Saving Lexi

Chapter 9

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Present Day

"I'm sorry I hurt our relationship from the start. I regret so much of how I handled my relationships with Melvin and you," I said to Lydia. "I think I need to admit some things so you know why I did what I did. As stupid as it was."

This was unbelievably difficult. How could explain to Lydia that I had been lying to her my entire life? How could I tell her that my family was an utter disappointment and that hers saved my life? Her brothers saved me, and that's why I felt indebted to them forever. 

Lydia just peered at me, quietly, and I took a deep breath. I would have to start somewhere. 

"I didn't have the best childhood, Lyd. Or 'teenhood', my family isn't like yours."

"I know," she said, looking at me sadly. Maybe she did know more than she let on.

"You brought me into your family with no hesitation, and I finally felt that warm family love that I had been missing all my life. Melvin saw some things in my life that no one else did at that time. I don't know why, maybe he just observed me more than anyone else." 

It no longer hurt talking about Melvin, but my heart twinged at the memories of him sleeping over to make sure I wasn't home by myself. How he used to bring me food every week because he knew I was too scared to use the oven alone. 

"What kind of things?" she asked.

"M-My parents lived in Florida. From the day I turned thirteen."

"What?" The shock on her face reminded me of Melvin's the day I told him, shock and disbelief. It didn't bother me as much now that I was not a teenager anymore. Now that I had met people with similar or worse life stories than my own, I knew that this was just a fact of life.

Some people had good childhoods, some people had bad childhoods, and it didn't define me as a person whichever one I had. I could, and did accomplish my goals regardless.

"They came back every few months, but it was just me and Luke. And you know Luke."

"Always gone."

Lydia looked so sad that I tried to laugh it off, but I couldn't lie to Lydia, not anymore.

"Yeah, he was always gone. Anyway, some crazy things happened one night, and—"

I stopped, covering my mouth with my hand. I couldn't tell her everything. Jesus, Lex, choose your words carefully. 

"What?"

"I don't know if I can tell you this. Your brothers, Lyd—"

"I know."

"You know?"

What could she possibly know? She couldn't know. 

"I-I have gotten a bit familiar with them, recently. And I know there are things that Felix is capable of that I never really knew were possible."

Her answer was vague, but it was clear she wasn't talking about the night of the robbery. She didn't know everything her brothers were capable of, and she would probably never. 

"Tell me about it. Anyway, without too much detail. Your brothers helped in a desperate time, and I think me and Melvin became joined at the hip at that point. I needed a caring family, and you gave me that. He gave me that. I used you guys as my support system."

"I'm happy you did!"

"I'm not! Look what it did, it drove you and me apart, it turned me into a codependent mess. Up until two years ago, Melvin was driving me to school and back every day, making me food, sleeping over! I wasn't my own person."