Chapter 37:

*CAITLIN'S POV:

The sound of a gunshot kept ringing through my ears. It's all I could hear─one after another after another. A shooting range might be comparable, although a place like that doesn't normally come with emotional destruction. I can still feel his sweaty skin underneath my fingertips. The shallow breaths drying his parted lips felt like fire. Blood the color of crimson stained his t-shirt as it slowly oozed from the open wound I caused. The sound of gunshots was replaced by the sound of his painful cries. Low but loud, they were an attempt to mask the unbearable burning in his right shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," I cried, "I'm so sorry, Eddie."

The necklace I took from him indented itself into my palm as I held it firmly. When his hand fell and head bobbed, I panicked. Stay with me, I screamed, you have to stay awake. You can't leave me, Eddie.

His eyes sparkled solemnly. He spoke softly, holding my cheek.

"I'm not going anywhere, Caitlin." he smiled, his cheek melting through my fingers. The boy's skin began to drop downwards as it blistered the flesh of my hands. He was disintegrating second by second, pooling onto the floor into a massive heap of nothing. Blood scorched the floorboards and as I disregarded the elevated temperature, I screamed as I began to re-sculpt my boyfriend.

"No, no, no, fuck! Eddie, come on!" I screamed as the muscle was falling off my hands, leaving only a skeletal structure. "You can't leave me, I love you!"

"Caitlin,"

"Fuck!" I screamed as the heat ruined my arms. "Eddie!"

"Caitlin,"

"Come back to me,"

"Caitlin!"

"No!" I cried out again, feeling someone's arms grip mine. My eye's opened again, but I wasn't straddling a melting boy. I was met with a concerned Luna, holding me firmly as we both sat on the couch.

"Hey, hey, Cait, you're safe. It's okay, I'm here." she cooed, looking directly into my blurred eyes. "Breathe, you need to breathe."

"I- I tried to save him but─but he─but he started-" I stuttered, observing my hands to find them unharmed. "Where?"

"Caitlin, slow down, I can't understand you. Breathe,"

"Where's Eddie?"

Luna nodded and softly smiled, rubbing my arms. "Eddie's fine, honey. He's perfectly okay, it wasn't anything dire. Your gramma fixed him right up at the house."

"He's alive?"

"Yes, yes, he's alive. He texted me about a half hour ago telling me how everything was going."

"I- I thought I killed him." I choked, another sob escaping from my throat. "I thought he was gone."

Luna pulled me into a hug as I cried hysterically. The picture kept playing over and over again in my head like a movie montage. The aiming, the gunshot, the vision of him clutching his shoulder, the slip of consciousness. Everything was replaying and I couldn't get it to stop. Every time I closed my eyes I saw nothing but potential death.

"It wasn't you, Caitlin. You were not the one who aimed, you were not the one who pulled the trigger, do you understand? It wasn't your fault." she said reassuringly. "He's your muscle man, remember? He's gonna rest while you rest."

"I'm weak," I spat, "Noken got into my head because of it. I couldn't defend myself for the thousandth time this summer and of course Eddie had to swoop in and risk his life once again to save me."

"What? No, hey, listen to me. You are not weak. You can't expect to go head on into something like this. Look, you're not the strongest girl around physically, and I'll admit that, but Eddie struggles to physically fight this and he's one of the biggest guys I know. This Noken thing is literally a powerful spirit from the depths of hell and you expect to be able to get him into a headlock?"

"I-I know, but─"

"But nothing─just because you can't handle something physically doesn't make you weak. You have so many other capabilities that make you so fucking strong, okay? Emotionally and mentally? You're one of the strongest people I know when it comes to those two factors. What did you do when all of this started happening? You didn't break up with Eddie. You didn't leave because it would make things easier. You were right by his side the entire time because you wanted to give this a chance. You watched how he acted and you analyzed everything for the sake of his health. You didn't even know the real cause of everything, and now that you do, you're trying your absolute hardest to save him. Did you hear those last two words? Save him. This isn't a one sided story. You aren't a damsel in distress waiting for her knight in shining armor to slay the enemy. You already have your knight and you're both kicking the enemy's ass together and fighting for your happily ever after."

I sighed, seeing things from her perspective. She always knew how to calm me down, even if it was just for a minute.

"You have to find your strengths. If you can't fight him physically, then fight him mentally. Get into his head before he can get into yours. Trick him. Use his tactics against him. Think about what he does and how he messes with everyone. Fight fire with fire."

I nodded, going in for another hug. Thanking her repeatedly felt like the least I could do right now. "Thank you for being here for me."

"Of course," she mumbled, rubbing my back. "I'm gonna get you some water, okay? You need to drink something."

As the girl went to the kitchen to fetch some beverages, I stared blankly at the floor. There was still a heavy burden on my chest that made it hard to breathe. It hurt to take a deep breath but I had to try in order to keep from crying again. Calm down, he's alright. Eddie's okay, he's alive.

"Here you go." I heard, looking up to find a glass of water inches from my face.

"Thanks," I smiled, gulping the liquid down. "Luna?"

"Yeah?

"Can you stay with me again? Tonight?" I asked sheepishly.

"Of course, Cait." she exclaimed. "You were there for me last night and I'll be here for you tonight. My family won't mind and I don't have to work."

"Okay,"

"Oh, by the way," she started, reaching around to find something, but then holding my phone, "here's this. There's a message waiting for you."

I took the device from her hands and glanced at the screen, seeing a text from Eddie that sent about ten minutes ago.

Eddie: Hey baby, not surewhen you're gonna see thisbut I want to let you knowpersonally (instead of offLuna's phone) that I'mokay. Your grandma fixed me up really well so wedidn't even need a hospital.Go nurses, right? I know youkeep blaming yourself for whathappened, but please, PLEASEunderstand that it was NOTyour fault. It wasn't you, andyou need to realize that. Thisis a bit of a rough patch butwe're gonna get through it likealways, okay? I need to rest andso do you, so after I send thistext, I'm gonna shut my phone off and try to relax. Please, pleasedo the same. Stay with Luna,she knows how to help. I know youand how you dwell on things, but try to calm down. I'm fne andwill see you soon, okay? I loveyou so fucking much.

My smile quickly fell to a frown as I heard a car door slam from outside and put my phone down. "Speaking of family, it's my parents. They're going to fucking kill me."

"So. . .maybe don't tell them?"

"That's doable until MeMe comes home."

"Well that's okay now, considering it's MeMe walking through the door." Luna stated, nodding her head towards the door.

"Yes, it is I, and yes, I'm telling your parents." MeMe stated from the doorway. "Your man is okay. I took him back home and explained this whole ordeal to his family. He's resting." she answered. "I'm sorry if I made you upset earlier, but you two lovebirds were making each other worse. I needed you out of there."

"His family knows everything? They probably hate me!" I exclaimed.

"Caitlin, calm down. It was hard for them to grasp this kind of concept but they had no choice. They don't hate you either─they understand the situation you were in and they forgive you." she answered. "And we are telling your folks whether you like it or not."

"Do I have to be here when you tell them?"

"Not necessarily," she answered, shrugging her shoulders.

I looked over at Luna with desperation in my eyes. "I can't be here when she tells them. Can-can we go somewhere else for now?"

"No problem, where to?"

"I don't know."

"Let me think," she said, squinting her eyes. We sat there until she perked up and smiled at me as if she just remembered an idea.

I asked, "What?"

"There does happen to be a jeep in the driveway-"

"It's Eddie's, not ours. It would be wrong to take it out for a ride."

"Actually, Eddie may have texted me before leaving you that message on your phone. He happened to mention me knowing what to do, didn't he?"

"Yeah, yeah he did."

"This is me knowing how to telp. Trust me, okay?" she nodded. "I'll explain once we're there. I'm gonna go get my wallet from upstairs."

She grabbed what she needed upstairs while I packed a few snacks just in case we got hungry. The two of us hopped into the jeep and drove around town for a while. We didn't really talk but mainly played music. It took my mind off of things for a while. When it got closer to nightfall, Luna drove to the all too familiar field in Groves. She parked in the middle of the field and shut everything off.

"Did Eddie tell you to come here?"

"He did," she agreed. "He said watching the sunset calms you down and since he can't be here, I'm allowed to be the step-in boyfriend."

Hugging her again for the hundreth time today, I then went to grab the bag of snacks and headed to the back of the vehicle. Opening the hatch, I set a blanket down so we could comfortably sit and watch the phenomenon like it was on a movie screen. I climbed in and patted the spot next to me, which Luna then took.

"You seemed to know exactly what to do." she said, raising a cocky eyebrow. "Does that mean I shouldn't shine a black light back here?"

"Luna-"

"It's probably everywhere─"

"Stop! Luna!" I screamed, putting my hands over my ears.

"Ha! I got you flustered." she chuckled, pointing to my rosy cheeks. "There's probably a shit ton of saliva back here, too."

"Luna─"

"Am I wrong?"

"L-"

"Am I wrong?"

"Sunsets are romantic." I retaliated.

"Mhm, just as I thought. I can read you two like a book." she commented, rolling her eyes. "Well I'm not doing any of that stuff with you, step-in boyfriend or not."

"You don't know what I like anyway."

"I'm a little thankful for that." she laughed. "I'm glad to see you smiling again."

I looked over at her, trying to keep it on my face. Tears brimmed my eyes because no matter how hard I tried or what we did, I could still hear the gunshot and see the blood. "It still hurts."

Luna draped an arm over my shoulder and guided me closer, rubbing my arm. "You're allowed to feel that way, Caitlin. It was a truamatic experience for you guys. Expecting to get over it in a few hours isn't rational or realistic. Let yourself feel it, talk about it. I didn't bring you here to forget it─I brought you here to feel it in a familiar place of comfort."

It took a few minutes to regain composure, but I needd to get my mind off of it more. "Tell me what you want in life."

"What?"

"Tell me what you want in life," I repeated. "Please,"

She looked down at her hand and pursed her lips, probably having millions of thoughts running around her skull. "I want to go to college and learn about international busincess. Then before I settle down, I want to travel the world and try different foods and see different cultures. There's so much more to experience than what I'm exposed to now and learn from it. Maybe I'll find the guy of my dreams and get married. Three kids would be nice, two boys and a girl─Liam, Ryder, and Aspen. Names could obviously change by then. They're just from the top of my head."

"You changed your names since the last time we talked about this." I stated. "I'm gonna be the fun aunt who they love more than their own mother."

"Excuse me? I don't think so. Maybe I'll be the best aunt to your kids and they'll love me more than you." she laughed, nudging me. "Now tell me what you want in life."

Pondering long and hard over the fact that it was my turn, I tried to put my thoughts together. What do I want in life? Only one word kept coming to mind. "I want happiness."

She nodded, accepting my answer. I looked up at the stars that were starting to appear, letting the daydreams come to life. "I want to go to college and work my absolute hardest so I can graduate with my degree. I want to work with people who need my help, to make an impact in this world─that's my main goal. Then somewhere in-between that, I want to get married to the person I love and have two or three kids. We'll raise the best children we can. All that combined─that's my happiness."

"Is Eddie in that equation?" she asked nicely.

"He is," I answered. "At this point, I can't picture anyone else."

"That's cute." Luna smiled, reaching for a snack. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Go for it."

"Are we always going to be with each other?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are we always going to be friends?" she asked. "I'm just scared, you know. Everyone always says they'll keep in touch after high school but they never do. Or like, what if one of us slips up one day and we hate each other? I don't want to lose you."

"What are you talking about, Luna?" I questioned, sitting up to look at her. "We'll always be together. Maybe not in person, but I know we've taken over each other's hearts. We've created too many memories and inside jokes for us to not be friends forever. I understand why you get scared and sometimes I do, too. Then I remember how much effort we actually put into this friendship. Do you realize how much you have been helping me? What would've happened if you weren't with me today, or even right now? You just hopped into a situation that you weren't even sure about and now you're in the middle of a field trying to make sure I'm okay."

"Thanks, Cait." she said genuinely, leaning against me. "I don't know what I'd do without you, either. I mean, especially with last night. That's the worst I've felt in a while and yet you still managed to get me smiling again. It may seem incomparable to your situation, but it meant so fucking much to me."

I said, putting my head on top of hers. "I love you too much to let you go."

"I love you, too, Cait." she said, patting my arm. "I'll always be there for you, no matter what. Try to breathe and relax, okay?"

The two of us just sat there for another hour, joking and laughing about different things. This was one of those nights everyone needs once in a while. Though the sounds and images are still haunting me every time I close my mind, my best friend was able to distract me just long enough to feel at peace.....................................................A/N: Just a little filler chapter for you lovelies. Eddie will return in the next chapter :)

How is everyone? It's been forever! Sorry about that!

I don't want to keep blabbering, so I'll leave you peeps with this short note. Please vote and comment your thoughts. I love seeing feedback!

xoxo