Fall Girl

Kev

When I raised my head to check on Margot, she was already asleep, and her breathing was steady and calm. Putting my hands on the ground, I slowly pulled the sheets up to cover her. There was quiet in the room, but my mind was full of doubt.

I made a decision after giving it some thought for a while. It wouldn't be right to leave her alone again. So, I chose to stay at her house and spend the night there.

Even though the room was quiet, my phone rang as I was making my way to bed. I was shocked when I learned about Renna—the only friend I've had in 10 years. It made me feel bad that I hadn't seen how bad her situation was. Renna had always been impulsive and had never been able to keep a connection with anyone stable, not even her family, boyfriends, or friends.

The NYPD called me because I was the only person she thought of as a friend because she lived alone. Renna never told anyone her full name because she didn't want the public to focus on her family name, Forge. I told my captain to get ready; I was on my way. It broke my heart to leave Margot's house, but Renna is in trouble and she is my only friend in hard times. I got on my plane right away for New York.

When I got to New York, I didn't waste any time getting things done. As soon as I could, I called my trusted lawyers in the city. I chose to go to the precinct with my lawyers, even though I wasn't sure if Mr. Forge knew about the problem or not.

To get Renna out on bail, it wasn't easy. It took careful discussion and close attention to detail to make it work. My law team and I worked together to make sure Renna would be freed over two days, and I did everything I could to get her out of the station.

In addition to setting up bail, I used the time to talk to Logan. For some reason, I was able to get Logan to drop all charges against her, even though the charges were very serious. Still, as a safety step, he agreed to Renna's release on a restraining order.

Renna was finally getting out of jail after all the formal steps were taken and completed. As I watched her leave the police station, a storm of emotions hit me. I was filled with a lot of different emotions. Even though I was annoyed by her daring attitude.

When I asked Renna "What were you thinking?" She didn't answer. Instead, she kept walking toward a car that was waiting for us. She made it clear that she didn't want to go back to Forge's home, so I decided right away to take her to hang out with my mom. Once again, her actions made me feel a complicated range of feelings, including anger, worry, and a strong desire to help a friend who was in need.

Renna didn't talk to anyone right away. Instead, she went straight to the room that used to be mine when I lived here. When we got there, Meredith was asleep. If she had been awake, it would have been impossible to have such eerie quiet.

I stopped to let my mom know about the last-minute changes in my schedule. She listened in the manner, she always does to cool people down, provided words of consolation and encouragement.

I looked down at my phone and saw that Margot had called, but I had missed it. Because she was trying to get in touch with me, I called her back to try to explain why I wasn't there. There was no answer on the other end of the call, though, which made me feel unhappy.

I know Renna needs some space right now, as she has been through a lot. while thinking about the last three days, I made my way to the bed, hoping to find peace in sleep.

After two days, I finally went to talk to Renna. I was looking forward to our conversation because I wanted to know what the hell she was thinking to take that step. "Do you want to talk now?"

Renna looked up and asked, "Do I have any other choice?" She spoke with a cautious look on her face.

I took a few deep breaths and then got right to the heart of the matter. "No, Renna, just tell me what you were thinking?" I pushed, hoping to get to the bottom of the complicated feelings that had made her act without thinking.

When Renna spoke, her words had a hint of anger in them. "I wanted him to understand that what he had done to me was wrong." 

"But it backfired on you," I gently said. "Now you have a restraining order, and in this whole scenario you turned into the bad guy."

Renna spoke with a mix of frustration and regret in her voice: "All I wanted was for him to admit that whatever he did to me was wrong and that it makes him feel bad."

I stepped in and tried to put things in perspective by saying, "He came back from rehab and is clean."

Renna eased her tone with a hint of regret and said, "I know I was wrong; I wasn't thinking straight. When I heard he was back in town, he got on my nerves."

"He never left town for his whole life, he went for the damn treatment," I told her, trying to explain the complicated situation. 

"He was sure to come back." 

"I feel like I need a break from New York." Renna told me.

"I can't live here anymore, especially since I been to jail. I can't face my family right now, but maybe in the future I will be able to." 

I immediately responded, pointing a finger at her. "You are coming with me because, no way in hell, I am leaving you here and I can't stay in New York anymore and you know the reason."

She said, "I can't put more burden on you, Kev," but her voice was tinged with guilt.

"You're coming," I repeated, my voice steady. "The conversation is over." get ready because we're going in an hour for South Shore and then Glisten."

I felt awful because I hadn't talked to Margot in a week and felt guilty about it. In my haste to deal with Renna's problem, I forgot to give her any explanation or reassurance. Now that I had to call Margot, I was having a hard time coming up with the right words to explain what I had done. I chose to wait to talk to her in person until I got back to Glisten City in the end.

Renna and I stayed at Sawyer's hotel in South Shore for two days. It was very clear why we went on this surprise trip: I wanted to buy the beach house where Margot and I built a treehouse during our last summer at the beach together. 

Sawyer is responsible for this deal; he makes it possible for me to buy the house in this short time. Renna and Sawyer are my two accidental friends who have always been there with me through thick and thin.

Although Renna and I were enjoying our coffee in a beach house, I chose to bring up the subject of her plans for the future. "Have you decided anything?" I asked her about her reasons because I was interested in them.

Renna gave me like I was insane look. "About what?"

I explained her what I meant. "About your life."

Renna shot back with a cheeky smile, "I'm going to write."

What she mentioned startled me, hence I asked for additional details. I asked, "And exactly what are you going to write?"

Renna gave a casual shrug. She said, "Love stories," with a determined look in her eyes. I had to laugh at how brave she was. I made fun of her by saying, "You can't write about something you don't know."

Renna looked right into my eyes with unshakable confidence. She replied, "However, I am surrounded by a lot of love stories to inspire me." Her tone was tinged with defiance. 

I pushed her to keep going because I was eager to hear her examples. "Please name a few," I asked.

Renna quickly made a list of couples she thought were inspiring, including Sawyer and Valerie, my mom and David, and even Margot and me. When I heard the name Margot, my throat got tight, and I felt a pang of desire. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but Mom and David are married, and Sawyer and Valerie are married too. On the other hand, Margot and I..." I got lost and couldn't finish the sentence.

Renna gave a hint of hope with a playful smile. "Tiger, don't give up hope. She can't say no after seeing the beach house you bought her," she teased, her lips moving in a wink.

 I couldn't help but make a joke of my own because I was both amused and annoyed. "If I had known that your trip to the precinct would turn you into a writer, I would have let them arrest you a long time ago," I joked, but it was clear that I meant what I said with love. In a fake sign of frustration, Renna rolled her eyes and said, "Jerk."