So, I wasn't very good with my promise, but now with my new personal assistant, I'll be updating nothing but Tension until the story is over.
:)
So, enjoy!
"Come on, Em. Pick up the phone," Chad muttered into the still ringing receiver of the phone. "Just pick up the--"
"Hello?" Emily's voice said from the other line.
"Emily, I don't know what to do. I'm freaking out or I'm angry or maybe I'm just being a dad, but I don't know what to do!"
"Chad. Breathe, first." Chad took in a deep breath. "Now, tell me what's wrong, baby."
"Charlie is dating Landon Lockwood," he tried to calmly state, but he couldn't hide his anger, outrage, upsetness. Whatever you would call the melting pot of emotions boiling inside of him right now.
"Landon...L-Lockwood? You mean...?"
"Alex's son."
Emily's heart dropped into her shoes. "No," was all she said.
"I saw pictures. It's all over town. This is huge buzz, Emily."
Emily thought she might start hyperventilating. "Chad...Chad, she can't. She just can't!" Her voice sounded puny and weak. Almost as if she would do better squeaking.
"I know, baby. We'll talk to her, okay? We'll warn her."
"What if she doesn't listen? What if she doesn't care? Or what if she doesn't believe me?!" Emily was getting more scared by the minute.
"Why don't you come home early? You can work at home if you need to. You're getting paranoid and upset."
"Paranoid?!"
Chad sighed. Not the best word. "You know what I mean, Em. I don't want you at work when you're all scared like that. You can hang out at the store if you want."
Emily felt herself start trembling. "Okay. I'll be there soon."
"Be careful, okay? Don't speed getting over here. Remember, Alex is gone," he replied in a reassuring, soothing tone.
"Yeah." She hung up and muttered to herself, "But his son's not."
Emily couldn't stop pacing. This was too much for one day. She felt Chad's hand pull her down on the couch next to him. "Relax," she heard him say.
How on Earth was she supposed to relax when her daughter was dating the son of the horrible, violent man that nearly killed her twice?
The door clicked open and shut and Charlie's footsteps were heard as she placed her bag in the usual spot in the hallway and made her way into the living room. Emily and Chad stared at her. Chad's eyes looked stern, while Emily's were concerned and worried.
"Mom? Dad? What's up?" Charlie pulled her purse off her shoulder and set it down in the armchair across from the couch.
"It's been brought to our attention that you're dating a boy," Chad said in his fatherly voice.
Charlie rolled her eyes. "Dad, it's just a boy. All the girls date. Can you get over it?"
"He's not just a boy, Charlie," Emily started.
"Em, don't," Chad warned.
"She has to know!" her mother hissed. The two continued to argue quietly for a bit. Charlie's anxiety increased. Her parents hardly ever fought, and with her mom's comment it didn't make things any easier.
"You'll get upset. I'll tell her, you go on upstairs to bed," Chad said softly.
"This is a mother/daughter thing. I need to tell her. Please?"
The couple looked at Charlie, who was looking back anxiously. She knew something was wrong.
Chad sighed and heaved himself off the couch. "I'll be in the kitchen." And he left.
Charlie licked her lips nervously. "Mom...what is it?"
"Sit down," she said quietly while patting the seat her father had just been sitting in.
She cautiously sat next to her mother. "There's nothing wrong with Landon, Mom. He's a normal boy--"
"He's not a normal boy. Not to this family."
Charlie furrowed her brows together. "I don't understand."
Emily closed her eyes and took a deep, yet somewhat shaky breath. "Remember when Dad left us alone that weekend, and I told you some parts of my past I didn't think you needed to know?"
Charlie nodded silently, still confused at what this had to do with Landon.
"Your father and I dated in high school, as you already know. But we broke up for a bit, and during that time, I met another boy. Named Alex." Her mother gulped at the name. She was getting even more confused.
"He was using to me to get on the basketball team, me being the coach's daughter and all. So, Troy and Chad and Jason and Zeke got him to confess what was going on. Alex wasn't happy that I dumped him."
She only furrowed her eyebrows closer together. "But Mom, Landon isn't using me..."
"Let me finish," Emily interrupted, pain seemed to be in her eyes. As if telling this story was hurting her as much as it was confusing Charlie. "Alex found me later at basketball game. Him and his new school basketball buddies beat me. I almost died, Charlie." Her voice turned grave towards the end. She saw tears in the corners of her eyes.
"M-mom, I'm so sorry. I can't believe that happened. But--"
"There's more." Her mom dabbed at her eyes. "I found out I was pregnant with you through another encounter with Alex. He tried to kill me...again. He was taken to jail for about five years, then made parole."
Charlie was speechless. She didn't even know how to begin, or what to say. Or how her mother could even get through something like that. "Mom, that's horrible."
Her mother was slowly becoming more upset. Charlie could practically see the horrible flickers of painful memories flash before her eyes. She quickly wrapped her mother in her arms and squeezed her into a tight hug. Her mother returned the squeeze, quickly drying up her tears to be strong for her daughter.
"But...Mom. I still don't get what this has to do with Landon. He would never do any of that stuff to me. He's really sweet."
"Has Landon ever talked about his father, Charlotte?"
Charlie knew this was bad. Something was very seriously wrong. Her mother never called her Charlotte anymore. "No. Not really."
"This man...this man that hurt me. His name was Alex Lockwood. He's Landon's father."
Her heart took the super express elevator to her suddenly churning stomach. "No. There's no way that cruel man could be Landon's father." Not her sweet Landon. Not the Landon that took such complete care of her and was gentle and kind. It had to be a lie. It just had to be!
"He is, Charlotte. I'm so sorry, but I don't think this Landon boy is good for you." Her mother was near tears again.
"I...I'll talk to him, Mom."
"Just be careful. Alex was perfect to me in the beginning. Then he became a jerk. Please, just be careful."
Charlie nodded and her mom stood up and walked silently into the kitchen. Charlie heard sniffs and some quiet crying. She heard her father quietly comforting her mother, then sending her up to bed.
She looked up to see her father standing in the doorway of the living room.
"It's not you that's making her upset. It was just a really scary time for her. It still upsets her," he stated.
Charlie nodded. Landon's previous behaviors (when he was bullying her) seemed to be very suspicious now. "You okay? I know that story's a little hard to hear. It was really hard to live through." He shifted awkwardly. He didn't like talking about it either, obviously.
She nodded again. She was lost deep in her thoughts.
Her father bit his lip. "I'll get the dinner dishes tonight. Are you up to eating right now?"
She had completely forgotten about dinner. "Oh. No. I think I need some fresh air." She glanced at the clock. It was just about time. "I'll be back later."
"Okay. Be careful. Call us if you need us!" Chad called as his daughter left the house. He let out another sigh before walking back into the kitchen wearily.
There was a beaten down path of dirt beneath her feet now. She turned and started back on the opposite way on the path, letting her feet hit the ground heavily and sending clouds of dust out from her shoes.
Charlie had made it to the field early, and had lost herself in her thoughts as she waited for Landon to arrive. Landon, whose father had nearly killed her mother. His father nearly made her not exist at all.
And what if this got around school? What kind of rumors and pressure would that bring out?
Frankly, it was all too much for one girl to handle.
"Hey, beautiful." Landon got out of his car, smiling broadly at her.
She froze in her spot of her little pacing path. "Hey," she said emotionless.
His smile immediately faded. "What's wrong?" Landon quickly walked over to her.
"Your dad tried to kill my mom," she croaked.
He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Your family told you."
"YOU KNEW?!" she screeched.
"Charlie, in case you haven't noticed, my dad is sort of a sore spot with me."
"Yeah, well he's a major sore spot to my family! My mom couldn't even tell the story without practically sobbing!"
He looked away. "Your mother didn't deserve what my dad did to her. But I hate my dad. I never see him, and I like it that way. He's a jerk. A major jerk, that should've never made parole."
"Why didn't you tell me?" she replied hoarsely.
"You would have honestly let me within a few feet of you if you knew the truth?"
Charlie bit her lip and thought for a moment. "...No."
"Exactly. But you've been around me, Charlie. You've seen how I treat you. I would never ever hurt you!"
"Do I really know that? My mom said your dad--"
"I'M NOTHING LIKE HIM," he bellowed.
Charlie jumped, her eyes wide with fear. He'd never yelled like that. Well, not at her anyways.
He sighed. "Sorry. I just don't like being compared to him. I'm not him, Charlie. I'm really not."
"You yelled at me. You've never done that before." Her voice was tiny and small. She sounded scared.
"Look at me, please," he said gently. Charlie did so, hesitantly. "I really care about you. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to lose you. What happened to your mom is in the past. That was with my dad. Not me. I would never do that to you, Charlie. You're my everything. You know that."
Tears were in Charlie's eyes. "Promise me."
"I, Landon Lockwood, promise to never ever ever hurt you, Charlotte Danforth," he said sincerely. "AKA, Beautiful." He grinned.
Charlotte gave him a small smile and hugged him tight. Landon wrapped his arms gently but firmly around her, holding her somewhat protectively.
He didn't know if he wanted to let her go.
Chad peeked in the doorway of his bedroom. "Em?"
She looked up from her scrapbook, her eyes red and puffy. Tear stains were running down her face. "I'm so pathetic," she muttered.
"No, you're not." He climbed into bed beside her and pulled her close to him. "It was a hard time in both of our lives."
"We weren't even dating then," she siad said quietly.
"Didn't mean I wasn't still in love with you."
She smiled weakly and wiped at a stray tear running down her cheek. "I'm so worried, Chad. I don't want Charlie to end up like me. I'm such an emotional wreck."
"Shhh. Charlie has a strong head on her shoulders. She knows what's good for her and what isn't. She'll break up with Landon. I know she will." He kissed the top of her head.
"What if she gets hurt? What if he hurts her, Chad?"
"She won't let him. I know she won't." He pulled Emily into his lap and let her rest her head on his chest. He gently stroked her hair as she sniffed. "I love you."
"I love you, too." She buried her head into his chest.
"Sleep. You need to rest. You're not going into work tomorrow. You're staying home."
She sighed. "Okay."
He kissed her softly and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Sleep."
He looked at her, only to find her already breathing evenly and her eyes closed. He smiled softly and drifted to sleep himself.
Awww, isn't it sweet? Well, the ending at least.
This chapter was longer than I expected. Oh well. :)
Review. I mean review A LOT.
Because you love me. :)
