Breathe Me Back To Life •Patrick Stump+Fall Out Boy•

Chapter Twenty Eight: I Would Never Let You Drown, Even If We're Going Down

Dedication to all of you for this specific chapter! Dedications will resume normally in the next update!

||Cole Wentz|| First Person||

Oh, God no.

This isn't real life, is it? It can't be.

I don't know how to react at that specific, revolting moment. I stare straight ahead, past the guys, with a blank look in my eyes. My throat feels like it's slowly closing up, all chances of breathing in fresh air gone. I swallow the lump in my throat down frantically, trying my best to stay calm, even though I feel like I may or may not vomit. All drowsy symptoms wear off almost immediately as the words Andy had voiced sink in. They sink into my hair and down into my scalp, invading my head and slipping in through the crevices of my brain. It sends chills down my bones, goosebumps raising up on my arms and the back of my neck.

My ex boyfriend and attacker is in a relationship with my best friend's ex girlfriend. How many times can you say that about your life? How many times can you mention that in your sob story?

Derek Skinner and Elisa Yao might be in a relationship.

"Hey, Cole, listen-" Pete wants to calm me down. He wants to tell me all about how I need to calm down and take another forsaken nap. I ignore him though, pushing the blankets off of my body in a rush. The warmth it brought to me escapes once the fabric loses contact with my jeans covered legs. I frantically get up, rushing to the hotel room door to grab my sneakers. I practically hop around the front door area pulling them on, just trying to hurry the hell up.

"Cole, please," Patrick is saying, his voice getting closer as he advances towards me. For a minute, I forget that he's my best friend. I don't think about how Patrick Stump is my best friend and that crap, I really like him. I ignore him and grab my backpack and my room key, tugging the door open and sprinting out.

I forget that I'm hurting everyone I love.

"Stop, please!" Patrick cries out, stepping out of the hotel room just to see me running off. I couldn't talk to him- this must be hurting him, too. His ex girlfriend is dating my attacker. What a small world, huh? I don't listen to Patrick and quickly head for the staircase, shoving the door open with all my power. The elevator would take too long, and I can already imagine Patrick sliding between the doors at the last second so he doesn't lose track of where I am. I let the metal bang into the wall before I dart through, jogging down the stairs. It gets to the point where I'm running so fast and there are so many steps, I lose my rhythm. I start skipping steps, stumbling, until I trip over my feet and tumble down the stairs.

"Cole!" I hear someone shouting from somewhere above me. I grunt in pain, the breath knocked right out of me as I roll down the flight of stairs and land at the bottom, knocking right into the wall. In literally five seconds, Brendon is leaping down the steps, barely touching the ground as he runs after me, a winded Patrick Stump trailing behind him.

"Holy smokes," Patrick pants, sitting right next to me. I shake my head and let out a weak laugh, rubbing my sore eyes. I can't breathe here; the air is thick but dry at the exact same time. My eyes are stinging from unshed tears, and all I want is someone to hold me tight and never let go.

"Crap," I mutter, letting Patrick stroke my hair. I'm pretty sure I have a bruise right where my elbow is, and a shit ton of scratches from tumbling down a flight of stairs in a t-shirt.

Smart move, Colby. Let's see how much more shit you can screw up.

"Colby," Brendon is trying to search my eyes for something; anything. I can tell by the way his eyes are constantly shifting to follow my own in this whole moment. I just want to cry, but I don't want to worry Bren anymore than I already have. "Hey, how are you feeling?"