Stay ~ Applewood Series #1

31| abby

He loves me! I think gleefully as he sets me back down on my feet.

However, the happy moment is squashed when his father comes up to us and takes Jesse by the arm. "Come with me young man." I flinch at his tone, hating the condescending way he speaks to Jesse.

Jesse yanks his arm away from his dad, sending him a glare. "No, I'm staying right here."

"Jesse Patrick you come with me this second," his father seethes.

Not wanting an argument to break out I tug on Jesse's jacket and look up into his eyes with desperation. "Just go."

He shakes his head, but I can see he has relented. "Fine, but Abby comes with us."

"This is a family matter-"

"She is my family, now she comes or I make a scene in front of everyone here."

His father bristles, clearly not used to having an ultimatum thrown in his face. "Fine, the girl can come. Now follow me."

Before anyone can answer Mr. Smith turns away and begins walking. I turn towards Jesse's friends who give me smiles of encouragement.

Out of nowhere, Sterling pats me on the shoulder and whispers, "Everything will be fine, we've got you, okay?"

In this emotional moment tears almost come to my eyes at the sweet gesture from the mountain like man.

"Thank you," I nod their way before being whisked away to another room.

What I don't expect is that there are already other people waiting inside the room. The Smiths and the Peabodys are waiting across from each other in groups.

"What is this?" Jesse demands, looking between each party. I feel myself hunching back into myself like before. I don't want to be here, the tension is palpable and uncomfortable. But I have to know what is happening. The desire to know what will happen far overshadows the fear of being caught in the middle somehow.

"This is about you and Emma. Meredith told me about you and your flighty girlfriend, someone you were so infatuated with, but you have to know she is after nothing more than our money."

"I don't take a cent from you anymore!" Jesse's face turns a shade of red from the rage building up inside him. Even I feel some frustration flare up in defense of myself. "And Abby loves me for me, as a person."

Trying my best to keep him from physically moving any closer to anyone I hold his arm firm against my body and continue to stroke his back up and down. On the left, Mrs. Smith and Meredith are standing straight and tall, looking at Mr. Smith with attention. On the right however, Mrs. Peabody and Emma are cowered away with their eyes cast down creating a pit of sympathy in my chest.

His father just snarls at us. "You're an impulsive child. She didn't want you until she had you bent her every whim, staying in town, always being her shoulder to cry on, never being a man! Did you forget everything I taught you when you left, huh? You would have been much more successful by now if you stayed here and continued our legacy. With Emma, she allowed you to be who you needed to be, and you loved her before anyone else."

I flinch at his reminder of Jesse and Emma's past history, which from what I know, it is extensive. It's always so easy to forget she is Jesse's ex-girlfriend whenever I'm around her though, she never makes me feel bad or acts jealous or anything.

"I never was in love with her! She was a great friend, a great partner! Yes, Emma is pretty, and smart and nice and a wonderful person, but I never could see her as anything more than that! So don't you dare go putting words into my mouth and disrespecting the woman I do love."