Nora's P.O.V.
I woke up the next morning and started getting things lined up with Selena for when I was gone and then spent the rest of the day packing, making sure I didn't forget anything.
I handed Kyson my keyboard piano, my guitar and the bag with my music stuff in it so I could hopefully write when I was gone. He went down to the parking garage and put it in my Range Rover along with my other two bags that were filled with clothes. I had one more bag I was taking once my laundry was done in the morning. I wasn't sure how long I was staying so I wanted to be prepared.
Amanda talked me into letting them drive me to Wisconsin and to be honest, I didn't mind the company on the long drive home.
"I have something planned for just you and I tonight." Amanda said as we finished our supper.
I slumped my shoulders, "Manders, I really don't want to go out."
"Trust me, this will make you feel better. My friends took me to a place like this after Colin, and I felt a hundred times better after we left."
"What are we doing?"
"Secrets. Just trust me. Please?"
I shook my head. "I trust you."
"Good."
I did trust Amanda, just as much as I did my parents. Amanda was one of my only true friends who really didn't care who I was or how much money I made... and she was the only one that wanted the best for me.
She told me the leggings and t-shirts I was wearing were perfect for whatever she had planned, I just needed to make sure I wore sneakers when we left. Selena sent over a driver and Amanda and I met him down in the parking garage so paparazzi wouldn't see me leaving.
After giving the driver the address, we sat back and talked until we reached wherever it was she was taking me.
We walked into what looked like a run down building and were guided to a room before they closed the door behind us. "Selena rented this end of the building out for a few hours. She got the owner to sign a confidentiality agreement and there's no cameras in the room. We have total privacy. You need to wear these though." She handed me safety glasses and a pair of gloves.
"Seriously, what is this place?" I asked, looking around as we put the stuff on. "I'm not going to lie, it's scary."
Amanda smiled. "It's called a wreck room or rage room. Pick your poison." She pointed to a hammer, golf club and a baseball bat.
I picked the hammer up and stared at it.
"I never thought smashing shit would be so thrilling." Amanda said, picking the golf club.
"I can't do this." I said, honestly.
She swung the golf club, sending the lamp crashing down to the ground. "Yes you can... see."
I started laughing. "I can't."
"Ellie, Ben did you wrong." She pointed at the computer, sitting on a rickety old desk. "This computer is his fucking face. Hit him."
After thinking about it for a few moments, I rolled my eyes and walked over to the desk. We were already here so I decided to give it a go. I brought my hammer back, picturing it to be Ben's handsome looking face and swung, making the computer screen shatter into a bunch of pieces. "Ohhhh that does feel good."
"See!"
I hit the screen a few more times, but harder this time. "And that's for your wife and your son you fucking asshole."
I hit the vase beside me before putting the hammer down and picked up the baseball bat. "He told me he fucking loved me. Did I tell you that?"
She shook her head no as I twisted the bat around in my hand.
"The last night we were in Jamaica. He's a liar and a cheater." I picked up a glass and threw it against the wall. Then swung the bat, hitting the glass bowl.
I was surprised at how much I was enjoying this.
"Can you imagine if he got me pregnant?" I started laughing. "One of us would be on the road for work and he would have found another woman to bed and fall in love with, leaving me and another one of his children like he did his wife. He's not a real fucking man... a real man would have fix things before fucking someone else." I hissed as I smashed everything I could in my sight, until I finally stopped.
I leaned up against the wall breathing hard, trying to catch my breath. I looked over at Amanda, she was just standing there, watching as I let out all my frustrations.
"I gave him perfect access to continue his affair with me. That's what hurts the most." My voice cracked.
"What do you mean?"
"Our secret relationship. Not being pictured or seen together. That was all me, so the paparazzi didn't interfere with our relationship." I started crying as I slowly lowered myself to the floor. "I asked him for it and of course he didn't argue because he knew he'd get away with it. I guess the jokes on me."
Amanda sat down next to me, "Nothing I say is going to take away the pain, Ellie." She got tears in her eyes too. "I promise you though, after time... it will get better and you will meet someone that will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. There is someone out there... he's just waiting for you."
Maybe but I wasn't holding my breath. I let out a long sigh as I wiped my eyes. "You were right though. This did make me feel better."
*****
The next morning we got up early, packed the rest of my car and were on the road, heading to Wisconsin.
Nine hours, five hundred and seventy five miles later we were pulling into my parents driveway. Mom sent me a message earlier, telling me to park in the garage just in case the paparazzi would have shown up.
We only stopped a few times to fill up the car and use the bathroom and no matter how comfortable my car was I was glad to be getting out of my vehicle.
My parents opened the door from the house and smiled when they saw me. "My baby!" Mom cried as she met me over by the car.
"Hi mom." I held her tight. There was something about a Mother's hug that always made everything better and I didn't want to let go.
"Hey sweetie." Dad said, wrapping his arms around the both of us.
Heaven.
We stayed there for sometime before finally pulling apart.
"Kyson." Dad shook his hand and hugged Amanda and Mom went over and hugged both of them before we all went into the house.
"I'm so glad you're home, sweetie. How was the drive?"
"It's good to be back home and let's just say... It was a long trip. I'm glad I had these two to keep me company."
"Not going to lie. I loved driving her new car. I want one now." Kyson admitted.
We all started laughing. "Might be a weebit out of our price range babe." Amanda added.
*****
Amanda and Kyson stayed for a few days before they had to leave and go home again because they had to work on Monday. We went fishing with my parent's and went hiking, otherwise we stayed in. I promised them the next time we were together I'd be more fun but I just couldn't get out of this funk I was in.
The next day, I was in the kitchen, drinking coffee and reading dad's old time newspaper when my phone buzzed.
I set my phone back down and shook my head.
"Honey, is everything alright?" Mom asked as she went over and poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Yeah. Selena just sent me the statement she's releasing to the press in regards to Ben. I just approved it."
"You don't seem too happy about it."
"I just feel the only person I need to talk to about it is Layne. I'm to the point where I don't care what everyone thinks of me anymore. It's too damn exhausting."
She rubbed my arm and squeezed softly. "Some days I wished we did things differently for you."
I looked over at her, "What do you mean?"
"I don't know how, but letting you go off on your own like we did has been nothing but heartache for you. I knew you were going to make it big, I just didn't think you would take off as quickly as you did. You still had some growing to do and not enough time to experience life on your own before it became overwhelming." She shrugged her shoulders. "Or, maybe either way it wouldn't have mattered in the long run."
I grabbed a hold of her hands, "Overall, I love where I am in my career, Mom. I know I made a lot of bad choices along the way so that's on me, but I've learned and grown so much from where I started. I'll be alright, I promise."
Mom smiled, and kissed the top of my head. "I know. I'm very proud of you, you know. Your father and I both are. We just want what's best for you and for you to be happy... And I mean, truly happy."