A Love Like War (Stevie & Ally)

Chapter Twenty Two - Explanations, Apologies and Unexpected Arrivals

STEVIE

Stevie sprinted through the streets, until she reached a public telephone. This way, Danny wouldn't be able to track her, as he would with her mobile. Sliding a two dollar coin into the machine, she dialled in Ally's number, crossing her fingers she would pick up.

She didn't.

Stevie sighed, and waited for the beep.

'Hey...Ally. It's me, Stevie.' She whispered into the phone.

'I...I really need to talk to you. Please, please can you meet me at Clover's Lookout tonight at 9pm? And be alone. Please. I know you may be mad at me, but I can explain. About...about Daley...about everything. Just please be there.'

Stevie sighed once more, before whispering a weak 'thanks', then hanging up. She prayed that Ally would give her a chance to explain what on earth had been happening these past few weeks.

ALLY

Ally's phone buzzed, notifying her of an incoming call. No caller ID. She left it unanswered. Suddenly, the voicemail came through.

It was Stevie's voice, crackly and static.

'Hey...Ally. It's me, Stevie...I...I really need to talk to you. Please, please can you meet me at Clover's Lookout tonight at 9pm? And be alone. Please. I know you may be mad at me, but I can explain. About...about Daley...about everything. Just please be there. Thanks.'

Ally's heart skipped a beat. It was the perfect opportunity to talk to Stevie about...well...that. But she questioned why they had to meet up so far away from the city, and so late too.

Ally sneaked out of the bathroom, back into her room. A buzzing came from Danny's bag. Seeing Danny was still asleep, she rummaged around in his bag and grabbed his buzzing phone. She dashed back into the bathroom and locked the door. Opening his messages, her jaw dropped open, eyes widening. She thought she had known everything this morning, after piecing together the whole Stevie and Daley thing, but she hadn't. She understood why Stevie had been acting so strangely, and why she wanted to meet up so late and so far away from civilisation.

And now she knew that Danny definitely was not the best friend she had thought him to be.

---

Ally sprinted up the drive to Clover's Lookout, seeing a dark figure already standing there, waiting. Stevie.

She gave a small smile when she saw Ally, before glancing around making sure no one was there. Her chin wobbled, before a tear streaked silently down her face.

'It's okay Stevie.' Ally cautiously put her hand around Stevie's shoulder. 'It's...it's okay. I know about Danny now.'

'I...I tried to tell you that night...I came to your house to tell you...but...but then you and Danny were really close and I thought he was going to kiss you and then you said you loved him and I just couldn't stay after that...' Stevie's words tumbled out, as if they had been bottled up inside of her.

Ally's eyes widened.

'It wasn't like what you thought at all! I told Danny I loved him because he made me laugh. I love....I mean loved him as a friend, but now, I know what he's been putting you through...'

She narrowed her eyes, brows furrowing. She shook her head.

'He..he made me promise not to have anything to do with you, or else he would hurt you.' Stevie's voice trembled. 'If he finds out we're here Ally, we're fucking dead, you know.'

Ally was silent. Though he hadn't physically hurt her, emotionally, he had.

'Do...do you know about Daley..?' Stevie's voice was a whisper.

'Not everything...but some, I know. It's okay. What's happened, happened. It's in the past.'

'But..but you don't know the full story, do you?' Stevie chewed her lip.

'No. But I have a video of you two, and you sleep talked about him.'

Stevie took a deep breath before speaking.

'I was seventeen. I didn't know anything. I was young, useless and pathetic. And my sister, Tara, was newly wed. To Daley. He was a nice guy, or so I thought. So I thought, until he found out I was secretly seeing this girl.'

'All was going well with Tara and Daley, they were living in their own apartment together, until...until Daley started to hurt Tara. It started off with little things, like pinches, but became more violent as time passed. It didn't help that he was ice either. Tara left him to go abroad for a few months, and it really hurt her to leave him. But it hurt him more.'

'One night, he...he came over to our house to look for Tara. But only I was there, totally wasted because I had gone out that night. And...and then...well, that's the video you've got.'

'He threatened that if I didn't continue seeing him...like that...he would tell my parents about the girl, and that he would send the video he had taken of us to Tara.'

Ally gasped.

'One night, I told Daley to stop doing what he was doing to me... and I'm guessing you've seen that scar on my hip.'

Ally nodded, brows still furrowed in concern.

'I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't want to ruin my sister's marriage, but I didn't know I already had. It was so bad, Ally. He was using me.'

Stevie's tears flowed freely now.

Ally wanted to hug her, to comfort her, but thinking about what she had done with Danny, well, she just couldn't.

'Since then, I've been having dreams - horrible dreams - of Daley. They've been all jumbled up and confused from different parts of my lives but it just seems too real.' Stevie said, sniffing.

'I can just imagine you getting that video and hurting so much Ally, I'm sorry. I promise it wasn't anything real, and it was before I met you.' Stevie coughed, choking on a sob.

'Stevie. It's fine. I understand, and I forgive you. You did nothing wrong.' Ally said gently.

'He's dead, you know.' Stevie's voice was hoarse.

'Daley?'

'Yeah.'

Ally couldn't hold it back any longer. Her guilt was eating her up. She had to tell Stevie.

'Stevie, I..I need to tell you something. That night when I got the video of you and Daley, I..I was really hurt, and I got super, super drunk. And...' Her voice trailed off.

'And?' Stevie prompted gently.

'I slept with Danny.' The words tumbled out of her mouth; word vomit.

Stevie's eyes widened, her face falling.

Ally held her breath, preparing herself for the absolute worst. Her legs trembled, and she felt as if she was about to collapse at any moment. The world started to spin around her.

But just as Stevie opened her mouth to speak, the headlights of a car shone in their eyes and a tall man stepped out of the driver's seat of the vehicle.

Danny.

***

haha intense stuff huh?! Hope you all enjoyed the long chapter, if you did, please remember to leave a comment or vote<3

Anyway, what's Danny going to do to Stevie and Ally since he's found them together?

You'll find out soon;)

xxx