CHAPTER FIVE

I sputter incoherently for a moment, and Brianna looks at my father and I with wide eyes.

“Dad! What on Earth!” I demand, but he simply pulls me closer to himself, staring daggers at Brianna. She shrinks away, and it’s obvious that she’s as oblivious to what has set the man off as I am.

“You should have stayed away from my daughter. History will not repeat itself, do you hear me?” My father roars. Brianna’s eyes widen, and my heart breaks at the look of sheer terror in her eyes.

“Daddy, stop! She’s my… friend!” I bite out, meeting Brianna’s gaze and trying to reassure her with my eyes alone. She averts her eyes, and my father laughs hollowly. I try to reach out to her, but she flinches away.

“You should listen to your father, Kitten.” She says dully. Anger lances through my body, and I shove away from my father, grabbing her by the arm. Her eyes widen in shock, and she stares pleadingly at me.

“Tell her the truth Brianna! You owe us that, at the very least.” My father shouts, looking as if he is fully prepared to strike the woman. I stare in confusion between the two of them, and my father waits a moment for her to speak. Hell, at this point, even I’m waiting for her to explain herself.

“You need to leave.” Brianna says, meeting my eyes reluctantly. I reach out to caress her cheek, but my father yanks me backwards and places himself between us, leveling an icy cold glare at her.

“If you won’t say it, then I will.” He says icily. “Brianna isn’t what she seems. She’s a murderer. Ronald did a bit of digging in her past, and she killed her girlfriend before coming here! She’s probably planning to kill you next!” My dad shouts, and my eyes widen in disbelief. Brianna’s eyes grow cold, and she crosses her arms defensively across her chest. At first, all I can do is laugh at the absurdity of the accusation, but as Brianna’s expression becomes angrier and angrier, my laughter dies off.

“It’s not true.” I say, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Brianna stares at me, neither confirming or denying what I’ve said. “It’s not true, right? Bri! It’s not true, is it?” I say pleadingly. She considers me for a moment, her expression softening for half a second before she seems to steel herself again.

“Go home.” She says coldly. She turns her back to me, unlocking the door to her apartment and stepping inside. I scream after her, but she ignores me, slamming the door behind her. I stare at the door, mouth hanging agape as my father drags me away. I allow myself to be pulled, the reality of the situation settling heavily upon my shoulders. I begin to sob, the tears quaking my entire body as I slip into the passenger seat of my father’s car. He fastens me in, gently brushing my tears away before slipping into the driver’s seat.

“It can’t be true…” I sob hopelessly. My father remains silent for a long moment, starting the car’s ignition.

“I’m only looking out for your best interests, Kitten. You have to know that. I already lost your mother, I can’t lose you too…” He murmurs weakly in response. I sink into the passenger seat as we drive home, tears streaming down my faces as images of the time I’ve spent with Brianna spin through my head. She had seemed so kind. So genuine, so sincere. I was going to tell her tonight that I was in love with her, because I was so sure she felt the same. It seems so absurd, but if she was not the one who killed her previous girlfriend, why didn’t she argue the point? There has to be something more to the story, but I don’t know what it could be. I can’t shake the soul shattering thought that Brianna did not even want to fight for me. and as my father pulls into the driveway of my childhood home, I rip my seatbelt off before stumbling out of the car. He gasps, obviously concerned, before circling around the car to help me into the house. I refuse to budge from the spot I stand upon, however, fighting against his insistent grip. “Honey, I know it hurts now, but--” He says, or at least tries to say, but I will have nothing of it. I give him a mighty shove, tears spilling down my cheeks.

“It’s not true! I know her better than you could ever know her. It’s not true! I love her, daddy!” I scream, turning around with the full intent to walk back to her apartment.

“You’re not even a lesbian, Kitten! This is some foolish infatuation, with a proven murderer no less! Who knows what she planned to do to you!?” He belts out in response. I turn to narrow my eyes upon him, fury boiling my insides.

“I know she loved me too. I know there’s more to this story than Ronald told you.” I bite out coldly. My father’s expression droops, and he opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him short. “I know you don’t trust me, daddy. I know you think I’m just your silly and careless daughter. But I’ve never been more sure of something in my life. She’s the only thing that remotely numbed the pain of mom being gone. I’m sorry you can’t move on, but… I have to.” I mutter. His eyes widen in shock, and I immediately regret the words, wishing I had framed them more nicely. However, it’s too late to bother with that right now, as I know I have to find Brianna before she gives up on me altogether. My father’s expression droops, but I don’t consider him a moment longer as I bolt down the street in the direction of Brianna’s home.

I don’t know what I’ll say to her. I have no idea what she’ll say to me. I can only hope she puts an end to this stupid story about her being a murderer, and maybe… maybe we can work things out. It begins to rain as I walk the streets to Brianna’s house, my already aching feet begin to grow into agonizing pain from the roughness of the sidewalk. I should have grabbed some shoes at the very least, but admittedly this was not my brightest moment. I’ve been told that love makes you do stupid things, and my father has done nothing but prove that fact since my mother was killed. However, I can’t feel any sympathy for the older man right now. I know it’s not the same, not even remotely so, but in his desperation to keep hold of any reminders of his love, he tried to tear me away from my own true love. He had to know how absurd the idea of Brianna killing anyone was. I couldn’t be the only one who saw through Ronald’s sneaky scheme.

Most of all, I just wish she would tell me what happened. The truth. As certain as I am that the woman I so loved could not have murdered anyone, I can not reconcile that certainty with the fact that she did not deny it.

By the time I reach the outer door to her apartment, my clothes and hair are soaking wet from the rain. My feet are bleeding and blistered, but none of that matters. All that matters is making this right. I pound on the outer door, shouting out her name. When I receive no reply, I turn the knob. The door opens, and I rush upstairs to where her apartment area lies. I internally prepare what I’m going to say to her, anything to convince her that I care about her no matter what. Anything to convince her that I don’t believe this cold and callous lie about her. As I ascend the final step towards her apartment, I reach out to the final door that lies between us. I brace myself, closing my eyes as I grip the doorknob. I can only hope she does not turn me away again. Pulling the door open, I part my lips to declare my undying love for her-- as dramatic as that likely sounds. However, it seems this nightmare simply will not end as I take in what lay inside her apartment. Or more specifically, what was absent.

The whole place was cleaned out. Brianna was nowhere to be seen.