LILY LOOKED BETWEEN Tyler and Trevor, a wave of nausea blanketed her as she tried to figure out what happened in the span of an hour. She watched as Tyler turned over coughing out spit, before wiping away the blood that seeped out from his nose at an alarming rate. Torn between the two men she stood there in silence. Listening to both of them breathing heavily as she wished she never did.

I want my mom, she couldn't help but think, and her gaze subconsciously shifted from the gravel to the clouds above that threatened to let down another storm of ice and snow. Lily looked back down at Trevor who stared at his bruising knuckles and then back at Tyler who looked as if he was about to cry. She wondered why he did that. Does he love me? She shook away the thought and reached below to steady Tyler.

    "We have to clean you up," she murmured while focusing on his nose.

She took off the cardigan she had adorned, met with the bitter cold that nipped at her pale skin. Although, the cold didn't bother her anymore. Nothing truly bothered her, she was a hollow shell, void of any emotions or friendly thoughts that didn't paint her as the killer she is. Tyler looked up at her, his eyes glossed over with tears threatening to spill. Lily couldn't help but compare him to a child who was hurt, she let out a sigh and cupped his cheek. At the sudden action, he flinched away causing something to twist in her heart. Her hand dropped back to her side and she turned back towards Trevor who seemed to be in a different dimension.

    "Trevor?" She called out, her voice as light as air so as to not frighten him.

"Breathe for me Lily, I'm going to take you home and I want you not to tell anyone about what you saw tonight. Can you do that for me, Lily?"

She scurried over to him, her actions mirroring his that night. Although, this time it was him that needed her and not the other way around. Lily found herself cursing herself for going to Tyler first, despite Trevor's pleas.

    "Trevor?" Her hands cautiously settled on top of his hands.

     He looked up at her, but unlike Tyler's eyes, his were dry. And unlike Tyler's eyes, there was no emotion in his dark brown orbs. Not a word was said between the two and he didn't fight when she tugged him up. Even if he was the one that called out for her, he can't help himself from assessing her for any injuries, or any signs of a breakdown. His eyes floated away from her back to the gravel as she pulled him by his index and middle finger until they reach the car. The two desperately tried to drown out Tyler's cries but to their dismay, it was the only thing that rang through their ears.

     "Keys." Her hold disappeared from his fingers, "Trevor?" Her voice was quiet as if she's afraid to trigger another chain of events such as the ones that unfolded in front of her eyes.

     "I'm not," his voice is defeated, but still he continued, "— he's lying." He looked up at her, his eyes filled with desperation to latch onto the one thing that was pure of the rumors about him.

"Get in the car, Trevor." She opened the door for him.

     He watched as she shut the passenger door sending him a look that he couldn't decipher and waited patiently for her to enter through the driver's side, but instead he watched from the side mirror how she ran back to Tyler who managed to get himself up in the meantime. Trevor let out a loud groan, cursing at himself for losing his temper, especially to someone he vowed to never give the satisfaction of enticing a response from him.

     "Easy," Lily said, as she steadied Tyler who persisted that he's fine and able to walk on his own.

     She led him in through the back door after his many pleas of not wanting his parents to see him like this, afraid he'd get hit by his father once more. At this point, it was hard to determine which bruises were from others and which were from his blood. He let out a loud groan as he settled onto the bed, before his limbs sprawled out across the bed.

Lily rummaged through the drawers looking for any sort of bandage to patch up the gashes he had on his hand as well as his cheekbones thanks to his big mouth. She couldn't help but sigh, allowing the tears to flow over. She cursed at herself in her mind for leaving Trevor alone but knew that dealing with Tyler would be best if done now and by her.

For how long had she dreamed of being in the same room as him since that night? And now that it was here, she wanted everything but to be in this room where the walls felt as if they were closing in on her. Her hands blindly moved around between the clothes, before she felt the warmth of another body press up next to her. Her eyes widened and she froze in her spot as she felt the warm breaths of an unwanted person on her neck. The feeling she had craved every night and every day was something that felt so foreign now. It felt so wrong now.

Lily dared look up at the dresser mirror to see if it was an illusion her mind had created or if it was a reality. When her eyes locked with the one in the mirror, she slithered out of his hold as fast as possible. She looked down at her hands, expecting to see blood, the guilt eating her from inside out.

"Oh my God, I killed her."

"What?" Tyler looked at her with eyes filled with confusion and rejection.

He took one step towards her and she took one step back until he stopped and realized just what she was doing.

"I-I have to go." She rushed out, turning around in a millisecond, the door at an arms reach, and her goal set in her mind.

"Do you love me?" Tyler's voice was hushed as if it was more of a thought than something he meant to express verbally.

The simple question froze Lily in her position.

"Do you love me?"

She slowly turned around to see the broken boy she once admired for being so strong. Her gaze drifted from his profile to his fists that were black and blue with dried blood.

"Of course, I do, Lily."

"Tyler, it's getting late my dad — your cuts." She reached out for his hand in order to examine it once more, but he retracted instantly.

"But you love her more."

"Do you love me?" He asked trying to steady his voice, failing when his voice cracked near the end. "Did they only love me because I was hers?"

"I'm tired of having the same damn conversation day in and day out!"

"Tyler..."

"It's true isn't it?"

"Tyler, you need to rest."

Lily stalked towards him in order to not alarm him, his actions and his breathless sentences were an indication of what had happened to her in the car. And just as he had helped her she wanted to do the same. Perhaps this was the reason he brought her back here when just weeks ago he cursed her existence. She was the only thing left that reminded him of himself, she was the only person who loved him for him. Or so he thought.

"I'm so lost without her, why did she leave me, Lily?" His hands wrapped around her thin arms alarming her. She looked at him like a deer caught in headlights before her gaze softened as they took in his state. "I love her so much, was it not enough?" It's as if someone had pierced her heart the second those words graced her ears, yet she doesn't waver.

"Tyler."

"It should have been me!" He exclaimed, as his grip tightened around her arms. "It should've been me."

"Oh my God, I killed her."

"Pulse? No Pulse? Pulse?"

Lily watched him as he beat himself up with words, his physical, mental, emotional state in ruins after her death. Her heart ached but not for him, for herself. He didn't want to hear her say it because he wanted to say it back, he didn't want her for comfort, he needed her for validation. Validation that he was a good person, validation that what he did wasn't his fault. Validation that he could be loved. Validation that Lily wondered if she could give or not.

"I love you," his words were urgent, as he caressed her cheeks. "I love you, Lily, say it back, please say it back!"

How long had she waited to hear those words once more? So why didn't they have the same effect on her? Why did her insides not melt, why did her cheeks not flush at the sound of those three words? Had she stolen more than just Venus' boyfriend that night, had she stolen her heartlessness as well?

"Tyler," Lily breathed out the sensation of the blood against her cheek alarming her.

She grasped onto his hand, refusing to look him in the eyes. As if she were afraid that she would remain a prisoner for his love forever. Lily mustered up enough courage to look the lost boy in the eye only to find a sad smile painted across his bloodied face. Her eyebrows furrowed, confused as to why he was smiling. He looked down at her, his figure that loomed over her did not scare Lily anymore. Instead, it invited her to dance with the shadows of what once was the boy she loved. She found herself leaning into him as if reuniting with him after decades of being apart.

"Venus." he whispered out, stroking her jet black hair.

Like clockwork, the tears stung her eyes as she untangled herself from him.

"You better stop, Venus, or I'm going to get you!"

"Lily. I'm Lily."

"Lily," she corrected him. "I'm Lily," and just like that she found herself tripping out of the door and towards the car, her tears burned her eyes and blurred her vision.

Lily Tran could never be Venus Wilson, not even if she tried.