Lily's POV
It all seemed like a dream to me. like a very big joke. Chase had the guts to do all that, in a crowd of people he'd been with almost half of the ladies.
"Oh friend." Jessica said, smiling so mischievously.
"Don't call me that." I protested.
"Pardon me if I do not know what to say. One would think you'd be next to your friend now, you know, in her time of need." She said,
I knew Jessica was gloating over me, and I kinda deserved it for nursing any feelings for Chase, ever.
"Jessica, this is neither the time or the place." I said. My eyes had begun to water.
I didn't see it coming, at all.
I thought there was nothing more to a jewelry box than a necklace. Chase asking Emma to marry him, to me, wasn't even a remote possibility. It felt like it was gonna be a high school fling at best.
"Welcome to my boat." She said, smiling. "We certainly are not needed here. Let's row along, shall we?" She asked.
We got out of the dining hall and headed straight to the class.
Classes were empty cause County High sure preferred a nice spectacle, like one Chase and Emma were providing.
"How are you?" Jessica asked.
"What do you think?" I retorted.
"Not very well, I presume." She said and squeezed my shoulders.
"It was only ten months ago." I said, breaking down.
All my defenses were in the mud. There was no one around so I could afford to.
"I'm sorry about that." Jessica said.
She kept hugging me from behind.
The lunch break was almost over, there was about a minute or two left. We were to expect company any moment from then.
"I'll call at your home later, Lily." She said,
I had begun to receive Jessica. Her situationship with Rudd was a big slice of humble pie, and it kinda drew us closer.
I welcomed her cause I was already losing my friend.
"Today's their final hearing. I hope the house won't be too chaotic to have you over." I said, warning her.
"It won't."Jessica assured me. "Maybe I'd get the strength I need to suggest it to my own folks." She sait, smiling.
I wanted to tell her that she didn't know what it was about and how it could drastically change the life of her family, but I think she did. Jessica, one night after Rudd raped her, told me of how her dad constantly raped their mom, in the marriage. Her mom was a trophy wife, and for that reason, she vowed to never let a man get so much control of her.
"Hey Lily." Emma entered and broke our conversation..
I didn't hear her enter, neither did Jessica. She was in, but I so dearly hoped she didn't catch anything we said when the door was shut..
Emma looked sincere enough, which is why as much as I wanted to do things my own way, it still hurt me to know that she was gonna endure a lot in the coming future.
I bit my cheek to stop the tears, and Jessica left, giving us some privacy.
We talked, I managed to not be stiff and awkward with her, but Emma's head was still so deep and buried in Chase.
The rest of the classes were a blur. I couldn't wait to get back home, or what was remaining of it.
"Lily, are you well?" Emma asked.
I nodded briskly and entered the car my dad sent.
I was going to be staying with him in the house.
My mom and her boyfriend were gonna start life as hippies, and that was no future for my brother and I.
My dad got custody by default, not like my mom even contended for it.
She got visiting twice a year as part of the deal, which she didn't fight either.
She was only too eager to jump into her new life, ready to leave us all behind.
I got home and ran upstairs immediately, ignoring everyone who was seated in our living room.
Mom had finally lacked. Her boyfriend was downstairs, same as my dad and brother.
I turned back to give my mom's new man a good stare and I almost threw up in my mouth at how unpleasant he was.
I shook my head in self control, but my legs were acting faster than my head, and very soon, I was close to him, and biting the shit out of his ear.
It took the combined effort of my dad, brother and mom to tear me off him.
I haired him so bad I loved the taste of his blood.
My dad was restraining me and shouting all sorts of things, telling me to chill.
But I was far from that. I wasn't ready to reason. I was blinded and deafened by anger.
I pulled off my loafers and aimed at his head.
It was a clean shot , and soon, the raggedy replacement of my dad was writhing in pain on our floor.
"Don't bring your ugly looking, flea infested raggedy excuse of a man here ever again." I spat at my mom and dashed back upstairs. "And in case you were wondering, I never want to see you, ever again." I said.
I felt bad for always thinking my dad was the villain. She literally put herself first and threw out futures into the thin wind.
I heard a knock on my door. I was sure it was my dad, some attempt to talk sense into me.
"I'm not up for that, Dad." I replied. I could never leave my old man hanging.
"Hey Bruce Lee, it's me, Jessica." I wondered how they let Jessica in. I was never really allowed to have visitors.
"Your mom says you need someone to talk to." Jessica said, entering the room.
"I don't. I need someone to kill and he's right downstairs." I said, angrily.
"Don't be like that." Jessica said. Her blonde hair was a new thing in my room, a welcome change too. I've never really had friends over. "Think of it as a good thing. You know, to some extent, your parents are setting an example for you. You don't have to manage, baby, you're better than that. I'm not absolving them of any blame, I'm just saying, they're showing you to put yourself first too." She looked at me.
"You think so?" I asked her. I wanted to make sure that she wasn't just saying all those things because it was my pity party. I had no strength to think, and was in dire need of someone to tell me exactly what to think. "You think this is good?" I asked, flaying my hand.
"I do so." She affirmed. "It's more pathetic seeing them trying to patch unmendable cracks. Trust me, it's much worse. This way, everyone is happy, and you get two extra parents, hopefully they care. And I meant to say, I'm happy with what you did with Gray. He's my boy, but you don't deserve that shit" She said, smiling.
"Well one's gonna have a defect in one ear." I joked.
Jessica laughed, and hugged me. "You're not a dragon, baby. You didn't chop it off."
I was glad to hear that, but I pretended to be disappointed.
"Elephant in the room?" She asked.
"Yeah, let's do it." Jessica and I had inadvertently become close, and I couldn't exactly say it was for the good of Emma.
"How do you feel, really?" Jessica asked me.
"Uhm. I don't know. Top of the list would be… betrayed?" I said, fresh tears were pooling in my eyes.
My phone chimed. I had a text from Emma.
'Hey. There's a lot of videos, Lily. I'm scared. I didn't see you in any of them though.' She said with a goofy emoji behind it.
Emma was so self absorbed. I couldn't believe that was the girl I had thought we'd go to the same college and explore the world together.
"I'll talk to you later." I texted back. I had serious business with Jessica.
"Are you fine, baby girl?" She asked.
"Sure, sure later." I said and went offline.
Jessica was showing me some pictures that would definitely look cool on everyone's phones.
"I have some too." I confessed, from the bar, you and Chase. Rudd was there too." I said.
Jessica looked at me, shocked, and then she laughed. "I never thought you had that in you, you sneaky bitch." She said and gave me a high five.