How Can We

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Eight

Artemis was surprised when Roy openly approached her during practice. She didn't think he would have the guts to, but life was just full of surprises that day.

"Is there any specific reason you're here?" She asked, an eyebrow cocked in his direction.

"Don't forget I'm still your coach Artemis." He reminded her sternly.

"Assistant coach."She mumbled. He narrowed his eyes at her comment, clearly not pleased, although she didn't care in the slightest.

"Regardless, that's not why I'm here to talk to you. Jade and I want you to babysit Lian today. I can take you to our place once practice is over."

"Where are you guys going?"

"To your mother's." That certainly caught her attention.

"So you finally managed to convince her." She noted. "How did you do it?"

"It took a couple of nights on the couch but she finally saw reason."

"Good, this would be great for both of them. And I assume you are going for emotional support?" She asked.

"Yeah, just like Wally did." Roy remarked, hitting close to home, especially with his wide smirk.

"Jade and her big mouth." Artemis shook her head annoyed. Her sister couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"Don't blame Jade, she didn't say anything and frankly she didn't need to. There's something going on between the both of you and everyone can tell. Neither of you two are good at the whole subtly thing."

"There's nothing going on between me and Wally." Artemis said harshly, aggressively letting out an arrow.

Roy ignored her, and gave her instructions on where to meet him once she was done.

*******

Artemis took much longer to gather her things than it usually would just to piss off Roy. Needless to say she was still annoyed with him, and Jade for that matter. Although she was better at masking her anger at Jade.

Roy was a d*****.

"Finally," He said when she opened the passenger seat door. "Took you long enough."

"If this is how you are with Jade she must want to knock her head against the dashboard." Artemis was quick to reply with a snarky remark. She had no excess of them. She could see Roy scowling from the corner of her eye.

The actual car ride itself was awkward to say the least. She was still hurt by their lies and deceit, and he was well aware of the fact.

"Look Artemis, I know you're still upset with me and Jade, and you have a right to be. Once we found out you were at GA, I wanted to tell you but Jade wasn't ready. I had to respect her decision and wait until she felt comfortable to reach out to you, and I couldn't go against her wishes. So we looked after you from afar."

"I'm not an idiot, I understand why, but that doesn't change the fact that I can't trust you anymore. You've lied to my face for years and expect me to be over it because you said you're sorry? Not only that but you and Jade kept us from reuniting as a family and potentially saving us from this whole mess in the first place!"

"We can't change what was already done." Roy told her simply.

She glared at him. "Stop speaking to me like I'm a child."

"Then stop acting like one." He abruptly slammed on the breaks to look at her. "Your sister made a mistake driven by her insecurities if anyone should understand that it's you, so get over it and move on." His voice harsh and rough and riddled with brutal honesty.

Roy had pulled the car over in order to talk to Artemis. She looked at him once before walking out of the car. She slammed the door behind her and began walking towards their apartment. She might have issues with the parents but she wouldn't let that affect her relationship with Lian.

"Artemis come back!" He called out after her. She ignored him and kept walking. He could keep his apologies and her advice and stick it up his *** for all she cared.

This car ride was just another example of why she and Roy never get along.

******

Artemis made it back to the apartment a good ten minutes before Roy. Jade let her in, confused about where her boyfriend was. Artemis didn't answer her questions and simply picked up Lian and playing with her.

She could hear Jade on the phone with Roy in the next room. There were a lot of hushed whispers, sighs and some slightly raised voices. Jade came back into the living room looking exhausted. She pulled on her jacket, kissed Lian on the forehead and made her way out the door.

"Call me if anything happens." She told Artemis quickly, before walking out. Artemis assumed Roy was picking her up since he didn't come back up. He had no right to say any of that to her.

"Come on Lian, let's have some fun." She smiled and put a happy face on for her niece. She didn't want another young child corrupted by problems beyond her years.

******

It was about an hour later that Artemis' phone rang. She balanced Lian on her hip and put the phone on speakerphone seeing how it was Jade.

"Hey, are you calling to check up on us Jade?" Artemis asked.

"You would be right if I were Jade." She froze in place. There was only one voice that could make her freeze up in terror and send shivers down her spine.

"Dad."

"Good, you remember."

"Where is Jade?" Something must have happened in order for him to have her phone. She couldn't bear to think of what it was, without getting nauseous.

"Oh she's fine, we were just catching up with your mother. You see we are a few people short of a family reunion." Artemis didn't like the way this conversation was heading. She hated the fact that her father was in her apartment with her mother and sister. Who knows what he could have done to them by now.

"What do you want?" Artemis spat out.

"I simply want to meet my granddaughter." She scoffed, like his intentions were that innocent.

"I don't believe you." Her father never gave her any indication to trust him, and she didn't.

"It doesn't matter what you think baby girl because if you don't show up here soon, bad things are going to happen."

"Are you threatening your own family?"

"Just insuring I get what I want." He was sick, but it's not like she didn't know that before. "Come alone Artemis, and bring the baby too." He hung up a second later.

Artemis leaned against the wall in shock, while her niece was happily babbling to herself blissfully ignorant. The situation felt surreal, and almost nightmarish. She found it hard to believe that her father was actually holding the rest of her family hostage. She knew her father was a horrible man, and was now coming to terms with the fact that he was just as heartless as she remembered.

It just made her wonder what was he going to do to Artemis and Lian when they get there. He must have still been following Jade, and noticing her heading to the apartment. Artemis and her mother didn't move after the incident, they barely had enough to cover their expenses so moving was out of the question.

Her dad must have put two and two together and struck when the timing was right for him. Now her family was trapped, and she had no idea what to do.

She wished she hadn't pushed away everyone's help, because now she is alone and could certainly use some assistance.

Now she was stuck between a rock and a hard place with no solution in sight.

"F***."