Her Guardian Angel (Edited and Extended)

Chapter 7 (Edited)

Het Guardian Angel

Chapter 7

Monday evening when Sarah walked through the door Journey and Leo were sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her. Over the weekend Journey had decided to tell Sarah about everything that had been going on.

"Journey!" Sarah yelled as she walked into the living room.

"We're in the kitchen." Journey called back. She began to bite her nails. It was a nervous habit she had picked up over the past four years.

Sarah walked into the kitchen and saw Journey and Leo sitting at the table. She could tell that Journey was nervous about something by the look on her face and the fact that she was biting her nails.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked as she sat down at the table across from Journey.

"Sarah, there's a lot of things you don't know about me, and I think it is time that I tell you the truth about my friendship with Leo." Journey began, but the look on Sarah's face stopped her.

"What do you mean there's a lot I don't know about you? And what do you mean by the truth about your friendship with Leo?" Sarah replied with a hint of betrayal in her voice. She and Journey had always told each other everything, or so she thought.

"What I mean is there is a lot you don't know about my family or why I was so upset when Leo rreturned." Journey explained begining to think telling Sarah was a bad idea.

"Ok let's hear it." Sarah agreed and motioned for Journey to continue.

Journey's nerves were on the fringe, and she was glad Leo had asked to stay. Journey looked to Leo, who was sitting beside he, hoping it would calm her down. She was right it did calm her down. Leo gave her a small smile, squeezed her hand, and nodded as if saying everything was going to be alright. After taking a deep breath Journey continued her story.

"Remember about six months ago when I had to go home for my dad's funeral?" Journey asked.

Sarah nodded. She was confused as to what Jorney's father had to do with her and Leo's friendship.

"Well, he wasn't really my dad. He was my step-father, and I hated him." Journey told her.

"Why?" Sarah questioned.

"Because he raped me multiple times from the time I was thirteen until the day I turned eighteen." Journey answered with a sad look on her face.

"Oh my..." Sarah couldn't even finish the sentence. How could her step-father do something like that, and why hadn't Journey told her this before now?

"That's where the truth about my friendship with Leo comes into play. I met Leo when I was in the ninth grade and he was a junior. I was pretty popular my first two years of high school. Leo was dating one of my friends and she introduced us. We became friends quickly, but I would never invite Leo or anyone else over to my house because of my step-father. I didn't want them to see what a monster he was. Only one day I didn't come to school because he had raped me the night before, and Leo stopped by to check up on me. He knocked on my door and I answered it." Journey was interupted by Leo.

"She could barely walk, and so I asked her what happened." Leo began.

"And I screamed at him telling him to get out of my house." Journey smiled as the memory flowed back into her mind.

"I told her I wasn't leaving until she told me what had happened." Leo smiled too, the memory also flowing through his mind.

"So, I broke down and told him everything, but I made him promise not to tell anyone." Journey continued.

"From that day on I never left her side until I had to leave for school, and I would have visited her and called her if her dad hadn't have threatened to kill her." Leo added finishing the story.

"I told you there was a reason why he never called or visited." Sarah said to Joourney with a smirk on her face.

"Yeah, yeah I knew you would pull the 'I told you so.' card." Journey laughed feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"I'm glad you told me because now I have a better understanding of why you were so angry and depressed." Sarah admitted getting up from the table.

"Me too." Journey replied as she too got up from the table and gave Sarah a hug.

"So, why did Leo have to be here when you told me?" Sarah looked over at Leo who was still sitting at the table.

"We might need to sit down again before I answer that." Journey told her.

They both returned to their seats at the table, and Journey told Sarah about what Josh had done reliving the horrific night as she spoke. Sarah was furious. Like Leo had done the very night it happened, Sarah threatened Josh's life if he ever came near Journey again.

After all the serious talking was done, they all sat around the kitchen table talking about what not and joking around. At around ten Leo asked Journey I f she wanted him to stay another night.

" No I'm fine. I have my best friend here with me, but thank you for asking." Journey replied giving him a warm smile.

"I'm only a phone call away if you need me." Leo reminded her. Then he kissed her on the cheek and headed towards the door. Leo saw Sarah mouth 'Thank you.' as he shut the door behind him.

Journey felt ten times lighter as she crawled under her bed covers that night. Sarah now knew everything about her and she was still her friend. It had been foolish to think Sarah would abandon her after she knew the truth. Journey smiled as she closed her eyes and drifted peacefully off to sleep. That is until she awoke from a horrible nightmare about Josh. Journey reached for her phone and called Leo. They talked until Joirney fell asleep on the phone. Leo listened to her soft snores as he too drifted off to sleep.