Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. All rights go to RIB and Fox.
A/N: Sorry it's been a while, I've been focusing on Back At The Start for the last couple of weeks but I have another update for you now. This chapter will contain the aftermath of Elena and Ade's rape and also more from the Ashley/Chad/Lily love triangle. Any Finchel fans I have a poll up for the movie my new story will be based on so please vote. Oh and I've already ranted on tumblr about this so I'll keep it short but WTF was with all the Samchel flirting this episode-do the writers not remember that it has only been 3 episodes since Finn died?
Trigger warning: Mention of suicide, self harm and violent scenes.
Previously: "Goodbye Whore"
Chapter 7: Demons
Adrianna's POV
I wake up crying and screaming. I can't get his face out of my head, every time I close my eyes, he's there trying to hurt me again. I don't even realise that my mom is holding me until she says "It's okay honey, no one's going to hurt you".
"He already did" I murmur into her shirt.
"Try to get some sleep sweetheart" she says.
"I can't. He's always there" I say.
"He's not, honey it's just a dream" she says. I still shake my head and refuse to go back to sleep. I'll never sleep again in my life if it means I don't ever have to see his face again.
"How long have you been here?" I ask.
"A few hours. They couldn't get near you until I was here, you were screaming so much" she says.
"It's all my fault. If I'd just not said anything when I found out what he was doing to Elena then he never would have hurt me" I say.
"Then your friend would have kept getting hurt. You did the right thing, this is in no way your fault, you hear me Ade?" she says. I nod but I don't really believe her.
"Where's Dad? And Charlie and Toby?" I ask.
"They're here. It took a while to talk your dad and Charlie out of finding this man and beating the living daylights out of him. I think they're just getting coffee now" she says.
"Is Elena okay?" I ask.
"I can't say I've seen her but from what I've heard from Quinn she's not great. She was still out of it last I checked" she says.
"I want to see her" I say struggling to get up from my bed.
"You're in no condition to go anywhere. You have a serious concussion and you'll vomit if you take one step out of bed" she says.
"But it's my fault she's here!" I protest before coughing violently. My throat hurts like hell from where Austin tried to strangle me.
"No it's Austin's fault she's here. You need to rest your voice though. He almost strangled you to death" mom says.
She hands me a plastic cup of water and I take a sip before speaking again.
"Whatever he did to me, he did worse to her" I say.
"You have to stop blaming yourself Ade" she says.
"Why? It's all my fault anyway" I say.
"Because it isn't. You didn't force him to do anything to Elena or you. He chose to. They thought you were going to die Ade when you were brought in" she says.
"I would rather have died than have to live with this pain" I say.
"You don't mean that" she says.
"Yes I do. Now I'm never going to get away from this, it will follow me wherever I go" I say.
"Adrianna….." she says.
"Please go Mom. I don't want to talk about it anymore" I say.
"Why don't you sing then?" she asks.
"I don't feel like singing either" I say.
"That's not like you" mom notes.
"Singing's not the answer to everything mom. No matter what I sing, it's not going to change what he did to me. I was saving myself for someone special. But I'll never get it back now" I say.
"That's all on him. It's not your fault sweetheart" Mom says.
"Yes it is! Stop acting like I did nothing to deserve this! I should have just kept my mouth shut" I say.
"And keep letting your friend get hurt?" she asks.
"She got hurt anyway!" I say.
"You're still a great friend" she says.
"But a rubbish girlfriend! I cheated on Leo" I say in shock horror.
"Honey I don't think being raped counts as cheating" my mom says.
"Who wants someone's dirty whore?" I ask. My mom slaps me.
"What the hell was that for?" I ask.
"You are no whore Adrianna Nicole Evans. You are my beautiful, strong girl and don't you even for a minute doubt who you are. People can change many things about you but who you are inside isn't one of them. Don't ever forget that" she says.
"Thank you Mom" I say hugging her.
The door swings open and my dad and brothers come in along with a police man. But I don't see a policeman. I see his face again. I hear him calling me a bitch and a whore. I feel his fingers squeezing around my throat. I can help myself I have to scream.
"Honey what's wrong?" my dad asks. I look up but it's still my dad. I collapse into his arms sobbing incoherently.
"Miss Evans I need to ask you a few questions" the police officer says gently touching my arm so he can turn my face to look at him. I don't want to look at him. I scream even louder when he touches me.
"I think we're going to need to do this some other time Officer Nicholson. My daughter has had a traumatic experience and she's clearly not up to talking" my dad says.
"We need her answers if we're ever going to be able to make a case" the man argues.
"Leave my sister alone! She doesn't want to talk to you right now" Charlie says.
"I need to talk to her" he says. Charlie towers over the man, staring him down.
"If you don't get out of this room right now, I'm going to make you sorry you ever even tried to talk to my sister" he says.
"You, young man are threatening a police officer. I wouldn't go any further if I were you" he says.
"I would to protect my sister. I'll say it one last time, get out!" Charlie says.
"Fine. But I would watch your tongue young man" he says.
"Not when it comes to my sister I won't" Charlie says. The man leaves.
"You didn't have to do that Charlie" I say.
"Yes I did. You're my little sister, it's my job to protect you" he says.
"Why were you screaming?" Tae asks.
"I saw him. I mean for a moment he looked like him" I say.
"She means Austin right?" he asks.
"DON'T SAY HIS NAME!" I scream.
"I'm sorry Ade. For what it's worth I want to pummel him into the ground" Tae says. I hug him.
"Thank you. But you don't have to fight my battles for me" I say.
"Oh I know. You can handle things fine on your own. But it's okay if you want some help sometimes" Tae says.
"I know. I'm just not ready to talk about it yet" I say.
"Let us know when you are" Charlie says. They sit in the chairs beside my bed.
"You're staying here all night?" I ask.
"We weren't going to leave you alone. None of us are" Tae says.
"We Evanses stick together" my dad says. It's late and everyone except me falls asleep pretty quickly. I don't want to sleep. I don't want to have anymore nightmares. I just stare blankly around the room waiting for morning to come. In the middle of the night I hear footsteps walking into the room. I grab the nearest thing to me and hit the person over the head.
"Is that how you greet all your guests?" the voice asks.
I click the bedside light on and see Leo standing in front of me, holding his head.
"Most of my guests don't come to my hospital room in the middle of the night" I hiss.
"We can't talk in here" he says gesturing to my family.
"They're all asleep" I say.
"Not for long if we keep talking. Let's go" he says dragging me out of the room.
"I really can't go that far" I say. Aside from the whole concussion thing, I broke a couple of ribs and my wrist from being pinned down whilst I was in those handcuffs. Moving with broken ribs seriously hurts.
"How are you?" he asks.
"Not great. I keep seeing Austin in people's faces" I say.
"Do you see him in mine?" he asks.
"Of course not. I trust you, always. I let you down. I was going to save myself for you and now I'm just someone else's dirty rotten whore" I say crying into his shirt. He lifts my head.
"You could never let me down. He broke you and it's up to me to put you back together again" he says.
"Is that really how you see me? Broken?" I ask.
"It's hard not to be a little broken after an experience like that. But you are strong Ade. You'll get past this" he says.
"It doesn't feel like I ever will. What if I'm never able to be with you like that?" I ask.
"All I want is you Ade. I don't need that" he says.
"What if you change your mind?" I ask.
"I won't. I love you" he says.
"You love me?" I ask.
"This isn't exactly where I imagined I'd be saying this. But yes. I love you. You don't have to say it back. I know it's soon" he says.
"I love you too. All I could think about when he was….. when it was happening was how much I wished I could fight him off so that my first time could be with you instead" I say.
"It will be. Your proper first time wanting to have sex will be with me" he says.
"How can you be so sure?" I ask.
"Because it's you Ade" he says kissing me.
"You're not mad at me?" I ask confused.
"It wasn't your fault" he says.
"Because technically I sort of cheated on you" I say.
"If you don't want it then it's not really cheating" he says.
"How can you be this understanding?" I ask.
"I don't know. I guess I'm just an understanding guy" he says.
"You're a pretty amazing guy" I say.
"You're not so bad yourself Ade" he says.
"Oh shut up and kiss me already" I say.
"Demanding much" he says but he kisses me anyway.
"You know you love it" I say.
"I love everything about you" he says brushing my hair behind my ear.
"Even with all of my recently gained emotional baggage?" I ask.
"Even with all of that" he says.
"Thank you for coming here" I say.
"Did you ever doubt I would?" he asks.
"I didn't think you'd show up in the middle of the night" I say.
"I love to make an entrance" he says.
"Goodnight" I say turning to walk back to my room. He starts to follow me.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"You don't think I'm going to leave you alone, do you?" he asks.
"I've got my entire family taking care of me" I say.
"One more person won't hurt" he says. I try to protest but I realize that he's not going to let it go so I just let him come with me. I fall asleep curled up in his arms but I wake up in the middle of night after yet another nightmare and stumble into the bathroom. I put my fingers down my throat and wretch my guts out before lying down on the bathroom floor and crying. Between my sobs I start to sing softly to myself.
(A/N: In the song, both Elena and Ade are singing the same song at the same time just in different rooms).
Elena's POV
My whole body feels like it's on fire. Whatever it is they do to me, I barely feel it though. It's like I'm numb to everything around me. I don't see darkness though. All I can see is him. His evil face staring down at me. The way those eyes would somehow smile every time he knew he had hurt me. The worst part though is seeing Ade's face when he hurts her and knowing there's not a damn thing that I can do to stop it. That's the moment that plays over and over in my head. Not him hurting me but him hurting her.
When he squeezes her throat it feels like he's strangling me as well. I try to scream for help but no one hears me. His fingers press harder and harder until I'm about to slip into the darkness when I wake up. I scream. He's there standing at the foot of my bed holding the knife in the air. He walks towards me and presses the knife against my throat.
"Get him away from me!" I yell.
"Honey no one's there" a voice says. I blink and he's gone. The only person in the room is my mom.
"Sweetheart thank goodness you're awake. I was so worried about you" my mom says hugging me tightly. I flinch when she touches me as I have for years, ever since that first night.
"He was here. I swear he was here. He had a knife. He was trying to kill me!" I scream hysterically.
"You're seeing things Ellie. He's not here, I promise. I'd never let him hurt you again" she says.
"How's Ade? Is she okay?" I ask desperately hoping that the news is good.
"She's fine. She was awake hours ago. A few broken ribs, a broken wrist and a concussion that's all" my mom says.
"I need to see her" I say moving to get out of bed but as soon as I try to sit up my mom pushes me back down on my pillows.
"I need to see her. It's my fault she's here" I say.
"None of this is your fault honey. That man was a psychopath with a serious addiction problem. You almost died, you were losing so much blood" she says.
"What's that?" I ask pointing to a bandage on her elbow.
"You were losing a lot of blood, so they took some from me for a transfusion" she says.
"Thank you for that" I say.
"I'd do anything for you Ellie. You know that" she says.
"So go on then. What else did he do to me?" I ask.
"Dozens of bruises and you broke your collarbone, wrist, 3 ribs and your ankle" she says.
"So that's what hurts so much" I say laughing weakly.
"Why didn't you tell us? What he was doing to you?" she asks.
"I couldn't. I couldn't talk about it with anyone. He said he'd kill if I told" I say.
"You could have trusted us. We could have stopped him" my mom says.
"It wasn't up to you. It was up to me and I decided not to tell you. What parent wants to hear that their ten year old child has been raped?" I ask.
"This started when you were ten?!" my mom screams.
"You didn't know that already?" I ask mentally cursing myself.
"Do I look like someone in the know?" my mom asks.
"Who told you in the first place? That it happened more than just tonight?" I ask.
"Ade" my mom says.
"You've spoken to her?" I ask.
"How do you think I knew how she was?" she asks.
"I assumed you talked to Aunt Mercedes" I say.
"You were unconscious for a long time. I wanted to see how Ade was and she told me that she saw Austin threatening you at school" she says.
"She shouldn't have done that" I mutter.
"Were you ever going to tell me? If this hadn't happened?" my mom asks.
"No. He would have moved on to someone else eventually" I say.
"And if he hadn't?" she asks.
"What the hell does that matter now?" I ask.
"It matters because I'm your mother and you don't trust me enough to tell me things like this" she says.
"I was ten years old when it started. I was scared and confused after it happened and I just couldn't talk about it. I couldn't trust anyone, it wasn't just you and Dad. Besides you would have treated me like broken glass if I told you" I say.
"How do you know that?" she asks.
"Because it's true. I was your little girl and someone hurt me. You never would have let me live my life the way I wanted to. You would have kept me in a bubble" I say.
"I would have stopped you from getting hurt" my mom says my words hitting her like a slap in the face.
"You can't protect me from everything Mom. That's okay" I say.
"I'm your mother. I'm supposed to be able to protect you from everything" she says tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Don't cry. It's not possible to protect me from everything Mom. I don't want you to, I want to experience life" I say.
"Rape is not something you should have had to experience" she says still crying but softly.
"I know. It's taken me this long to realise that I didn't deserve it. Any of it" I say. I may have said that I didn't deserve it but there was always a small part of me that doubted that. That small seed of doubt is gone.
"I'll go tell your father you're awake" my mom says. She smiles but I can tell it's forced. She closes the door to my room. I no longer have to keep my brave face on, I just collapse into the pillows and cry. No matter that I know it's not my fault and how I try to convince myself that this time I'm going to be brave, it's just not who I am anymore. Of all the things that he has taken from me, my confidence is the worst. I hear a knock at my door and with great effort, I force myself to smile and call "Come in".
"Miss Puckerman?" a man who I don't recognize says.
"Who are you?" I ask immediately wary.
"Officer Nicholson. I'm here to ask you some questions about Austin Stevens" he says. I flinch at his name.
"I won't talk to you without one of my parents here" I say trying to sound brave. It's difficult when I can only see Austin when I look at him.
"It won't take long" he says stepping closer towards me. He's too close, he's going to hurt me I know he is. I start to panic, I can't breathe. I clutch my chest and double over.
"Are you okay?" the man asks looking confused. I point to my mouth and try to mime an asthma inhaler but he doesn't seem to understand. The door opens and my dad and sister walk in. Luckily my dad notices how difficult I'm finding it to breathe.
"What the hell are you doing? She has severe asthma, she'll die if you don't get her inhaler" he says grabbing the inhaler from my mom's purse which is lying on the chair next to the bed. He shoves into my hands and I gratefully take deep breaths of air.
"I don't know what happened. I didn't touch her I swear" the man says.
"You clearly stressed her in some way" my dad says.
"I just came a little closer to her bed, that's all" he says.
"Well that would do it. She's been raped, she's hardly going to want to be near strange men at the moment" my dad says standing over me protectively.
"I just need to ask your daughter a few questions" he says.
"She won't answer if she doesn't want to" my dad says.
"I'll answer his questions. On three conditions. One he stays by the door. Two you and Nic have to stay here with me, and three I want to wear a blindfold. I don't want to see him whilst answering his questions" I say.
"I won't be able to hear if I'm standing by the door" the officer protests.
"You heard the girl. Do you want to kill her?" my dad asks.
"Are you implying that I, an officer of the law would kill a civilian? Be careful with what you say Mr Puckerman" he says.
"I'm merely saying that you need to respect my daughter's boundaries" Dad says.
"Fine" the officer says but he doesn't look happy about it. He walks back to the doorway. My dad takes off his scarf and wraps it around my eyes. He and my sister each take one of my hands.
"Miss Puckerman when did your relationship with Mr Stevens start?" he asks.
"It's not a relationship! He raped me. I was ten years old at his sister's sleepover and she and my so called friends thought that it would be funny if they locked me in a closet with him and watched him "feel me up". But he didn't stop there. He raped me whilst all those girls watched and it was humiliating and horrible" I say no longer willing to stop the tears and grateful for the blindfold which hides them.
"And how many times did he rape you?" he asks.
"He's been doing it since I was ten, I've lost count by now" I say.
"So more than once?" he asks.
"Yes, multiple times" I say.
"And on none of these occasions was the sex consensual?" he asks.
"No!" I exclaim.
"Has Austin Stevens ever threatened you?" he asks.
"He always did. He said if I ever told anyone what he was doing to me that he would kill me" I say.
"Did anyone know what he was doing to you?" he asks.
"Only Ade" I say.
"Adrianna Evans? The girl who called in with the tip?" he asks.
"Yes that's her. She's the girl who was with me tonight. She saw Austin threaten me at school. He almost killed me-he was strangling me when she came in and saved me" I say.
"So no one else knew?" he asks.
"His sister Natalie I guess. She saw the first time at least" I say.
"Do you know of any other girls he may have done this to?" he asks.
"Only Ade. I know he stalked lots of girls but I'm afraid I didn't keep count of how many he forced to sleep with him" I say.
"That's enough for today" my dad says interrupting him.
"I still have more questions for her. Miss Evans was unwilling to cooperate" he says.
"She's been through enough tonight. Now leave" my dad says. He throws a contemptuous glare at my dad before leaving the room.
"Thank you Daddy" I say, using a word I haven't in years. I surprise myself and reach out to him for a hug. He looks equally surprised. I haven't let anyone touch me willingly in years aside from when Ade pulled me out of that closet.
"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Ever again" he says.
"Don't make promises you can't keep" I say weakly.
"I can keep that promise. I'm not seeing my daughter hurt like this again" he says.
"I love you for that Dad" I say.
"It's what any good father would do" he says.
"You're a great Dad, not just a good one" I say.
"No a good dad would have stopped this from happening in the first place" Dad says. I can see he's about to cry but he never cries in front of us. As I expect he walks out without saying another word. I know he loves me, he just hates it when people see him cry.
"Why didn't you tell me at least? I'm your sister. I wouldn't have told them if you didn't want me to" Nic says.
"He would have killed me. He wasn't joking when he said that" I say.
"I don't see why you let him hurt you" Nic says.
"I didn't have a choice. I couldn't fight him off" I say.
"There's always a choice" she says.
"No there isn't Nic. As much as we'd like to believe it, there isn't" I say.
"I could have protected you" she says.
"I'm sick and tired of everyone saying they could protect me. Dad couldn't protect me, Mom couldn't protect me, Ade got hurt trying to protect me and you can't protect me either. If I can't protect myself then no one can" I say.
"Do you trust no one anymore? You won't even let people touch you" she says.
"I don't know who to trust. My best friend betrayed me. A boy who I practically grew up with hurt me. I don't let anyone touch me because with every touch there is a possibility of getting hurt" I say.
"I'm your sister" she protests.
"You could still hurt me. If you wanted to" I say.
"I may be your sister but I don't recognize you anymore. You're not the sister I grew up with" she says.
"Because I grew up" I say.
"No. You withdrew from everyone and everything that used to make you happy" she says.
"You have no idea what it was like. You have a boyfriend who adores you and would never hurt you in a million years. I have nothing, no one" I say.
"You could have let us help you" she says.
"I can't have this conversation anymore. I can't explain to you what it's like because you'll never understand. The only person who understands is Ade" I say.
"I only can't understand because you won't let me" she says slamming the door to my room on the way out.
I am alone again although in some ways I've been alone for the last four years anyway, my secret a wall between me and my family, not allowing anyone even them to touch me. I stare at the wall above and start to softly sing one of my favourite songs, the words of which I only now I understand.
Elena:
When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are made of gold
Ade:
When your dreams all fall
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
And the blood's run stale
Elena:
I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
There is nowhere we can hide
Ade:
No matter what we breed
We are still made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
Elena:
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Ade:
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Elena:
Curtain's call
Is the last of all
When the lights fade out
All the sinners crawl
Ade:
So they dug your grave
And the masquerade
Will come calling out
At the mess you made
Elena:
Don't wanna let you down
But I am hell bound
Though this is all for you
Don't wanna hide the truth
Ade:
No matter what we breed
We are still made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
Elena:
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Ade:
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Elena:
They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go
Ade:
Your eyes they shine so bright
I want to save that light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how
Elena:
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Ade:
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
Both:
It's where my demons hide
I can't cry anymore, I have no tears left. I may not blame myself but it still hurts too much. I need a way to take the edge off the pain, a way to cope. I unwrap the bandages from my wrist and I trace the cuts Austin made with his knife. I dig my nail in and a drop of blood appears on the edge of the cut. I run my nail along my wrist, digging in harder each time until I have a trail of blood along my arm. It hasn't helped me forget yet. But it's a start. The pain of this is much better than the pain of remembering.
Chad's POV
It's the night of my date with Ashley and I'm incredibly nervous. Not because I like her in that way or anything but because I have to find a way to break it to her that I don't like her the way that she likes me. She's my best friend in the world but kissing her would be like kissing Riley-she's been my friend so long that she literally feels like my sister. I really don't want to hurt her though. Hopefully we'll go on this date, she'll realize that we don't have chemistry in that way and we can go back to being best friends like we always have been. More than anything I don't want to ruin that. I don't know how I could live without Ash.
I pull up to her house and knock on the door. Her dad Dean answers. He feels like almost a second dad to me, I've spent so much time at the Martins house growing up. "Good evening Chad" he says.
"Good evening Dean" I reply.
"You'd better not hurt my girl or I swear I'll come after you with an axe" he says. His tone is light but I know he's not kidding. Dean loves his daughter more than anything in the world-she's all he has.
"Ashley's been my best friend for eleven years. I'd never do anything to hurt her" I say knowing that I already have by kissing Lily Howard.
"I know you wouldn't. You love her just as much as I do. But I'm extremely protective of my little girl" he says.
"She's an amazing girl. Any father would be" I say.
"Do me a favour though Chad" he says.
"Anything" I reply.
"Whatever happens with the two of you, promise me you'll always stay Ashley's friend. She needs you in her life, no matter what capacity that's in" he says.
"I promise. Her friendship is important to me" I say.
A door clicks open upstairs and I can hear the click of high heels coming down the stairs. I look up and there's Ashley. She looks stunning in her midnight blue dress and silver heels. She's the girl for someone but I still don't think that someone is me. I honestly think she'd like Max Jackson, Kieran's cousin but maybe I'm the only one that sees that.
"You look stunning" I say taking her hand and helping her down the stairs being completely honest for the first time since she asked me out.
"Not too bad yourself, Puckerman" she says ruffling my hair.
"Shall we go?" I ask.
"Okay. Bye Daddy" she says giving her dad a hug. I've watched Dean and Ashley over the years and always wished me and my dad could be as close as they are. It's one of the things I envy most although I know she is jealous of my relationship with my mom because hers died. We have that in common-we both wish we had a relationship with one of our parents that we don't have.
"Goodbye Dean" I say.
"Have fun you crazy kids" he says winking as we walk out the door.
I open the door for Ashley and we drive off for our date. I didn't want to just take her to breadstix because we go there all the time and even though I don't like her like that, I still want her to have a good evening. Instead I take her to this really nice jazz restaurant on the outskirts of town, it has great music (mainly jazz singers but several of the customers get up and sing as well) and me and my family have been there a few times.
"This place is really nice" she says.
"I thought you'd like it" I say.
"Makes a change from Breadstix" she says.
"I don't know, I mean you know how I love their all you can eat pasta special" I say rolling my eyes. She laughs at that.
"I know, I know you've said you could make better pasta yourself with your eyes shut about a million times" she says.
"You've tried my food before. Is it not better than Breadstix?" I ask.
"It doesn't take much but yes your food is the best damn food I've ever tasted" she says.
"At least I know I'll have one person coming to my restaurant when it opens" I say.
"You'll have more than just me. Your family, our friends, so many people love you Chad" she says grasping my hand. I feel slightly uncomfortable at this but I can't let go without showing her that I'm not as into her as she is to me so I let her hold it until she lets go.
"I was so glad when you agreed to go out with me" she says.
"Why's that?" I ask.
"I didn't think you liked me in the same way I liked you. You never showed any signs of it" she says.
"Neither did you" I point out, not mentioning that she's right. I don't like her in that way.
"I didn't want to ruin our friendship. You mean a lot to me Chad" she says.
"You mean a lot to me too. You're the best friend I've ever had" I say which is completely true.
"Is that all?" she asks.
"For now" I say trying to be as vague as possible.
"Shall I order for you?" she asks. We've always done this, whenever we go out and eat.
"I trust you" I say. She orders my food, and I hers.
"Have you been to see your mother this week?" I ask after the waiter has taken our order.
"I went to the cemetery on Tuesday. I mainly talked about you, and Dad of course" she says.
"I bet she liked hearing that" I say.
"I'll never know will I?" she says. I sense that it's a good time to change the subject. She never wants to talk about her mom for long.
"How's the hunt for potential dates for your dad going?" I ask.
"I seem to have had more success with my own love life than his. I can't find anyone who is remotely good enough for him" she says. Our food arrives soon after this and we start to eat.
"What about Claire's mother? She doesn't have anyone" I say.
"I like Claire, you know I do but her mom's so depressed. I'm not sure if that would be good for my dad" she says.
"Your dad could be really good for her though. Help her get over her heartbreak" I say.
"I'll think about it" she says.
"What about you?" I ask.
"What about me? I have you" she asks.
"But surely you must have liked other boys. In the past I mean" I say.
"Sure in the past I've liked other boys" she says.
"Max Jackson? Kieran's cousin?" I ask.
"He's a year younger than me" she points out taking another forkful of her pasta.
"So? You're three months younger than me" I say.
"Do you not like me or something? Is that why you're trying to pawn me off on someone else?" she asks.
"I like you Ashley, you know I do. But I like to think that you'd have options if we didn't work out" I say.
"This is only our first date and you already have us breaking up?" she asks looking appalled. I've really stuck my foot in it this time.
"No. I just wanted to know that if we did, would you like Max?" I ask.
"Why do you ask?" she asks.
"Because I always thought you two would make a good couple" I say.
"I guess. He's kind of cute and he always had that really cute, kind of dorky quality about him" she says.
"If he asked would you go out with him?" I ask.
"Why?" she asks.
"No reason. Just curious" I say.
"Maybe. If I didn't like you" she says. I inwardly groan. Even though we've had nothing more than friendly chat this evening she still seems to think that there's something between us. I look round and I see Lily Howard dressed in the shortest dress I think I've ever seen in my life. Damn she's hot. She notices me and strolls over to our table.
"Chad, sweetie so nice to see you" she says putting her hand on my shoulder. I feel Ashley's cold stare from across the table. She doesn't like Lily at all. Never has, even when we were kids.
"Lily" Ashley says coldly.
"Ashley" she replies in the same icy tone.
"What exactly are you doing here Lily?" I ask although I am extremely grateful to see her.
"I was just here to eat" she says nonchalantly. I'm pretty sure she came to spy on me and Ashley though.
"Would you like to sit?" I ask.
"Chad this is our date" Ashley says pointedly.
"She's right. It's not time to eat. It's time to sing" she says.
"We haven't prepared anything" Ash says worriedly.
"Don't worry. I have the perfect song for us to sing" Lily says dragging me to the front of the restaurant where the stage is. The last set of jazz musicians just finished playing.
"Hi everyone. This probably isn't the sort of music you're used to hearing here but we thought we'd try something different for you tonight. Hit it" she says to the DJ. The music starts to play and I immediately recognize the song. This was not a good idea. Ash and Lily grab empty chairs and start to dance.
Lily:
Rule number one, is you gotta have fun
But baby when you're done, you gotta be the first to run
Rule number two, just don't get attached to
Somebody you could lose
So le-let me tell you
(Lily jumps down from her chair and we start to tango)
Lily and Ashley:
This is how to be a heartbreaker
Boys they like a little danger
We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player
Singing I lo-lo-love you
At least I think I do
Chad and Lily:
How to be a heartbreaker
Boys they like the look of danger
We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player
Singing I lo-lo-love you
At least I think I do
Ashley:
Cause I lo-lo-love you
(Ashley grabs me from Lily and we start to tango around the chairs)
Ashley:
Rule number three, wear your heart on your cheek
But never on your sleeve, unless you wanna taste defeat
Rule number four, gotta be looking pure
Kiss him goodbye at the door and leave him wanting more
Chad and Ashley:
This is how to be a heartbreaker
Boys they like a little danger
We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player
Singing I lo-lo-love you
(Lily grabs me back and we tango again)
Chad and Lily:
How to be a heartbreaker
Boys they like the look of danger
We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player
Singing I lo-lo-love you
At least I think I do!
Ashley:
Cause I lo-lo-lo-love you
(Lily pushes me back onto one of the chairs and the girls start to dance around me in sexy poses. I swear I've never been more turned on in my life)
Ashley and Lily:
Girls we do, whatever it will take
Cause girls don't want, we don't want our hearts to break
In two, so it's better to be fake
Can't risk losing in love again babe
(The girls pull me up from the chair and I dance with both of them this time)
Chad and Ashley:
This is how to be a heartbreaker
Boys they like a little danger
We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player
Singing I lo-lo-love you
Chad and Lily:
How to be a heartbreaker
Boys they like the look of danger
We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player
Singing I lo-lo-love you
Ashley:
Cause I lo-lo-lo-love you
All:
At least I think I do
(At the end of the song Lily pushes me back onto the chair and both girls end beside the chair in the splits).
People cheer for us from around the room and I think I'm the only one to notice the glares being shared between Ashley and Lily. I drag them off the stage before they yell in front of everyone.
"What the hell was that song for?" Ashley asks
"It's a good song. I thought the three of us would kill it and we did" Lily says shrugging.
"It sounded as if you were telling Chad to break up with me" she says.
"I wasn't. You're reading too much into this" Lily says.
"Am I?" Ashley asks.
"Yes. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go. I'm not feeling hungry anymore and I get the feeling that I'm not welcome here" Lily says flouncing off.
"That was rude" I say to Ashley.
"She wants to take you from me" Ashley says.
"You're being paranoid" I say although I know she's not.
"Am I? She came here wearing next to nothing, breaking up our date" she says.
"Date was nearly over anyway. Now let's go" I say trying to hide my anger.
We barely speak in the car on the way home. I think it's safe to say that the date was a resounding failure but I don't think she's going to give up anytime soon. She clearly likes me or she wouldn't have been so jealous of Lily. I hug her stiffly before she goes back into her house but no kiss. I think she's a little disappointed but I don't think I could muster any genuine emotion anyway. I don't even go in to say goodnight to Dean. It's exhausting trying to pretend that I love Ashley when she's really only my friend, who I'm angry at for being rude to the girl I truly like. I just need to get out of here.
-I'm sorry I ruined your date. I didn't really want to see you go out with her and I came because I was jealous. I shouldn't have done that. Come to mine and we can kiss and make up xxx –L
I smile and drive to Lily's house. She seems to be alone when I pull in at the driveway.
"Where's your Mom?" I ask.
"She is on the first date she's had in ages. Of course she had to choose your girlfriend's father as the first guy to go out with since the divorce" she says.
"She does realize that if you and Ashley were stepsisters you would kill each other right?" I ask.
"She seems to really like him. I can try to let my issues with Ashley go" she says.
"Why did you kiss me? That day?" I ask.
"You really can't figure it out?" she asks.
"No. You never showed any interest in me" she says.
"Doesn't mean I wasn't. I've liked you for years. Years I've watched you with her and been so jealous. But then I realized you weren't interested and I took my chances" she says.
"I thought you didn't like guys who didn't treat girls right" I say.
"You try to pretend you're a bad boy but you're good at heart. I've seen that" she says.
"You really do care more than you let on" I say.
"There's a lot you don't know about me" she says.
"I'm very keen to find out" I say. She steps closer to me and kisses me. I kiss her back and start to remove her dress. We share hungry kisses as we remove each other's clothing. When we are completely naked she pulls me over to the couch. I lower myself onto her and slip inside.
"You're a virgin?" I say shocked.
"I told you, there's a lot you don't know about me. I'm not just some slut who cares only about herself" she says. I run my hands through her hair, kissing her softly as we move as one, slowly and with love. I touch her, exploring her body with fascination. My tongue darts in and out of her mouth. It is probably only minutes but it feels like hours that we are there entangled in each other. By the time we reach our orgasms we are hot and sweaty.
"So that's what an orgasm feels like" she says smiling.
"Wondered have we?" I ask grinning cheekily. I know for sure now that I don't love Ashley. I've never felt this way about anyone ever before.
"A few times. Mainly about you. Trust me, it was much better than in the dream" she says.
"Glad to oblige" I say kissing her again. We curl up together and fall asleep. I am woken in the middle of the night by my phone. Lily and I are still together naked on her couch.
-Sorry about tonight. I shouldn't have been like that. I enjoyed our date, we should do it again sometime. –A
Shit, what have I done? I've just hurt my best friend in the entire world, with a girl she despises. She'll never forgive me for this. Unless I just don't tell her.
A/N: There we go, chapter 7. Chapter 8 should be up soon-probably either this week or next depending on whether I decide to update this or Back At The Start first. I will also hopefully update Moving On: Senior Year during the Christmas holidays which start in about two weeks. The songs used in this chapter were Demons-Imagine Dragons, performed by Adrianna Evans and Elena Puckerman and How To Be A Heartbreaker-Marina and The Diamonds performed by Chad Puckerman, Ashley Martins and Lily Howard. All rights go to owners.
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