Speak

Chapter 15

"The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love."
~ Hubert H. Humphrey

**Elizabeth POV**

I go for a run because I need to clear my mind. I can't think straight, and nothing seems to make sense. No matter what I do, Wes just won't give up. He doesn't seem to care that I'm completely messed up in the head, and he doesn't seem to care that I have more scars than Frankenstein.

Instead of running away, as I expected, he persists. He keeps coming back and just doesn't give up. A part of me finds it downright irritating that he just won't go away and leave me in my melancholy. But somewhere deep inside of me, in the part of me that I always fight, I secretly hope Wes never gives up.

**Wesley POV**

What Liz's brother told me is a lot to process. He also offered me an essential insight into Liz's real feelings. Knowing that I have made Liz happy, it's like vindication for all my efforts thus far.

I'd be lying if I said a small part of me did not wonder if she's really worth it.  Everything her brother said. Everything he didn't say. All the things he didn't need to say.

How many guys in my position would just walk away? Most don't want to deal with the emotional baggage that would come with a girl like Liz. She has deep-seated trust issues, a distorted body image, and it's evident that intimacy will be an ongoing issue. Instead of dealing with disagreements in a relationship, she is likely to close up and avoid confrontation or lash out on others when dealing with her internal frustrations.

It's a lot to deal with, but then I think about her tenacity. Liz has experienced living hell and is still fighting. Despite everything, she has never given up. Liz has more strength and courage in her little finger than most people do in their whole body.

Liz also has that intoxicating smile. Her eyes soften and light up at the same time while she bites the inside of her bottom lip ever so slightly. She has absolutely no idea what that does to me, and maybe that's a good thing.

I just wish she would quit trying to push me away, but I'm not going to let her anymore. If I thought that Liz really didn't like me, I'd stay away, but her brother says he hasn't seen her this happy in years. As he said, Liz deserves to be happy. I just have to figure out how to start breaking down that wall she has buried herself behind.

I continue on my drive home and try to formulate a plan to pull Liz out of this melancholic daze. Bridge Over Troubled Waters by Simon and Garfunkel comes over my speakers and gets me thinking.

I have an idea, but I just need a little help. I press a button on my steering wheel and tell my car to call my mother.

"Hey, Peanut, how're you doing," she answers almost immediately.

"Hey, Mom," I reply. "About the charity ball..."

"I can't wait to meet this girl, Peanut," Mom cuts in before I can say anything else.

Damn Hannah and her big mouth. I didn't want to tell my mother until I knew for sure that Liz would say yes. I don't even know if Liz will agree to go now. I hope she does. After seeing the way her eyes lit up at the botanical gardens, I know that my mother's garden will bring a smile to her face.

"About that," I cut back in. "I need a favor."

"Well, of course, sweetheart," my mom replies.

"What did you have in mind for entertainment?"

**Elizabeth POV**

I stare at my books, and the words begin to blur. I need coffee in the worst way. I haven't slept very well since Saturday. Honestly, I haven't really slept well for the past nine hundred and thirty-seven days, but since Saturday, I've barely slept at all. I keep going, jacked up on coffee and running to give me energy.