I leaned back into the diner bench, Michael and Trevor sitting across from me. They were stress eating, shoveling down food as Franklin and I sat quietly in disgust. What an absolute shit show all of that was.
Walking into a building with Norton, who was panicked as hell; speaking to a group of men who had no clue what their agent was doing and then getting removed from the building because Michael and Trevor had grown too antsy.
The group had said they would deal with Sanchez, looks of disgust and horror on their faces as they skimmed through the pictures. They had let Trevor and Michael go without much fuss after I stepped in, but that didn't help the stress.
Michael finished his bite before saying,
"You both need to eat." He pointed at our plates as I raised a brow.
"I'd probably eat if I didn't just see two human garbage cans just shoveling it down." I shot back.
"It doesn't exactly spell appetizing." Franklin added sarcastically. Michael slowed down, but Trevor seemed to eat at a quickened pace, finishing nearly the last third of the burger in a final bite.
Trevor with his mouth, replied muffly,
"Don't give a fuck. Just eat." I shook my head, looking down at my food.
"I'd rather keep it in its rather perfect form here, and not have it come back up in a rather revolting manner." I retorted.
"Eat." Michael commanded again, stopping to glare at me.
"You didn't get me a milkshake. It certainly would have invited more of my appetite rather than watching the both of you."
"I'm agreein' with that. We should have sat in a different booth." Franklin noted.
"We should've. Although the sounds they're making as they eat are equally nauseating."
"Oh shut the fuck up. I'm eating like a normal fucking person." Trevor threw a fry at me.
"Rude." I replied before throwing it back. Michael reached over and smacked Trevor's hand before he could pick up another one.
"Quit it. We're out in public and we need to keep a low profile. Flirt somewhere fucking else." I rolled my eyes, shaking my head as Trevor replied,
"You're just jealous because your marriage is dead."
"Didn't you two fuckin' break up or some shit?" Franklin questioned.
"Shut the fuck up." Trevor snapped, chucking a fry at Franklin's face. The other man simply flipped him off as I leaned back into the seat.
"Well, let's pack this up and head out before they decide that kicking us out would be easier." I looked to Michael for an answer who shrugged before saying,
"Fine, fine." An exasperated sigh escaped his lips as a waitress quickly threw two boxes in our direction, leaving post haste.
Certainly don't blame her for that.
As we left the diner, Franklin turned to Trevor and Michael,
"I'm going to take Lily back." They both raised a brow before Trevor shook his head.
"Why-" Michael grabbed the back of his shirt,
"Let's go. I have something to do and you need to help me."
"Hey! What the fuck?!" Michael began to drag Trevor away.
"I can fucking walk on my own!"
"This is faster." They continued to bicker before turning the corner, leaving Franklin with me.
"Let's head out. I knew he would throw a bitch fit if he wasn't the one to take you back but there's somethin' I wanna talk to you about." I raised a brow.
"Wow, a bit gutsy having him be dragged away."
"He'll get over it." Franklin motioned to his car.
The first hour into the drive back to Sandy Shores, he was decently quiet. A comfortable silence had settled in between us, but from the look on his face, he was pulling together his thoughts.
"What's your opinion of T right now?" I hesitated.
"It's neutral… I think? Wait, why? What is your opinion of him?"
"Remember that thing I talked to you about? About Haines and Weston asking me to do shit to Michael and Trevor?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm going to act on that." My heart stopped.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm not one hundred percent yet if I wanna do it, but I've been talking to Lester and now I'm talking to you. Having Trevor in your life is killing you; sooner or later, having him in our lives is going to kill us. But I wanted to talk to you… just in case you want to talk me out of it… but I don't think Trevor is good for any of us."
I sat back. From the tone of his voice, it sounded as if he was preparing to convince me rather than the other way around.
"I'm not exactly sure what to say about that… I feel like I'm being pulled in different directions. I care about him- at the same time he is an awful, awful person and should probably share the same fate as his victims- ah but he also saved my life- it's like a give and take at this point- it is a human life and-" I stopped myself.
He's been protecting me this entire time. He's done me more favors.
He wouldn't have had to do them if he hadn't been the start of the problem in the first place.
But with everything that's happened, don't I owe him?
He put me in this position in the first place. He doesn't deserve forgiveness or mercy for everything that he's done. I owe him nothing.
He almost got me killed.
"Whatever you choose for him, I will support you. You and I are kind of alike in that aspect. Everything has been absolute chaos since he came into the picture, and when you boil it all down; none of this would have happened to me or to us if he had never kidnapped me. But he is someone who is very troubled, and is currently looking to self-improvement and wellness. Whether he is working to redeem himself to become a better person or is just saying and doing it so that it's easier to have excuses when he fails, that's up to you." Franklin fell silent for a moment.
I looked at him, watching his eyes flicker to the mirrors and then back to the road.
"I honestly thought you would argue more."
"Oh?"
"Well, Michael was talking about how dangerously dependent you are of him… or was."
"Ah, that makes sense. I had a talk with Ron; he's kind of been my voice of reason."
"Funny you should say that when all you two do is fuckin' fight."
"Motherfucker starts it." Franklin shook his head, giving a low chuckle.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night. But I'll keep you updated in what I do."
"Does Michael know?"
"No… but I might ask for help. I'm not sure if I can actually do it by myself. Honestly I have no idea if Michael is even gonna help me." I gave a short nod.
"Well, keep me posted."
Ron, wearing a nervous expression, carefully approached as I exited Franklin's car.
"Hu-how'd it go?" He inquired.
"Better than expected but I wouldn't get comfortable. We won't know what they're planning from here on out, but I wouldn't be worried. I don't thi." Ron and I retreated into his trailer, seating myself on the couch.
I let out an exasperated sigh, closing my eyes for a mere moment before hearing Ron's voice again.
"How come Trevor isn't with you?"
"Michael needed him for a thing."
"A thing?"
"Yeah, a thing." Ron motioned his hand for me to go on, but his face immediately contorted with irritation and disappointment as I shrugged my shoulders.
"You think I know what the thing is? They literally were just like, "thing" and then fuckin' left." Ron rolled his eyes.
"Fine, don't tell me."
"Fine, don't believe me." He gave a short huff before walking in his room, gently shutting the door as I closed my eyes again.
I exhaled deeply as Franklin's voice echoed in my head.
If he made this decision to kill Trev, what would happen with Ron?
Ron's probably the only other person who would probably miss him. Who knows if he'd even be able to function without him considering that he just made the decision to pull away.
If Trev stayed around and I left to move on with my life, would he tighten his fist over Ron? Would he just crumble back to being an abusive person?
I rubbed my temples.
If Franklin does follow through, would Ron get better? Would he work harder to improve himself or would he just pretend that Trev had gone to Los Santos for an extended period of time?
Would he look for Wade?
I groaned. I had become too comfortable with this way of life.
The chaotic tornado that was Trevor; his incessant yelling, threatening and violence towards others had just become a part of daily life.
Everything about our relationship, together and apart, had all been normalized. I had lived life up until him just fine; now here I was, having a difficult time, imagining it without him.
What would Michael do? Would he make this choice easier than Franklin?
Maybe.
I did promise to support him in whatever he chose, but something continued to pull at my insides.
I was pulled out of my thoughts at the sound of Ron exiting his room. I wanted to ask him so many questions; for some sort of advice but knowing him, he would probably call Trevor and cause more of a ruckus.
Just thinking of that stresses me out. What would Trev even do to Franklin? He'd probably bury him in the desert… and maybe even Michael because he would try to stop him.
"What did you want to eat for dinner? Do you want me to cook or did you want to cook?" Ron questioned.
"I'll cook. I don't feel like calling the fire department again."
"That was one time! And it was your fault!"
"That's a weird way of saying thank you for not letting my trailer burn down." He groaned, shutting his door again and yelling,
"Just let me know when you're done!" I raised a brow.
He usually sits out here with me and watches me cook. I walked over to the door.
"Ron?" I called out as I knocked.
"There is no way that you cooked something that fast."
"What's going on? Are you okay?" There was a long pause, anticipation building as I waited for some sort of response.
When nothing came, I moved away, heading towards the kitchen to start on the meal.
"Lily." Ron's hesitant voice brought my attention to him as I cleaned up dinner. It had all been silent up until then.
"What's up?"
"You didn't make any plans with Trevor did you? Like for anything in the near future?"
"No?" I turned to him. "We're not seeing each other anymore."
"Oh."
"Ron?" I dried my hands, approaching him carefully. "What's going on?" His face contorted again, almost as if he was about to cry.
"Na-nothing. I was just curious."
I poked his shoe with my own.
"Bullshit. Something's bothering you." He made a noise of discontent, hesitation as if he had stopped himself from spilling beans.
"Yo, just tell me."
"T-Trevor called."
"Yeah? What he say?" Ron's eyes darted to the floor, almost as if searching for something more interesting.
"He-he said that I need to do something for him, so-so I have to leave for a bit. He's going to come he-here and hang out with you until I get back."
"What? That doesn't sound right. Why doesn't he just do it himself? I thought he wanted space."
"I thought so too… but I guess he said that I'm the best for the job."
"That's… really weird. I don't feel very comfortable with that. Do you think he'd let Michael come over too?"
"I'm not sure, but I'll see."
While it had only been a few hours since I saw him, it was strange that he hadn't mentioned anything.
Something's up.
"Well, I'll cheat and call Michael myself." I held my hand out, Ron raising his brow.
"Lester took my phone, so lemme borrow yours." He began to reach for his before coming to a complete halt.
"I-I can't. I'm sorry. I don't think it would be a good idea to have Michael here."
"What? What do you mean?"
"What I talked about with T- what I talked about with him is something private. I don't think having Michael here would be a good idea. So please, just go with it."
"Uhh… did something immediately change within the time that I was gone and coming back? You literally said that he wasn't good for me and that I should leave; now, all of a sudden, you are saying that I need to say here so that he and I can be alone for whatever reason so that you can, what? Go grocery shopping for him?"
"Well-"
"Just tell me what's going on so that I can at least not be blind sided for whatever fucking thing that he's got planned." The irritation in my voice had Ron jump a little.
"I can't tell you. He asked me not to, but I don't think he's going to do anything and I think you'll be just fine if you're alone with him this one time."
"This 'one' time will turn into another, and then another and another. No, Ron. I don't like that idea at all."
"Listen, Lily-
"No, you listen. I don't think that whatever is going to happen is going to go as planned. Some bullshit is going to happen because that's what always happens. I can't have a single day of rest when it comes to Trevor. Just let me come with you and we'll do whatever he wants together."
"It's go-going to be dangerous and Michael would be furious."
"Trevor wouldn't have you do anything dangerous. When I was still stuck in the other trailer, he literally had you be a fucking paperweight. I highly doubt he's going to have you raise a gun to someone else to get something done. Or beat someone up. Your fragile hands wouldn't be able to handle it."
"Now that's just mean."
"So I'm right that it's not something dangerous." Ron paused.
"No." He answered, defeat clear in his voice. "But can you please just stay here and behave? I don't know exactly what's going on and I think it's best if you just stay here and go along with whatever he wants right now."
"Ugh, fine. But only because I know that you aren't going to be doing anything dangerous." He fell silent.
"Were you that worried about me?" There was slight hesitation in his tone.
"I wasn't that worried, but I was still pretty worried and concerned as to whether or not he was going to put you in a dangerous situation."
Ron shifted nervously, an embarrassed expression on his face.
"Well… he'll be here tomorrow morning. So just play nice."
"It's not like I'll be going out of my way to start a fight."
"That's not the point." I raised a brow as he quickly added, "never mind."
I shook my head, reclining back as Ron retreated back into his room. I heard his footsteps unexpectedly stop, his voice echoing through the room.
"Do you think- when you leave- do you think we could still talk?" He had practically mumbled it, anxiety clear in his voice as I picked my head up to look towards him.
"Well… maybe? I'm not sure. It might take some time for me to reply, after all, I'll probably have to jump through a lot of hoops for us just to interact with one another."
"Would you want to… I mean if it's not complicated or stressful on you- I know you'll probably want to go into therapy and I don't know if you want to go back to school or not-" Ron began to rant.
"Ron-"
"If you go back to school then you should definitely be focused on that-"
"Ron."
"Oh and then you'll probably be working, you probably won't have time for me."
"Ron!"
"Would it be okay to set up a one way correspondence-"
"Ron, listen to me!" His words came to a grinding halt. His eyes were wide open, staring at me.
"Oh, good I can hear my own thoughts." I noted sarcastically.
"Listen, I don't know what's going to happen after I go back. I wouldn't mind being pen pals with you but just know that I might not be able to write back to you as quickly as you'd like."
I took a deep breath.
"I'd like to also keep in contact with Michael and Franklin, but if it's going to hurt my progress towards getting better then I won't be writing any time soon. Don't take it personally but I do want to focus on getting better so that way the next time that we meet up, we can introduce ourselves properly." I flashed him a tooth grin before he quickly turned away.
"Whatever." He replied before shutting the door.
I woke up to Ron shaking my shoulder roughly.
"Wha-" I mumbled, attempting to wake up.
"I'm leaving, Trevor's here." Putting on my glasses and sitting up, Ron and Trevor's faces came into view.
Ron's face seemed contorted in dismay while Trevor's was neutral.
"When are you going to be back?" I inquired.
"Whenever I'm done. It won't take long, I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Okay, well don't hurt yourself."
"I probably won't."
"You're accident prone, you probably will."
"I very much woul-"
"Nothing is going to get done if the two of you keep this up." Trevor barked, clearly having grown impatient.
Ron gave a quiet wave as he left, leaving Trevor and I in an almost awkward silence.
"Fuck, I am tired." Trevor sat himself down next to me.
My eyes fell onto the clock hanging on the wall. 6:00 a.m. He really came in as early as possible.
I yawned, stretching before I stood up.
"Did you want any breakfast?"
"No thank you, I'm good." I paused, looking over to him.
"Wow, so polite. You're really going to be on your best behavior." I smirked.
He straightened his back, shifting in his spot.
"I'll have you know that I always behave."
I held a hand up, mimicking a mouth.
"Please stay in the car." I held up my other hand, repeating the same motions.
"Okie. Oh wait- Imma change my mind and not leave the car. Oops, I caused panic."
"I'm allowed to be worried if I want to be!" Trevor barked, a grin on his face.
"Too worried, see I'm in one piece. Should have more faith in me." I turned towards the kitchen.
Should I warn him?
Trevor fell silent as I began to start prepping breakfast.
Should I just let this happen?
"I'm going to miss you." His voice cracked.
I swallowed a lump in my throat.
"I don't know what's going to happen in the coming weeks, or days, but I hope that whatever does happen... you get out of this without any weight on your shoulders. Without any guilt."
"Guilt?" I questioned, fully turning towards him.
"I already caught onto what the kid's got planned- Frank, I mean. I can see if from a mile away."
I shifted uncomfortably.
"I can tell from the way that he talks, acts and stands. The way that he looks at me. I can tell that he's got something planned that ends with me not being here." He cleared his throat.
"And I can tell that you know."
My heart stopped.
"I can definitely tell that you know exactly what he's going to do."
It started to drop into my feet.
"I'm going to talk to him; see if there's something that I can do before he acts- I-I mean, this whole thing seems pretty inevitable."
He hung his head.
"And we have bigger fish to fry before that decision gets made."
I swallowed the lump in my throat and as I started to speak, he interrupted me.
"It doesn't matter how long you knew or if you were going to tell me or not- it doesn't matter because if the kid chooses to take me out, then so be it…"
He let out a heavy sigh, leaning his head back against the couch.
"I just hate fucking waiting for something to happen. I would much rather take myself out rather than have my life in someone's else's hands."
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"Well-" My voice cracked. "Sometimes we don't have a choice."
"And that's what is so fucking stupid." He stated in a calm voice, eyes closed.
His eyes shot open.
"So you did know."
"He told me yesterday as he was taking me here."
I turned away, looking down at my hands.
While I heard movement, I didn't make any effort to turn back to him. I had decided against telling him. He and I both knew he had it coming. Everyone did.
And yet I still felt guilt wash over me.
The dependency I felt towards him was crippling and without him- well- would I still be a person?
I felt two arms wrap around me, his head settling on top of me.
"I've done so many terrible things to you," He murmured. "I'm so sorry."
I froze.
There was something about hearing him say it so genuinely that broke my heart.
It made me want to call Franklin up and have him take back everything that I had said. Tell him not to do what he was planning.
But if I didn't- what kind of person would I be?
Letting someone, who gleefully killed others, go? Someone who harmed themselves as much as they harmed others?
He has done unimaginable things and here I was- trying to convince myself that maybe he should live.
His grip around me tightened, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he relaxed into me.
"I'd say that I wish I could take everything back, but I can't. If I did, then I would have never met you. I would have never had the opportunity to be with you. I'm pretty sure after today, we won't see each other again."
I grit my teeth in an attempt to stop any tears from escaping.
"So, if I could ask one thing more thing from you- if that's okay-"
He moved away from me, his eyes burning a hole into me.
"Could you please take care of Ron?"
I paused.
"I know he's a mess, so if I'm gone, you're going to have to keep him in line. He's kind of like a puppy. He needs three meals a day and you might want to keep him on a short leash because he sometimes acts up if you leave him alone for too long. I mean, I left him alone for too long and he made that fucking radio show or whatever the fuck."
I burst out laughing. Trevor stood confused, curling a brow.
"The fuck I say?"
"Not what I expected." I cleared my throat, standing up straight.
"Well, Ron is the only one who's really going to be hurting when all is said and done. I also didn't think my request was that funny."
"Like I said, it was just unexpected. I was expecting you to say something about Michael."
"Hey, tubby will be fine. Also you're legally his kid, don't forget that, so you have to take care of him. And you're technically my wife according to paperwork so that means his kids are your niece and nephew so you need to take care of them after all this."
"So I'm legally his kid and I'm the aunt to my own siblings?"
"You also have a sister-in-law, who is now also your mother."
"Wow, this got weird and fucked up real fast."
"Good thing you aren't blood related- Pretty sure Lester would not have been able to fill out that paperwork."
"Pretty sure they already thought things were weird at the hospital."
"That's an understatement. Pretty sure the nurses thought we were fucking insane with how we were talking."
"You poor fucking souls. Glad I wasn't there for that conversation."
"Oh, you better be grateful as hell, cause it was awkward as fuck. Having a fucking nurse talk to me about how she's going to call the police cause I married my niece. She's in Sandy fucking Shores- she shouldn't expect anything less."
"Yeah and it's Sandy Shores, which means that she should call the police any chance that she gets."
"Ha, you're delusional."
"Wouldn't be if I would have been able to come here willingly." I shrugged.
"I'm hurt." He mocked.
"Good." I turned around, crossing my arms.
"Well then, I want a divorce."
"Call Lester, I'll sign the paperwork immediately."
"Nevermind, I want you to be a widow. It'll hurt more."
"I'll sign the paperwork before that. I'll even frame it."
"I'm going to call Lester and make sure that you can't divorce me before I get buried in the ground."
"Put him on speaker, I want to hear him mock your request." Trevor feigned a hurt expression as if insulted.
"I'm fucking going to." He pulled out his phone.
"Last chance to change your mind." His hand on the call button, ready to go.
"Fuckin' I'll do it for you." I forced his thumb to hit call.
"Fuck."
There was a short ring before a tired voice picked up.
"Hello? What do you want?"
"Hi Lester." I answered.
"Oh hey… what's up?"
"Oh, now we're all friendly because it's Lily?" Trevor growled.
Lester sighed loudly.
"Hello Trevor."
"You don't sound so good buddy."
"Maybe it's because someone is calling me way too early in the morning."
"It's prob-"
"No." Lester's harsh interruption to Trevor had me burst out laughing again.
"What can I do for you?" Lester questioned.