AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I think we need to talk to someone,” Jackson whispered.
Eleven
Katie
That afternoon on the bathroom floor, I came to terms with the fact that I had been raped. I quit asking myself what if and why me, and I accepted that my life would never be what it once was. Those minutes—hours—in Jackson’s arms, were my turning point.
I was entirely on board with the idea when Jackson said we needed to talk to someone. As hard as it was to decide to start talking, doing so was even more complex.
Jackson and I bottled everything up following the attack, and now that I was ready to let it all come tumbling out, he was still hesitant. Even though the idea had been his, maybe he couldn’t bring himself to go back there. Whatever it was, we needed to confront it.
I needed to get past this. I needed to find myself again. I was tired of being this shell of a person. The problem was neither Jackson nor I knew what to do to fix it.
Well, we did, but Jackson wasn’t ready. No matter what he said on the bathroom floor a week ago, he wasn’t prepared to put action to his words. And the only person I felt comfortable talking to was Jackson, which meant I ended up not talking to anyone. I begged Jackson to speak with me, but the more I begged, the more he withdrew.
Jackson was hurting so badly. He had retracted into himself and wouldn’t let any of us in. His parents, the team, Olivia, Evan, and I tried, but he ignored us or lashed out.
Mostly, he just ignored us, and for me, that was what hurt the most. I wanted him to talk; all he wanted to do was sit and stare into space. I guess I couldn’t blame him. It was what I had done since we came back to Seattle.
Screams echoed through the house and up the stairs. I made my way out of Jackson’s bedroom and down to the kitchen. When I arrived, I walked around a crying Olivia to stand before a screaming Jackson.
Since that first day in the hospital, I never saw Olivia cry. At least not until today, but there was plenty of evidence. Instead of her usual, beautiful self, she was not sloppy or careless, but just not put together like Olivia typically was. She wore jeans and tees and flip-flops. Her hair was often pulled back into a ponytail, and her beautiful bluish-green eyes were constantly red-rimmed.
From the look and sound of things, Olivia had confronted Jackson, setting him off. You could see the devastation on her face as she started to walk away.
When she walked past him, she said, “I never thought I’d say this about you, brother mine, but you are a fucking bastard.”
She stormed out of the room, slamming the garage door behind her. A few seconds later, a car engine roared to life, and tires squalled as she tore out of the garage and down the driveway.
Thank God Lillian and Walker aren’t here to see this.
Olivia told me earlier she felt as if she was losing her brother. I knew that as twins, they’d always been close. So, it was understandable that this was hitting her hard.
I knew the feeling. I felt like I was losing him too.
Several hours later, it was Evan’s turn to cause a meltdown. I was standing at the fridge, looking for something to munch on. I was hoping that I could tempt Jackson into eating something. He’d not eaten since breakfast, having refused lunch and dinner after his blow-up with Olivia.
Hands grabbed my waist, and a deep masculine voice yelled, “BOO!”
I jumped and spun around. I didn’t see who it was. I just lashed out, punching at the person who grabbed me. Pain exploded through my fist, radiating up my arm as whatever I hit crunched and squished under the force of my blow. I finally came to my senses when I heard Evan yelp.
I looked at him and cringed. I’d popped him good, busting his nose. He held his nose, and his eye showed signs of turning black.
“Oh God!” I cried, so upset that I ran out of the kitchen to hide on the secluded patio Jackson and I loved to sit on.
A few hours later, I ventured back to the house, and Evan walked in. When I saw him, I took a deep breath and walked inside toapologize. I called his name, and he looked up, removing the frozen peas from his face.
I must’ve cringed when I noticed his face because my darling injured brother, who stands over a foot taller than me and weighs over a hundred pounds more than me, took a step back. I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. After a few moments, he did the same.
When we calmed down, I walked over to him. “Ev, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“No apology needed, Kat. I was the idiot. I’m sorry.” He opened his arms, and I stepped into them. He slowly wrapped me up in his bear-like hug, careful not to scare me further.
Just as I stepped from Evan’s embrace, he wiped the tears from my face, but Jackson walked into the kitchen and sent Evan flying before he could say anything. I screamed as Evan hit the fridge. His big body slammed into the refrigerator so hard he broke one of the handles and left a massive dent in the front of it.
“STOP!” Olivia yelled. She forced herself between Evan and Jackson as he stood over Evan.
Rage seethed within Jackson. You could see it shining from him as bright as the sun. I didn’t know if Jackson would’ve stopped if it hadn’t been for Olivia. He was that angry.
