AN: I am so sorry that it took me so long to update. Life has been crazy. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Gregory's POV
This morning, I woke up to a chilling text from my mother. She told me that she was telling Hope the truth today, so I might want to be home to support her. Part of me is relieved that my mom already told Hope, but the other part of me is furious. Why would my mom tell Hope the truth without me there? I wanted to be there to comfort her, but my parents obviously didn't think it was important.
When I pull into the driveway, I see my mother sitting on the porch swing in our front yard. What is she doing outside, and why isn't Hope with her? I immediately park my car and hurry over to my mother. I was angry at her before, but now I'm even more angry. She should be with Hope right now.
"What are you going out here?" I ask as I cross my arms over my chest.
"Gregory, it's nice to see you. I was just looking through some old photo albums. Look at this picture of you and Hope. Weren't you two just adorable?" My mom gushes as she points to a picture of me holding Hope when she was an infant.
"I guess." I say with a shrug.
"This is my personal favorite. Don't you have the most beautiful baby sister in the entire world?" My mom asks she gestures towards a picture of Hope on the other side of the page. Hope is only about four years old in the picture and she's wearing a ballerina costume. Her smile is wider than Texas, and her hazel eyes are lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Yes. I do." I say as I nod my head in agreement.
"Sit." My mom instructs as her eyes dart over to the empty space on the porch swing. I nod before taking a seat next to my mother, who immediately wraps a single arm around my shoulder.
"Thanks for coming home. Hope really needs you." My mom says as she stares into the blue eyes that I inherited from my father.
"So you told her about the room? How did she take it?" I ask my mother curiously.
"Not well, honey. Hope told me that she hated me, and then she ran away." My mom says with a breathy sigh.
Even though I disagree with a lot of my mom's decisions, I feel for her. She loves me and Hope more than anything, and I know she only wants what's best for us. Hearing Hope say "I hate you" must have been incredibly painful for her.
"I'm sorry she said that. Hope loves you, Mom. She didn't mean it." I tell her softly.
"Yeah, I know that. It still doesn't make things easier though. All I ever wanted was to protect Hope, and I feel like I've failed her. I can't even imagine what's going through her mind right now." My mom says as she shakes her head slowly.
"Didn't you ask her? What did Hope say while you were telling her about Nick?" I ask her curiously.
"I don't know, Gregory. I didn't exactly talk to her about it face to face." My mother informs me.
"What do you mean?" I ask as a puzzled expression washes over my face.
"I told Hope by taking her to one of my talks. Your sister left before I could ask her." My mom explains.
Oh. My. God. My mom told Hope during one of her talks? How could she possibly be so insensitive? She should have broken the news to Hope in a more personal way, instead of merely reciting a speech that she gives on a weekly basis. What in the world was my mom thinking?
"A-Are you crazy?" I ask as I try to comprehend the situation.
"Yeah. I'm starting to think that I am." My mom says with a chuckle.
"This isn't funny, Mom! That was so stupid!" I say as I begin to raise my voice.
"I know it was stupid, Gregory. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I guess I was too afraid to face my own daughter. Still, it's not the stupidest thing I've ever done. Do you know what the stupidest thing I ever did was?" My mother asks me.
"N-No." I say as I shake my head slowly.
"I pushed my son away. I just- I was just so hurt, and I took it out on him. It wasn't fair of me though. What happened wasn't his fault, and he was hurting just as much as I was. This morning I found out that my son left, and I felt so empty. I wanted to talk to my best friend about it, but I couldn't. I couldn't because they're both you." My mom says as tears begin to form in her eyes.
"Mommy..." I say as my chin begins to quiver.
"I love you, honey. I know I haven't done a good job of showing it the past few days, but I love you more than anything in the world. I know how much Hope means to you, and I know how difficult this has been for you. I should have been more sensitive to your feelings, and I'm so sorry that I wasn't yesterday." My mom says with a sniffle.
"I'm sorry too. Regardless of what I said yesterday, I know you're only trying to do what's best for Hope. I'm sorry I compared you to Nick because you're not him. You are the kindest person I've ever known, and I don't know where I'd be if I didn't have a mother like you." I say as tears begin to pour out of my eyes.
"Sweetheart, don't cry!" My mom exclaims as she wraps an arm around me.
"I just- I feel like I let you down. You trusted me to keep Hope safe just like how you've kept me safe over the years, and I couldn't do that. I was too blindsided to realize that she was going to a party." I say with shame in my voice.
"Gregory, it wasn't your fault. I probably would have believed Hope too when she said she was going to Miranda's house. None of us ever expected her to sneak out and go to a wild party, but she did." My mom says as she begins to rub my back gently.
"But Mom..." I ramble.
"But nothing, Gregory. You can't always protect your loved ones. Sometimes the only thing you can do is offer them your unconditional love and support to get them through difficult times. You've been there for Hope ever since Owen raped her, and that's all anyone can ask of you. I'm so proud of you, Gregory." My mom says as she runs her fingers through my curls.
Would my mom still be proud of me if she knew that I wasn't there for Kennedy? She'd probably be ashamed. Kennedy needed me just as much as Hope did, and I pushed her away. I don't know why I did what I did, but I know it was wrong.
"Mom, there's something I have to tell you. Yesterday after our argument, Kennedy and I broke up." I say with a breathy sigh.
"Y-You and Kennedy? But why? You love her. I can tell by the way you look at her." My mom says as her eyes grow wide with shock.
"I-I do love her. I love her so much, and she doesn't even know it. Even if I told her, I doubt she'd believe me. Not after the way I treated her yesterday." I say as I shake my head slowly.
"What happened yesterday?" My mom questions.
"I was feeling really bummed out because of our fight. Usually when I'm upset about something I talk to you about it, but I obviously couldn't do that. I decided to call Kennedy up, and she met me in my dorm room. I told her that Hope was raped and explained why I was fighting with you. She actually agreed with you, Mom. Kennedy completely understood why you didn't want to tell Hope because she was raped too. I just- I just never knew until she told me last night." I say as even more tears begin to pour out of my eyes.
"Oh my gosh! Honey, Kennedy was raped? Did she tell you who hurt her?" My mom asks with panic in her voice.
"Yes. It was her mother's ex boyfriend. Apparently when she was twelve, he used to sneak into her room and molest her." I say with an involuntary shutter.
"That's terrible. Poor thing." My mom says as tears begin to form in her eyes.
"It is terrible. As soon as I heard that the love of my life had been violated in such an awful way, I should have held her and told her that it's all going to be okay, right? Well I didn't. Instead I got angry." I say with a sigh.
"Gregory, that's normal. I was furious when I found out that my baby girl had been raped." My mom tells me.
"Yeah, but you were angry at Owen. I was angry at Kennedy, not at the man who hurt her." I confess.
"Kennedy? Why were you angry with Kennedy?" My mom asks as she furrows her brow in confusion.
"I don't know. I guess I felt a bit betrayed. Like you said, I'm in love with her. I love her so much, and I told her things about me. Really, really, really, personal things about what I went through in that room. It wasn't easy, but I did it because I wanted her to know who I was." I say as I stare down at the ground.
"Honey..." My mom starts to say.
"I know you don't want to hear this, but we've slept together. She was my first, and she told me I was hers. I just- I just wish she had been honest with me before I gave myself to her. It hurts that she didn't trust me. Do you know what I mean?" I ask as I stare into my mother's hazel eyes.
"Of course I do. You're a lot like I am, Gregory. We both open up to people fairly quickly. As soon as I fell in love with your father, I told him all of my deepest and darkest secrets. About a year later I found out all sorts of things about him that I had never known. It hurt. I felt like our relationship had been one sided." My mom tells me.
"Exactly." I say with a nod.
"But Gregory, my relationship with your dad was never one sided. I don't think your relationship with Kennedy is one sided either. Not everyone opens up as quickly as we do, but you can't hold that against them. It's a hard lesson to learn, but it's the truth. As much as Kennedy loves you, she wasn't obligated to tell you everything about herself right away." My mom tells me gently.
"I know that, but I still wish she had. Is that bad?" I ask my mother curiously.
"Of course not. You can't help the way you feel about certain issues. Even though you two might not always see things eye to eye, what you have with Kennedy is special. Throwing all of that love away over one disagreement seems ludicrous to me. I think you need to talk to her, Gregory. Hear her out, and then ask her to hear you out." My mom instructs.
"What if she doesn't forgive me? Even though it took her a while, she did open up to me about something she never even told her mom. She trusted me, and I was a total jerk. She must feel so lonely right now." I say as my heart begins to break in my chest.
"K-Kennedy never even told her mom? You really do need to speak with her, Gregory. She's obviously still dealing with what happened to her, and she needs you. Believe it or not, you are capable of helping her. You understand better than most people would." My mom says to me.
"How can I help her, Mom?" I ask her softly.
"Well, you can start by telling her that you're sorry. Explain why you acted the way you did, and then assure her that you love her regardless of the rape. After, I think you should encourage her to talk to her mom and a therapist. Keeping what happened a secret isn't going to help her in the long run." My mom says.
"Okay. I'll do those things. I'll do anything to make Kennedy feel better again. Honestly, I just feel guilty that she had to go through something so terrible. I hate that the three most important girls in my life all had to experience this." I say with a breathy sigh.
"I know you do. You remind me so much of your father, Gregory. You're both protectors, and both you hate watching the people you love suffer. I know that being such a compassionate person can be painful, but it's one of your best qualities." My mom says as she pulls me in for a long hug.
"I love you, Mommy." I tell her truthfully.
"I love you too, Gregory. I always have, and I always will." My mom says before planting a soft kiss on my forehead.
Hope's POV
I don't think I've ever been so nervous to face my own mother in my entire life. A few hours ago, she told me something that has changed my outlook on life forever. Afterwards I said some horrible things to her and then ran away. My dad told me that my mom understands, but what if she doesn't? What if she hates me? Will we ever look at each other the same way again?
"There she is, kiddo." My dad says as he pulls into the driveway.
I look over and sigh when I see my mother sitting on the porch swing with Gregory. I wonder if they're talking about me. I bet my older brother is furious with me too. He loves my mom, and I hurt her feelings.
"Come on, Honey. Let's go." My dad says as he grabs my hand and helps me out of the car.
I don't let go of my dad's hand. I hold onto it tighter than I did when we sat next to each other during my first roller coaster ride. As long as he's here, it will be okay. It will all be okay.
"Hi, Darling." My mom says as she looks up at me.
Darling. I told her I fucking hated her, and she's still calling me darling. Regardless of everything she went through, her love for me is unconditional. When I will myself to look into my mother's eyes, I realize that she's fighting back tears. How many times did she have to do that for Gregory when they were locked up together? How many times has she concealed her pain for my sake? Based on what I heard during her speech, more times than I can count.
That's when I realize that I will never see my mom the same way again. I see something in her that I never saw before; a ridiculous amount of strength. I wonder if any of that strength rubbed off on me. I hope so because I sure need it. Especially now. I act on instinct, and run into my mother's arms. I want her to hold me. As soon as she does, I burst into tears. How is possible to be so happy and so terrified at the same time?
"Sh-sh. Don't cry, baby. It's going to be okay. You're okay." My mom whispers into my ear.
"I-I'm so sorry." I mumble through my tears.
"Why are you apologizing to me?" My mom asks with confusion in her voice.
"I'm just sorry. I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that. I'm also sorry that I was so mean to you earlier because I don't hate you. I love you so much." I tell her truthfully.
"I know that, baby. Believe me, I know. I'm sorry I kept so much from you. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing." My mom says with a sigh.
"It's okay. Daddy explained. I understand now." I tell her.
"Good, because you're everything to me. When Gregory was born, I knew I had to find a way to survive for his sake. Even after I got out of the room, I was so focused on surviving and keeping my head above the water. After I had you, Hope, I learned how to live. You brought me back to life. I can't thank you enough for that." My mom says in a shaky voice.
"You already have. You've kept me safe and happy for all of these years. I love you for that. I love all three of you." I say as I look up at my dad and brother.
"We love you too, beautiful. We love you more than you'll ever know." My dad says with a teary smile.
"He's right, Hope. You're the best little sister in the world, and you've brought me so much joy. How about we get out of this cold weather and have a glass of hot coco?" Gregory suggests.
"That sounds wonderful. Let's go!" I exclaim as I grab my mom's hand and follow Gregory into our comfortable home.
AN: What did you think? Did you like Gregory and Aria's talk? Will he listen to her advice about Kennedy? What about Hope? Are you glad she forgave her family? Unfortunately, this story is coming to a close fairly soon. As of now, I think there will be two chapters left. Please continue to read and review and have great day :)