The Girl In The Night

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Nate's P.O.V.

As soon as Lexi exits the kitchen, I feel a stab in my chest. She looked so hurt and almost heartbroken at her mom's words.

Caleb quickly turns on Elizabeth, "Seriously mom? Are you tryin' to make her leave? Coz you're goin' about it the right way. If she thinks we're ashamed of her or we don't love her, then she'll go again. Is that what you want?"

I've never known Caleb to go against his mom like this. I suppose this is important though.

"Of course I don't want her to leave..."

"Well you're not actin' like it. She's got tattoos. So freakin' what? She could be a ragin' alcoholic or a drug addict, but she's not. She's got some art on her body. It's not your body and you don't have to like it. She's different to you. The world is different now. I can't believe you're bein' so horrible about this..."

"Do you think men look at that and see a beautiful woman? They look at that and see a cheap girl, who is willing to jump into bed with them straight away. That is not what I want for my daughter..."

Caleb growls, "You really think that little of her? You really think she'd do that? Give her some credit..."

I feel extremely awkward right now, especially knowing what I know. I decide I shouldn't be a witness to their exchange any longer, so I go to check on Lexi instead. Obviously, no one else is thinking about that. Caleb is trying to defend her, so I shouldn't be too hard on him.

I knock softly on Lexi's bedroom door. I hear a sniff, so I cautiously enter the room and close the door quietly behind me.

I whisper, "Lex? Are you ok?"

Her voice is raw with emotion when she replies, "Yeah."

I sigh, "No you're not. I'm sorry about your mom, darlin'."

She shrugs, "It's not your fault. It's mine. I didn't think it would be such a problem. I didn't think I'd be such a problem to her."

This girl is killing me. I hate that she feels this way.

"You're not. She's just strugglin' with you bein' different to her. She can't understand the way you are. I'm not sayin' she's right, coz she's not. She just doesn't get it."

She lets out a puff of air, "It doesn't really matter, does it?"

I feel a constricting around my chest, hoping that doesn't mean she's going to leave.

I cautiously ask, "What do you mean?"

"She's right, isn't she? It's not her fault I'm different and I shouldn't rub it in her face."

I can see the pain and disappointment on her face as she speaks those words. She doesn't want it to be that way, but I can tell that she's relenting simply to keep the peace. I don't like that, but before I can say anything more, she announces that she needs to change her shirt. I don't get a chance to leave the room or even turn around before she strips off her tank top, leaving her standing there in just a sports bra.

I can now see the 'offending' tattoo on the side of her ribcage as she looks for a new shirt.

I whisper, "Lex! A little more warnin' next time, huh?"

She smirks, "You're assuming there's gonna be a next time..."

She gets a serious look on her face and then she asks, "Are you disgusted by them too?"

That question is easy for me to answer, so I rush out, "Hell no. The exact opposite actually. I think they're super hot. Can I look properly?"

She shrugs, "Why not. Plenty of others have seen them. Why not one more?"