PROJECT ANDERSON

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX: SARGE/ANDIE

After ten fucking minutes of fighting with Amber...we were finally back on the road and Steven could update us on Andie.

"So what did she say after you told her." I asked as we pulled out onto the open road.

"I don't know if she believed me or not, but she seemed abnormally calm when I told her." He answered briefly.

"Do you think she might have suspected something like that would happen?" Melissa asked as she opened as bag of potato chips. "If I were her I wouldn't trust anyone, especially not someone that was close to me."

"Yeah, you're probably right...she was probably already thinking about it before I mentioned it." He sighed. "I just hope that she can forgive me."

"Did she sound very forgiving when you talked to her?" I asked.

"No, but she never does...she did however share something interesting about her pain."

"And what was that?" I asked more interested than before.

"Its less intense when Jesse holds her, but I think it might just be a placebo effect; because Lave never mentioned anything about that." He went on to explain. "But if its not than maybe there is more to this that we don't know."

"Maybe it has something to do with him making her feel safe." Mel suggested with a shrug. "That is assuming that it is a placebo and not something else."

"Maybe we shouldn't speculate about someone that we don't really know." Amber asserted as smug as ever.

"You may not know her, but I do and we aren't speculating about anything...we are just trying to figure out what's going on with her and I would appreciate it if you would stay the fuck out of my conversation." Steven argued for us.

"Calm down Stevie, she's not worth it." Johnny said softly.

"Did you just call me Stevie?" The man asked with a hiss.

"Yes, I thought that was what you like to be called." He answered confidently.

"No one is allowed to call me that, but her and my family." Steve said sternly. "We aren't on that level yet Johnny."

"Sorry, but I was only trying to make you feel more comfortable with us." The other man said defensively.

"I'm comfortable enough to risk my life to help you, but that doesn't mean that you can call me Stevie."

"What is so special about that nickname that only Andie can use it?" Melissa asked fromf the driver's seat.

"She gave it to me, after I told her my name." He answered with a small smile. "We have always had a special connection with each other, starting from when we first met...it was like we were always meant to be besties and to her I was always Stevie...and she is the only one that calls me that."

"How long was Andie in the group home with you?" I asked...even though it didn't really matter at this point, but I wanted to know everything that I could about Andie.

"A year and a half, her remaining family members were too busy fighting over responsibility and the social worker needed to make sure she was going to get the help that she needed before she could go home." He explained softly. "Which didn't happen, but even after she left she was passed around like a beach ball between her Aunt and Grandmother."

"Why was that?"

"Probably because they couldn't handle her crazy ass." He answered with a joking laugh. "She was really messed up back then Sarge and that only got worse when it was time for Lavender to go to trial."