Chapter Twenty-two, Best Friends
Posted by DiF on Saturday, August 13, 2011
Title: Angels in a Cage: Chapter Twenty-two, Best Friends
Rating: PG-13 [language, mature conversations, alcohol]
Summary: Chris hangs out with Eddie. Alyssa hangs out with David
Left in her room after the window locks were once checked repeatedly, Alyssa changed into a Pearl Jam tee shirt and boxer shorts. She attempted watching TV, listening to music, even reading, but could not focus. Her eyes kept returning to the windows, even though the blinds and curtain were drawn. It mattered not that her window faced the backyard. She just knew he was out there, watching her, waiting for the perfect moment. He was coming for her. And there was nothing she could do.
About to give up and wander about the rest of the house looking for something to distract her, Alyssa practically jumped when her phone rang softly. Glancing at the caller id and not recognizing the name ‘Beth Leibling’ but feeling it was vaguely familiar, she reached for the phone, her other hand reaching for the answering machine to record the conversation if it were Zack.
“Hello?”
“Lyssie? Sorry it’s so late. Eddie and I were… well nevermind. Are you okay?”
Her body instantly relaxed and she sat down on her bed, “I’m okay, Chris. I just… I just can’t sleep. I know he’s out there, waiting for the chance to get to me.”
“Fuck. Let me come and get you.”
“Oh Chris… I wish… I wish I could.”
“I’m sure your family will be okay with it if they just met me.”
“Chris… We can’t. I need to stay here. I can’t be… wherever you are.”
“You would be safe here. No one can get in here. Eddie’s dealing with his own stalkers. His house is impenetrable right now,” he claimed.
“Wait. Eddie who?”
He chuckled, pausing to take a drag on his cigarette, “Vedder. Eddie Vedder of Pearl - ”
“Jam,” she interrupted, glancing down at her shirt. “I most certainly am not coming over to his house, Chris.”
“He’s just a guy, just like me.”
Alyssa smirked, “I know that. But I am not coming over. I’ll be fine. I won’t sleep, but I’ll be fine.”
“Just come over. I don’t like you not sleeping at all, Lyssie. It’ll be fine with Eddie and Beth. I’m sure of it.”
She sighed, “No, Chris. I’m staying here. I’m safe in my locked room. I’ll be okay.”
“Alyssa –”
“No, Chris. Besides you need to figure out what you feel and what you want to do about what happened tonight.”
He fell silent briefly, “I know what I feel and what I want to do about tonight. And right now, I just want to be with you.”
“I know. But this is something you have to do without me. And I’m going to be fine. You don’t need to worry, Chris.”
“But–”
“I’ll be okay. Call me again tomorrow afternoon. I’m going to try and sleep now.”
Regretfully hanging up the phone, Alyssa sighed and clicked off her nightstand light. She really did think she would be safe with Chris, had no reason to doubt his words or… Eddie’s security precautions. But she could not leave. Leaving alone would put her in danger. In addition to that, her parents would undoubtedly worry if she disappeared from the house. She did not think a note left would be sufficient. So instead she would curl up in her bed and listen to every pop and groan of the house – and hope that was all the sounds were, the house, not an intruder.
Staring at the silent phone for a long few minutes, Chris sighed. He did not like the thought of Alyssa being alone and afraid that night or really any night. If he had the chance, he would track down the fucker and beat his head in. Why the hell was he so protective of Alyssa? They had not known each other long. If she did not want to come and be by his side that night, he should be okay with that. She had her own life and he his. They did not need to be together all of the time.
But he only felt truly sane when she was around.
This meant that now that she refused him for that night, he was going to go mad. It meant he was alone with his thoughts, his negative thoughts, and that was never a good thing. Chris understood that he needed to come to terms with what had happened between Susan and Jerry and he supposed himself. He needed to deal with it emotionally, even if he had been emotionally dead towards Susan for quite some time. However, Alyssa had been right; he needed to come to terms with it.
He had not fucked around on her but she had fucked around on him. How the fuck was that fair?
A beer bottled was suddenly dangled in front of his face. Wordlessly he accepted it and glanced at Eddie. The other singer sank into a chair nearby and the two drank silently. He was not entirely sure that he wanted to talk about the circumstances, even if Eddie was curious. It had been enough to tell his best friend that he needed some place to crash for a few days; Eddie had not questioned it. Yet as they both set down empty beer bottles, Chris felt silent pressure to say something.
“I found Susan at home with Jerry Cantrell,” he declared.
If he had any reaction to it, Eddie hid it well, “And what are you going to do?”
“I’m not going back there.”
“What about your dogs? And your music?”
“Fuck, I’ll go back and get my things, but I am not going to live with her again,” Chris responded.
“And the band?”
He shook his head, “We can get a new manager. We’ve been courted by others before anyways.”
Eddie nodded but said nothing else.
“It doesn’t surprise me. Not at all. Why not fuck someone else you’re managing when you get bored of the one you’re married to? Seems to make complete sense to me. Fuck,” he grumbled.
“You haven’t really been feeling… positive about this marriage for some time, Chris. Clearly, she has not either, or else she would not have sought company outside the marriage. You cannot deny doing so yourself. There is the girl, right?”
He flinched slightly, “This has nothing to do with Alyssa. Jerry was clearly fucking comfortable walking around my house nearly naked. It must have been going on for some time.”
“Even if it has, are you sure that–”
“Look, Ed, if Alyssa weren’t in danger right now, I would have gone to the mountains and gotten so fucking wasted I could forget that a friend of mine has been fucking my wife. But that’s not the case. I don’t need you questioning my motives and decisions. I just don’t.”
Eddie sighed, getting to his feet, “All right, all right. You just handle this however you want. And you can stay here as long as you want. I’ll work it out with Beth.”
“Thanks, Ed. Really.”
Leaving the Soundgarden singer alone, Eddie left the living room. Remaining where he was for a few long moments, Chris ran his hands through his short hair. It was still difficult to wrap his mind around what he had seen. It made sense, plenty of sense. And he should not begrudge her handing him his divorce on a silver platter. He did not even love her, so why the hell did it bother him? He did not give a shit about Susan, at all. He wanted nothing more to do with her. He just wanted to be with Alyssa, nevermind his failure as a husband. It would be different with her.
Oh, there it was. That was why he was upset. He was feeling like he was a failure as a husband. But he wasn’t; it was just a doomed relationship. Right? He had not failed Susan so much to drive her into the arms of one of his friends.
Fuck, he felt like a failure. And that was reason enough to drink. A lot.
When her alarm went off in the morning, Alyssa groaned. Normally she did not mind getting up early too much. But for the past three nights, she slept little. It mattered not that squad cars were patrolling the neighborhood regularly, looking out for Zack. It mattered little that her father changed her phone number. He was still… out there, somewhere.
And to be honest, she was tired of always being with someone. It was bad enough that she was on high alert. It was twice as bad that every single moment outside of her house she was with someone. Yet somehow, she wanted someone with her. It was convoluted and she hated it.
She just wanted her normal life back.
Slowly getting dressed in jeans and a random tee shirt, not feeling it necessary to put any effort into her appearance, even though she had to work that evening, Alyssa dragged herself out of her bedroom. She grumbled a good morning to her family and slumped into her chair, not even bothering to grab a bowl of cereal. Both Howard and Marilyn looked at her with concern. Marilyn filled a bowl herself and set it in front of the teenager.
“Aly?”
“I still can’t sleep,” she grumbled.
Marilyn kissed the top of the girl’s head, “You’re safe, sweetie. He’s not going to do anything.”
“You don’t know that,” she replied, looking down at the cereal. “And I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat, Aly,” her father spoke up.
She pushed the bowl away and slid her chair back, “I’ll get something at school or something.”
“Aly–”
“I’m fine, Dad. Really. I’ll grab something at school. And remember I work tonight, so I won’t be coming home after classes,” she noted, moving to grab her car keys from the hook.
“But–”
“I’m fine. See you tonight,” she called as she hurried out the door.
Blasting her music, Alyssa tried to get lost in the melody. She was not really a big fan of Goo Goo Dolls and yet the song was often on the radio. Even though she did not really think the song was about her life, it seemed oddly fitting given her current circumstances.
“But if you could hide beside me/Maybe for a while/And I won't tell no one your name,” she belted out, thinking only of Chris.
Turning down David’s street, she sighed. She really had no desire at all to go to school. Would it not be better to not go to school if she was being stalked? Did it not make sense to go where she would not be expected? Could she convince David to skip school with her that day?
She pulled into his driveway, switched off her radio, and climbed out of the black car. Not even bothering to knock, she opened the front door just as David was descending the steps shirtless. Their eyes connected and he laughed before pulling his shirt on.
“You’re early,” he commented.
“I don’t want to go to school.”
He froze on the last step, “Why?”
She yawned and shrugged.
“Ahhhh,” David nodded. “Okay. Well my parents are gone until next week, so we can totally stay here since the weather is looking like April shit. I’ll call in for you and you can call in for me.”
Ten minutes later the teenagers lounged on the couch in the living room. Alyssa quickly plucked a throw pillow from the armrest, pivoted, and placed it in David’s lap. A moment later, her head rested upon the pillow as he turned on the TV. His other hand dropped down onto her head and gently began to play with her hair. Sighing her eyes fluttered close and she relaxed. Before the first commercial, Alyssa drifted asleep, finally feeling safe and protected. Sometimes all that was needed was a best friend.
With drool trickling out of the left corner of his mouth and his eyes half-open, Chris grunted. His grunt really meant nothing and everything all at the same time. Perhaps if he had been sprawled on someone else’s couch or bed or whatever it was he was laying on, it would have been different. But he was in Eddie’s house and he and Eddie did not need to actually speak in order to communicate. Eddie just seemed to know what Chris was thinking.
Or so he thought.
As his intoxicated eyes cracked fully open, Chris found himself staring up at his best friend – only Eddie was upside down. For the life of him, Chris could not understand Eddie’s position. How the hell did that work out at all?
“Chris?” Eddie’s deep baritone voice stated, causing the image of two Eddies to coalesce into one.
“Yeahhhhhh,” the Soundgarden singer slurred.
“We need to talk,” he declared.
“We are! We totally are… I think.”
“Maybe you should sit up,” Eddie suggested.
Slowly attempting what his friend suggested, Chris was once more confused. How had Eddie left so quickly? And why was he now facing the wall? How the hell had that happened?
“Chris,” a hand touched his shoulder.
His head whirled around and kept spinning. Had the hand on his shoulder not had a tight grip, Chris was certain he would have fallen off whatever he was on.
“Huh?”
“Look, man,” Eddie stated softly, “I know you are going through a hard time. And I want to be supportive… but uh… Beth is harping me… You don’t have to leave but… uh… you can’t stay here anymore.”
“Harp. Do you play harp, Eddddddddie?” Chris asked.
“Chris, no more booze. We will talk again when you sober up enough to understand what I’m saying,” he claimed. “Let’s get some water in you…”
Laying in a meadow filled with fragrant wildflowers, Alyssa smiled at the breeze lifted her hair once more. There was something sweet, innocent, and perfect about being in that meadow. She had no cares at all in the world. Not about school, family, or the fuck stalking her. Everything was safe and perfect. Well it was almost perfect. Perfection would come in the form of a kiss from Chris.
As soon as she thought that, he appeared. His lips touched hers, causing her lips to curve into a smile. She stretched like a kitten in the sun, practically purring. He kissed her once more, his mouth urging her lips to open to deepen the kiss.
Suddenly it didn’t feel right. Something was not right at all in that scene. How had she gotten to the meadow? How had Chris gotten to the meadow? What was going on?
Her eyes fluttered open and whirled about. Focusing on the TV screen, she realized she was still on David’s couch, in his living room. While her head still rested upon a pillow, his lap was not underneath it. This realization shot fear into her soul and she sat up quickly.
“David? David?” she called, panic tinting her voice.
He quickly stepped into the room, “Aly? Are you okay?”
“I… you were… I…”
He sat back on the couch beside her, his arm slipping around her back and embracing her, “Everything’s okay. I just went to piss, Aly. That’s all. I wasn’t even gone like five minutes.”
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I…”
He kissed her temple, “I understand, Aly. You haven’t been sleeping, have you?”
“I… uh… no,” she admitted softly. “Every time I almost fall asleep some little sound in my room wakes me right back up. I just know it’s him every single time, even if it’s not.”
David remained silent for a moment, “Well you pretty much just slept all day or at least all of the school day. And you still look sleepy. So we really can’t have you not sleeping at night until that fuck is caught – because he will be caught. I think the solution is… you should just stay here until he’s found.”
“I… I don’t think my parents would be okay with that.”
“I’ll call and talk to your dad. It’s not like they don’t know me. Hell they even like me. And we’re not having sex so they don’t have to worry about that,” he argued. “You need to sleep, Aly. You need to feel safe. And right now you don’t at home. So we’ll stay here tonight and… then go camping this weekend.”
“Camping? Are you crazy? It’s the first week of May. It’ll be freezing anywhere we go,” she responded.
He grinned, “Then we’ll just stay here all weekend. Seriously, Alyssa, you need to feel safe and you need to get some sleep.”
“Fine,” she pulled out of his arms. “You call my dad then.”
Rating: PG-13 [language, mature conversations, alcohol]
Summary: Chris hangs out with Eddie. Alyssa hangs out with David
Left in her room after the window locks were once checked repeatedly, Alyssa changed into a Pearl Jam tee shirt and boxer shorts. She attempted watching TV, listening to music, even reading, but could not focus. Her eyes kept returning to the windows, even though the blinds and curtain were drawn. It mattered not that her window faced the backyard. She just knew he was out there, watching her, waiting for the perfect moment. He was coming for her. And there was nothing she could do.
About to give up and wander about the rest of the house looking for something to distract her, Alyssa practically jumped when her phone rang softly. Glancing at the caller id and not recognizing the name ‘Beth Leibling’ but feeling it was vaguely familiar, she reached for the phone, her other hand reaching for the answering machine to record the conversation if it were Zack.
“Hello?”
“Lyssie? Sorry it’s so late. Eddie and I were… well nevermind. Are you okay?”
Her body instantly relaxed and she sat down on her bed, “I’m okay, Chris. I just… I just can’t sleep. I know he’s out there, waiting for the chance to get to me.”
“Fuck. Let me come and get you.”
“Oh Chris… I wish… I wish I could.”
“I’m sure your family will be okay with it if they just met me.”
“Chris… We can’t. I need to stay here. I can’t be… wherever you are.”
“You would be safe here. No one can get in here. Eddie’s dealing with his own stalkers. His house is impenetrable right now,” he claimed.
“Wait. Eddie who?”
He chuckled, pausing to take a drag on his cigarette, “Vedder. Eddie Vedder of Pearl - ”
“Jam,” she interrupted, glancing down at her shirt. “I most certainly am not coming over to his house, Chris.”
“He’s just a guy, just like me.”
Alyssa smirked, “I know that. But I am not coming over. I’ll be fine. I won’t sleep, but I’ll be fine.”
“Just come over. I don’t like you not sleeping at all, Lyssie. It’ll be fine with Eddie and Beth. I’m sure of it.”
She sighed, “No, Chris. I’m staying here. I’m safe in my locked room. I’ll be okay.”
“Alyssa –”
“No, Chris. Besides you need to figure out what you feel and what you want to do about what happened tonight.”
He fell silent briefly, “I know what I feel and what I want to do about tonight. And right now, I just want to be with you.”
“I know. But this is something you have to do without me. And I’m going to be fine. You don’t need to worry, Chris.”
“But–”
“I’ll be okay. Call me again tomorrow afternoon. I’m going to try and sleep now.”
Regretfully hanging up the phone, Alyssa sighed and clicked off her nightstand light. She really did think she would be safe with Chris, had no reason to doubt his words or… Eddie’s security precautions. But she could not leave. Leaving alone would put her in danger. In addition to that, her parents would undoubtedly worry if she disappeared from the house. She did not think a note left would be sufficient. So instead she would curl up in her bed and listen to every pop and groan of the house – and hope that was all the sounds were, the house, not an intruder.
Staring at the silent phone for a long few minutes, Chris sighed. He did not like the thought of Alyssa being alone and afraid that night or really any night. If he had the chance, he would track down the fucker and beat his head in. Why the hell was he so protective of Alyssa? They had not known each other long. If she did not want to come and be by his side that night, he should be okay with that. She had her own life and he his. They did not need to be together all of the time.
But he only felt truly sane when she was around.
This meant that now that she refused him for that night, he was going to go mad. It meant he was alone with his thoughts, his negative thoughts, and that was never a good thing. Chris understood that he needed to come to terms with what had happened between Susan and Jerry and he supposed himself. He needed to deal with it emotionally, even if he had been emotionally dead towards Susan for quite some time. However, Alyssa had been right; he needed to come to terms with it.
He had not fucked around on her but she had fucked around on him. How the fuck was that fair?
A beer bottled was suddenly dangled in front of his face. Wordlessly he accepted it and glanced at Eddie. The other singer sank into a chair nearby and the two drank silently. He was not entirely sure that he wanted to talk about the circumstances, even if Eddie was curious. It had been enough to tell his best friend that he needed some place to crash for a few days; Eddie had not questioned it. Yet as they both set down empty beer bottles, Chris felt silent pressure to say something.
“I found Susan at home with Jerry Cantrell,” he declared.
If he had any reaction to it, Eddie hid it well, “And what are you going to do?”
“I’m not going back there.”
“What about your dogs? And your music?”
“Fuck, I’ll go back and get my things, but I am not going to live with her again,” Chris responded.
“And the band?”
He shook his head, “We can get a new manager. We’ve been courted by others before anyways.”
Eddie nodded but said nothing else.
“It doesn’t surprise me. Not at all. Why not fuck someone else you’re managing when you get bored of the one you’re married to? Seems to make complete sense to me. Fuck,” he grumbled.
“You haven’t really been feeling… positive about this marriage for some time, Chris. Clearly, she has not either, or else she would not have sought company outside the marriage. You cannot deny doing so yourself. There is the girl, right?”
He flinched slightly, “This has nothing to do with Alyssa. Jerry was clearly fucking comfortable walking around my house nearly naked. It must have been going on for some time.”
“Even if it has, are you sure that–”
“Look, Ed, if Alyssa weren’t in danger right now, I would have gone to the mountains and gotten so fucking wasted I could forget that a friend of mine has been fucking my wife. But that’s not the case. I don’t need you questioning my motives and decisions. I just don’t.”
Eddie sighed, getting to his feet, “All right, all right. You just handle this however you want. And you can stay here as long as you want. I’ll work it out with Beth.”
“Thanks, Ed. Really.”
Leaving the Soundgarden singer alone, Eddie left the living room. Remaining where he was for a few long moments, Chris ran his hands through his short hair. It was still difficult to wrap his mind around what he had seen. It made sense, plenty of sense. And he should not begrudge her handing him his divorce on a silver platter. He did not even love her, so why the hell did it bother him? He did not give a shit about Susan, at all. He wanted nothing more to do with her. He just wanted to be with Alyssa, nevermind his failure as a husband. It would be different with her.
Oh, there it was. That was why he was upset. He was feeling like he was a failure as a husband. But he wasn’t; it was just a doomed relationship. Right? He had not failed Susan so much to drive her into the arms of one of his friends.
Fuck, he felt like a failure. And that was reason enough to drink. A lot.
When her alarm went off in the morning, Alyssa groaned. Normally she did not mind getting up early too much. But for the past three nights, she slept little. It mattered not that squad cars were patrolling the neighborhood regularly, looking out for Zack. It mattered little that her father changed her phone number. He was still… out there, somewhere.
And to be honest, she was tired of always being with someone. It was bad enough that she was on high alert. It was twice as bad that every single moment outside of her house she was with someone. Yet somehow, she wanted someone with her. It was convoluted and she hated it.
She just wanted her normal life back.
Slowly getting dressed in jeans and a random tee shirt, not feeling it necessary to put any effort into her appearance, even though she had to work that evening, Alyssa dragged herself out of her bedroom. She grumbled a good morning to her family and slumped into her chair, not even bothering to grab a bowl of cereal. Both Howard and Marilyn looked at her with concern. Marilyn filled a bowl herself and set it in front of the teenager.
“Aly?”
“I still can’t sleep,” she grumbled.
Marilyn kissed the top of the girl’s head, “You’re safe, sweetie. He’s not going to do anything.”
“You don’t know that,” she replied, looking down at the cereal. “And I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat, Aly,” her father spoke up.
She pushed the bowl away and slid her chair back, “I’ll get something at school or something.”
“Aly–”
“I’m fine, Dad. Really. I’ll grab something at school. And remember I work tonight, so I won’t be coming home after classes,” she noted, moving to grab her car keys from the hook.
“But–”
“I’m fine. See you tonight,” she called as she hurried out the door.
Blasting her music, Alyssa tried to get lost in the melody. She was not really a big fan of Goo Goo Dolls and yet the song was often on the radio. Even though she did not really think the song was about her life, it seemed oddly fitting given her current circumstances.
“But if you could hide beside me/Maybe for a while/And I won't tell no one your name,” she belted out, thinking only of Chris.
Turning down David’s street, she sighed. She really had no desire at all to go to school. Would it not be better to not go to school if she was being stalked? Did it not make sense to go where she would not be expected? Could she convince David to skip school with her that day?
She pulled into his driveway, switched off her radio, and climbed out of the black car. Not even bothering to knock, she opened the front door just as David was descending the steps shirtless. Their eyes connected and he laughed before pulling his shirt on.
“You’re early,” he commented.
“I don’t want to go to school.”
He froze on the last step, “Why?”
She yawned and shrugged.
“Ahhhh,” David nodded. “Okay. Well my parents are gone until next week, so we can totally stay here since the weather is looking like April shit. I’ll call in for you and you can call in for me.”
Ten minutes later the teenagers lounged on the couch in the living room. Alyssa quickly plucked a throw pillow from the armrest, pivoted, and placed it in David’s lap. A moment later, her head rested upon the pillow as he turned on the TV. His other hand dropped down onto her head and gently began to play with her hair. Sighing her eyes fluttered close and she relaxed. Before the first commercial, Alyssa drifted asleep, finally feeling safe and protected. Sometimes all that was needed was a best friend.
With drool trickling out of the left corner of his mouth and his eyes half-open, Chris grunted. His grunt really meant nothing and everything all at the same time. Perhaps if he had been sprawled on someone else’s couch or bed or whatever it was he was laying on, it would have been different. But he was in Eddie’s house and he and Eddie did not need to actually speak in order to communicate. Eddie just seemed to know what Chris was thinking.
Or so he thought.
As his intoxicated eyes cracked fully open, Chris found himself staring up at his best friend – only Eddie was upside down. For the life of him, Chris could not understand Eddie’s position. How the hell did that work out at all?
“Chris?” Eddie’s deep baritone voice stated, causing the image of two Eddies to coalesce into one.
“Yeahhhhhh,” the Soundgarden singer slurred.
“We need to talk,” he declared.
“We are! We totally are… I think.”
“Maybe you should sit up,” Eddie suggested.
Slowly attempting what his friend suggested, Chris was once more confused. How had Eddie left so quickly? And why was he now facing the wall? How the hell had that happened?
“Chris,” a hand touched his shoulder.
His head whirled around and kept spinning. Had the hand on his shoulder not had a tight grip, Chris was certain he would have fallen off whatever he was on.
“Huh?”
“Look, man,” Eddie stated softly, “I know you are going through a hard time. And I want to be supportive… but uh… Beth is harping me… You don’t have to leave but… uh… you can’t stay here anymore.”
“Harp. Do you play harp, Eddddddddie?” Chris asked.
“Chris, no more booze. We will talk again when you sober up enough to understand what I’m saying,” he claimed. “Let’s get some water in you…”
Laying in a meadow filled with fragrant wildflowers, Alyssa smiled at the breeze lifted her hair once more. There was something sweet, innocent, and perfect about being in that meadow. She had no cares at all in the world. Not about school, family, or the fuck stalking her. Everything was safe and perfect. Well it was almost perfect. Perfection would come in the form of a kiss from Chris.
As soon as she thought that, he appeared. His lips touched hers, causing her lips to curve into a smile. She stretched like a kitten in the sun, practically purring. He kissed her once more, his mouth urging her lips to open to deepen the kiss.
Suddenly it didn’t feel right. Something was not right at all in that scene. How had she gotten to the meadow? How had Chris gotten to the meadow? What was going on?
Her eyes fluttered open and whirled about. Focusing on the TV screen, she realized she was still on David’s couch, in his living room. While her head still rested upon a pillow, his lap was not underneath it. This realization shot fear into her soul and she sat up quickly.
“David? David?” she called, panic tinting her voice.
He quickly stepped into the room, “Aly? Are you okay?”
“I… you were… I…”
He sat back on the couch beside her, his arm slipping around her back and embracing her, “Everything’s okay. I just went to piss, Aly. That’s all. I wasn’t even gone like five minutes.”
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I…”
He kissed her temple, “I understand, Aly. You haven’t been sleeping, have you?”
“I… uh… no,” she admitted softly. “Every time I almost fall asleep some little sound in my room wakes me right back up. I just know it’s him every single time, even if it’s not.”
David remained silent for a moment, “Well you pretty much just slept all day or at least all of the school day. And you still look sleepy. So we really can’t have you not sleeping at night until that fuck is caught – because he will be caught. I think the solution is… you should just stay here until he’s found.”
“I… I don’t think my parents would be okay with that.”
“I’ll call and talk to your dad. It’s not like they don’t know me. Hell they even like me. And we’re not having sex so they don’t have to worry about that,” he argued. “You need to sleep, Aly. You need to feel safe. And right now you don’t at home. So we’ll stay here tonight and… then go camping this weekend.”
“Camping? Are you crazy? It’s the first week of May. It’ll be freezing anywhere we go,” she responded.
He grinned, “Then we’ll just stay here all weekend. Seriously, Alyssa, you need to feel safe and you need to get some sleep.”
“Fine,” she pulled out of his arms. “You call my dad then.”
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