Emma's POV
I started having Lily over soon after the whole drama blew past.
I didn't know, and frankly didn't care where she stood Gray. We were having the time of our lives together and that was seriously all that mattered to me.
Life was beautiful. I had everybody I wanted in my corner.
I was still confused about Chase, and it kinda made me miss my mom. Not like I'd have been able to talk to her about it, but it sure would've helped to have her around.
"What are you doing here?" I asked Chase.
I had, unsuccessfully, tried to hide my body from him.
"Lily and I were just trying out waist chains for the prom."I explained, turning red already. Chase was shamelessly looking at my vagina.
I wanted to cover it so bad, but some invisible force held me back. I won't ever be able to explain it.
"That explains a shaved pussy?" He asked.
He had already grabbed all the stuff in my hands, so I had nothing to fling at him. Lately, he's been getting on my nerves, jokingly or intentionally.
"What the fuck do you mean?" I asked him. I was getting pissed, but I also knew I still looked silly, standing half clad.
"I mean, you need your kitty shaved for all that?" Chase was uncomfortably close to me. I could feel his breath all over my face as he talked.
"Yeah, I do." I confirmed standing up to him.
"Whatever." He said.
I was insulted by his guts.
"Get out." I screamed. "Get the fuck out."
"Not yet, baby." Chase said, smiling. "When are we gonna talk about you and Lily?" I knew Chase never really liked her, but I had made it clear that I wasn't taking any suggestions from him on that subject.
"I still stand on what I said dear." I fetched a shirt tennis skirt I got as a birthday gift from an "anonymous", whom I found out to be my mother. Growing up, I used to be a boring and irritating nerd.
"No one's forcing you to stand, sit." Chase said sarcastically and sat me down, on his legs.
I couldn't feel any boner. He was as normal as ever. I was already nurturing thoughts about not being what he wanted anymore.
"Baby girl," Chase started, "I saw you kiss your best friend. Now how would you react if you, say, caught Gray and I in that way?" He asked. Chase was catching too much fun. So much it annoyed me.
"I'm not entertaining silly questions Chase." I said, standing up. I undermined his strength and grip on me. I was back on his leg as soon as I started to get up.
"What's your problem with Lily?" I asked Chase, looking at him.
I stood up and put my two legs around him, one to each side, facing him squarely.
I had learned to never deal with him in cowardice. I saw his facade breakdown bit by bit.
"You had so many words just minutes ago." I teased him. "Come on."I held his stubble and smiled.
He stood up carrying me along like I was a weightless feather.
"You need your rest. You're starting to say too much stuff." Chase dropped me on my bed and scurried out of my room, banging the door behind him.
I wondered what had just happened.
One minute, it seemed like it was gonna be friendly banter, the next, he confronted me about stuff I thought we'd both determined to never talk about, then he sat me on his lap, just one question, and he fled.
He wasn't gonna make me feel down, so I took my phone and decided to check what everyone else was up to.
Lily didn't have a loud social media presence. I never really connected with Gray and Jessica, so there was nothing much to see. Plus Gray blocked me since that incident.
It has been about six months since we moved out of Starry, but every now and then, I still kinda felt drawn.
"Hey Kayla." I texted, deleted and finally texted again.
I was doing a bit better, and since the way we left wasn't really all that, I thought I could reconnect to her, maybe.
She read my text immediately, because she was online at that point, but didn't reply.
We weren't such good friends when I left. But she kinda supported me through the whole thing with her brother, and I still appreciated that, a lot.
There was no point in double texting, she probably didn't wanna talk to me.
I felt my eyes water, imagining what sorts of news must've spread about me.
Leaving like thieves wasn't really the best idea, but my mom never wanted to be reminded about it, at all.
For lack of anything better to do,, I went to my fave swing.
I had the lights around it dimmed. I wanted to be able to see others, but they would have a hard time seeing me. Not the other way around.
It was quite late already. But I wasn't settled.
I dropped my phone upstairs cause I didn't wanna be distracted from my thoughts.
I was living the life many girls outside the County could only dream of.
My Mom too was, and seeing her happy made me happy.
I concluded that that was the best for me, so I took a deep breath and stopped all the bad thoughts going through my mind.
I had a thing for self sabotaging. I kinda always did it to myself, subconsciously.
I never ever really believed I deserve anything good. Not then, not now, not ever.
"I feel like we have a lot to talk about." Chase said, coming up from behind me.
I really thought I had escaped him.
I thought we were done, for that night at least. I thought I had escaped him.
"I feel I need space." I returned, sarcastically.
"That's alright." Chase sometimes surprised me with thoughtfulness. "Are you happy with me?" He asked, point blank.
"What does that even mean?" I asked him.
"I mean, are you happy with me?" Chase repeated.