Chapter 35 #2
“It was scary,” I reply, squeezing his hand. “But I’m okay. The guys got to me, and I was able to get away from Ben. I’m going to call Sarah after my shower and soak. Do you want to make the call with me?”
“Yes. Thanks. Give a shout when you’re ready?”
“Will do,” I smile. I grab a quick shower to get rid of the sweat, then take a scalding hot soak in the tub. I apply my cream and stretch, then take my laptop to the couch. Zander is already there watching tv.
I set up on the coffee table as Zander turns off the volume. We sit beside each other as I dial Sarah. “Hello Summer,” she smiles. “Oh, nice to see you, Zander,” she nods. “Did something happen?”
“Yeah, it did last night,” I nod.
“I think I’m more unsettled than Summer at this point,” Zander tells her.
“Okay. Can you tell me what happened?” She already knows about Cara and Ben from our weekly sessions, so I go through everything that happened last night. “I’m sorry that happened to you and your friend Summer. How are you feeling about it?”
“I wasn’t numb last night, but I couldn’t really work through it either. I had two nightmares. My friend E woke me from both, and he suggested I try sleeping beside Seb. It worked, and I got some sleep.”
“I didn’t hear you, darling. I’m sorry.” Zander looks guilty with his shoulders slumped inward.
“Nothing to be sorry for.” I smile at him, bumping my shoulder against his. He’s at the other end of the house. I’d have to be screaming at top volume for him to hear me.
Getting back to my story, I continue. “We worked in the garden today, then I went for a long run with the guys. It helped me process everything, and I cried a bit at the end of the run. I wasn’t sad, just releasing all the emotions about last night.”
“How do you feel now about what happened?” Sarah asks.
“Um, I’m more pissed at whoever drugged Seb and at Cara, than what happened to me. It was scary when he pinned me to the sink, but I got away from him and came out of my panic.”
“You certainly did. I’m proud of you for stopping your panic attack. I understand why you are focusing on Seb and Cara, but I’d like to focus on you. He triggered you, Summer. How do you think you will feel when you see him again?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t want to be scared of him or panic. Right now I’m angry with him.”
“I expect you will feel uneasy, which is okay. Is there anything that can help you with facing him next?”
“Well, I know the guys will be nearby, and will always come for me, so I’m not alone. Zander and Troy will too. We discussed the guys being with me if Ben is nearby, so he can’t corner me.”
“Good. Anything else?”
“Um, I got away myself. I think that fact will help.”
“She’s going to train in self-defence too. She hurt her hand throwing a punch last night,” Zander adds.
“That should help you feel more confident in your abilities, Summer. You already have lots of tools in place to help you deal with Ben. Try to remind yourself of them before school on Monday.” I agree to do so.
She asks if there is anything else to discuss, so I ask her if she could speak with Zander.
“Of course,” she says. “Zander, I’m guessing you’re feeling various emotions right now?”
“Too many,” he nods.
“Can you tell me what emotions are running through you?”
“Scared for Summer. Frustrated that I can’t lock this kid up and throw away the key. We have no recourse here, and it pisses me off.”
“Understandable,” she nods. “Remember, you have a remarkably strong young woman sitting beside you. I’m not sure there is anything she can’t overcome.”
“She shouldn’t have to,” he mutters.
“In an ideal world, no, but life doesn’t work that way. Summer, would you mind if I talk to Zander for a few minutes alone?”
“No, go ahead. I’ll watch some tv in my room,” I say, giving his hand a squeeze. “Thanks, Sarah.”
“You’re welcome, Summer. Call if you need me,” she smiles.
I leave Zander and Sarah and head to my room. Lying back on my bed, I stretch my legs some more. My phone rings, so I pick it up to see it’s Seb. “Hi Hurry.”
“Hey Sunshine. How are you?”
“Okay. I just talked to my therapist about everything.” I tell him as I continue to stretch out my thighs.
“Did it help?” He asks. Hmm, he sounds off, not surprising after what he’s been through.
“Yeah, it did. What do you need, Hurry?”
“I’m feeling freaked out about everything. What would have happened if you weren’t there?”
“I was there, and she was stopped. Remember, E was on his way to find you too,” I reassure him. Although we experienced different situations, I understand the complex emotions that can surface after realizing a violation has occurred.
“Yeah, I guess,” he mumbles.
“We can’t spend our lives worrying about the what-ifs, Hurry.
It’ll drive us crazy, and then we aren’t living.
Be grateful it turned out the way it did and try to move forward.
I don’t think any of us will party or drink for a while.
If and when we do, we’ll take more precautions so nothing can happen again. ”
Seb sighs. “Yeah, you’re right. Thank you again for punching that bitch. I would have loved to see that.”
“I hope I broke her nose.” I’m not usually a violent person, but seeing what she was going to do with Seb, I saw red.
Seb chuckles. “I hope so, too.”
“E went a little crazy on her when he realized what was happening. He dragged her out of the closet Nick had thrown her into, and was yelling and shaking the shit out of her, asking questions.”
“Looks like I have two defenders of my honour then.” I can hear happiness in his voice.
We talk a little more about what movie we want to watch tonight and what food we’re gonna order, and then I let him go. I decide to take a quick nap, so I set my alarm on my phone and grab Jake’s pillow.
My laptop is back on my desk when I wake up, and I find Zander on the couch watching tv again. “You okay?” I ask, sitting beside him on the couch.
“Just fine, darling. Talking to Sarah helped. Thank you for letting me in on your call.”
“You’re welcome. We’re going to hang out at Alex’s house, order food, and watch a movie tonight. Are you okay with that?”
“Are you guys planning on going anywhere?” His brows draw down with concern. This incident will take time for all of us to recover from.
“Nope, we’re staying in. Straight there and back. Maybe you could give me my first driving lesson tomorrow?”
“I’d love to,” he smiles. “Do you want to learn to drive a stick or just an automatic?” We discuss the pros and cons, and I decide to learn both.
He also wants me to learn to change a tire and check the oil.
Both of which I’m happy to do. “Are you going to be a truck girl or a car girl? Maybe a Jeep girl?”
“I don’t know. Never really thought about it. Definitely not a lifted anything. I can’t get into E’s truck without help.”
Zander chuckles at that. “I suppose that would be a pain in the ass. Want to get a baking lesson in before you leave?” He wants to try muffins today and reminds me we need to stop by the police station.
The police station is painless and quick, and we spend the next few hours making muffins. Zander does pretty well. No flour incidents today. We make chocolate chip, lemon blueberry, and cinnamon cake. I box up some for the guys, and we leave the rest out for us to enjoy during the week.
Seb and Nick pick me up at 4:30pm, and Nick drives us straight to Alex’s house.
The guard opens the gate for us when he sees the Jeep.
Nick parks in front of the garage, and we head upstairs.
Alex is playing a video game with a headset on when we arrive, and E is cooking in the kitchen.
“I brought dessert,” I tell them. “Where’s Bay? ” I ask everyone.
“He’s running late,” Alex tells me, not taking his eyes off the tv screen.
“Do you need help?” I ask E.
“No thanks. I’m almost done,” he smiles, so I join the guys on the couch.
“E cooks when he gets stressed,” Seb whispers to me. Ah, that makes sense. The food will be much tastier and healthier than whatever we could buy at a restaurant, anyway.
I nod at that. “Did anyone check in with their friends to see if anyone saw anything last night?” I ask.
“We did. No luck, Sunshine. There was a commotion at one point where a guy stumbled into me drunk, but that’s the only info we have. No one knows who it was.”
“That’s frustrating. I can text Holly and Jaxon to see if they saw anything?”
“Can’t hurt,” Seb shrugs. I create a group chat with the two of them and ask if they saw anything last night after giving them a summary of what happened. The only info they have is that they saw Cara pretty drunk last night, but they weren’t around Seb at all. They didn’t see Ben either.
We gather at the table for dinner shortly after. E has created a feast for us, and it’s all delicious. He’s going to be an amazing chef one day. I eat too much and end up with a food baby. We all compliment him on the dishes he created, even Nick. I grab the muffins for everyone after we finish.
Bay shows up as we’re cleaning the kitchen. E has a plate in the oven keeping warm for him, so he devours his food as we work.
I tell the guys to choose a movie, so they settle on the new Indiana Jones. Seb has his arm wrapped around my shoulders, so I’m leaning on him with E on the other side. Nick is lying on the right lounger, with Alex and Bay on the left. It’s comfortable and relaxing after last night.
No nightmares greet me tonight.