The Risks we take

Twenty Four

Sloane

The four of us sat on the floor in my living room. Eating. Talking. Mainly them. I was processing. Stabbing at pieces of chicken from whatever Reed had cooked. I was too out of it to remember what he said.

3 months.

3 months I've had Zac around me. I have never been so glad I have excessively high walls. He never saw inside the office. Never saw me working. I never told him anything super personal. Conversations weren't very in depth.

But knowing I'd literally opened my door to someone who was only interested in me to get information to bring me down. How did I ever make it so fucking easy?

"You need to eat Princess." Reed whispered in my ear whilst Logan and Paige ranted at each other on the sofa. I felt too sick at myself to eat. Like my stomach was turned upside down and anything I tried to put into it right now would just, fall out. I put the bowl down, standing up slowly and heading to the bathroom in hopes I'd be at least able to breathe in there.

I hate this.

I hate what I thought was the right choice turning out to be the wrong one. It shouldn't be that easy for someone to get close to me. Not when I have so much to lose. I had people that didn't like me back home. People that wanted me and my parents to fail. But never to the extent where they were paying people to lie to me, to hurt me intentionally.

I sat down on the edge of the bathtub, wrapping my fingertips into my hair, taking the deepest breathe I could muster.

Growing up sucks.

I want to go back to being 19 without a single problem in the whole world. No worrying about the next headline or if we were selling enough or if what we were putting out was factually correct. No worrying about if I was in the right place or if I could trust the people around me, no missing my parents or Eden or anyone else at home. No broken heart. It was all fine.

"It's gonna be okay Sloane. I know you do-"

"Why does your dad hate me so much?" I fought back a sob. Taking a hard sniff and sitting up straight, trying to compose myself in any way I possibly could. I couldn't seem weak around anyone right now. I just want to be alone. I'm safe alone. My eyes met his blue as my eyes burned from fighting it all back. I was grasping at emotions with my hands, trying to pull them back under my control before it all spilled out into places my emotions had no reason being.

"Let it out Sloane." I shook my head, standing up and shaking my hands by my side. We need a plan. I need a plan. I need everyone to leave so I can work out-

"Sorry- don't mean to intrude but someone's at the door. We don't want to-" Paige's hand laid flat on the bathroom door, a little red in the face. I nodded once at her before side stepping back into the hall.

I looked through the peep hole, spinning around as it knocked again, staring at the three people who really shouldn't be here if Zac is. I put the chain across the door, moving to the side, pulling it open slightly. Just enough for him to see my head and nothing else.

"Oh, thank god you're okay." I stared at him. "Where did you go? I came out after you and you were-" The door was pulled open, chain snapping just above my head. "Wha-" In a heartbeat, Reed had Zac pinned to the wall outside the apartment, blood dripping from a bust lip.

What the fuck is going on?!

Punches were flying everywhere and Paige pulled me back inside just so I didn't get hit. I had to stop them. This wasn't going to make it any better. Reed's dad would know he was here with me and it doesn't take a genius from there to work out I know about his dad's plans. That meant we lost any kind of advantage really. Zac will have seen Paige and Logan too now. Since Logan had the same idea as me and was trying to pull Reed off Zac. Although Zac has no idea who Logan or Paige are, Reed's dad would likely show him pictures of potential people that would be harmful to his plans. Paige and Logan would be atop that list. Being friends with them meant I had support and that was his dad's biggest fear.

"Why the fuck does my dad want her out?" It was all happening so fast I don't know what was happening until seconds after it had happened. My brain wasn't connecting any of it to reality either. Like I was in a living nightmare. I guess that's what my life had become though. A nightmare. "Answer me before I roll your head down this hallway like a fucking bowling ball for touching her at all."

"I don't- I do-" The wall shook as Reed pushed him back again, making Zac wince in pain. The bruises from this whole thing already starting to colour his face. "AH! ALRIGHT! Fuck. Something about her mom. Wanting her to pay. I don't know." Another loud bang and it all went into slow motion, memories I'd blocked out starting to connect everything together.

Dad hated the Lawson's. The primary reason I never told them I'd dated him when I was here in the first place. Nor that he'd come to the office. It wasn't just dad. Mum would go quiet whenever they were mentioned. Be it their paper getting an award that dad thought should have belonged to someone else or when they came back from events and they'd spend the next morning telling me all about how they'd had to smile and play nice but that Calvin could rot in hell.

Chaos ensued around me, Zac's mouth moving in between punches and shouting from Reed but I couldn't hear a thing. My brain was too loud. Tossing through passing conversations with them, things I might have over heard. Something. Anything.

Then it hit me.

Like the pavement if I'd jumped from the top of the Empire State building.

I had it.

And I laughed.

So hard I sent myself into a coughing fit and everyone stopped, staring at me like I was mad. I pulled everyone back into the apartment.

"Drop my stuff off with security at my office before 9am tomorrow." Zak was about to reply before I slammed the door in his face, smiling as I turned to the group. "Okay. I have a plan."