Dangerous black ties

Big secret

What the fuck?

What the fuck is happening? I'm freaking out internally.

I look at his hand for a moment.

Breathe.

I softly place my hand in his.

"Why do you look so nervous?" Edison asks

"I-um, what is even happening? Am I dreaming?" I said, looking at the ground.

"Dreaming? No, you aren't dreaming." Edison says with a laugh lightly squeezing my hand.

"I must be. Me? There's no way that you could like me. Or anyone else, for that matter." I try to move my hand out of his.

His grip tightens. With a sigh. "Well, Meredith, you are absolutely beautiful, filled with kindness. What isn't there to like? You care so deeply and try to fight all your problems alone. You protected your dad when he was hurting you. You are by definition someone I would like." He tells me, his voice slightly scolding me.

"Edison I deserved what my dad did. He blamed me for my mom's death; it doesn't make me kind; it makes me take responsibility." I explain

His brows frowned. "Explain." He says

"Well, when I was 16, I was out partying with some friends and got drunk. I called my mom because I couldn't drive myself home. She was crashed into on the way to get me. She died because of me. So no, I'm not a good person." I say, once again, remove my hand from his grip. The physical touch is unceasing me as my mind races.

"Meredith, do you hear yourself? You were 16 years old. Do I agree with minors drinking? Absolutely not. It's not uncommon for teenagers to do irresponsible things. You did the responsible thing and called your mom rather than driving or getting into the car with your friends or if they drove. Her getting into an accident wasn't your fault. Accidents happen. Your dad should have never blamed you. He certainly never hit you like he did." Edison explains.

He sighs, his eyes still viewing my troubled face.
"Let's get inside; it's a little cold." He says he is lightly pulling me with his hand and leading me into the house.

He unblocks his door, locking it back, and sets the alarm.

Finally letting go of my hand, he wipes my tears away, which I hadn't even known had fallen.

"It's kind of late; why don't you go take a bath and lay down? Tomorrow we are having Sunday football night. I know you don't like football, but I'd still like for you to be there." He suggested it to me with a small smile.

"Yeah okay. Maybe for a little bit until I get too bored." I don't like the idea of boring football.

"Fair enough." He laughs slightly.

"Well, goodnight, Meredith. Call me if you need me." Edison says before kissing his cheek softly one time.

A blush is felt on my skin hearing up.

He walks away. I scurry quickly to the bedroom as casually as possible, closing the door softly.
I can't stay here, Jesus Christ; he makes me so nervous.

I slide on the floor resting against the door.
What if my dad tries to find me and hurts Edison? What if he kills me?! Being here could cause Edison to get hurt or worse.
I'll explain to him tomorrow that, for his safety, I'm going to stay in a motel room until I get my place.

I get off the floor finally calming myself after so much time.
I grab a change of clothes and head to the bathroom. I strip my clothes and climb in the shower, washing my hair and body. It hurts slightly every time my fingers touch a bruise I notice some beginning to heal.

I get out and get dressed quickly.
I sit on the bed, covering my exposed legs with the blanket. I have shorts and a T-shirt on my body as I lay down to rest. Plugging my phone in, I scroll on my phone. I didn't want to wake Edison up with another nightmare, so I'm just going to stay awake.

I scroll on my phone. I checked the time; it was already morning, and I hadn't slept a wink.

My eyes felt tired, as did my body. I walk back into the bedroom. Turning on the water, I slash my face. A couple of times.

There was a knock at the door.

"Just a second," I say, looking down at my heinous skin covered in deep bruises.

I quickly get dressed into something unreeling for my skin.

I slide my phone into my back pocket.

"Come in," I say after tying up my wild hair.

Jeremy walks in. He looks at me with a confused face that is almost immediately present.

"Feeling alright?" He asks.

"Oh yeah, just a bit tired," I say with a smile.

I was hoping he wouldn't pry.

He stared at me a bit.
"Okay." He says this with his eyes still intently staring at me as if determining if I were being truthful.

"Last day of IV antibiotics. The rest will be in pills." He tells me he is holding the stuff for an IV.

"Is the last day really necessary? I've already been poked the last two days." I ask him, pleading my case.

"If it weren't necessary, I wouldn't be in here holding this stuff, would I?" He asks me, his voice slightly stern.

"I guess not," I said, rolling my eyes. "I just don't like it," I said, awkwardly scratching the back of my arm.

He sighs slightly.
"Mer, did I hurt you either time I did your IV?" He asks

"No," I say sitting down and accepting defeat.

"Meredith I just want to make sure you get better. That's all. Okay. Besides, if you want to, I can hang out in here until you finish your IV." He suggested.

"Okay, sure." I watch his every move carefully.

The door was knocked on again.

"Come in," I say

Seeing Dexter, "Hey, Alex is going to drop me off to get your car. Can I have the keys? Also, where is it? Is it the shop off Clifford?" He asks me.

"Yeah, there are on the dresser, and yes, Clifford." I reach beside the bed, getting my purse. "There might be a holding fee use this card," I say, holding out my credit card.

He ignored my card and grabbed the keys before leaving the room.
Rude.
"How was that rude?" Jermery asks
I was shocked, not realizing I had voiced my thoughts out loud.

"He just ignored me. "

"Yeah, he did, but you were the one who was tired of giving him your card," Jeremy says, laughing a bit.

"Done," Jeremy says.
I look down.
"Man, you are good at that," I say with a smile.