Be this Way

31.

"What could be the problem? We have a name, who was it?" My mom held me, my body weak. I could feel the emotional pain deep in my bones, every breath hurt.

"We'll need a good prosecutor, and some physical evidence, his mother is the best defense attorney in the district." Jenna sat down heavily on the chair, she seemed defeated. I wondered how she got into this job.

"Evidence? Look at her." My moms voice was borderline yelling. She stood up her thin arms waving. Jenna nodded.

"Excuse me, please calm down Devon. I'm going to make some calls, you guys sit tight, I'll be back." Jenna stood up, I felt defeat crushing down on me. Was it possible we could skip this part of life, mom could move me again. I could go live with Mimi and Pops, anything, but the thought of leaving Maverick hurt as well.

"Listen baby, I'm not going to let him get away with this. Who was it?" Mom crouched down in front of me. Her eyes searched my face, I noticed her skin showed signs of aging I hadn't noticed before.

"Ian Swan." I felt sick, the thought of his blonde hair and blue eyes turned my stomach. I bit my lip to distract myself, I could taste the metallic flavor of blood, my mom gasped.

"Livy, your bleeding." She pulled a less than perfect tissue out of her purse and pressed it against my lip. I welcomed the sting, anything to distract me. "Why would he do this?"

"I don't want to do this mom." I fought back tears. "Please can we go home?"

"Baby, I'm so sorry." She turned away from me. I was sick of the apologies.

"Hello, Mrs. Folder, I'm district attorney Dan Wallace." A man with salt and pepper hair came into the room followed by Jenna. "We need your signature as Livy is a minor, we're going to go pick up Ian, you can take her home after you sign this sworn statement" he set a paper in front of my mom. His eyes landed on me and swelled with sympathy.

"From school?" I chocked out. "You're going to the school?"

"That is where he's at darling." He frowned. "Livy, he's obviously dangerous." His eyes softened.

I gasped. My heart skipped a beat. If they got him at school everyone would know, they aren't stupid. I broke out into a cold sweat. I should have listened to my subconscious, she was silent now, probably embarrassed.

My mom picked up the pen. "Livy. I have to." She signed her name and I felt tears well up. I hung my head in shame. I hoped this was the hard part, I couldn't imagine anything worse. She looked at me and I couldn't help look away.

The car ride home, I could tell she wanted to ask questions but I was not in the mood. I slammed the door to her Honda Accord with too much force, I apologized and walked into to building. Home sweet home. The apartment was dark and lifeless when mom pushed open the door. I could tell she was worried about something but I didn't have the energy to ask. I shuffled down the hallway to my bed, and flopped down. I saw my phone on the bed side table, I was terrified to turn it on, now more than before. I wondered what the school looked like, would they take him out in cuffs? My head hurt, my skin crawled at the thought of him touching me.

"Baby, you know I'll have to go back to work soon. What's the plan what are we doing to do?" I felt the bed dip where mom sat down.

"I don't want to go back to school mom, can I go live with Mimi and pops or something."

"Baby, you don't even know how your classmates will react. By the way someone's outside the apartment, just sitting there. You want to talk to him? I can tell him to go." Mom stood up. "Would you be okay if I left you home and sent back to work not today obviously, but we are running out of money. And We eventually need to get you back into school." I could tell she wanted me to give her permission to go back to work.

"I'm afraid he'll hate me." I couldn't look up. "Look at me, I'm broken." My moms face fell. "And yah I should be okay, here alone."

"You are not broken!" She put a hand on my shoulder. "I'll tell him you aren't ready." I grabbed her hand as she turned to leave.

"No it's okay. He can come in." I could barely breath. I turned over to face the wall opposite of my door as mom walked away.

"Livy?" His voice made me shudder, I wished I could curl into a hall and disappear. "Hey." He must have stopped coming in, I could imagine him standing between my bed and door. I couldn't believe I thought he might have done this.

"Hi." I mustered out. "Don't be shocked, I look pretty good." I tried to laugh but it fell flat. He didn't make a noise. "Maverick?"

"Yah, I'm here." His voice was barely a whisper. "Can I come in?"

"Yah." I rolled over to face him, his face shattered into sadness. "Please don't look like that at me." I begged, tired of the sympathy.

"Okay. How's this?" He stuck his tongue out at me and I actually laughed. "That sounds nice." He sighed, like his small gesture took all his energy. "What happened Liv, I still don't even know."

"I was drugged." I felt I didn't deserve the pleasure of looking into his eyes.

"That's what people are saying, I didn't go to school today, they were having an assembly asking if anyone knew anything. I didn't want to hear it." He stepped closer. I could smell his cologne. It was comforting.

"Yah they're going to arrest someone." I squeaked out. He raised his brows. "Ian. Thankfully I wasn't raped, just beaten senseless."

His face turned beat red, I saw his hands curl into fists. "Are you fucking serious?" He yelled. His ocean blue eyes turned dark. "That dirty mother fucker!" I shied back into my bed and his face fell. "Livy."

I shook my head. I felt the tears coming. "I'm sorry." I chocked out. "I should have never went with him."

"What?" He was trying hard to keep calm, I could tell. Mom popped into the doorway but I waved her away, she was only concerned with the yelling. I wished I could yell. She nodded.

"He wanted to talk, I remember that, I walked off with him." I put my hands over my face. I jumped as I felt his hands on my wrist, pulling gently to expose my face. It didn't hurt, it just scared me.

"Shit, Liv, I didn't mean to scare you. I should have never left you, when I realized you were gone I was mad that you didn't listen. I told you to stay by the fire. But then as it got later and no one had seen you, I freaked out." His words spilled out of his mouth. I stared back at him blank faced.

"It's okay, not your fault Maverick." He sat next to me on the bed. "It's his fault. I wish I could go back, I would have thrown the drink in his face." Maverick pushed some hair out of my face. "Now look at me. The outside actually feels better than the inside."

"If I see him, I'll kill him." Maverick was staring over the top of my head. "What can I do Liv?" His eyes searched my face. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to see his dimples, his gorgeous white smile.

"I'm not sure, I don't remember it, I hurt, all over, but I can't remember much of the actual.." I trailed off unable to say it.

"I thought you were dead." Maverick's eyes fell flat. "I honestly did." I reached out and put my hand with the least amount of cuts on his elbow.

"I'm not." I was extremely tired. I curled up in a ball next to Maverick, his hand ran through my hair, gently. I felt tingles crossing my scalp. "Thank you." I let slip from my mouth before falling asleep.