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Chapter 28

Chelsea and I didn’t go to school the next day. In fact, when I woke up, Nick and Chelsea weren’t around. The note on the counter told me that he had taken her down to the police station to report her father. While I was upset that I wasn’t there with them, it gave me a chance to collect my thoughts.

Last night had been a jumbled mess. Chelsea had taken the nighttime aspirin and been asleep before I had my way upstairs to check on her. But my night had been riddled with nightmares and worry.

I thought back to all the times that Chelsea ever had a bruise that she never explained. The first time I had ever slept over her house was the last time I had slept over her house. She had always been so insistent that we always spend time at my house, and I thought it was because she had a crush on my father, but I found out that night that it was because her father was an asshole. Like normal kids at that age, we stayed up all night and made a lot of noise. Her father had come back from a trip that same night and was in a bad mood. He had always made me uncomfortable and even from upstairs I could hear him yelling.

Chelsea had frozen and ran down the stairs when he had called for her, and when she came back, she was in tears. We spent the rest of the night whispering. We talked about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I had told her that I didn’t know what I wanted to be, but I wanted to live in Los Angeles since that was where the majority of my family was. Chelsea said she didn’t care; she just didn’t want to stay in Tampa. I told her that she could come with me to LA and then we started talking about boys. But the next morning she had woken up with a bruise on her arm and an excuse that she fell running back up the stairs.

But now I knew better. The bastard probably hit her. He probably had been for a while. I wanted to find him myself and make him pay for hurting my best friend.

“Hi,” BJ smiled, balancing a ton of bags in her arms.

“Hi Beej,” I grabbed some bags and put them on the counter.

“Where’s Nick?”

“He’s at the police station with Chelsea,” I frowned, “her father fucked up.”

“Is she okay? Are you okay?”

“She’ll be okay,” I sighed, “and I’ll be fine once they find him and throw him in jail.” Then she hugged me, which was odd. BJ was not a touchy-feely person. “I hear your shopping for an apartment around town.”

She smiled, “I am. I think in order to fix some things, it’s best I moved back to a place I used to call home. It doesn’t hurt that you and Nick live here too. I have an interview at this restaurant downtown tomorrow morning too.” She started unloading the groceries.

“You went food shopping for us?”

She shrugged, “I was going to prepare some meals for you two so all you have to do is heat them up.”

“You know you don’t have to do this,” I said, “it’s not necessary.” And it wasn’t. She didn’t have to her win her way back into our good graces. I just wanted to move past it and forget about it. BJ stringing it along like she was, was making it harder to let go of Jen because I kept thinking of her.

She shrugged, “I cook when I’m stressed,” she looked over at me, “it takes my mind off things.”

I needed that, “can I help?”

She grinned, “I was going to make lasagna first.”





By the time Nick and Chelsea had come back, BJ and I had managed to make lasagna, chicken pot pie, and Nick’s favorite paella. Nick had fallen in love with the dish in Spain, and one tour stop he had made me try it, wanting me to love it as much as he did. But I just couldn’t. I didn’t mind the rice and vegetables but knowing that I was also eating duck, snails and rabbit made me shiver. I wasn’t adventurous as he was. But BJ was right; cooking did take my mind off things. “Hey guys,” Nick and Chelsea walked into the kitchen.

She still looked sad and her face was still bruised but it was better than it looked last night. “Hey, how’d it go?”

Chelsea hugged me, “as good as can be expected,” she whispered. “I don’t want to be afraid of him anymore.”

“Good,” I hugged her back, “did you get ahold of your mom?”

“Yeah,” she sniffled, “she’s with my uncle now, trying to straighten up before she comes back.” She pulled back, “I’m gonna go take a nap.” She turned to Nick, “thanks for everything today Nick. I don’t know how I can thank you.”

“You don’t need to honey, I’m glad to do it.” When she disappeared he turned back to me, “can I talk to you alone please?”

He led me out back, “is everything okay?”

“Did he ever lay a hand on you?” I looked up at him and he looked angry.

“No-” but then I remembered. He had grabbed me once when I brought Chelsea back late one night. I had run inside to use the bathroom and he had been waiting up for her. He told me I wasn’t welcome in his house and shoved me back outside. “Well…he grabbed my arm once-”

“When?” His fists clenched.

“He didn’t leave a mark or anything but I had brought Chelsea home late, and he grabbed my arm and pushed me outside…”

Nick’s face looked murderous for one wild second. He seemed to reel himself back in but growled, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I frowned, “Chelsea told me not to…I’m sorry.”

“Is that the only time?”

“Yes.”

“You sure?” He pinched the bridge of his nose, “I can’t believe he touched you.”

“Positive. Why?”

He glared out at the ocean, “This isn’t the first time he’s done this to her.”

I glared out at the ocean this time, “fucking bastard.” He gave me a look, “I’m sorry! I know, no swearing.” I slumped down onto our outdoor couch, “what are we going to do?”

He sat down next to me and I immediately curled up next to him, “well,” he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, “she’s staying here indefinitely. She talked to her mom while at the station and they’re both afraid to go home, so I offered to keep her here while they go through the divorce. If her mom wants to file the charges against him, then they’ll go to court…”

“Is she really doing okay?”

He ran his hand through my hair and I felt the tension leaving my body, “she’s strong. It sounds like she wants to deal with it, not run away from it.” She was a lot stronger than I gave her credit for.

“BJ and I made some food today,” I sighed, “she said it helps her relieve some stress so I helped her.”

“I know things haven’t been ideal lately but you’re dealing with it beautifully. I’m proud of you.” Then he chuckled, “you and Beej make anything good?”

“Yeah,” I smiled, “lasagna, chicken pot pie, and your favorite paella.”

“Ooh!” He cried happily and stood up, “let’s go eat!” He led me into the kitchen and kissed BJ’s cheek, “thanks for making us food.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled at us.

“How are things going with you? Getting things settled?”

BJ hesitated but nodded, “I have an interview at this restaurant downtown tomorrow morning…and yesterday I talked to Jen.”

We both froze, “What, why?” I was forgetting about her, what a bitch she was, and now BJ reeled her back into my mind…again.

Nick squeezed my shoulder, “what’d you talk to her about?”

BJ handed Nick a plate of paella and turned to me. “I told her that she had no right playing with your emotions the way she did. That she was selfish and the way she played you was immoral.”

Tears welled in my eyes, “really?”

“Of course Ally, you’re my niece, she’s just a person who is unworthy of our time.”

I wrapped my arms around her, “thank you.” I had Nick and Alex stand up for me plenty of times, but never a female. Chelsea didn’t count because she was my age but a female that I considered family. It was overwhelming.

“Thanks BJ, that means a lot,” Nick said softly.

She shrugged, “she can use us as her doormat, I won’t let her.” Any grudge that I had held against BJ before was gone. She hugged Nick, “I hope you can forgive me.”

He kissed her cheek, “as long as you keep making me food, I will.” It felt good to laugh, but there was still one more piece that was still slightly askew.

“I’m gonna go check on Chelsea.” I left them talking about the paella and knocked softly on Chelsea’s door. “Hey.”

“Hi,” she smiled. “I can’t sleep.”

“You want to talk?”

“Not about the mess that my life is right now,” she sighed but chuckled.

“Everything will work out,” I promised.

“I know,” she smiled, “Nick told me that too. He promised he’d take care of it for me.”

“He will,” I smiled, “he always does.”

“I want to do something to repay you guys for help, and support-”

“We love you Chels, you don’t have to repay us for that.”

She grinned, “I love you too.” Then she hugged me again, “and I’m not gonna lie, I’m excited to live with you for a little while.”

I laughed, “me too! We’re gonna have so much fun!”

“It’ll be nice to see how a normal family lives.”

Just then Nick poked his head in the door and laughed, “Oh Chelsea, we are not normal, we’re crazy.”

She laughed, “Crazy is good though.” I agreed.

Nick was crazy, but I loved him.

“I just ate a ton of paella, why don’t we go get some ice cream and then come back and take the boat out?”

“That sounds fun,” I smiled. I think we all needed another worry free night.

“I’d like that,” Chelsea agreed.

I think Chelsea living here for a while was a dose of medicine we both needed.