Page 2 of His Witness To Have

"Rachel needs me!" she said before storming out of the room. That was the most chaos they had had in the house since the dogs and cats had a fight. And her father stood, stunned as he watched his daughter disappear into the hallway.

CHAPTER TWO

Brie could feel a fiery pit in her stomach. She had never beenone to yell at her parents, but she needed to go back to Chicago at all costs. She entered her room and slammed the door behind her, releasing all the tears that had built up during breakfast.

She really wanted to go see Rachel. She needed to be sure that she was fine and apologize for roping her into such a dangeroussituation, but she felt that wasn't the real reason she was so adamant about going back to Chicago.

She reminisced about that feeling. The one that overcame her when she discovered that Mack hadn't really transferred from Chicago. Could it be hope? It must have been hope.

Mack was really all she wanted. She had realized that long before she was kidnapped. The night they shared together made her want him even more, and she was willing to do all it took to get him back.

She fished her phone from her bedside table and tried to call him once again, having this blind hope that he would pick up and tell her it was all a mistake. All a trick he was playing on her to see if she could still hold on to him. She really wanted it to be. On the third ring, she couldn't handle it anymore and ended the call.

Brie had not always been the strong one. That was the exact reason why she kept to herself in the first place. She hated being hurt, being used as if she wasn't important. She dropped the phone on the bed and crouched behind her door, plopping her head in her hands. The tears flowed out once more; she couldn't help it.

After a while, she decided to pull herself together. Snatching her bag from underneath her bed, she walked over to her closet and hurriedly stuffed a few clothes in it. She couldn't take much. Only a few things were needed. The trip to Chicago was going to be a long and potentially damaging one, but she was determined to find Mack no matter what.

A sudden knock on the door came echoing through her room, and she rapidly stuffed the half-full bag back under her bed.Running her pajama sleeve over her eyes to dry the tears, she opened the door to her mother at the entrance. It was obvious she was worried about her. She hadn't fully recovered from the trauma of the kidnap, and she obviously hadn't recovered from the pain of Mack's desertion, but she didn't want to worry her parents anymore.

"Brie, baby. How are you feeling?" she asked cautiously.

"Mom, please let me go to Chicago. He wouldn't have shown up here if he didn't want me," she said abruptly, nearly in tears again.

Her mother stepped in, embracing her tightly until the tears couldn't stop flowing out.

"When you love something, you want to go after it with everything you've got," she said in a warm, comforting tone.

Brie broke free from the hug. "So, what does this mean?" she asked with a sniff.

"Please be careful on your way to Chicago, darling." Brie's eyes lit up instantly. "And extend my love to Rachel while you're at it. She needs you."

"What… What about Dad?"

"Leave that to me, honey. Just promise me that you'll be careful."

Brie hugged her mother again, lovingly stroking her hair and whispering in her ear, "It'll be fine."

And with that, Brie pulled away and continued packing her things. She planned to leave for Chicago the next day.

She picked up her phone lying close to the door and dialed Rachel's number, which she left to ring on speakerphone while she was packing. Her mother had exited her room, and Rachel finally picked on the last ring.

"Hello?" she said faintly.

"Rachel! Oh my God, are you okay? How is the hospital? I heard you're getting discharged soon," Brie blurted. She let all the worry and anxiety pour out in her words. They had been bottled up for too long.

"Brie? Is that you?"

Brie wanted to cry again. Her best friend was alright. And she could finally hear her voice.

"Yes, babe," she responded. "I'm coming to Chicago tomorrow morning."

"What about your parents?" Rachel quizzed in a slight tone of a question.

"It's been a rough patch, but I hope they really let me leave after what happened."

"And Mack?"

Brie froze. She was expecting that question, but she didn't really expect it to hit her that hard. She could feel a tightening in her chest as Rachel mentioned his name.

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