• tab "Are you OK, Alex?" Jacob says into the receiver of his cell phone, worry filling his voice.
    tab "Not really". Says a sweet gentle voice from the other end.
    tab "Whatever happened to us Jacob?" Alexandra asks, trying to hide the obvious pain in her voice.
    tab " Alex, you know perfectly well what happened. You let Derrik get in between us. You were cheating on me and broke my heart". Jacob says, No feeling in his voice at all. Obviously, he was better at hiding his feelings. Silence. A monotone click as Jacob closed his phone. throwing it across the room. Jacob sighs and falls back onto his bed, tears forming in his eyes. He gently brushes away his brown hair, revealing his steel blue eyes. Two years. Two years they had been together. Jacob had never been happier. She was perfect for him. Long black hair, very young beautiful face and sapphire blue eyes. She was very petite and usually very shy, but she was the most sweetest and kindest girl he had ever met. She was perfect. Or at least perfect for him. Their meeting was perfect. First dance, first kiss. Perfect. They loved each other so much. But there was a problem. Derrik. Derrik was her best friend. He was practically a big brother to her. What she couldn't see was that he was trying to get in between her and Jacob. It took two years, but he did it. It started an argument and she took Derrik's side. It was all over just like that. Just like that Jacob was crushed. Later him and Derrik got in a fight. Black hair, very intimidating presence, and about twice Jacob's size; it wasn't exactly what you would have called a fair fight. Jacob didn't stand a chance. It was over. She threw everything they had together away, just like that. Another problem. She didn't know Derrik as well as she thought she did. Extremely abusive, she only now stayed with him out of fear. Jacob's phone began to ring again.
    tab "Jacob,please help me. Me and Derrik went to the park. He is really starting to scare-" Alex says in a panic, the phone suddenly cutting out. Jacob drops the phone, grabbing his shoes and sprinting out the door.

    A single bird sounds out in the tree tops, the only other sound the crunching of the leaves under Jacob's foot fall and the gentle fall of rain. Jacob had been on this path plenty of times before with Alex. Jacob was already soaked from he rain, regardless of the thick cover of all the tree's that hung over the long path. He stops to catch his breath, his heart beating in his head. Suddenly a noise. A voice. he looks farther down the path. next to the stream that ran along the middle of the path is Derrik and Alex. Derrik stands over Alex as she tries to crawl away. Jacob scoops up a rock, hurling it at Derrik's head.
    tab "Ow!" Derrik shouts sharply, the rock hitting him hard square in the back of the head. Derrik turns and faces Jacob as he walks up to him.
    tab " Jacob, you stay out of this". Derrik barks. Jacob just glares at him, his eyes filled with pain and hat.
    tab " I am not going to just stand aside and let you keep hurting Alex". Jacob growls, His temper flaring and his hands curling into fists. Derrik looks down at Jacob's fists and starts laughing.
    tab " Are you going to fight me again?" He says, grinning. Derrik continues laughing until Jacob's fist smashes itself across Derrik's face. Derrik takes a step back, wiping the blood from his mouth. He pulls his fist back and hits hard across Jacob's face.
    tab " Stop it Derrik!". Alex shouts, picking herself up off the ground.
    tab " Quiet!" Derrik barks, Back handing Alex across the face with his full strength. Alex falls to the ground hard. Jacob grabs Derrik, punching him hard across the face and then in the throat. Derrik stumbles back. Jacob runs over to Alex and crouches next to her.
    tab " Alex, are you ok?" He asks urgently.
    tab " Look out!" Alex shouts. Jacob turns his head, only to have Derrik's foot crash right across his face. Jacob rolls away, knocked out cold for a few moments. Derrik grabs Alex and pulls her to her feet and slams her back against a tree. Alex tries to get away, but Derrik pins her up against the tree with his arm and cups his hand over her mouth.
    tab " No. Please. Stop it Derrik". Alex manages to choke out through her tears. Derrik ignores her and reaches down and pulls down Alex's pants. Jacob wakes and manages to pick himself up just as Alex yells out in pain as Derrik penetrates her. Jacob runs over, Grabbing Derrik hard and pulling him away. Derrik tumbles to the ground, knocked off balance by the kick Jacob lands next on his chest. Alex crumbles to the ground, large tears streaming down her face and blood running down the insides of her legs. Jacob starts to run over to Alex but stops suddenly when he hears a loud bang and a sharp pain in his back and stomach. He slowly falls to the ground, blood flowing slowly from the entry wound of the bullet. Derrik slowly walks over, dropping the gun next to Jacob. He walks over and grabs Alex, pushing her hard. Alex tries to say something, but all that comes out is tears. Derrik smacks her hard across the face and slams her hard against the ground. He looks over at Jacob over his shoulder. Then turns his attention back to Alex. Jacob lays on the ground, his vision starting to go black and trying to pick himself up, the sound of Alex's cries of pain filling the air and covering Jacob's face with tears. Suddenly it all goes silent. Derrik walks over to Jacob, picking up the gun and kicking him hard in the ribs.
    tab " I warned you". Derrik says, crouching down and looking into Jacob's face. Derrik stands back up and leaves. Jacob struggles and summons all his strength and manages to rise back to his feet and slowly drags himself step by step over to Alex. he falls to his knee's and gently moves her closer to him and holds her. Her heart beats very slowly and her breath strains each time it leaves her, the bruises and cuts already visible on her face and body. Alex looks up and with her last bit of life utters a simple phrase. I love you. Jacob breaks down as giant tears fall from his face as he watches her life leave her once beautiful blue eyes. Jacob begins to feel himself grow weak as his blood continues to flow from his open wound and everything starts to go black. He slowly slips into darkness as he passes out. One last tear, most likely because of his now broken nose, but one last tear falls down his face. A single red tear. The paramedics would arrive soon enough when some random passerby noticed them. Jacob would live, but it was too late Alex.