The Perfect Family

9. Noemi is it?

Looking around, scared of who might see, Orson calls Lainey with shaking hands. "Ley...I need your help." Orson hangs up looking down at the person lying right in front him...bloody....unconscious. Leaning down he tries to check for a pulse until Nero and Lainey get there, stopping him.

"What the hell happened?" Nero says as he gets Orson away from the body. "H-He kept saying I hurt his sister....he said I would pay if I didn't tell the truth and tried to record some type of confession out of me." Lainey sees the person's phone, picks it up and uses the person's thumb to unlock it.

"Nero take him away and create an alibi," Lainey says seriously, putting her finger prints on the person's phone and body where they're hurt after deleting the voice memo that was recorded, smashing the phone on the rocks that are there.

48 hours earlier

Lainey keeps her eye on Orson more as a way to make up for the walk in her mom did on Kade and her at the holiday party.

Sitting at the study hall table, someone glides a chair beside her as she sees Orson typing away on his laptop.

"We need to talk."

Kade says leaning into Lainey's ear so he doesn't disturb anyone else around them.

"I'm busy." Lainey says coldly, not even turning to face Kade. "This isn't about that night, it's something else." Lainey exhales a deep sigh giving Kade half of her attention. "Then what?" Kade sends her a screenshot of what his friend (the brother of the girl Orson had a scuffle with) had sent him this morning.

Lainey takes a minute to read it then turns her phone off looking at Orson.

"How many times do you want me to tell you there's nothing there for him to point his fingers at to say it was Orson? Are you trying to piss me off this early on in the day?" Lainey says still looking forward to avoid any eye contact with Kade.

Orson stops typing heading to the bathrooms taking a break having Lainey close her eyes putting her head in her hands exhausted.

Kade takes Lainey's hand having her leave but she tries to fight him on it until he kisses her in the back of the book shelves.

Lainey feels the intensity between them, scared, helpless to where it's going to lead.

Hearing a group of students going to where they are they move over close to another bookshelf closer to the back exit door.

"I thought we were going to forget any of this happened?" Lainey says mockingly to Kade who is holding her waist.

Kade looks at Lainey seeing through this defense mechanism she's trying to keep throwing at him hoping he'll catch it and leave her alone.

"I'm trying but I can't. Can you?"

As they talk Orson is still in the bathroom washing his face as he goes through a small withdrawal from his meds, since he stopped them again on the night of the holiday party.

Gripping the edge of the sink as a headache squeezes his skull, he turns the faucet off going back out to his laptop packing up and leaving.

Once Lainey finishes her talk with Kade she sees Orson is gone, going into full panicked mode.

"Shit."

Packing up she tries to find him by checking the tracking app she has on his phone logged into hers as a safety measure set up to stop him from any more trouble.

Watching the red dot go into a lecture hall, she feels her heartbeat slow down with relief.

School ends for the day for the Reed siblings except for Nero who is already home drinking with their dad.

"Reo," Lainey says, kissing his cheek then sitting putting her bag down on the floor.

"Productive day?" Samuel asks Lainey as she pours herself a drink.

"Oh yeah and a major headache from cramming every move Oreo makes since mom can't do it herself."

Samuel shook his finger at Lainey, "Your mother has businesses to run and can't always stop everything to hold your guys hand, so don't say things like that."

Nero pats Lainey's back while Orson walks in with his head down.

"Son, come here."

Samuel says pulling a chair out for him to sit down.

"Something wrong?" Orson asks faintly.

"We got you a psychiatrist to help talk about these nightmares you keep having."

A woman walks in dressed in a cream pants suit catching Nero's attention. "Noemi is it?" Samuel asks the woman.

"Noemi Lackey or Dr. Lackey preferably," Noemi extends her hand as Samuel shakes it then does the same to Lainey, Orson and Nero.

"When can these sessions start?" Samuel asks Noemi.

Orson scoffs, irritated by his fathers words. "When can these sessions start? ¿Hablas en serio ahora mismo?" Orson says getting up, "I'm not a nutcase. I just have bad dreams. What's so wrong with that? First you put me on meds I don't ask for, have Nero and Lainey stalk me throughout the day, now this? Does mom know about Ms. Lackey here?" Samuel cuts his eyes at Orson.

"Mostra del rispetto, we didn't raise disrespectful children in this house."

Orson gets into a fit of rage tossing a chair to the side.

Lainey gets up ready to stop Orson until Samuel stops her.

"Tell me you saw him take his medication today," Lainey tries to remember but shrugs her shoulders seeing Noemi walk over to Orson.

Putting her hands out in front of her to show she doesn't want to restrain him but to have him sit, he follows her to the couch while she says things to calm him.

Nero intrigued by her handling Orson the way that she did, has his mind mapping ways to figure out who Ms. Noemi Lackey is.

"I feel like a monster everyone is afraid of that's waiting for them under their beds...I can't be myself...none of us can."

Orson admits to Noemi while fiddling with the hem of his sleeves not making eye contact not wanting to be judged.

"Your parents just want what's best for you and your siblings too."

Orson shakes his head, "You're not listening to me!"

Noemi makes eye contact with him while holding his hands in hers.

"Breathe Orson, there's no need to get worked up."

Few more minutes of that and Orson calms down going up to his room while Tesni comes through the front door just getting off of work.