The Way With You (The Way #2) (11 page)

Bash smirks, walking over to me and kissing me on top of my head. "You ready to go see the doctor?"

I huff gently, so I don't jar my ribs. "No. I don't want to go anywhere looking like this."

"You look beautiful," he tells me.

I roll my eyes. "Liar. I'm bruised and scraped up. My nose is swollen with a brace on it. My eyes are black and blue and still puffy. Yeah, nothing beautiful here."

"Olivia?" Lex begins.

"Yeah?"

"You
are
beautiful. You're alive. You survived and you're here right now breathing, laughing, and talking to us. That's a beauty of its own," she says softly, ending with a sniffle.

"Well…" is all I can think to say. "Thank you."

She nods and heads to her room, turning back at the last minute to say, "Don't forget your umbrella. It's raining like crazy."

"Rain, rain, rain. All it ever does here is rain. I thought you said it snowed here," I say to Bash.

"The weather is unseasonably warm right now. Take it while you can get it. One inch of rain is a foot of snow. Think about that a while," he taunts.

"When you put it like that…"

He chuckles.

"C'mon." He holds up my jacket for me to ease into and zips it up.

I grab my umbrella and he rolls his eyes. I flip him off and he just laughs.

The doctor's appointment
three days ago went as expected. Apparently my lungs are doing well, even if it hurt like a mother to breathe deep like that. No blood in my urine—all good.

It's time to see Dr. Wheeler. Bash drops me off. "I'll pick you up in an hour."

"Thanks," I say, then kiss his cheek before exiting the car.

As I walk into the building I think about what I just did. It was natural to kiss his cheek—even though I wanted to kiss his lips. I've always, from the day I met him, found him extremely attractive and it's no different now—except that I know him. I know he's not someone who'd ever hurt me, but do I want to risk our friendship because of it?

"Olivia?" Dr. Wheeler calls out.

I walk into the office and take my spot on the sofa.

"How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Hurting but it's supposed to get better as the bruises fade and they're an ugly yellow now so…" I trail off.

He nods. "And the nightmares?"

"Still happening."

"Every night?" he asks.

"Not every night, but often," I admit.

"That's normal under the circumstances. It's your brain's way of dealing with what happened to you emotionally and physically. Do you want to talk about those nightmares?" he asks.

"Sure. They're usually the same every time. I head toward the old concession stand like the text instructed and when I get there, I find the note. Then I get attacked from behind, exactly like what happened to me and when I'm turned around the attacker keeps going," I tell him, swallowing the fear.

"After a few minutes of being assaulted, I hear a high-pitch laugh and when I look up, it's Alison. But it's not her hitting me. It's still the masked man."

"Is the man ever revealed?" Dr. Wheeler asks.

I nod, swallowing hard, unsure of what I feel.

"And who did it reveal?"

"Uh," I hedge, picking at my leggings again. "Cameron."

Dr. Wheeler just nods.

"You don't seem surprised," I say.

"Truthfully, I'm not. Cameron's bullied you as a child and in high school, and he's been making you very unhappy lately."

"Plus, he's betrayed me by hanging out with the psycho."

"Exactly. That is the piece of the puzzle that ties your nightmare to Cameron. You know it's not really him who attacked you, right?" he asks.

"I do. He's hurt me emotionally, but not physically," I tell him with a frown.

"Sometimes we tie one form abuse with another and in dreams, or nightmares, we put the abuser into the place of the one who's really doing the attacking," he explains. "In this case, I'd suspect it's because both the past and the present tie Cameron to Alison and she's the one who—allegedly—had someone do this to you. Plus, you feel betrayed by Cameron's continued association with Alison so your subconscious thrusts him into the place of the attacker."

"Man. I am so fucked up," I breathe, dismayed at how screwed up I am in my head and heart when it comes to Cameron and Alison.

The doc just waits for me.

"They really did a number on me," I admit.

He inclines his head.

"How do I know I'm not this messed up about everyone else?" I ask, needing to know if I can trust myself.

"None of this has to do with anyone else. You nightmares are only about these people, this situation along with other situations where Cameron and Alison are present, correct?" he asks.

"Yes."

"Then rest assured, you're only trying to cope with the enormity of what's happened. The nightmares will lessen and eventually stop the more you talk about things and rationalize them in your head. But you're not ready for that yet. It's too fresh—the trauma. It will take time for you to recover and be able to even attempt to make sense of what's happened," Dr. Wheeler explains.

"What do I do until then? The nightmares will keep coming?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Great," I mutter, deflated.

"Sebastian and Alexa are there for you. Lean on them. Talk to them about what's bothering you. When you have nightmares, tell them what happens in them. The more you open yourself up to what's happened, the quicker you'll start to heal."

"Okay. I'll try."

"What else is on your mind, Olivia? Anything new going on?"

"As a matter of fact… the other night Cam an I broke up… well, I broke up with him. It was time," I admit.

"We've agreed that we can be blunt with one another," Dr. Wheeler reiterates.

I nod. "Go ahead."

"Now that you and Cameron are no longer in a relationship, you're going to have to deal with your feelings for Sebastian—the ones you've been denying and repressing," he states candidly.

"Tell me something I don't know," I begin.

And the last thirty minutes are spent talking about Sebastian and the fact that I've always thought he was hot, the fact that he makes my girlie bits tingle, the fact that he makes my heart beat faster, and the fact that he makes me feel safe.

These last thirty minutes I confess everything and it feels good to finally admit it to Dr. Wheeler and to myself.

"Do you want to
go to the game?" Bash asks.

"It's raining," I tell him, wrinkling my nose.

He frowns. "It should be snowing. Mother Nature's all kinds of fucked up."

"Apparently so. Is it okay if we skip the game?" I ask, not really wanting to get soaking wet sitting in the stands watching my ex-boyfriend play football—not to mention the fear of being in the area of the attack. I still have nightmares. They're easing up and Dr. Wheeler is helping. I honestly don't know how I'd have gotten through the last couple weeks without Dr. Wheeler, Lex, and Bash.

He shrugs "I'm good with skipping being chilled to the bone. This game is a no-brainer for them."

"That's what Lex said, but she still wants to go."

"You wanna go to the party after?" he asks.

"Sure. I finally feel presentable enough to be out in public," I admit. "And I'm pretty fond of my new nose—even if it is still bruised a bit."

"Love," Bash says, shaking his head. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. Whoever did this is the one who should be ashamed
and
they should be locked up."

I nod. "The cops can't find anything but they said they're keeping their eye on Alison."

"The restraining order makes me feel better," Sebastian confesses. Him admitting that is a big deal.

I nod. "Me too."

"Livvy, I—"

The door opens and a livid Alexa comes storming in. She slams the door behind her, her fists balled up tight, her body rigid, and she lets out this angry scream the likes of which I've never heard before. It's pretty damn scary to see her this pissed.

"
What
is going on?" I ask.

"Are you sure you want to know? Because it's bad. Really bad. Really, really,
really
bad and I can't believe it. I just can't—
what the fuck?!
" she shouts. "How… why…
son of a bitch!
"

"Lex, baby," Bash coaxes, walking over and pulling her into his tall, lean, perfectly sculpted body. "Calm down. Deep breaths." He eases back. "Breathe. There you go. Slow and easy."

When she appears to be calmer, he bends his knees until he's eye level with her. "You alright?"

She nods. "I'm okay," she says too quickly. "Really. I’m good. I'll be fine. I'm okay." She's babbling and a babbling Lex is a distraught Lex.

"Come sit," I urge.

She shakes her head. "I can't. I'm too
fucking pissed off!"
she shouts.

I look to Bash as he sits down next to me and drapes his arm over my shoulders. "If this is how she's got to be when she tells us, then we'll deal with our ears ringing later."

He sighs, amused. "If we must."

"Let's hear it," I bark to Alexa. Her eyes spark, her face flushes an even darker red, and she lets out another angry roar.

"Someone's going to think we're killing her in here," Bash whispers into my ear.

"Not if they know her," I whisper back.

"True enough."

"No more growling, roaring, or screaming. Words, Alexa Stone," I instruct.

"Oh, you want words. Okay, I've got words. Lots and lots of words. They're shitty words. Horrible words.
Horrifying
words. I just can't believe it. How could he do it? I mean after everything with you," she seethes and I tense up.

"Cameron?" I ask.

She nods. "Yep, my fuckwad brother. He wins the Dumbass of the Year award. He is such a fucking idiot! How he could…" she stops herself, eyes wide. "You need to be prepared. I know you two don't talk much anymore but this—this is
so bad
."

Yeah, we don't talk anymore but not because I don't want to, more like Cam doesn't have the time and doesn't want to make the effort.

I take a deep breath. "Oookay. Lay it on me." I mean, how bad can it be?

"Cam'sfuckingAlison," she says so fast I almost miss it.

I just had to ask.

I pause. Shaking my head. "Come again?"

Bash sits forward. "
What?"
he asks, eerily calm.

Lex nods her head. "You heard me right. He's banging the psycho. I have no idea what has gotten into my brother. He's lost his damn mind—his morals! His
principles!
" She starts pacing back and forth. "I have no idea what is going on. It's like I'm living in an alternate reality."

"I—wow. Just, wow," I mutter, too stunned, too hurt, and too betrayed to even form a coherent sentence.

"What the fuck?" Bash bites out. "Of all the people he could fuck, he had to pick her? Are you fucking with me?" Bash scrubs his hands over his face, stands up, and paces much like Lex is doing. "How could he do that to Livvy? The guy claims he loves her but he's banging the bitch who set up Liv's assault?" He growls. "I'm gonna break his face."

"I don't know, Bash," Alexa barks, still outraged. "I don't know who he is anymore. He
knows
what she did."

"Who told you this?" I ask Alexa.

She balks. "I can't tell you that. Let's just say a reliable source. Someone I trust."

I nod slowly, letting it sink in—the fact that Cameron Stone has once again treated me like I'm worthless—like I'm something he'd scrape off the bottom of his shoe. I just sit in silence, not knowing what to say.

"Could they have misunderstood?" Bash asks.

Lex shakes her head. "No."

"We're going to that party tonight," I announce. "If he's screwing the psycho, I want to see it for myself."

"Babe, don't do this to yourself," Bash tells me.

"Do what?" I ask.

"Put yourself through this—unless," he pauses, narrowing his eyes.

"Unless…?"

"Unless you're still in love with him."

I lift a brow. "Um, no. I'm not in love with him. I just want to see if he's as horrible of a human being as I think he is."

Bash sighs. "This is the guy who bullied you in high school—to the point you avoided him and were afraid whenever you saw him. This is the guy who bullied you and said fucked up things to you about losing your friends when you got here. This is the guy who all of a sudden decided he wanted a real girlfriend—and because you're you, so sweet and caring, that girl was you—the same girl he treated like shit all of her life. This is the guy who treated you
okay
before football season, but not great. Frat parties aren't the best dates—and he only took you out on
one
."

I open my mouth and Bash shuts me down with a look.

"This is the
guy
who made you believe he loved you and then disappeared from your life—not gradually, but
bam!
Gone. This is the guy who made
you
feel guilty for wanting more than a text. This is the guy who didn't defend you to Alison when she started her shit. This is the guy who didn't show up when you were in the hospital. This is the guy who, when he did show up, made it about him."

I sink back into the sofa cushions and listen to Bash tell me the cold, hard truth of it all.

"This is the guy who called you and texted you instead of coming to see you after you were attacked and then decided to show up
three days
after you were allowed to go home, after being beaten so badly you could have died. This is the guy who
yelled
at you, knowing what you'd been through, when he finally showed up—not taking into account the trauma you'd been through, the PTSD you'd be having after that attack, or the injuries. Nope. This is the guy who only thought of himself the entire time he's known you." He pauses, resting his hands on his hips, his head hanging down.

When he looks up, his gaze locks on mine. "So why, Livvy, would you even give him the benefit of the doubt? He has never treated you the way you deserved to be treated. I watched it and I tolerated it because it's what you wanted. But, babe, I'd like to think we're starting something together now and I can't sit back and let him treat you that way anymore. I won't. I am in love with you, Livvy, and I will do whatever it takes to protect you—even be an asshole and remind you of all the ways Stone has treated you like shit."