finding thea

Chapter 53

THEA POV

Logan locked himself in his hotel for the whole day. He came back from meetings with the police and lawyers and since then, only Jeff has talked to him. Brandon tried to say something but Logan was too tired to talk to anyone else.

This morning, I asked Jeff for his room keys and brought him breakfast. Logan was sitting on his bed reading his emails when I walked in. He looked up and gave me a weak smile before refocusing on his work. I set the food down and sat next to him.

"Morning," I said.

His lips curved into a small grin before falling back down. I hated that he had to force a smile. I took his laptop and he finally looked at me.

"We need to talk," I said. I placed his laptop aside and took his hand.

"I know I can't do anything to make this go away but I want to let you know that I am here for you. You are not alone in this, Logan," I said and locked his glance. His clear blue eyes were cloudy and I felt my heart strings pulled into knots. "You don't have to do this alone. I am here for you, Jeff is, Brandon is, Lydia, Evan, your parents, Jake, and everyone that cares about you will be there for you. Don't shut us out," I said. "You don't have to carry this burden over your shoulders all by yourself."

His expression was unreadable. I think I might have over stepped my boundaries but I couldn't bare to see him like this. He barely sleeps or eats. He was a walking zombie.

Suddenly, he pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight. I heard his sobs and felt my heart cracked into pieces. I held him tighter.

"Just keep standing," I whispered. "Storm is coming. But after this, keep standing. You hear me, Logan Alexander Paul?"

I heard his soft chuckle.

Moments past when I pulled away just so I could see his face. I cupped his face with both my hands and kissed his forehead.

The door clicked open and I stepped aside. It was Jeff.

"You ready bro?" he asked.

We were finally leaving Japan today and going back home. Logan nodded and reached for my hand. He squeezed it gently and I knew what he wanted to say despite the absent of words.

Once we landed in LA, we headed straight back to the house. Everyone rested but there was this mist in the air that muted everyone. It was an unspoken burden in our hearts to want to help but know we have no power to do anything.

We were sitting around the kitchen island and the sun was setting when Jeff came to the house with body guards.

"So what is your plan?" Brandon asked. "When are you going to start vlogging or make an appearance? I know it's not the right time to ask but bro, being silent will only drag this further. You have to move on so people will too," he said.

"He has a point," Evan said.

"How would you do it? He can't just start and pretend it didn't happen," Lydia said.

Everyone was silent.

"Maybe you could write a song?" I asked.

Everyone looked at me like I was talking in Chinese.

"Make a song that is meaningful. Like the Logic song about suicide. But all the profit you make goes to a charitable cause," I explained.

"I like that," Logan said, breaking the silent.

"Me too," Jeff said. "Let me make contacts and get you a song writer."

"No," Logan said. "Can you write the song?" Logan asked me.

I shook my head. His small grin dropped.

"We can write it together," I reached for his hand and smiled.

He smiled widen and nodded.

"We can all help," Evan said.

"Yeah," Andy cheered.

Everyone was excited and we started talking about beats and ideas for the lyrics when my phone rang. It was odd. The number was from Ohio. Logan looked at me worriedly.

"I better get this," I said.

"Hello?" I answered the phone and got up.

"Is this Thea?" a man asked.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Your mom is Jennifer Laurens, correct?"

"Yes," I said, confused. I was on my way out the door when he dropped the news. I felt my stomach emptied and my heart dropped to the bottom of my ribs. It was getting harder to breathe and the world was spinning.