn't anything you can do to help me.  It's over."

"What's over?"

"The trouble with Wade, with Chris, all of it.  It's over now.  I just want to go home."

"What makes you think this is over?  That this isn't just the beginning?"

"Because I said so, and if I stop for even one second to think otherwise, I'll never have a normal life.  I need to try and find a way to move on.  I need to get my life back."

"And when you envision building that new life, is Chris a part of it?"  Justin asked, his sudden brashness surprising everyone in the truck...including himself.

"Excuse me?"

"What?  Is that not a question I should be asking?  I mean, forgive me if I'm wrong, but after witnessing that little outburst of his, clearly something happened between the two of you.  I'm just curious as to what."

"Nothing happened, and even if it did, it's none of your business!"

"Why are you getting so defensive?"

"I'm not.  Just drop it.  I don't want to talk about Chris!"

"Just let it go man."  Marty chimed in, shifting slightly in his seat.  "You're not going to be able to help her unless she wants help.  Trust me."

Exhaling deeply, Justin switched lanes and continued up the ramp and on to the highway. 

"Are you sure you won't reconsider coming back to my place with me?"

"I can't Justin."

"Why?"

"You know why!  Nothing has changed between us!  You wanted me for a piece of ass, and you got it!  Pat yourself on the back.  Hey!  You can even brag to all your friends that you finally got back at Wade by fucking HIS girlfriend!"  Michelle screamed, her eyes glaring coldly at him as he continued to stare straight ahead.  "You can enjoy your victory however you want, but at least have the courtesy to do it far away from me."

Left speechless by the startling pieces of information that she was firing at him, Justin continued to sit there in silence.  Marty however wasn't so keen on keeping quiet, and the once uncomfortable silence they had experienced early on was about to do a complete 180.

"Dude, please tell me that's not true."

Too ashamned to either confirm or deny it, Justin continued to sit there and say nothing. 

"Justin?!"

"Oh my God!   I said that as a joke, but I'm right, aren't I?  That was your intention from the beginning!"  Michelle snapped back, the tears quickly falling from her eyes as the confirmation of her worst case scenerio finally took hold of her.  She never really knew the truth behind why he said what he did at the club until that very moment.  Sure, the thought had crossed her mind, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that there would actually be any truth to it.
 
"She's right, isn't she?!  You hooked up with her to get back at Wade?!" 

"It wasn't like that!"  Justin yelled, quickly glancing back and forth between the two of them and the road.  "It might have..."

"I knew it!  I even asked you if you were interested in her man, and you told me no!  You fed me lie after lie, one bullshit excuse after another, and now I know why!  You were interested in her, but not for the reasons you should have been!  You just wanted to use her as a pawn to pay Wade back for the bullshit that went down with Brit!  Admit it!"

"It''s not that simple man.  I never...."

"Did you plan on using her for revenge?  It's a simple question!"

"But the answer isn''t!"  Justin growled, his frustration with the situation quickly getting the best of him.

"JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!   YES OR NO?!"

"ALRIGHT!  YEAH, I PLANNED ON USING HER TO GET BACK AT WADE, BUT...."

"Stop the truck.  I want out."

"Michelle wait."

"STOP THE TRUCK JUSTIN!"

"I'm not stopping the truck!"

"Then I guess you don't leave me any choice!" 

Seeing her quickly unfasten her seat belt and reach for the door handle, Justin slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"I said I want out!  What didn't you understand?!"  Michelle repeated, quickly trying to open the passenger door.

"Stop it!  You can't just get out of the truck in the middle of the highway!"  Justin yelled, ripping her hand away from the handle.

"I want to go home, and more importantly, I want to get as far away from you as I can!"

"I understand you're upset, but you can't just expect me to leave you on the side of the road!"

"I want to go home!"

"Fine!  You can go back home, but I'm driving you there!"

"Don't do me any favors!  I'm a big girl, I can walk!"  Michelle said, once again reaching for the handle in an attempt to get out of the vehicle.

"You're not getting out!  End of discussion!"  Justin yelled once again, quickly jerking her hand away from the door, and in the process turning her slightly towards him.  "I'm not going to let you get out of this truck and have something happen to you!"

"Like you would care!  God!  Is everyone in LA this fuckin insane, or is it just those that I come in contact with?!" 

After allowing a slight snicker to escape his lips, Marty leaned forward.

"Maybe it's not us.  Ever think about that?"

Unable to stay in his truck any longer, Michelle broke free of Justin's hold and quickly exited his truck.

"God damn it Marty!  Was that really called for?!"  Justin yelled, quickly unfastening his own seatbelt so that he could get out. 

"Well someone needed to say it.  It's the truth."

Ignoring Marty's comments, Justin slammed the truck door and headed after her.

"Michelle stop!  This isn't a game!"

"Oh that's rich, especially coming from a man who obviously loves playing games with people, and their emotions!"

"If you would just stop and let me explain, you'd see that there is more to this than you know."  Justin said, continuing to follow behind her.  "I never meant to hurt you.  Yeah, I went in to this with alterior motives, but things changed and I started to fall for you.  Everthing that happened between us was real!  It wasn't about Wade!  It was about us!  About my feelings for you!"

"Oh please!  Save the stories for someone else!  I'm over it Justin.  Just get back in your truck, and leave me the fuck alone!"

"As if that's even a possibility!" 

"Oh believe me, it is!  Just turn around and walk the other way!"

"I can't do that and you know it.  Just get back in the truck and I'll take you home!"  Justin begged, quickly sprinting ahead a few feet so that he could grab a hold of her arm once again.  "Michelle come on!  This isn't safe!" 

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she yelled, quickly ripping her arm away from him once again.  The momentum of slipping from his grasp, forcing her to stagger back on to the road.

As horns blared, Justin's heart all but lept from his chest as he watched a small sports car narrowly avoid hitting her. 

"YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!  MICHELLE....STOP!  PLEASE!"

Hearing the sound of screeching tires come from behind him, Justin quickly glanced over his should and saw a large SUV pulling over in front of his truck.  Not sure exactly what to make of it, and knowing it wasn't the most important thing right now, he quickly turned his attention back to Michelle.

"Michelle please!  Just get back in the truck!"

Choosing to ignore him, Michelle continued to walk haphazardly down the side of the freeway. His voice all but fading away in to the background noise of the vehicles quickly rushing by her.  This wasn't a battle he was going to win, and he needed to accept it.

"Michelle!"

Hearing her name called once again, but this time by a voice sounding somewhat deeper and more angry, Michelle's brow furrowed and her pace began to slow down.

"I know you heard me, so you better fuckin stop!"

Suddenly realizing that the voice wasn't Justin's, Michelle quickly came to a stop and just stood there, unable to move any further.  After waiting a few seconds for the impending doom she was all but certain would hit her, she felt someone grab her arm and spin her around.  Locking eyes with Chris, she knew without a doubt, that any hopes she had of winning this battle of independence went out the window the moment he laid his hands on her.