Lucas drove me to school and even walked me to my class, giving me one last kiss before I entered. I missed him already, which only made me feel like a love-sick teen again. I remember feeling this giddy when Julius and I first started dating, but it’s different with Lucas. Like everything else, it’s more intense with him.
The feelings he brings out of me are almost overwhelming. I’ve never had anyone do this to me before, except maybe Ian. Even then, it was different. Ian was the first person to be kind to me. He showed me what real friendship could look like. I haven’t spoken to him in so long. Not since he moved away. We lost touch despite swearing we wouldn’t. He never replied to me like he promised he would when I wrote. I never bothered to look him up. There’s no reason to, he clearly didn’t want to be my friend anymore.
Class went by fast thankfully, nothing too strenuous. I hurriedly made my way to the Campus Commons to meet up with Hailey. I spotted her beautiful wavy black hair in the distance. It was so black it reflected the sun brightly. I called out her name, having her turn with a bright smile on her face. She waved at me, showing off her beautiful golden skin. I ran up to her, letting her give me a big hug.
‘I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,’ she said with an excited smile.
‘I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been a bad friend.’
‘Ha, no way! You’re living your life, Livie. Now, catch me up on everything with Lucas!’ She wiggled her eyebrows at me, making me laugh.
‘Oh, it’s a lot, but you’ll be proud.’ I smiled shyly, tucking my hair behind my ear. I told everything that had happened over the weekend, including all about dad. I told her about shopping with Lucas, and staying with him this week. I even told her about telling Lucas I was falling in love with him. She squealed in excitement, squeezing my arm with her hands.
‘I’m so proud of you! Oh my gosh, Livie. I am so excited for you!’ She seemed ready to burst with her enthusiasm.
‘Thanks. I’m pretty excited myself,’ I admitted. ‘But I’m also kind of scared. Hailey, I don’t understand it. I am so wrapped up in him. Like even now I want him beside me. It’s overwhelming.’
‘It’s love, Livie. It’s perfectly natural. What’s hard is making the feeling stay.’ She squeezed my hand, staring deeply into my eyes.
‘But how do I know he feels the same way? What if we aren’t on the same page?’ I bit my cheek, fizzling with anxiety.
‘Ask him, Livie. He’s not a mind reader and neither are you. You need to be open to discuss these things together.’ She sounded so wise as she spoke, almost making me forget we were the same age.
‘But what if I scare him away? What if I love him more than he loves me?’
‘Then you let him catch up to you. There’s nothing wrong with loving someone more. Not everything feels the same, let alone experienced the same. Those fiery locks of yours are a different red to me than to you. Don’t be scared to tell him how you feel because you’re afraid he won’t feel the same. No one will ever feel the exact same.’
Her words were heavy as bricks. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed how wise Hailey is. She’s always had a fun and positive attitude since I’ve known her. She’s easy to talk to and easy to hang with. I have never spoken to her about these kinds of things before. I never spoke much about Julius and my relationship with her. Well, aside from when I thought I was ready to sleep with him. Hailey helped me with that, too. She’s like this older sister I have never had. Like any other older sister, she was like a second mom.
‘Thanks, Hails.
The rest of lunch was spent talking about lighter topics. Hailey told me her dad was going to come into town again and visit this weekend. He was hoping to see me as well so we made plans for lunch together Saturday. Mr. Medina was always kind and accepting of me as Hailey’s best friend. His accent was thick, not having learned English until his late 20s. I liked it though. He’s a sweet man. It’s easy to see where Hailey learned to be kind from.
‘Let me know how things go with Lucas,’ she said, hugging me goodbye.
‘I will. I’ll text you, so you don’t have to wait so long to hear what happens.’
‘Perfect.’ She smiled. ‘Adios, chica.’ She kissed my cheek goodbye. I headed to my last class for the day, running into Leo on the way. He walked me towards class.
‘How’s Lisa?’ I asked him.
‘Could be better, but she’s alright. Rachel is keeping her company until I get back. I am sorry we couldn’t celebrate your good news last night. I am so happy it’s not cancer, Liv.’ He grabbed my hand, squeezing it a moment while maintaining my gaze.
‘It’s okay, no worries. I know you guys are happy for me. We don’t have to celebrate.’
‘With news that good? Of course we have to!’
‘You and Lucas both.’ I shook my head.
‘In life, there tends to be more bad news than good, so we need to celebrate anytime it comes around.’ I imagined the way he and Lucas probably got the news of the accident, and I realized this was probably their way of getting over that. They celebrate good news when they can because they know how bad news can be.
‘Got it. Celebrate the good.’ I nodded, squeezing his hand back. He left me at the door of my class with a wave and a smile. I watched him leave, still feeling bad I had rejected him. He’s a good guy. There’s honestly nothing wrong with him, except he’s not Lucas.
Class was quick, but there was a good amount of homework I needed to get done now. I’ll need to try to focus tonight. Maybe Lucas can work while I work. I pictured us both sitting quietly as we poured over our work beside one another. I think even doing work with him by my side would be better. I went to text him after class, wondering where he was, but saw he had already texted me.
Lucas: Sorry, Rose, can’t make it. I sent Leo in my stead. He’ll take you to my place and let you in. I’ll see you there.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. I missed him a lot already, and was looking forward to seeing him. I wondered what it was he was doing that was keeping him. I looked around, spotting Leo sitting on one of the lounge chairs outside of my class. He was busy on his phone, clearly having been waiting on me for a little while.
‘Did I keep you?’ I asked him, snapping his attention away from his phone. He flashed me his sweet smile.
‘Not really. Ready to go?’
‘Yup. Sorry, you have to take me.’
‘Don’t worry about it. I was free. Besides, now we have time to hang out a bit.’
‘Do you know why Lucas couldn’t come?’
‘No clue, but if it’s keeping him from you, it must be extremely important.’ I frowned, thinking about what he could possibly be doing right now. I guess I’ll ask him when I see him.
Lucas’ P.O.V.
‘Is this the place?’ Carter asked as we pulled up to a run down motel about 10 minutes away from Rose’s flat.
I had never seen this place before. It was as if we had crossed some kind of magical border sending us to a different world, one of mischief and danger. Most of the buildings here were run down, with people loitering about. I couldn’t help but feel more and more uneasy the further we had ventured in, but I had my sights set on confronting her father and I was gonna damn well do it.
‘Yeah, that’s the place.’ I nodded, staring up at the rusted railing on the second floor. Second floor, room 13. That’s where we’ll find that sorry son of a bitch.
‘Let’s go then,’ Davis commanded as he got down from the escalade he had demanded we take here. Carter and I hopped down, following closely behind.
‘This is your last chance, kid. What we’re about to do isn’t for the faint of heart. You could get yourself in a lot of trouble if we’re caught,’ Davis reminded me, offering me an out again.
‘I’m going through with this. I need to talk to him before you guys start going crazy. It’s important.’
‘Alright, but if he gets angry we are jumping in.’ Davis nodded.
‘Fine by me.’
We headed towards his door like sharks sniffing out blood in the water. We had our prey in sight and none of us planned on letting him get away with what he’d done. Connor was able to locate him, and the reason for which he came. I’m not sure what Rose would do with this information. Knowing her, she’d go into her savior mode, and in this situation, it wouldn’t do her any good.
I knocked on the door, hearing the low murmur of a tv on the other side. I heard the mattress spring creek with relief, signifying he’d gotten off the bed. I watched as the doorknob twisted and the door swung open. We didn’t wait for an invitation, marching past him. His face registered in my mind, reminding me I’d seen him the day I left Rose’s flat to get clothes. His scruffy beard and honey blonde hair were styled the same as before. His blue eyes stared us all down, assessing us. I could see him trying to develop a plan of attack for the three men who had invaded his room.
‘We need to talk about your daughter,’ I said in the most serious tone I could muster.
‘You know my daughter?’ He narrowed his eyes at us, probably trying to figure out how these two men behind me could possibly know his daughter.
‘She’s my girlfriend.’ Not exactly the way you dream of meeting your girlfriend’s father. I don’t think anyone ever imagines they’ll be taking two large men to beat down their girlfriend’s father on their first encounter. With a dad like hers, there’s little else I’d like to do.
‘What do you want?’ He asked more sternly. I could see the anger festering in him. He was annoyed, and he wasn’t afraid to show it. He was large like David and Carter, clearly a fighter. He must still be fighting despite his age, which is probably mid 40s. He crossed his arms, flexing his large biceps as a warning. He knew what we were here for and he wanted us to know he wouldn’t go down easy.
‘For you to leave. She doesn’t want to see you. She doesn’t want to talk. You have no right to come here and drop a bomb you know will cause her to come home before she even graduates.’ I shook my head at him. ‘She’s worked too hard for that.’
‘What would you know?’ He stepped forward, trying to strike fear in me.
‘I know a lot. I know the kind of man you are. I saw it evident on her cheek.’ My hands fisted at my sides as I recalled the sight of her hurt face and pink eyes. ‘You hurt her more than just physically. You can’t tell her you’re having a baby. She’ll come home to try to keep the baby safe. To try to keep your girlfriend safe. You haven’t changed, and she knows that.’
‘How do you-‘ he started to ask, but I cut him off.
‘Name your price and I’ll give it to you to not tell her. I’ll tell her once she graduates.’ Rose can’t know. She’s worked too hard. The baby will be fine for a couple of months until Rose finishes college. Then she and I can go back to New Hampshire and help if we have to. I won’t let Rose throw her life away because this grown ass man doesn’t know how to use a condom.
‘$200,000,’ he said without hesitation. It kind of hurt to know he would take the money rather than fight to see his daughter. Of course it was what I had hoped for, but I still hated it.
‘Fine. I’ll transfer the money to you. These two, however, are here to hurt you the way you hurt Rose. She has friends now, Mr. Brewer, strong ones. She’s doing good here and you’re ruining it.’ I stepped back out of the door. ‘Check your bank in the morning for the money. I expect you to be gone by tomorrow afternoon. Guys, I’ll meet you in the car.’
I began walking down the hall, hearing the door close and fists make contact with flesh. I could hear the grunting and shuffling as their fight began. I made my way down to the escalade, leaning against the black car. My eyes were fixed on number 13’s door, waiting to see who would open the door. Viking Man was the first to step through followed by Mr. Clean. They didn’t come out unscathed but by the look of Nick on the floor. They came out the victors. I smirked smugly as they strutted down the stairs.
‘Get in,’ Davis told me, sounding furious. ‘We need to talk.’ That tone told me I was in trouble, but I couldn’t tell you why. I opened the backseat door and climbed in. Doors slammed as they too got in. Davis turned in his chair to face me. His lip was busted and his nose had clearly been bleeding.
‘You are going to tell Liv about her dad today. You aren’t going to keep his secrets. She deserves to know. You have no right to make that decision for her. Don’t you dare send him money! He’s leaving tomorrow without a penny. I told him so already.’
‘How dare you try to solve this with money?’ Carter added, equally upset. I had nothing to say. My throat felt tight with my voice non existent. I thought I was doing what was right, but according to them, I had done nothing but wrong. I shook my head, trying to shake off the shock as I was caught so off guard.
‘I was-‘ I stumbled as I tried to find my words. ‘She’ll leave to help. She’s worked so hard to graduate, going through years of hell in high school to make it to this school. If I tell her that her father is having a baby, she’ll run home. She can’t go back there. He’s already proven he’ll hit her.’
‘Doesn’t matter. You tell her the truth and then you remind her of everything you just said. You propose solutions and you solve this together, but under no circumstances do you keep this from her. Don’t ever try to buy her problems away again. She’d hate you for it.’
Davis’ words were strongly ringing in my head well after he finished speaking. She’d hate me for it. My intentions were good, but miscalculated. Davis is right. If Olive found out I had kept it from her, and paid off her dad to leave, she’d kill me herself. I nodded my head at Davis, unable to say anything more as his words registered what my mind failed to do on its own. Davis drove us back to our meeting point in silence. Their bloodied knuckles were clearly on display, but they didn’t mind it. Maybe they didn’t even feel the sting of it anymore. We arrived at the gas station we had met up at a couple hours before, allowing me to get into my own car and race towards my Rose.
I was upset it had taken us so long to get to the motel. It caused me to miss picking up Rose from her class. I am sure she wasn’t exactly pleased. I hope Leo has been keeping her good company. I had told him to give her the extra key I keep in my plant jar. Rose needs her own key to my place.
I drove quickly towards my apartment, ready to see her. I waited at the red light a couple blocks away from the apartment now. The moment the light turned green, I raced forward, forgetting my own rule. I was met by a blaring horn of a pickup truck that decided to run a red light. It hit the side of my car so hard. I saw everything spin around me before it dropped onto the roof of the car, letting me know I had flipped multiple times and landed on the roof of the car. I felt my head getting dizzy as warm liquid ran through my hair and dripped onto the roof of the car, showing me its dark red. I was bleeding and my head was spinning more until my vision tunneled and gave way to the darkness.
