Chapter Twenty-Two : when did you play dirty?
Paige
~ One Month Later ~
I went to therapy twice a week, and it went deeper than just what happened that night, it was things I built up in the years, the little things stacked to make a mess that I myself couldn't handle anymore. Parker and my parents had taken me to the hour long sessions and it made me happy that they had supported me along the way. My therapist told me that because I've been so open and wanting to better myself that she thought I'm capable of doing it on my own but that if I ever had questions or felt like I was falling backwards she'd be more than happy to see me again. I felt good, I felt like I could do anything. One of her big things was to be able to communicate with Malcolm but even then that was wishful thinking because he hadn't exactly been in the talking mood to anyone, except Madi who still seemed to exist. I hadn't had the drive to get into why they kept it a secret and I was still holding that because they lied to me at the end of the day and they didn't care and still don't.
I was sitting at the dinner table with my parents, Nora, Malcolm and Madi and my parents were trying to keep the table at peace but Nora was still unhappy about the fact that Parker still hadn't stepped foot into this house since a month ago.
"Nora please pass the greens," my mom asked and she did as she was told but complained.
"Why can't Parker come over," she asked, handing mom the bowl of green beans.
"Because sweetie, he's really busy as we told you before," my dad said, not telling the truth.
Nora then looked at me like she wasn't stupid, "what the real reason. I know you and him are dating because he still takes you home every day but you," she stared at Malcolm who was on something but my parents chose to ignore it today since Madi was here. If there weren't any guests they would be yelling at screaming at him but they choose to be collected today.
"What about me," Malcolm glared right back at her.
"He hasn't been here because of you huh?" She stood up ready to hit and scream. Nora, since Parker's absence she had been a tad violent recently.
"Don't go blaming me," he shot back.
"What did you do!" she screamed and my dad stood up trying to settle in a calm manner as my mom looked between Nora and Malcolm.
"Doesn't fucking matter brat," he crossed his arms and Nora, unlike most kids being called names did not react like mosts, instead she grabbed a hand full of green beans and threw it at Malcolm and Madi.
"I hate you two! I wish mom gave you up after realizing she only wanted Paige! All you do is sit around making animal noises everywhere! It's annoying and so are you! Move out piece of," I covered her mouth to stop the next words about to crawl out of her mouth and she looked at me with sadness in her eyes.
"Um, okay Madi I think it's best if you go," my mom said and Madi was already making it out the door and suddenly Malcolm thought it was his chance to go but my dad stopped that.
"Not you, you sit down right now," he pointed to the chair and Malcolm sat.
"Paige can you take Nora on a ride somewhere please," my mom looked at me and I saw how exhausted she was.
I grabbed Nora and went out in a hurry and once we made it outside Nora started to cry, "I want to see Parker," she wailed and I zipped up her coat.
"We can do that, let's go see him okay," I was so worried about her, this was not my happy go lucky Nora.
She started to walk to the car as snow began to fall, it was the middle of December by now and it just now decided that snow was a thing.
Nora had buckled herself in as I started the frigid car and drove as I played christmas music to uplift her little spirits.
I tried to call Parker but chose against it after realizing how bad the roads were getting but once we did arrive I saw Parker's truck on and I called him. He answered right away.
"Paige, whats up?" he asked.
"Are you going somewhere?" I then asked.
"No, I actually just got home from a friends house. The new guy at school, he's really chill and I hung out with Noah. Why are you coming over or something?"
"Someone needs to see you, really badly and so I was hoping you could spend time with her a little while everything settles at the house," I commented.
Parker got out of his truck before seeing me and then coming towards my car as I unlocked the doors.
I looked in the rearview mirror to see Nora had fallen asleep and Parker got in the passenger side.
"Hey, it's cold out a little," he looked at me and I smiled like an idiot seeing him when I shouldn't be. He'd just been so patient with me with my mental breakdowns in the car my first two sessions with her not thinking things were going to change and my mini freak outs here and there. Parker had let some of his facial hair grow out and it did make him look older but he still looked good.
"Just a little," I nodded.
"The roads were getting bad coming back, did you have any trouble with them?" He asked me like making small talk between us was totally normal and it wasn't, usually but having Nora in the car made it seem like we needed to have something.
"Some parts but other than that I traveled pretty slow which made some people upset but," I shrugged my shoulders.
"Aye you have precious cargo, I would've driven slow if it was anyone else in the car," he said then looking at Nora in the back, "but what happened, I'm assuming that something at dinner happened," Parker looked at me and I sighed.
"Nora's still struggling that you aren't there everyday like you used to and she turned chaotic in three seconds before blaming Malcolm and then asking what happened, Malcolm was on whatever Madi had given him and was defiant on telling her anything so she went to throwing things after Malcolm called her a brat. After all of that Madi was sent home and I was sent to take Nora somewhere but she asked to see you so here we are as she's asleep in the back," I looked to see if anything had changed but there was nothing. She was still asleep.
"I would come over but I don't want to make enemies," he looked at me and I nodded understanding.
"I know, and I don't blame you but Nora doesn't and never will. I should make you stay longer to at least say hi to her or something but I never do because you're busy and doing what you need to do," I unbuckled my seatbelt realizing it was restricting me.
"If I had known she wasn't happy I would've done anything," he looked back at her.
"She got violent the first week you didn't come, and she kept pestering me asking if we broke up, once she realized we didn't she started to get angry and started hitting and yelling and screaming at anyone and everyone. I was usually her punching bag," I pulled up the bottom of my sweats to show Parker and he looked at the bruises and then me.
"All because I wasn't there?"
"I don't think she's doing okay and this is her only way of showing it. I know Malcolm isn't helping with the name calling because that hurts just as bad, I mean the first time he called her a bitch and she didn't really understand but she knows we don't say that stuff so it hurts because she doesn't hear it. But it just got worse and now she's pretending it doesn't hurt and she goes into throwing mode," I rubbed my face.
"What are they thinking of doing with Malcolm, I mean this has been a battle for a straight month," Parker said.
"They've threatened to send him to my aunt and uncle in Florida but he said it would be a blessing so that's off the table, they've done the whole cops thing where they threaten to take him to the county jail for a night and he's done that once and came back angrier. They've tried to talk to him about it but he's too much in whatever he has in his system all the time to even care. I heard them talking about putting him in rehab three hours away and I think they just might do that and after rehab they're gonna put him in military bootcamp if things don't turn out well. I mean what else can they do?" I looked at him.
"I just wish I could talk to him without possibly ruining our friendship, I mean hell we've been together since we were in diapers," Parker shook his head and I knew how worried he was about Malcolm, I mean we both were. But Malcolm hadn't been himself since he told us he was dating Madi and since Parker and I started to fake date.
"I mean I think you're our only hope at this point," I looked at him and he half smiled.
"I just know it won't end well, I mean he stopped any contact with me whatsoever, at school he switched seats, he eats at Madi's table at lunch. My whole existence from his life is like I was never there."
"Let me deal with Madi because I have a feeling it was Madi who got in his head. Malcolm never started this before until we started to get close then he'd disappear to Madi's everyday and I knew for a while that Madi always wanted me out of her friend group and now it makes sense. She's putting doubt it's Malcolm's head and since he's more vulnerable around her and scared of the idea of us being together he started to believe the things she was saying."
"What are you going to do, Madi isn't scared of you, I mean don't get me wrong Paige but your threats don't make me scared," Parker looked at me like I shouldn't take offense.
"I was raised with Malcolm, he taught me a few things. Just let me deal with her and then once she's swept under the rug you can talk to Malcolm who will be more present," I smiled at him and he shook his head like this whole idea was bad.
"Okay so say Madi did make him the way he is because she knows his own insecurities, what makes her not go run to Malcolm about his encounter with you?" Parker looked at me confused.
I opened my snapchat to Noah and I's conversation and there it was, all the information I had in my hand, I took screenshots too in case this went south, "Because when you know a player and his game you start to realize Parker that she can't play hers with something like this," I looked at him and he instantly shook his head.
"When did you play dirty?"
"When someone I care about is being mistreated I can't just sit back and watch," I looked at him and his smile faded.
"Noah would never agree to this unless you helped him out. What did you promise him?" Parker asked.
"He gave me two options, the first was to sleep with him and the other was to have a big party at my house and get black out drunk," I looked at him and Parker shook his head already disagreeing.
"I promised him the party Parker and I don't break promises. It's this friday when my mom and dad are traveling to Chicago for the weekend for their anniversary."
"Then what about Nora?" he then asked.
"She's staying at Rosie's this weekend," I commented.
"No," Parker began but Nora started to wake up so he stopped talking all together.
"Ready to go inside Nor?" I asked and she rubbed her eyes before unbuckling herself.
"We aren't done with this conversation," Parker mentioned.
"We are done actually, because I already told him yes. You do things for people Parker when you really care about someone who needs help."
"So if he asked you to sleep with him you would've?" Parker looked at me as Nora was registering what was going on.
I looked at Nora and then Parker with shock that he was having this conversation right now, in front of Nora. He knew I never wanted Nora to see us fight.
"Oh no, are you guys going to break up?" Nora's bottom lip quivered and I was quick to respond but Parker wasn't.
"No, Nora," I then looked at Parker who was getting out of the car and heading inside.
"He's mad, fix it now," Nora said, getting out of the car and walking carefully to the house.
Was he really mad about this?