Love, Lies, and Other Ties

Chapter Fifteen

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to SamanthajEly! I have read several of her books and they were all fantastic! I am having issues with my computer but I'm trying to fix it so I can write some more and get them posted!

>>>>><<<<<

Carter's POV

I woke up and was in immediate agony. I feel as if I would die if I moved since my abdomen felt like it was about to explode. I slowly reached over to my nightstand and grabbed the Tylenol and took two of them. I needed to get up and shower but just reaching over to my nightstand made me hurt even worse. I decided I needed to get up and take a hot bath. I got to the bathroom and waited for the tub to fill up while I examined the new colors of my body. I could only silently sob.

I stayed in the bathtub for an hour trying to let the Epsom salts do their job and just staring into space. I think about my life and how it has turned to shit. I think about the "dreams" I have been having. I think about Liam and how sweet he has been towards me. I keep replaying Mama dying on my birthday. I feel like I'm slowly breaking. I want to text Liam and come up with an excuse to not go to his house today. I don't have anything to cover up the bruises on the parts of my body that won't be hidden by clothing.

I made up the excuse I was going to use to get out of going today and slowly climbed out of the bathtub. When I got out, I wrapped a towel around me and limped to my phone on my nightstand. I had several notifications. I had a text from Kay, one from Liam and a missed call from Kay. I looked at the texts to see what they said.

L: Hey, beautiful. I won't be able to come and pick you up because I need to pick my friends up at the airport, but Kay should be there soon! Can't wait to see you. :-*

K: Hey, Best Fraaannnn! I am on my way to pick you up! I should be there in about 20 minutes! See ya then!! Muah!

Oh no! They sent those to me almost 20 minutes ago which means that Kay is almost here! I threw my phone down and limped quickly to my closet and grabbed a pair of joggers and just picked up an oversized hoodie off my floor. I didn't really pay attention because I needed to get ready in a hurry. I hurriedly got dressed and grabbed a ponytail holder for after my hair dries then brushed my teeth. As I got finished, the doorbell rang so I went to answer it before my father got to the door. Just before I turned the knob, my hair was grabbed from behind.

"Remember to not say a fucking word about what happened. If you do, you better not even show your face. Understood?" I nodded my head as much as I could with him still holding my hair. "Good. Now, do me a favor and keep an eye on things over at their house, I need to know some things like the layout of it. Also, if they say anything about me, you better catch what they say. I have finally found a use for you, so you better not screw up or I'll get rid of you, too. Understood?" I nodded again and he finally let go of my hair. "Good, now get the fuck out."

He turned and walked away while I fixed my hair and wiped off the stray tear that fell on my cheek. How is he already drunk this early? He just keeps getting worse. I checked my reflection in the mirror and the doorbell rang again. The bruises aren't seen that well on my face. I just have a busted lip and a bruise on the underside of my right jaw and a small cut about my left eyebrow. I also have some slight bruising on my neck, but the rest of the bruises are under the sweatshirt. I took a deep breath and opened the door to the sight of Kay with her fist raised, about to knock on the door.

"FINALLY! I thought you were dead in there! Let's go!!" I forced a small fake laugh so that she didn't think anything was wrong. How would she know that she wasn't very far from the truth? I closed my front door and caught a glimpse of Trevor opening another whiskey bottle and digging for something in his pocket. I turned to Kay who was getting into her pearl white Range Rover, and I walked, as normally as I could, to her passenger side and got in.

"I am so excited that you are coming over! You get to meet my boyfriend and just hang out! Maybe we could have a sleepover! We could stay up all nigh... Carter, what the fuck happened to your neck?!" She shrieked. Fuck! I didn't come up with anything to tell them.

"I went to the store late last night and while walking home, I got surrounded by a bunch of guys and they attacked me. Luckily, a car pulled into the parking lot and the lights scared them off," I lied while looking down at my hands. I mean, it wasn't completely a lie, I was attacked by a group of guys.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!" she asked while she gently moved my head around to see the bruises.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Can you stop by a store so I can get something to cover this up. I don't wear makeup, so I never have it when I need it. Also, please don't say anything to your brother. I really don't want to worry him."

"Don't worry. I have some makeup and I will help you cover it up. I won't say anything to Liam but if he sees them, he will want an explanation and he won't give up until he gets answers." She reached around to the backseat and grabbed a small pouch out of her purse. She had me turn in my seat and she started working on my face.

"So, you said something about your boyfriend? What is he like?" I wondered.

"He is incredible. He is one of Liam's best friends!" she was practically jumping in her seat from the excitement.

"Really? Liam doesn't care that you're dating his friend? Aren't brothers supposed to threaten their friends to stay away from their sister?" I giggled slightly and so did she.

"Nah. We all grew up together, so we all know each other really well. Liam knew before I did how Loki felt about me. I guess he could tell from the way he looked at me. I had always had a crush on Loki but never would have thought that he shared my feelings. Liam gave us his blessing long before we started dating, even if we didn't know it," she sighs in bliss. It was silent for a couple of minutes before I decided to break it.

"Hey, Kay?" she nodded for me to continue, "can you tell me about whoever I'm going to be meeting today? Just so that I am a little more comfortable and don't feel like a cow going to the slaughterhouse." I started to fidget with my hands while looking down in my lap.

"Well, there is Sebastian, but he likes for his friends to call him Bash. He and Liam have been friends the longest out of everyone since his dad and my dad are best friends. He also is the cynical, moody one of the group. He doesn't really like people all that much, so if he is rude to you, don't take it personal. He is like that with everyone, except Liam.

"Then, there is Max. He is the goofy one of the group. He can make anyone smile even in dark times. He is very smart but acts like an idiot. He is also very empathetic. He will do anything to make people smile when they are upset.

"Last but not least, Loki. He is basically a genius. He works with a ton of computers, programming, and other similar things. He could have already graduated High School but decided to stay with me. We have been together all our lives. We were best friends, but I fell in love with him. I didn't tell him because I was certain he would've laughed in my face but instead, he grabbed my face and kissed me. That was my first kiss and it couldn't have been any more perfect. He has snow white hair and beautiful blue eyes. He is beautiful," She finished off with a smile.

I was so happy for her because her relationship with Loki sounds blissful. I tried to smile back but it was weak. I was jealous and I didn't want to be. I knew I would never have that with anyone since I am practically the most hated person in the whole damn town.

"We're here!!!" I took a deep breath to brace myself and followed behind Kay.

>>>>><<<<<

A/N & Question of the chapter: What is your favorite food? Mine is Italian! I could eat a ton of pasta!