Chapter Thirty-Five:

“You must be the boyfriend?” Hayden asked, trying to defuse the already, unbearably awkward situation. I writhed under Oliver and he seemed to realize that he was still holding me down and one of his hands was underneath my shirt. He let me go and moved his hand. I sat up and pulled my shirt down.

“I didn’t realize you were that close.” Brian said, smoothly. I giggled and after a pregnant pause, the guys joined in. The fact that Brian doesn’t get crazy jealous is such an attractive quality, it’s ridiculous.

“My tickle war got the best of me… I promise I wasn’t trying to grope your girlfriend.” Oliver apologized, walking over to Brian. He just smirked.

“Relax man – it’s cool.” He assured him. I watched the pair, warily. As much as I’m hoping they’ll get along, I don’t really know how it’s going to go. “It’s good to put a name with a face. Ace talks about you all the time.” Brian offered Oliver his hand. He took it and Brian pulled Oliver towards him in a bro-hug.

“Awe, aren’t they cute?” I cooed to Hayden. He put his hand over his heart and nodded.

“Too precious for words,” he agreed. I snorted and the guys broke apart.

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful bromance.” I added.

---

“Let me get this straight, you met Lydia when she stole your wallet when you were kids?” Zacky echoed. Oliver nodded, confirming the story. They all looked over at me. I just shrugged.
“What? A girl has to make a living somehow. Don’t act like you’ve never stolen anything.” I quipped. Johnny got really quiet.

“So, Lyds tells me that you’re single.” Hayden said as he trailed a finger down Jimmy’s arm. Jimmy stopped laughing and looked over at Hayden. Was Doug wrong about Jimmy? I watched the pair carefully. Jimmy smirked at Hayden and nodded.

“I am.”

“I find it hard to believe that someone as attractive as you are is single.” Hayden pressed. I stifled my laughter. Something about watching someone else flirt as shamelessly as Hayds tends to is funny. Boy has game, though.

“I could say the same about you.” Jimmy replied.

“Get a room!” Matt jeered. We laughed and the two walked off.

“If we hear them having sex, it’s your fault.” I told Matt. He just shrugged.

“When has anyone ever complained about getting laid?” He retorted.

---

“I don’t suppose anyone would like to accompany me to pick up dinner?” Doug asked us. I got to my feet. Brian followed suit and slipped his hand on my waist.

“I’ll go.” I volunteered.

“Me too,” Brian chimed in. I looked over at him.

“Stay. We’ll be fine.” I told him. He pulled me closer to him and gave me the look that makes me melt in seconds.

“Ace…” he started, but Doug interrupted him.

“Brian, she’s right. We’ll be fine. Stay and chat with your friends.” He smiled at him. Brian nodded and cupped my face. I pulled him by his shirt and kissed him. We broke apart after a few seconds, but that didn’t stop the guys from hooting and hollering. Guys. You can’t live with ‘em and… no, that’s about it.

“Let’s go, Daddio.” I told Doug. He grinned.

“Let’s daughter,” he teased. He offered me his arm and we headed outside.

---

Brian’s POV

“So how do you like New York?” I asked Oliver. He smiled.

“It’s great. It’s one of those places that you spend your whole life in and never get tired of it.” He explained. I nodded. Matt, Johnny and Zacky were trying to kill each other on some game.

“Must be nice.”

“Is it the same with California?” He asked me. I shrugged.

“It probably is with some places, but this town is only so big and I’ve grown up here.” I told him. He gave me a knowing face.

“I got you.”

“You’re in school, right?” I asked him. He nodded.

“Yeah, I’m studying international lore and the occult. It’s pretty fascinating.” He told me. “I enjoy it, which is saying something, because I could never focus on school growing up.”

“You didn’t like it?”

“No, but who does? I have ADHD and it used to be impossible for me to focus on much of anything.” He revealed. Hm.

“How did you meet Ace?” I asked him. He looked over at me and smirked.

“She stole my wallet. I caught up with her later and got it back. She apologized and it turns out that her mother had thrown her out and she was trying to get some money for food. She was like ten. I remember thinking that I’d never met a girl that was as snarky as she was. I took her back to my place and she stayed with me and my dad for a while. We all had problems growing up. When you spend time living on the streets, the kids you live with, steal with, they become your family. It’s dangerous and staying together kept us alive. That’s how we met Hayden, too.”

“She never told me that.”

“She’s brave as hell. I couldn’t have stayed on the streets alone like she did.”

“Did she ever say why Lynn threw her out?” I pried. He shrugged.

“There’s always some reasons with her. Her answer’s changed over the years. If you want the straight answer, I’d ask Lyds. I’m glad that she found you guys here, though. Even though Lynn’s pulled some messed up shit over the years, I honestly didn’t think that she’d pull what she did here. I don’t know why I’m surprised. I don’t know if you’ve met him yet, but her dad is bad news. I’ve met a lot of people in my life. I’m pretty good at reading them, and that man is fucking evil. He never has any remorse, especially when it comes to Lydia. He’s a sociopath. You don’t want him to get his hands on her again.” He warned me. I looked over at him.

“What kind of stuff has he done to her?” I asked him, trying to find out more. It’s not exactly Ace’s favorite subject and I don’t want to trigger something for her.

“Is there somewhere else we can talk?” He asked me. I nodded.

“We can talk in the basement.” I told him. He nodded and followed me downstairs. I closed the door behind us.

“I know you’re all friends with her, but it’s not something I want to tell everyone.” He sighed.

“I get it, bro. Is it that bad?” I asked him. He gave me a wry smile.

“When she would run out or get thrown out, it was normally because whatever was going on at home was worse for her than staying on the streets was. When her dad was in the picture, she’d always end up bruised and bloody the next morning. It was hard to get her to talk about it. Finally, Lynn had enough with Adam’s shit and left him. I don’t know why or what happened, but they finally split. Lydia saw him some throughout the years, but for the most part he kept his distance. By then, Derek was in the picture.” He revealed.

“He was around for years, right?”

“Yeah, you could say that. He and Lynn seemed to feed off of each other. Neither of them are good people, by any standard, but when they were together, they were so sadistic. Lynn only cares about herself. Derek encouraged that and gave her what she needed. Eventually, Lyds ended up in the hospital and the doctors said that she was suffering from years of abuse. They took a rape kit and Lynn lost it. She said that Lydia was lying and just trying to hurt her. Things got really bad after that. Lydia didn’t know what to do or where to turn. She started partying, hard. She was drinking and hooking up with whoever gave her attention. Finally, I talked her into seeing a shrink. She was diagnosed then. She was given meds to start on… Lynn played the doting mother for awhile. She started hooking up with Lyds’ therapist and started forcing her to take double her prescribed doses. Lydia ended up overdosing. She knew what her mom was trying to do and figured that she’d just help her out. I found her and brought her to the hospital and they pumped her stomach. She was okay and she started to get better. I could see the difference in her. Things were starting to get better and Lynn dragged them out here. I remember saying goodbye… She was terrified. She just had this feeling in her gut that something was going to happen.”

“Damn,” was all I could say. She’s told me some of that, but I didn’t know that things were that bad for her for so long. “She’s lucky to have you in her corner.” I told him.

“I don’t know about that, but she’d gotten me through some hard times.”

“She raves about you. Don’t sell yourself short.”

“She’s pretty amazing. Isn’t she?” He sighed. “You guys are good together. She’s happy with you.” He told me. I smiled.

“I can see why she likes you.” I told him, getting up. “They should be back soon.” I motioned for him to follow me back upstairs. He’s easy to talk to and just makes you feel comfortable.

“Just be good to her.” He told me. I nodded.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Good, because she deserves the best.” He said before walking away. He doesn’t quite give off the big brother vibe. It’s more than that. I thought about everything he told me and it just clicked.

“You love her. You’re in love with her.” I told him, quietly. He turned around to face me and shrugged. “You’ve never told her?”

“That’s not what she needs from me. She needed someone who would be there for her. When we met, she needed a friend, a confidant, a big brother, so many things, but she didn’t need me to be in love with her. That hasn’t changed.”

“You drove across the country to see her and you’re telling me that you’re not even going to say anything, because that’s not what she needs from you?” I asked to clarify. He nodded.

“Look, I didn’t come here to start anything. She’s been in my life for a long time and I don’t want that to change.”

“And what happens if you think her needs have changed?”

“They won’t. I know her. I’m her best friend. It’ll never be more than that. I’m okay with it. I’m not here to step on your toes or to try and change her mind. I like you, Brian. I hope we’ll be friends.”

“You’re a better man than I could ever be.” I told him. A lot of guys say things that they don’t mean, but I don’t think that’s what he’s doing.

“We good?” He asked. I nodded. He smirked. “Good, then I can kick your ass at Call of Duty.”

---

Lydia’s POV

“Are sure you don’t want something that isn’t pizza?” Doug asked me for the third time. I just laughed.

“You can never go wrong with pizza and teenagers.” I assured him.

“Alright,” he mused.

“If it makes you feel better, I can make a salad… that way there’s something green on the table.” I offered. He laughed.

“That would be great. Thank you, Sweetheart.” He thanked me as he turned off the car. I opened my door and turned around and reached into the back seat to grab the pizza. Someone pulled me from the car. I stumbled backwards and I hit the concrete, hard. I looked up and saw my mother. To say that her dress was skimpy would be giving her too much credit. It’s sheer and barely covers much of anything.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her. “You can’t be here!” I exclaimed. Doug came rushing over. As soon as he saw my mother, his face changed from worry to contempt.

“You need to leave.” He told her as he helped me to my feet. I took a step towards him and stopped. Whoa. I feel dizzier than I should for just hitting the driveway. “Are you alright?” He asked me. I nodded and forced a smile on my face.

“I’m fine.” I lied.

“Dougie, I just had to see you. I miss you, so much. I’m sorry about everything!” She told him in a loud, whiny voice. I groaned.

“I don’t need to be out here for this. I’ll bring the food inside.” I told him. I looked at the fallen pizza boxes. Hopefully, they’re salvageable. I picked them up and walked inside.

---

Doug’s POV

“I don’t want you, Lynn.” I told her. Her smile slid off of her face. She crossed her arms.

“You seem to like my daughter an awful lot for a grown man. I’m beginning to think that you’re more of a pedophile than Derek.” She snapped. I smirked at her.

“Your true colors finally come out. How long have you wanted to say that, Love?” I asked her. She laughed. It was a harsh, dangerous sound. “We both know that I’m the only real parent that girl has ever known. My feelings for her are nothing more than parental.” I corrected her outrageous allegations.

“That may true, but who will believe that?” She asked me.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish.” I warned her. She gulped and for the first time, she looked nervous. She’s a lot of things, but she’s not stupid.

“If you care as much as you claim about my daughter, you’ll continue seeing me.” She threatened me.

“And if I don’t care to keep seeing you?” I asked her.

“Then Lydia’s going to get hurt and you’ll have that on your conscience. I think we both know that you wouldn’t do that to her.” She told me, rubbing her hand on my arm.

“Don’t threaten me, Lynn. I’ve never hit a woman, but you’re making me rethink my reasons.” I told her. She smirked.

“We both know I can take it. I like it rough. Do it, Dougie. Hit me.” She told me. She palmed me through my trousers.

“You won’t touch her. If you hurt her, I can’t guarantee that you’ll live long enough to see her recover.”

“Baby, if they get their hands on her again, I’ll make sure she never recovers.”

“Leave.”

“You don’t really want me to; do you?” She quipped, dragging her nails over my hardening cock. I grabbed her hair and pulled her hair back.

“I won’t tell you again.”

“Make me.” She taunted me. I gripped her hair tighter and took her into the garage and shut the door behind us. I tore off her panties and bent her over my workbench. She looked behind at me and smirked. I unbuttoned my pants and freed my erection. I thrust into her without warning and she groaned. I dug my fingers into her waist and pounded into her in an unforgiving pace.
It didn’t last long and I pulled away from her panting. She turned around and tried to kiss me. I moved away from her and threw her underwear at her.

“Get out.” I told her. She gaped at me.

“Dougie,” she tried. I shook my head. I cleaned myself off with a towel before tossing it away. I fixed my pants and took her arm, gently. I led her outside and grabbed her purse off of the driveway.

“The next time I see you on my property, I’ll have you arrested. If you try to have Lydia hurt, I’ll have you and whoever tries to hurt her, killed. Do you understand me? We’re done. I don’t want you. Get out.” I demanded. She nodded and walked away. I locked my car and the garage, before heading back inside.

---

Lydia’s POV

“Everything okay?” She asked me. I looked over at her and smiled.

“I took care of it, Sweetheart. You have nothing to worry about it.” He promised.

“Thanks,” I smiled at him. “Pizza? It’s a little… messy, but still tastes good.” I offered him a plate. He took it and sat down with us. I glanced back at the front door. She’s gone for now, but for how long?

Notes

So, Lynn and Doug... that happened. So much more coming up. It's crazy. There will for sure, without a doubt, definitely be a chapter up tomorrow. I can't guarantee on Monday, but I've been on a roll, so who knows!

You all are fucking amazing. Thank you for all of your lovely comments. :D

Predictions? Thoughts?

Love,
Katie