Seize The Day

11- Goodbye For Now

When Nova got out of the hospital she packed up her most prized possessions and decided not to stay at the house because of the bad memories.

Thankfully Zina Baker had an apartment of her own and offered Nova to stay there so she took her up on that offer.

She was able to empty her father's bank account thanks to a good lawyer who fought for her case so she had some money. She was also able to hire a company to sell what she didn't want from the house then put the rest of it in storage then put the house on the market since it went to her.

"Hey." Zack sat down next to Nova.

He had been coming over to Zina's a lot to spend time with Nova.

"Hey." She smiled weakly.

Truth was, she wasn't able to get much sleep.

Zack laid his hand on her back to rub it and she instantly flinched so he quickly drew his hand back.

"Sorry." He sighed.

"Not your fault." She laid her head down in his lap, "I'm the one whose sorry. You've been nothing but good to me. I shouldn't flinch when you touch me. I know you're not him."

"He can't hurt you anymore." He moved her hair out of her face. "Thanks to your bravery, you're safe now."

All she could do was nod. It was silent what seemed like hours before she finally spoke up.

"Zack?"

"Hm?" He hums as he played with her hair.

"Why are you still around? Why do you still want to even be around me?"

He thought for a moment then said lowly, "Because I care about you a lot. I've grown to love you, not because of what you went through but because of your personality. I could care less about what you went through. I mean I care that you went through that but-"

She cut him off as she sat up quickly, "Why would you love me? How can anyone love me? I'm damaged property! I've been mishandled for years, so many guys have put their hands on me."

"Because you were forced to do that Nova." He tried staying calm, "And you're not property, you are an amazing, brave human. Yes you went through something traumatic but you're still here, you're still alive, you survived that shit."

"I could have, I should have went to the authorities but I didn't Zachary. You shouldn't love me because I didn't end this sooner than what I did."

"Because you were scared of what would happen. You said so yourself when you confessed to me what was happening. Why do you think I never did? I confessed to Zina, I had to tell someone, to get it off my chest and she found out that they would have to do some investigating before actually pressing charges and I was scared to say anything because I knew it would make things worse for you before it all got better."

She shook her head as she brought her knees to her chest, "Well I still don't deserve anyone's attention. Especially yours. And I'm grateful that Zina is giving me a place to stay."

~~~~

"Hey sis, where's Nova?" Zack asked when he went to Zina's place.

"She's uh, she's not here." She bit her bottom lip.

"She finally able to get out? When will she be back?"

Zina took a deep breath and let it out, "Zack, look it's going to be a while before she's back. She wanted me to give you this." She handed him an envelope. "She's getting professional help."

Zack took the envelope and opened it, seeing it was a letter.

Zack,
I'm sorry you're having to see my goodbye through a letter but just know it would have been too hard to do it face to face.
I don't know how long I will be gone, I have to get myself better. I am physically and mentally unstable because of everything. I haven't had a good night's sleep since it's all happened.
I just want to say thank you, thank you for still willing to be there for me. Thanks to Zina, yours and our friends words of encouragement I was able to be brave and get out of the situation I was in.
You said you loved me and I never said it back but truth is I love you too. And it's killing me to say goodbye in this letter than to say it to you in person.
Good luck with the band, I hope you guys have great success, feel free to tell the guys that too.
Till we meet again
Love
Nova Benson

"She, she left?" Zack looked at his sister, he tried holding back tears but they were evident in his eyes. "Where did she go?"

"She checked herself into a mental facility." She then told him which one.

"I have to go see her Zina."

"That's not a good decision right now Zack. Let her have some time to at least get settled in."

"She's the first girl I've fallen for and thanks to that asshole, I've pretty much lost her." Zack sunk down into the couch.

"Oh come on, that's not far. She's doing this to make herself better Zachary. What she went through does bad things to people's mental state. She was horribly abused, not just physically but sexually. By strange men and worse of all the one person who was supposed to be protecting her, her father."

"But we could have helped her get better. She obviously didn't think of how we'd feel when she took off without so much as a goodbye! You know how bad that hurts?"

Zina smacked him upside the head, "Are you serious right now?! She's doing this to make herself better for you! For your guys friends you jackass! She wouldn't be a good friend nor a girlfriend if she didn't get the help she needs. You don't realize how many nights I've woken up to hear her crying because she's had a bad dream because what he's done to her."