A Story To Tell

Chapter Forty-Four

     As the hours turned to minutes before my family therapy session, I grew more and more nervous with anticipation. Scott and I had sat on the bench and talked for a few. However, I wanted to go to my room to collect my thoughts and gather my nerve before the therapy session.  At a quarter to two I heard familiar voices out in the hall.  Is that...
     I opened the door to my room to be greeted by both my mother and Alyssa. At the sight of Alyssa tears came to my eyes. It had been so long. I needed my best friend back.
"Please tell me that means you are not mad I am here. I just missed you so much, and then I ran into your mom last week, and she told me about your therapy session this week. She... I don't know... thought maybe it would be good if I came." Alyssa rattled on, as if speaking one long sentence. "Hey, aren't the tears supposed to be saved for the actual therapy session?" Now Alyssa's eyes misted with tears as well. In unison the girls threw their arms around each other.
"Oh Lys, I missed you so much. I even wrote you a note." I went over to my dresser, the note sat on top right where I left it. "Well, here." I handed Alyssa the note, though I supposed it did not matter much now. I was sure we would do plenty of talking in therapy. I just hoped not too much. I do not think I was ready for all to be revealed just yet. I could feel myself getting stronger, I was close. I just needed a little more time I told myself.
Alyssa unfolded the note and read it. After she was done, she looked at me with sympathetic eyes. "I am so sorry that I told, about what you did to the shed.  I was just so worried about you, and you were not talking to me.  You really do look so much better... happier... than you were. I think this place could be working for you." Yeah, that and the fact that I spent a good part of my day making out with the most gorgeous guy I had ever laid eyes on, and he asked me to be his girlfriend did not hurt my current 'happier' state of mind either. How I wished I could share the news with my best friend, but I just could not, not while I was still in here.
"So, I have a little bit of gossip before we head into your session." My mind lost in thought, it did not even register what Alyssa was saying. "What?" I asked, slightly dazed in memories of Scott's tongue molding into mine, his hands strong, yet soft as they held my body to his.
"I said I have news. It is not even just gossip because it is a fact. It is kind of shocking though."
I looked straight at Alyssa now, giving her my full attention. A little gossip may be just the ticket to ease my nerves about the therapy session about to take place. But I could not have been more wrong.
"Well, you know that new guy? Grant Jessup?"  I swear my heart literally stopped beating at the mention of his name.  Oh my god... did he try to assault Alyssa too?  Someone else?  I stood there frozen, voices around me fading away.
     "Katrina, are you okay?  You look pale all-of-a-sudden.  Did you hear about it already?  I am sorry, am I upsetting you?" Alyssa prattled on again.  Somehow, I could not find my voice to tell her I had not heard any news.  To tell her that the mere mention of his name made my stomach ill and made me want to crawl in a hole and burry myself there.  Finally, I managed to shake my head no.  "So, you did not hear the news then?"  Alyssa asked to confirm me shaking my head no was just what that meant.
     "No."  I managed to squeak out in a small whimper.
     "He died."  Alyssa said.  What?  Did I just hear her correctly, or have I truly gone mad?
     "What?"  I asked so low, it was barely a whisper.
     "Yeah," Alyssa stated.  "Last week, it happened the day after I ran into your mom.  "Crazy, right?"  Crazy... yes, I suppose I was going crazy.  Wait... that was not a question.  Just then my chest felt like it could not catch breath, it felt heavy as if someone much stronger than myself were pressing on it with all their strength.  A drumming in my ear made it impossible to hear all the words floating around.  Grant Jessup... was dead?
"It is true," stated Alyssa, as if confirming the thoughts, I had not spoken out loud. "Grant Jessup is dead."
"Why the hell are you talking about my cousin?" A voice interrupted. Nia. What?
I turned around to face the doorway, Nia stood there with her hands on her hips. My mouth grew dry and felt as if my entire throat was depriving me of air, swollen from the dry lump that now sat there. "You... you're... you're what? Gra... what?" I could not even form words.
"Yes, Grant is my cousin. How do you know him?" Nia looked at me now. My eyes grew wide, tears threatening. "Wait..." Nia's face twisted in realization. Somehow Nia did not need to hear me say it to realize what that name meant to me. She spoke out loud the thoughts forming in her head at the sudden realization. "Oh Katrina... you do not mean he is the guy? Please tell me he is not the guy that assaulted you." I stood frozen, and all I could hear was the gasp that fell from both Alyssa and my mother's lips. My mom now knew, what would she think of me?
Tears swelled in my mother's eyes, making me bow my head in shame. I could not look at her. After a moment I dared to lift my head, but it was not a look of shame, or resentment, or even pity that I was met with. Suddenly, my mother's arms were embracing me. They were followed by Alyssa's arms wrapping around both of us.
"This is why you burnt that shed down?" My mother asked, putting the pieces of the puzzle together on why there had been such a change in the daughter she had known, to the one standing before her now.
There was no more avoiding, I had to come clean. "Yes." I whispered, lowering my head once again.
"How scared you must have been. I am so sorry I did not see the pain you were in." My mother's words shocked me. Nia ran out of the room, but I could not think about that right at this moment. My head tried to wrap around all that was going on around me and process the news that had just been delivered only moments before.
"You are not disappointed in me?"
"What? No baby, I could never be disappointed in you. This is not your fault. I am only sorry I did not see the pain you were in." Tears fell from my eyes covering my cheeks, soaking them so much it blurred my vision.  They knew... my mom and best friend knew and still supported me.
Grant was dead. It was over, but was it? I would never get to confront him or even ask him why? I would never get closure, not really.  Still, I was safe and I was loved. That could be enough, right?

The End
*Please know if you have been assaulted IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT! Talk with someone you trust, reach out and start to heal. 🖤❤️🖤