Never Stop

7. Via

Chapter seven

Via

" V , did you hear that?" He remained quiet for a minute, and then I heard it.

There was banging on the door and loud voices outside. That's great. Of course, something would disrupt this perfect moment.

Ander wastes no time at all. I look over, and he pulls on his boxers, then quickly reaches for his clothes. Reluctantly, I begin doing the same. I assume I should be a little more startled and concerned and moving with more urgency, but I'm more so just pissed off that the moment is being cut short against our wills.

Ander is dressed and lifts the alarm clock on the nightstand. It's only 3:37 am.

Okay, now I'm a little freaked out. Who the hell would be here at this time? Ander sees the concern growing on my face.

He softly kisses my forehead and whispers, "You stay here. I'll go look out of the window in the front to see if I can get a look at who it is and what's going on,"

I nod hesitantly. Then he disappears down the hall.

Suddenly, the fact that neither of us has a working phone and is stuck without a way to call for help hits me like a ton of bricks. Oh, god.

I just let him go out there alone. I start pacing the room as the panic sets in firm.

Then I hear her. Izzy? Why the hell is she here? Is that crying?

"THAT CANNOT BE TRUE! HOW!?" I hear Ander shout, and before I know it, I run straight to the front of the house to get where they are.

Jett is here, too. Where is Abbie? Abbie was supposed to be with them. Why isn't she? Why are they even here? They hear me approaching quickly, and all their eyes turn to mine. I stop dead in my tracks as I see their faces.

It's the look of horror. Of apology.

"What's going on?" I managed to get out, unsure if they heard me because my voice was small, barely even a whisper.

Jett and Izzy look at each other like they're looking for the words. Izzy starts sobbing as she shakes her head.

They heard me.

Ander runs his hands down his face slowly and starts walking towards me, unable to look me directly in the eyes.

"Someone, please tell me what the fuck is going on,"

He finally reaches me and pulls me into a tight hug so that we don't make eye contact. I can tell they're all searching for the words. I push him back softly, forcing him to look at me.

"Anderson, tell me. NOW!"

"I'm so sorry, V, I'm so sorry," He starts crying, and it just pisses me off.

I look at Izzy, searching for answers in her eyes.

"V, we've been trying to call you. We still aren't sure exactly what happened, but there was an accident—"

Her voice fell flat. Her mouth was still moving, but no words were forming. Why weren't words forming? Maybe they are, but I can't hear them. I close my eyes and count to ten; when I open them again, I'm counting out loud, grasping onto Ander like my life depends on it.

Jett and Izzy walk up, pulling me into a tight, quick hug. I don't reciprocate. Hell, I don't even move.

I still have no clue what's happening, and I feel like I'm floating. Like I'm watching them in slow motion from above. Yet, I want to vomit at the same time.

Ander's voice of reason is collected when he speaks this time, "V, listen to these next few sentences carefully. I want you to take a deep breath between each pause because we must head straight to the truck after I finish." Izzy and Jett step back, giving us a second, and then both start pacing.

I close my eyes briefly.

This isn't good.

This has to be bad. Where the fuck is Abbie? I take a deep breath, open my eyes, and nod, signaling for him to continue. He locks eyes with me for a brief moment, then nods softly. I can see the pain all over his face as he hesitates.

"Last night, after we left, Natty changed her mind. She wanted to come to Izzy's with you. Your mom showed up with her around 8:30. Izzy tried covering for you, but it didn't work. She was upset with you for not being honest with her. They went home and picked up your dad to look for you since Izzy wouldn't tell them where you were. They didn't get far before a vehicle malfunction occurred, and the truck went off the road… It isn't good, V."

The tears are flowing down his cheek, and he walks a few steps into the living room and throws a forceful punch into the back of the couch. I stand there stunned. I can't move. I can't even react.

After about a minute, when he's standing back in front of me, it finally starts to sink in, and I gasp. I can feel the horror covering my face as my hands slap over my mouth.

"W-what are you saying?"

He takes in a deep breath and goes to speak, and the next thing I know, Izzy has her arms wrapped around my neck, sobbing into my shoulder. I push her back. At this point, I'm fuming with frustration that no one is being direct. I understand being gentle with me, but god damn. I'm not this fragile. The panic and not knowing are swallowing me whole.

Izzy holds back tears.

"Your dad was ejected out of his seat belt and was pronounced dead on the scene. Your mom and Natty stayed restrained and were flown to the main hospital in the city, but--",

"But WHAT, Izabel? But what?" I lose the words. I see all of their heads fall slightly.

It's Ander who speaks up first.

"We need to hurry and leave now, V. It doesn't look good, and we need to get you there now."

He walks up to me assertively and wraps his arm around me, ushering me out of the house. I can hear Izzy and Jett quickly following behind.

The ride to the hospital is quiet.

Izzy and Jett rode with us, but no one spoke a word on the way here until we got close. As we pulled into the parking lot, Izzy cleared her throat.

"I just want to let you know Liam is here. Just brace yourself, V." Her words are soft, caring, and careful not to upset me more. She knows how I feel towards Liam, especially after his tantrum and outburst towards all of us at our house just hours ago. He is as much family as I am and needs to be here. Even though he is who he is. No matter what he's done to me, they need him here just as much.

My thoughts race to my dad, and the realization starts to sink in of what's happening. It doesn't feel real, but it does feel cruel .

The truck stops near the emergency door, and Ander throws it into 'park.' Ignoring that we're in an unloading zone, we jump out and run inside. The receptionist at the front desk is a rude twat and sees a bunch of kids running in as she begins to tell us to wait for assistance. Before I have the chance to lose it, Izzy throws two balled-up fists down on the counter in rebuttal.

"I am so sorry that someone apparently pissed in your cheerios! My best friend here just found out that her father died and that her mother and sister are in critical condition. So if you don't mind, get your head out of your ass and do your damn job by directing us as to where to go. That would be great!"

A nurse in the back heard the encounter and came running toward us. She has a sincere, apologetic look on her face.

"Foley family?" She asks with concern laced in her tone. I nod instantly.

"Yes, where are my mother and sister? Their names are Leah and Natalie Foley."

Her head drops softly, "Yes, ma'am, they're in the trauma wing. Follow me, I'll take you there. Your brother told us he was the only next of kin."

Of course , he did. I see red and fire erupts through my veins. Lord knows I don't need any other reasons to hate Liam, but he keeps giving them to me without fail. I can't even focus on that. I can only follow this slow-paced elderly lady helplessly and hope for the best for my mom and Natty Bear.

We finally get to the trauma wing of the hospital. As we approach the waiting room, we see Liam sitting there with a smug, shit-eating grin on his face. Ander steps in front of me. He protectively places his arm around my waist and pulls me in as he braces me for whatever is about to come.

Liam sees us and throws a smile our way.

Seriously?

He's such a sleaze-ball. We just found out we lost our father and that our mother and sister are both critical, and he has the nerve to smile. Everything about Liam gives me the ick.

I understand my parents came along after he already endured unfathomable amounts of trauma, but he had a family that loved him beyond measure in my parents. How dare he smile right now. My blood is boiling as I walk his way.

Ander, Izzy, and Jett can all sense my tension as we approach Liam, but I give them all a soft, reassuring look that says, "I've got this; stand down." They know me well because, at the same time, they all fall back. They stay close and are just out of earshot, but Ander's eyes remain focused on me.

"Liam, what's the latest?" I ask through gritted teeth. My cheeks are tear-stained, and my pain is evident on my face. I don't want to show that to Liam because he will only prey on it. So, I hold back my tears and try to keep this traumatic conversation as civil as possible.

"Oh, you mean other than you sneaking off to be a little whore and being the cause of our whole family's deaths?" He says through a blood-curdling smile. He scoffs at me as if he's dismissing me and disregarding my concerns.

I let Liam insult me.

His words no longer hold venom when it comes to me. You become immune and numb to their toxicity after a specific person causes a certain amount of pain. Immune to their toxicity. What kills me is that he mentioned ' our whole family's death.'

"What do you mean our whole family's death? Mom? Natty?" I ask, pleading for answers, my voice cracking with each word as the panic kicks in.

He looks down and picks dirt out of his fingernails with a toothpick. This was just another day for him, and this whole thing was inconvenient.

"Yeah, well, there's nothing more that they can do. I just signed off and gave consent to pull the plugs. They just got taken off of life support, but they're holding on for now. You can go say goodbye if you want to."

He pulls me to him, into the most uncomfortable version of a hug I've ever experienced. He whispers into my ear.

"Maybe it wasn't just your fault, stupid little Olive. Maybe you fuckers should have learned a long time ago that I will get what I want, one way or another. They wouldn't help me, so I had to help myself." He shrugs, then continues as I stand there, frozen in shock, unsure how to process what he's saying. "You were kept alive. You're welcome for that, by the way. Although—"He chuckles darkly. "I must admit, you were only kept alive for my own fun, and I do intend to have fun. You already know as long as you're living, you are my toy, and I don't quite appreciate how your little boyfriend always looks at me. Does he know our secrets, Olive?"

"Here is your one and only warning. Drop him. Drop him, or I will. That is not only a threat but a promise I intend to keep." His tone is almost joyful, like this is all a fun game for him, as his cruel words slice through me like razors.

I crumble into pieces right in front of him.

"LIAM!"

I no longer care if he sees that I'm breaking. Every ounce of strength I've mustered up to get through this conversation is immediately drained from my being.

Before I know it, Ander has his arms around me, cradling my body to his.

I glance up at him, searching for the comfort I need while completely falling apart as realization quickly sets in. His eyes don't meet mine. No, his eyes are hot on Liam as if he's ready to pounce.

He leans into me, "I've got you, V. I got you."

The sobs that break from me are inconsolable. I am not just breaking; I am entirely shattering with each second that my heart continues to beat, and I know that theirs aren't.

I've always known what Liam was capable of. He unleashed that side of himself on to me for years.

They didn't know, and I didn't protect them. I failed to keep them safe.

This is as much on me as it is on Liam.