The Mistake [Norman Reedus] Book One {{COMPLETED}}

Chapter 22

We were driving to Sean's house when my mind flowed back to the call I had with my Auntie Beth.  I couldn't help but bite my lip to stop myself from talking about it out loud.

"You know how I found you?" Norman said, breaking the silence. 

I stayed silent.  I didn't;t feel like talking.  I needed to compose everything, and process this.  Soon, I had to go back from this amazing journey to my Auntie Beth since my mom was coming home, I had just been harassed by my own dad, plus like three other people,  Sean and Norman had just been beat up for me, Norman and me just about got shot, and we were now driving to Sean's house like nothing happened.

"Let me out." I said before I could stop myself.

Norman and Sean both looked at me, then at each other.  "You want us to-" Sean started.

"You heard me.  Stop the car and let me out." I said again, not really being smart with my thoughts.  I guess at this moment, I just needed to be alone; away from. . .  people.   

"Sherry stop the limo!" I called up, hoping I got her name right.

The limo screeched to a halt and she asked what was wrong.  I didn't answer.  I pulled my hand away from Norman's, and crouched my body down while I walked to the door.  Sean's hand gripped my wrist, and due to the rope burns, I quickly jerked it away and looked at it.  It was covered in a white bandage, like my ankles and other wrist, and there was a faint sight of a red cloud peeking through it.  

"Grace," He started.  I turned to him with an attitude, knowing he had nothing to say, and sure enough, he didn't.

I sighed, rolling my eyes, and let myself out so that I was on the side of the road.  Norman rolled down one of the windows.

"Grace, what's going on?" He asked.

 "Leave me alone." I snapped back at him, closing my sweater and walking away faster.

"Grace," I heard Norman call, as the door opened and closed.  "Is something bugging you?" He asked, waving Sherry on and making a phone near his ear saying "I'll call you when I need you to pick us up".

I stomped forward, letting my hair stick frowzily to my cheeks as my breathe heaved steam through the crisp air.  I guess it was the fact that my dad was the one who held that gun to my head, (That I had found out back at the house when the doctors and police men talked to me about it), or maybe just the image of my mom, but I turned around and started yelling.

"My mom is coming back to Montana!  She hit me Norman!  And she's coming back!  And there's no one to protect me, because nobody knows about it!  My father pointed a gun to our heads, and I'll never see him again!  And I don't even want to THINK about what happened in that house!" I said, letting the tears roll down my numb face.  "So yes.  Something is bugging me." I exclaimed, using my hands to emphasize how serious I was.

Norman looked at his feet then back at me.  "I'll protect you." He suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

I swallowed hard and sighed deeply, pushing my hair back harshly from my forehead.  I laughed at his idea; how ridiculous it was.  "It's not that simple!" My voice rose at the end.  "You can't just come to Montana and change my life.  You can't do that." I protest, referring to both of our thoughts of him asking my mother to stay away from me.

"Well," He stepped closer and his eyes looked back down at me.

His eyes.  So blue, like the water at the quarry my father used to take me to when I was little.  I swallowed the lump in my throat, but it came back up, reminding me of the day at the quarry.

(Flashback)

"I wanna go swimming first!" I said, pulling off the white cover up that hid my pink bathing suit.

"Alright sweetie!" My dad chuckled joyfully.  His laugh was so jolly and big.  It made my weak giggle sound as if it were a mouse's squeak.  

He sprawled out on the picnic blanket over the leaves, and crossed his legs while he watched me strap into my life jacket and run across the dock.  

I leaped when I got to the end, and for a split-second, I felt as if I were flying.  Away from my mother's yells (That would later turn into innocent hits.) and away from the bullies at school that would pick on how small I was.  Away from the drunk nights where my father would come home and shout loudly at my mother.  

At the time, I didn't know what any of this meant.  Maybe that my mommy and daddy would just live at different houses like my friend Austin's parents lived, or maybe it was just a phase that as a family, we were all going through.  

But in this one perfect moment, non of that mattered.  It was all gone.  It was all at the surface of the perfect, blue water.  Gone.

When my life jacket pulled me back up to the top, I laughed at my father who was jumping in as well.  Curling his legs up to his chest, and landing beside me while a huge wave flushed over my frail and limp body.

"How about lunch?" He asked, coming up as we swam and paddled back to shore.

The wind chilled me, but, when my father pulled out a bottle of hot chocolate, I was immediately warmed throughout my whole body.  But I was chilled back to the bone when I saw him pull out a bottle of beer for himself.

"No daddy, no, drink this!" I pleaded, shoving him my own drink.  He chuckled and winked, thinking I was joking.  I huffed and made a pout face as I set my cup down and grabbed a sandwich.

I had taken my life jacket off since the wind made the water still on the jacket freezing.  I opened up my sandwich, and took a bite, watching as my dad chugged a whole bottle followed by two more.  One after another, he quickly finished four.  

I shuddered when I heard him hiccup, and I knew what was coming.

"Let's go for another swim!" He smiled, stumbling to his feet and sweeping me onto his shoulders.

"No daddy!  Please!  Stop!" I screamed, reaching for my life jacket.  But it was too late.  He had already jumped in, and was sinking fast, his cold grip still on my legs.  I reached for the surface as the water got darker and colder, but my fingertips only touched water.  Water, water, and more water.

The next thing I remember is him coming up to the surface and my throat gagging for air.  Only to be filled with more water.  I coughed and spit, screamed and flailed, but he held me down.  Long enough for my eyes to go black and my body to get all tingly and numb.

The noise of sirens made me jump and open my eyes.  At first I thought it was still a part of my daydream, but I realized it was both.  An ambulance passed by on the road, and the only other thing that told me I wan't dreaming was Norman's hand on the side of my head, his lips on mine, and my arms around his neck.

When I jumped, he pulled away slowly, and finished his response to what I had said earlier.  

"Well, you came to Georgia and changed my life.  So you have to let me do the same for you."

(A/N: Updating after school!  First to comment on Chapter 22 gets a dedication on Chapter 23!) -Writingslayer <3