Crying Wolf

Chapter 18 June 24th

Noah was out grocery shopping while Annie was at work, so Lacey and Aimee came over. Since it was Saturday, there was no court. They were over to be friendly, but she also knew it was so they could babysit her. She was thankful either way that they were able to be there. She didn't want to be alone, no matter if it made her feel like a burden. At least if she was in pain or had flashbacks, they could help her out of them and get her meds.

"Do you want to go outside? We could go to a park, or we could just stay in the yard. I don't want you to feel like you have to be stuck inside." Lacey paces around the living room.

Aimee laughs, "I'm pretty sure you just don't want to be stuck inside. I don't want to force Mer into going anywhere."

"Aims, I'm-"

"Do you think I'm forcing her? I only asked a question!" Lacey stammers, now glaring at Aimee.

Aimee laughs, "do you even hear yourself? You never want to be inside. You always want to be out and about. She can't stress herself out too much! Did you forget she has a healing rib? Let her decide what she wants to do!"

"Guys, I'm okay-"

"I can not believe you just told me that I am pressuring her into doing things!" Lacey squeals. "She's always in the house, unless she has court. I would be bored-"

"We know you would! You are always bored! Why can't we just watch tv and play board games?"

"Because that's boring Aimee!!" Lacey throws her hands in the air. "I need to keep moving!"

"That's the issue Lacey! Are you even listening? Do you really think she can keep moving with all her injuries?!"

Listening to her friends bicker made her wish she was alone. Being alone would be so much better. She hoped Noah would get home soon so they could just leave her alone. Noah at least let me have space and breathe, and have my own opinion on things. She loved her friends, but this was stressing her out.

She stood up, "Shut up already, will you?"

Both girls looked up at her, and simultaneously said, "what?"

"I mean, shut up. Neither one of you has asked me what I want to do. You guys are just bickering about it, but refuse to listen to the person you are bickering over! Why did you come over if this is going to be how it is? I got kidnapped AND rescued, and you're bickering over what we do?!"

Aimee looked baffled, but then she nodded, "I am sorry. I just don't want to stress you out."

"You guys are my friends. The both of you. Why do you hate each other so much?" Meredith looked between the both of them.

Lacey looks at Aimee, "I don't hate her, I just...I don't know."

"Aimee? Do you hate Lacey?" She questioned. Damn, this was therapy.

"I–no–I mean," Aimee ducks her head. "When you were missing, Noah called everyone in our group of friends. Lacey was nowhere to be found. Found out the whole time, she was partying and drinking, having hookups with random men. She didn't care that you were missing. She can claim she was, but I never once saw her here to talk about plans, she never even texted to see if we had anything. So I find it hilarious that she is here. Fuck, I almost died trying to find you. I don't want to hate her, but I do not respect that she was fine that you were not."

Meredith didn't know how to feel about that. She had no idea that Lacey wasn't involved in any way. This information stung her like a new knife was sliding down her arm again. Lacey and Aimee were really her only friends. Finding out how uninvolved Lacey was, felt like a betrayal. Lacey's face was bright red.

"Hey! I'm home!"

Meredith sighed loudly, "thank God!"

Noah looked into the living room, "Missed me that much? I wasn't gone for too long was I?"

Aimee giggles, "more like she just found out that Lacey is a shitty friend while Mer was gone. Mainly because we were arguing with each other."

Lacey scrambled to her feet, "uhm, I am just going to leave. I'm sorry."

She didn't try to stop Lacey from leaving, she was actually kind of relieved that she didn't have to kick her out. She sat back down on the couch, grunting at the pain it caused her. Throwing her head to the back of the couch, Aimee already had her water and meds in hand. What would she do without Aimee, truly.

"Do you want me to stick around? Or do you two want time to yourself?" Noah looks between the two of them.

"Alone, please." Aimee pouts.

Noah nods and kisses Meredith on the forehead, "let me know when I can join. I'll be in your bedroom fixing it up some more."

Aimee crisscrosses her legs and faces her, "How have you been feeling, anyways? Before today?"

"I mean, I guess I'm okay. I feel like Annie or Noah is hiding something from me...Like, I think something happened between them." She began picking at a hangnail she had. "I feel like a burden. Noah and Annie practically do everything for me, because sometimes the pain is too debilitating. I feel useless. Like, why do I get to survive? Why did all those other people have to die, but I didn't? When I was down there, two of them were still alive...barely. I heard them take their last and final breath. I haven't told anyone...Why am I the only one who had such a good support system that no one knew they were missing?"

Aimee frowned almost instantly. She didn't want to lie about how she felt, she needed to get it out. She also didn't want to scare Aimee though, with information that haunts herself at night. She knew she should tell Noah, but she knew that would make him feel worse too. He would feel guilty as well. He would blame himself for not getting to her sooner.

"You can't think like that. It will ruin you. Noah may try and blame himself, but how could he have known? We don't have superpowers like that." Aimee grabs her hand, rubbing her thumb on it. "The police are looking into the other victims. They could be from another town, so there is no way of knowing. They were smart until they took a girl with friends and a boyfriend who is a werewolf."

"I'm scared Aimee. This is the first guy I have ever had feelings for, and I think he did something that will break my heart...I just, I can't shake the feeling that Annie and Noah did something. Multiple times, maybe..." She then explained what she knew, and watched Aimee's face twist in many emotions. "What if he doesn't find me pretty enough anymore? No one will love me with all these scars and damage. Do I just ignore whatever happened with them, since he 'loves' me?"

Aimee clasps her hands around Meredith's face, "Mer, you are still beautiful. If what you think is true, kick him out. Kick him in the nuts first, though will you? You deserve the world and more, do not settle."

Tears swelled in her eyes, "thank you. This is why you're my best friend."

"Let me go get the dog, and then I will order us some food. I'm starving." Aimee pats Meredith's knee before heading towards the hallway.

Alone for just a minute. This was the first time she has been truly alone in a long time. She hadn't mourned her uncle properly, she hadn't cried it out. She hasn't even been able to mourn the loss of her own innocence. She lost her uncle, and she couldn't cry. She hated crying in front of other people. She was already weak enough, she didn't want anyone thinking more.

Noah and Aimee were walking back towards the living room, chatting about something she couldn't hear. She had dozed off into nothing-ness, staring at the wall in front of her. She was dozing into one of her flashbacks, from the day Michael had grabbed her, and killed her dog. She could feel Noah touching her shoulder, but she was trapped in her own mind. A knock came from the door and she felt Noah leave to answer.

Noah opened the door, "Uh, Hello, who are you?"

"I'm Meredith's mother."