Taylor vs Reid (GxG)

Part 14 - {Cuddle Bug}

TW// the conversation between Drew and Reilly at the beginning of this chapter may be triggering. It goes a bit into the details of the night Ava died. Please feel free to skip along as needed.

Reilly and I retired to bed around 9:30. Yet, sleep seemed unreachable. The day's events replayed in my head. Our shopping trip, our picnic and later in the day, the dinner with my parents. I hadn't talked much about it, letting my parents lead the conversation and a part of me felt unfulfilled after doing so. As if I was just sleeping on my story, hiding it and locking it away as if it was something to be ashamed of. But it was not. Reilly had slowly shown me that. Hearing my parents talk about it tonight and remembering Abigail's own story convinced me of that.

Perhaps, all the people who would tell me I was a hero, an inspiration for putting people like David behind bars, were onto something. As I lay in bed, a part of me was slowly starting to believe them. I wasn't ashamed of this side of my past anymore. Instead, there was a sense of determination that ignited within me and I remembered my purpose. To put monsters like David away. Yes, I couldn't prosecute in court against him but I could still play my part in ensuring that he got the maximum sentence for his crimes. And I'm sure this would help Reilly out a lot.

I needed David off these streets for good and I was going to do whatever it took to achieve that goal. "Are you asleep?" I whispered, my voice quiet yet somehow sounding very loud against the quiet of the night.

"Not yet," she whispered back against my neck. "What's up? Are you okay?"

I shifted onto my back, glancing over at her. "I want to testify in court."

My decision hung in the air, in the silence, weighing the room down as if a large cargo was looming over our heads. After a minute too long, she responded. "You know you don't have to."

"I know," I confirmed, letting her know I was well aware of what I was getting myself into. "But, I want to do this for Ava, for Abby, for myself and for all those other girls out there who will become David's next victim if he ends up on these streets again."

"Okay," she determined, holding me more securely. "I think Ava and Abby would appreciate that. I appreciate that."

I nodded, chewing my lip in anticipation. "You can't examine me though."

"I know," she confirmed. "Mathieu can do it."

"Yeah." I sighed softly, thinking about our earlier conversation again. How I never got to truly let her in and share my story. I gathered up my courage, playing with my fingers, and spoke. "Ava didn't have to die that night she died. It was my fault she did."

"Drew—"

"That evening," I went on, ignoring her. She was going to tell me it wasn't my fault but how would she know? She wasn't there. "Ava had gone out with her friends and I wanted to go too. But Ava didn't want any baggage. She wanted to be free to enjoy herself while she was home for the Thanksgiving weekend. I was upset that she didn't take me with her because I knew once she left the house and Mom and Dad went to sleep, David would come," I glanced at Reilly again and saw that she was still listening, her brows furrowed in concentration. I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued. "I went to my room and locked my door and window like every other night."

"And then what happened?" She asked softly, showing that she was indeed still listening. "He still got in, didn't he?"

I nodded, my throat aching at the memories. "He came through the window...and he...did it–"

"How did you feel?" She probed gently, wiping away a loose tear that slid down my cheek.

"By then, I just felt numb," I told her truthfully. "There were these games he would always play. He would let you run, just to chase you and after drugging Mom and Dad, he would tell me to scream as loud as I could for them. When they wouldn't come, he would try convincing me they didn't care. That they knew about it and wanted him to do it."