wait; karl jacobs ✓

nine

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talia explained everything to karl.

how max had been going to see his "parents" almost every weekend. how he was supposedly taking more shifts at work but their financials weren't changing. how he was being more secretive with his phone. and ava.

ava who talia had asked max about multiple times and he always brushed it off, but something told talia he was lying.

karl listened very intently as talia explained all of the details. he knew something was up, but he could have never expected it to be like this. maxwell had a reputation for this kind of stuff in high school, but karl didn't think it was possible for even the cruelest person on earth to do something like this to talia.

"do i deserve this?" talia asked, with a desperate look in her eyes.

if you would have asked her that a few weeks ago, she would say no one deserves something like this. but her self esteem was shot. she began trying to justify what he had been accused of doing because of something she did.

"tal, you know you don't." karl pulled her back into his arms.

the last hour or so had been a cycle of talia getting the strength to tell what was going on, and then ultimately feeling so weak that all she could was cry in karl's arms.

"look at me tal," karl hadn't said much, mostely due to processing the information. "i can promise you that you deserve so much more than that. you deserve someone that loves you so unconditionally."

he knew his words only meant so much, and that ultimately they couldn't take away maxwell's actions.

"can i stay with you? like just until i can get somewhere else to stay? i wanna get out of here."

of course karl agreed. they then started getting her things together, or at least the few things that she would immediately need the next few days.

as karl was taking a box of her things out to his car, he saw the one thing he was praying he wouldn't see: maxwell was pulling into the driveway. karl quickly tried to keep his head down and go back inside, but maxwell was quicker to get out of his car.

"what the hell are you doing? why is talia's stuff in your car."

"talia's gonna come stay with me, we'll be back in a few days to get the rest of her stuff." karl said, not wanting to give him the details.

"what's the supposed to mean?"

at that moment, talia walked outside with the last box that they could take today. karl watched as her demeanor shifted. she decided that she was going to be brave. she confidently walked over, handing the box to karl and facing max.

"let me see your phone." she didn't ask, but demanded.

"what?" max looked to karl who offered no help.

"i said, let me see your phone. this isn't a question max. i swear if you don't hand me your phone right now that you will never see me again."

"talia, you don't have to do all of that-"

"last time," she warned. "let me see it."

before he could hand her the phone, she snatched it out of his hands, immediately opening his messages. ava's name was at the top. she skimmed through the messages as she scrolled, seeing exactly what she needed.

i'll pick you up friday night and we'll head back to the beach house?

i miss you

i can't stop thinking about you and your body

im literally planning on leaving her this week i promise

although her instincts told her to smash his phone against the ground, she didn't want him to hold any satisfaction in her being mad. she simply turned his phone off and gently handed it back over.

"i deserve better." she stated, feeling a weight come off of her shoulders.

she turned and slightly nodded at karl, ready to leave.

"like hell you do," max yelled. "you can't act like you're innocent in this."

"excuse me?" talia was completely taken by surprise.

"you heard me. you aren't any better. you haven't given me any of the attention i deserve. if you're not obsessing over that idiot while talking to me then you're always spending your time with him. it wouldn't shock me if you were screwing him!" he exclaimed as he pointed his finger at karl.

"you don't get to talk to her like that. we're leaving, talia." karl opened the passenger door letting her in.

neither of them even looked up to see max who stood in the driveway watching them leave. neither talked on the way to karl's house either. karl just simply reached over and held his best friend's hand to offer some comfort.

while talia tried to portray strength, she was falling apart.

what was she supposed to do now?