When Tomorrow Never Comes

by Raven K. Asher

  “That’s my girl.” He breathes out before leaning back.

  His eyes take me in with desire.

  My willpower was nearly nonexistent with him so close.

  I wanted to have all of him right then and there.

  “Go find Jayce. End things with him and then meet me in my room.” Liam commands gently before taking a step back.

  He takes another step back before disappearing into the crowded room.

  I take a shaky breath before searching the crowd for Jayce or a familiar face.

  Moving around from room to room I spot no one that I knew.

  It almost seemed impossible that I would find Jayce until I spot Ben walking away from me and into another room.

  Of all the people here he would hopefully know where Jayce was.

  Pushing my way through the crowd I rush into the next room and thankfully run right into Ben as he turns to head in my direction.

  “Whoa, hey there, Eve, I didn’t even see you.” He gasps as he barely keeps his drink from spilling.

  “I’m sorry. Do you know where Jayce is?” I ask quickly.

  He nods and scrunches his brow. “He said he was going upstairs to meet you.”

  This was news to me. “I haven’t seen him since earlier today and he never said to meet him anywhere specifically. He just told me to meet him here.”

  “That’s weird.” Ben replies. “Do you want me to help you find him?”

  I nod. “If you don’t mind, I don’t exactly want to be alone with him.”

  “I don’t mind.” He replies and then begins leading the way through the crowd.

  When we reach the stairs that would take us up he stops and turns to face me with a confused look on his face. “Why don’t you want to be alone with my brother?” He questions.

  “I’m going to break up with him, Ben. It’s just not working out between us.” I answer him honestly.

  “I figured that would happen. Jayce hasn’t been himself lately and I kind of figured he was preparing himself for this blow.” Ben sighs.

  “He’s not going to give me any problems, is he?” I ask, becoming worried.

  Ben thankfully shakes his head. “He won’t be a problem and if he is I’ll put him in his place for you, Eve.”

  “Thanks, Ben.” I reply gratefully.

  He nods and then turns back around to lead us up the stairway and into the long hallway that made up the second floor.

  I take the lead as I move past Liam and his parent’s rooms and on towards the guest rooms.

  Stopping at one I raise my hand to knock but the door opens slightly.

  I peek in along with Ben.

  “Maggie, neither of them will find out. Ben is blind and Eve is too desperate.” Jayce states as he moves in close to Maggie.

  I glance towards Ben but his eyes remain glued to the scene unfolding before us.

  “Why do you have to be with her?” Maggie whines.

  “Do you want Ben to get suspicious?” Jayce replies.

  Maggie shakes her head. “Why can’t I just dump him and be with you?”

  “I told you before that I didn’t want anything serious. I don’t want to hurt my brother’s feelings either.” Jayce explains.

  Sadly his reasons made sense but it was the wrong way to go about this.

  But in the end they were hurting Ben.

  Finding out like this was going to hurt far worse than it would have if they would have just come out before.

  Grabbing Ben’s hand I pull him back away from the door.

  I place my hands on either side of his face. “You don’t need to watch this.”

  He shakes his head absently. “I have to see this for myself, Eve. If I don’t I’ll never get over her. I need to feel this heartbreak.”

  I nod and let him go before joining him back at the door.

  We watch as Jayce and Maggie stare into each other’s eyes for a moment before Jayce leans in to press his lips against hers.

  I didn’t think that it would hurt to see him kiss another girl since I was going to break up with him but it stung.

  It hurt more to know that he had been lying to me. He had used me. And he had wronged his brother.

  That was all going to end right now though.

  Standing up straight Ben shoves the door open with all his might.

  It bangs into the wall with a hard thud as he walks in with me by his side.

  Both Maggie and Jayce turn to face us with wide eyes.

  “What the hell is going on in here?” Ben questions while pinning Jayce with a glare.

  “I was just helping her with her shoe.” Jayce tries to lie.

  I shake my head. “We heard and saw everything, Jayce. You two can stop with the lies already.”

  His jaw drops for a moment before he lets out a soft curse. “She means nothing to me, Eve. I love you.”

  I couldn’t believe him, his audacity.

  Did he really think that I would fall for his lies, especially after what I had just heard?

  “Are you serious, Jayce?” I snort out in disbelief.

  Before he can say anything I continue on. “You know this actually makes breaking up with you so much easier. I was going to do it gently but you just ended it all on your own.”

  “Babe, please…” Jayce tries.

  “No, Jayce, don’t even try it. I hate you.” I reply harshly before turning my back towards him.

  I was finished talking.

  “I hope Liam is worth this. He’s a cheat too, you know. I saw him go into his room with Amy not five minutes ago.” Jayce growls out as I leave the room.

  Out in the hallway I pause and close my eyes.

  I had to force the thoughts out that were invading my mind.

  Jayce was wrong.

  He had to be wrong.

  Walking slowly down the hallway towards Liam’s room I place my hand against my chest as my heart pounds against my ribs.

  It wanted to escape just as badly as I did.

  But I wasn’t going to run away without seeing this for myself. I had to see if what Jayce had said held any truth.

  Placing my hand on the door handle I take in a deep breath before letting it out slowly as I turn my hand.

  Pushing forward I open the door.

  My heart plummets when I spot Liam standing inside with his hands on either side of Amy’s face.

  He looked as if he had been about to kiss her.

  Liam’s eyes widen with surprise as his hands quickly drop away from Amy.

  He rushes towards me but I hold up my hand stopping him as my eyes fill with tears. “Don’t even talk to me. I hate you, Liam.”

  Turning quickly I rush down the hallway and then down the stairs before pushing my way through the crowd to the front door.

  Once I’m out I gasp for air as I stumble down the sidewalk and then across the street before running through the front door of my house.

  As the door slams shut behind me I slide down it to sit on the floor as I begin to sob.

  Eric and Matt rush towards the door but freeze in place when they spot me.

  “What happened, Princess?” Eric asks gently as he moves closer and then kneels down in front of me.

  “They were both cheating on me. Jayce has been with Maggie and Liam never left Amy.” I cry out.

  Eric instantly grabs me into his arms as I completely fall apart.

  A loud knock echoes through the door startling us all. “Eve, please let me explain.” Liam yells out from the other side of the door.

  His voice only makes me cry harder.

  Eric growls out as he lifts me up in his arms while he stands to his feet.

  “Take her upstairs, Matt.” He then commands before handing me over into Matt’s arms. “I need to have a little chat with him alone.”

  I don’t resist as Matt turns with me in his arms as I cry into his shoulder.

  He walks us up the stairs as Eric opens the door to Liam.

  “You have some nerve comi
ng over here after making her cry like that. You broke her heart, you know. Both you and Jayce just destroyed any chance either of you had with her.” Eric snarls out.

  “If you’d just let me explain…” Liam tries again.

  “Just leave her alone, Liam. Leave her alone or I will have you arrested. If I even hear of you talking to my daughter I will have a restraining order placed against you, do you hear me?” Eric barks out.

  I don’t hear anything else as Matt walks me into my bedroom, shutting the door behind us.

  Sitting down on my bed he rocks me back and forth as I continue to sob uncontrollably.

  My heart was broken and my mind couldn’t focus on anything other than the image of Liam standing in his room with Amy.

  The smile on her face when I had opened the door had said it all.

  She was still his and probably always had been.

  Liam had lied to me.

  He had betrayed me.

  “What are we going to do, Eric? She hasn’t stopped crying since she came back home.” Matt whispers helplessly.

  “I don’t know. All we can do right now is hold onto her and comfort her until it passes. Her heart was broken. You know as well as I do that that’s not something easy to get over, especially at her age.” Eric replies softly.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to punch a kid so badly.” Matt sighs.

  “Welcome to fatherhood.” Eric laughs lightly.

  “I wanted to punch him too along with the other one. I don’t get why anyone would ever want to cheat on our girl.” Eric adds as he strokes his hand over the back of my head in a fatherly way.

  Whimpering, I lean back from Matt for a moment. “It’s what I deserve for cheating on Cole.”

  Matt shakes his head disagreeing. “You didn’t deserve this no matter what happened in the past. No one deserves to have their heart broken.”

  I didn’t agree with him, but I didn’t have the strength to argue with him.

  All I wanted to do was curl into a ball and sleep the next two years away.

  I wanted to disappear.

  Chapter 26

  Dear Diary,

  Heartbreak and heartache, it’s the story of my life. Am I ever going to find love again or were you it for me…?

  Two days later I roll over in bed and groan as Matt opens my curtains, allowing the sunlight to bath over me.

  “You need to get out of bed, Eve. This isn’t good for you and you’re going to have to return to school sometime soon.” Matt sighs as he comes to stand at the end of my bed.

  “Can’t I just stay here forever?” I whine.

  “No, you can’t. You’re going to get up, get dressed, and then I’m going to drive you to school. I can’t keep making excuses for you.” He replies sternly.

  There was no way he was going to allow me to argue with him.

  “Fine, I’ll get up.” I huff out.

  “Be ready and downstairs in fifteen, okay.” Matt grunts as he moves over to the door.

  “Okay, Dad.” I reply with a hint of annoyance.

  He grins and then walks out of the door, shutting it behind him.

  Sighing roughly I roll out of bed and then slowly amble my way into the bathroom where I strip down and then move into the shower before turning on the water.

  At first it comes out cold chilling my skin before slowly becoming warmer.

  A soft sigh leaves my lips as I allow it to flow over my body.

  I scrub my hair and then my body until my skin is a light pink. I wanted to wash away any trace of either Jayce or Liam.

  If only I could scrub them out of my mind.

  For the past two days Liam had come to the house like clockwork. He had begged both Matt and Eric to let him talk to me.

  Thankfully they had repeatedly turned him away.

  I wasn’t ready to deal with his lies and excuses. I saw what I saw and there was no way that he was going to change that.

  The only person that I had remotely interacted with was Ben. He had texted me a few times just to make sure that I was alright.

  I felt bad for him.

  Not only had I been betrayed but he had been too.

  His situation seemed a lot worse than mine considering it had been his own brother that had betrayed him.

  I could hide away from everyone but it was harder for him.

  Finishing my shower I climb out and grab a towel, wrapping it around myself before heading out into my room.

  I stop seeing Ben sitting on the edge of my bed.

  He looks up as I move closer. “Crap, I’m sorry. Your dad let me come up.”

  “It’s alright. What’s going on?” I ask gently as I hold my towel closer to my body.

  Ben sighs roughly as he bows his head. “I just needed to get away.”

  I nod in understanding. “I get it, Ben. You can come over here anytime. You’re still my friend no matter what.”

  “Thanks, Eve.” He replies softly.

  “Why don’t you go downstairs and grab some breakfast while I get ready. Dad always cooks more than enough food.” I suggest.

  “Alright, would you want me to drive you to school?” He questions as he stands to his feet.

  I nod. “That would be great.”

  He nods and then moves out of my room.

  I shut the door behind him and then turn around to get ready for the day.

  Once I’m ready with just a plain pair of jeans and a white tee shirt I stare at myself in the mirror. My hair was braided over my shoulder and I had on a pair of dark brown sandals.

  I force a smile but it quickly falters.

  I couldn’t muster enough strength to be happy.

  Closing my eyes for a moment I clear my mind the best that I can before turning away from my mirror.

  As I take my next step I open my eyes and focus on heading downstairs to join Eric, Matt, and Ben for breakfast.

  I was back to taking things as they came instead of looking forward to my future.

  Breakfast goes by fast and soon I find myself on the back of Ben’s bike on our way to school.

  It had taken a lot of convincing on my part to allow Eric and Matt to let me ride with Ben. They were still afraid of me having a blackout.

  The only way they let me go was thanks to Ben who had come up with the bright idea of tying my hands around his waist that way if I blacked out I wouldn’t fall.

  I didn’t like the idea but I would have done anything so I wouldn’t have to talk.

  I loved Eric and Matt but I wasn’t ready to talk to them about my feelings yet.

  All too soon for my taste we pull up to the school and Ben quickly releases my hands before bringing the bike to a full stop in a parking spot near the front of the school.

  I hop off first and then slip off my helmet.

  He slips off next and takes his helmet off before shaking his head.

  Standing by him I wait until he’s ready to head into the school.

  Walking side by side we enter the school and then turn down the hallway towards our lockers.

  We both pause around the corner as we spot Jayce and Maggie together.

  Maggie’s back was against the lockers and Jayce was leaning in close talking to her intimately.

  Seeing Jayce like that with her still stung but I knew it had to be harder for Ben.

  Reaching down absently I take Ben’s hand in mine for support.

  He glances over at me with a sad smile. “Thanks, Eve.”

  I nod and then take a step forward with Ben. We could do this together and keep each other strong.

  At least that’s what I was hoping for.

  Unfortunately that isn’t how things work out as Jayce and Maggie turn their attention towards us as we move closer.

  Jayce’s smile falls as he spots my hand in Ben’s.

  I didn’t know why he would care but it appeared that he did.

  Ben tugs on my hand to keep us moving forward and soon we pass by Maggie and Jayce before we finally man
age to make it to our lockers.

  We break apart.

  I focus on my locker and dial in the combination before it opens with a click. I place my helmet on the top shelf before gathering the books and things I would need for the day, slipping each thing into my bag.

  Once I have everything I shut the door and turn to walk down the hallway to my first class.

  Each step I take was like taking a step through thick mud.

  I wasn’t ready to face Liam yet.

  When lunch rolls around I make my way into the lunchroom feeling pretty confident with myself.

  Liam hadn’t been in any of our classes so far.

  And for the most part I had been able to ignore Jayce and Maggie.

  Sitting down at the table that I normally used during lunch I begin eating my meal in peace until Ben joins me and then Jayce and Maggie.

  We all remain quiet as we eat.

  Being near them was tense.

  I was just waiting for one of them to make a remark or get into an argument, but thankfully no one even glances in the other’s direction.

  Once my sandwich is gone I place my hand inside my bag to grab something else to eat but my bag is abruptly ripped from my hand as Amy joins us.

  She tosses my bag to the floor and then leans down into my face from the other side of the table.

  “I hate you.” She bites out. “You took him away from me.”

  I shake my head and laugh in amusement. “I didn’t take anyone away from you.”

  “Yes, you did. He broke up with me just to be with you.” She argues.

  “And now he’s going to leave us both thanks to you.” She adds.

  My whole demeanor rapidly changes. “What do you mean?” I question, becoming worried.

  “I mean that he called me a little bit ago and said some weird stuff. He sounded like he had been crying and then he said something about leaving.” She replies with an attitude.

  Without a second thought I stand to my feet and turn to Ben. “You need to take me home now.” I demand.

  He nods and wordlessly rises to his feet before rushing after me as I run through the halls towards my locker so I could get my helmet.

  Ben grabs his helmet from his locker and within a few minutes we meet out by his bike.