Online Life

Chapter 7 - The Apology

Walking back to the boat, with Lisa in Ashton's arms, was agonizingly slow and painful for Claire.  She knew that Lisa must have been very shaken up over the near rape...if that was really what had happened, but Claire couldn't help but feel alone.  This day was supposed be about her and Ashton getting to know each other better, but instead it was turning out to be all about Lisa.  Claire knew that she should be feeling  more sympathetic towards Lisa, but it was hard when all her life, Lisa seemed to be getting the attention.  This was happening her whole life.  Just when Claire was feeling that something was just hers alone, Lisa would butt in and claim it as her own.

Claire remembered one time when she was nine. She had found an abandoned tree fort in a large wooded area behind their home.  Claire played in it all day, cleaned it so that it was free of branches and dirt and brought some old cushions from home to sit on. On the second trip home she went and got some books for herself to enjoy.  She was dreaming of the hours she could spend reading within the solitude of nature. The next day after school she went up to the treehouse, planning to read, when she found Lisa and a group of her friends working on the treehouse.  Lisa's friends were painting the outside and Lisa had brought posters to put up on the inside.  Claire didn't know how Lisa had found the treehouse but assumed she must have followed her when she was getting the cushions or books.  Claire knew that she couldn't get the tree house back now, but only cared about getting her books.  After looking around, Claire finally found her books scattered on the forest floor.  Glancing back at the treehouse with Lisa and her friends busy at work, Claire sighed and resigned to the fact that it wasn't meant to be, and retreated back home.

Much of her life was the same when living with Lisa.  Now, as she looked at Ashton holding Lisa as they walked back to the boat, she couldn't help but feel resigned to the fact that Lisa would get what she wanted again.  That Lisa would be the one that Ashton held from now on and not her.

As they walked up to the boat and onto the deck, Lisa stopped.  "I don't think I can do this Ashton" Lisa whispered looking up to him.  "Please, let's just go.  Take me somewhere safe, just you and me so I don't have to remember this." Lisa said so quietly that Claire almost didn't hear.  Claire panicked and her heart began to scream out, NO! Ashton, please don't go with her.  I'll never see you again and Lisa will be yours just like all the times before!  Claire could feel Ashton slipping away even before he was hers to hold.  She couldn't deal with this, she wanted to run, to hide, to not look when Ashton would leave her, holding Lisa in his arms.

"What's going on?" Claire's mom asked with a surprised look on her face as she came up to the deck, waking Claire from her panicked state.  "I think we need to talk Mrs Prescott.  Something has happened to Lisa..." Ashton said as Claire's dad was making his way up to the deck.  "What has happened?" her dad bolted out with an almost rage, as if he was preparing himself for the worst.  Claire knew that once he saw Lisa with her tear filled eyes, he would panic.  Her dad was always protective of both Claire and Lisa, and would always see them as his innocent little daughters.  Claire wasn't sure how her dad would take the news of what had happened to Lisa.  She knew that her mom wasn't easily fouled by Lisa though.  There were too many times her mom had to deal with Lisa's actions and her attitude even when her dad was blind to them.

"I think we should go down to the kitchen and sit and talk about this Mr. Prescott." Ashton explained trying to ease her father.  Claire's dad looked from Ashton to Lisa and then to Claire.  He seemed confused at the situation but then nodded in agreement.