Playlist: Grace-Rag 'n' Bone Man
Previously on Tell me you love me, Chapter 23-Before...
"Hi, Peyton Gray, Nevaeh's girlfriend, am I right?"
One of the officers ask on her reaching them.
"About that..."
Chuckling lightly, the two officers glance at each other before settling their gazes back on her.
.
"I'm not really her girlfriend, I only said that to get to see her-not that I was lying, I am her friend and obviously I'm a girl. I'll stop rambling though in three, two, one..."
"Ms Gray, according to Ms Claire's calls, you were the first to receive a call-"
"Yeah, it was the guy that found her and brought her here, but I just cut you off, sorry..."
Shaking his head slightly, he glances at his fellow officer to help him out.
"What we wanted to ask, Ms Gray, is if you knew why Ms Claire would be found in a dark alley"
"I honestly don't know, I mean I've told her too many times that if horror movies have taught us anything, it's not to walk in a dark alley at night. But that's what happens when you ignore your friend's words...which has nothing to do with the question..."
She always started rambling when feeling nervous and that was exactly the situation at the moment.
"Ms Gray, please, we're trying to find the person who did this to your friend...do you think you have any information that could help us?"
Letting out a sigh, she shakes her head slightly.
"All I know is that me and my friend, Ivy, dropped her off at this restaurant. She had a date with her boyfriend there, but obviously he stood her up, I mean I told her, hell would freeze over before he ever changed. But does anyone listen to Peyton? No!"
"Who is her boyfriend, Ms Gray? And do you know where he is?" The officer sighs, wanting to get this interrogation over with already.
"Justin effing bieber, effing isn't his middle name by the way..."
She stops mid sentence on receiving an annoyed look from both officers.
"But obviously you knew that...and no I don't know where he is"
"Thanks, Ms Gray, but you'd let us know when you do?"
"Of course..."
The two officers turn around and leave, one of them talking in his walkie talkie.
"I just hope you find him before I do, because it won't be pretty"
Turning around she makes her way back to where she left Ivy. She comes to a stop though on seeing the person standing in the same hall she left Ivy in. Walking towards him, anger was blinding her by now.
"You asshole-!"
But before she could even throw the first punch at him, someone was pulling her back. Strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind. It was the familiar scent that relaxed her. Turning around, she's met with those eyes she's hurt not too long ago.
"I heard about what happened...are you okay?"
He didn't even get to finish his question before she threw her arms around his neck. Letting out a sigh, he hugs her back tightly.
"I'm sorry about earlier, Jack..."
"We'll talk about that later, okay? "
She nods her head at him, feeling relieved that she didn't completely lose him tonight like she thought.
"You know you're the reason she's here, right?...if you would've been somewhat of a decent human being, you wouldn't of stood her up. But then again, it's her mistake really for dating an asshole like you!"
With no one to pull her back, Ivy was standing face to face with the one person she despised most at the moment. Pointing her index finger angrily at his chest, she jabbed with every word fired like a bullet from her mouth.
The blond boy was about to say something, but was interrupted by the same two police officers that were just interrogating Peyton earlier.
"Mr Bieber, a word please?"
The angry look on his face was strong enough to send the strongest of men back tumbling, but not Ivy. After all, she was one hard headed, fiesty woman. Bumping his shoulder with hers, he follows behind the two officers. Just then the door to the elevator opens and out walks Tyler.
Glancing at his best friend with the two police officers, he turns to face the others with a mixture of confusion and fear evident in his eyes. Confusion for his best friend with the police and fear of how Nevaeh was.
"They're just gonna ask him a few questions..."
Peyton says on seeing the look of confusion on the blue eyed boy's face. Nodding slightly, he reaches the closed white door and stands infront of it.
"How is she?"
"The doctor said that she's going to be okay, no internal injuries and that she could even be discharged tonight" Peyton replies.
"Is she awake?"
"Yes, and I think you can go in and check on her..."
He gives the smallest of nods before placing his hand on the door knob and twists it open. It was after he disappeared into the room, that Ivy stands up and walks past Peyton and Jack, mumbling something about wanting some fresh air.
"I think I should..."
"Go, I'll be right here"
Planting a kiss on her forehead, Jack releases her from his hold. She watches as he takes a seat on the floor infront of the door before she turns around and follows in the direction her friend just left in.
Walking outside the hospital, she looks around for where her friend could've possibly gone to. She looks up after a small droplet of water lands itself on her face. Pulling her sweater closer to her body, she wishes for the winter to come to an end already.
Looking around the parking lot, she finally finds her blonde friend, standing with her back resting against some truck. Her head tilted back as the droplets of rain hits her face. Her eyes were closed and so she doesn't notice Peyton when she approaches her.
"Are you okay?"
It's silent for a moment or two and the brunette is suspicious her friend even heard her.
"One of these days, someone will get a heartattack of you sneaking up on them, you know?"
But it was Ivy's sarcastic comment, that told her she heard her loud and clear.
"Ivy...back in the hospital, what you told Justin. Is it...is it possible you also meant those words for someone else?"
She asks her cautiously, already having some ideas on how this conversation could end.
"Nevaeh is in there because of him, of course I have the right to be mad at him"
Her eyes flutter open as she points an angry finger in the direction of the hospital's building.
"Of course,you have the right to be mad at him, I am too! It's just...I know you, Ivy, more than you'd probably want me to. So I know that what you said in there, wasn't directed at just Justin..."
"No, it wasn't. It was directed to every asshole out there. Every man who thinks he can hurt a woman, just because she trusted him!"
"Are we still talking about Nevaeh and Justin anymore...?"
Peyton felt sympathy for her friend, she knew there was something else bothering her that she wasn't telling her about.
"Matt and I had a fight...and I don't understand why the hell I seem surprised that he turned out to be a total jackass. I mean, his best friend is Justin for crying out loud!"
It was full on raining by now, Peyton stands beside her and rests her back against the truck. Silence falls on them, begging either one of them to break it.
"So when you said that it was Nevaeh's mistake for trusting Justin, you were also saying that-" Peyton started.
"I should've never trusted him...Matt"
Peyton nods her head slightly before placing it on Ivy's shoulder. No matter how much she wanted to know what went down between her friend and Matt, she still understood why she couldn't ask at the moment. Whatever happened had clearly hurt her friend so much, that what she needed right now was time to herself.
"I had a fight with Jack earlier today...he wanted me to meet his parents and I guess I just freaked out..."
Even though she didn't say anything, Peyton knew she heard her. Ivy reaches down to hold Peyton's hand and gives it a squeeze, which brings a small smile to Peyton's lips. That was the thing about their friendship, words were never really needed to reassure one another or to understand one another.
*
A week later...
"It's been a whole week, Nevaeh..."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Peyton raises an eyebrow at her friend, who was curled up under a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate wrapped between her hands.
"A whole week, seven days of you doing absolutely nothing but moping around"
"I haven't been moping around!"
Nevaeh defends, barely sparing her friend a glance before letting it wander back to the tv screen infront of her.
"Enlighten me please, what exactly have you been doing?" Peyton crosses her arms over chest, awaiting a reply she already knew.
"Watching every drama series out there, duh..."
It was Ivy to reply for Nevaeh sarcastically, she was sitting in the same position as Nevaeh on her right side of the couch. While Peyton was sitting on the arm of the couch to Nevaeh's left, looking not so impressed with her two friends.
"It's been a week since you were discharged from the hospital and came to stay with us here-now I'm not saying that you're not welcome, because God knows how many times both me and Ivy prayed that you get a wake up call and finally come back to live with us..."
Slipping from the arm of the couch to sit beside her, she takes Nevaeh's hands in hers.
"But despite everything, we want you to have closure more than anything. You love him, despite everything he's put you through and that's why you'll never be able to move forward with your life without a closure. You're in pain and we can see it...just talk to him, don't just leave things hanging loosely like this"
Letting out a deep sigh, it's been an overdue confrontation that they needed to have. A whole week had passed without anyone saying anything, just treading on eggshells.
"You know I hate him, and for good reasons, but Peyton is right...you need closure and that's only gonna happen if you talk to him. After all, I'm really tired of him showing up randomly by the door and demanding to see you and then me having to threaten him to call the police to get him to leave..."
Ivy trails off on seeing the look her two friends were giving her.
"What? It was the only way to get him to leave and not camp outside our apartment or something!" She throws her hands up defensively only to receive an eye roll from both of the brunettes.
"Fine! I'll talk to him, but only if you talk to Jack " Nevaeh looks at Peyton with a sharp look.
"What are you talking about? Jack and I are just fine"
"No, you're not. You guys had a big fight, practically broke up and the only reason you guys are still kind of together, was because I was in the hospital and Jack cares so much about you to let you go through that alone"
"So, what I'm hearing is that we're still together because of you? A thank you is what you want?"
It was obvious what Peyton was trying to do, she was a master when it came to stirring the conversation away from her and onto others. Unfortunately for her though, they were both her best friends and knew her probably even more than she thought they did.
"What Nevaeh is trying to say is, it's been awkward between you two. And for obvious reasons, I mean you guys didn't even talk about the reason you broke up in the first place. And now you're in a place where you're too afraid of speaking of what happened in case it breaks everything again" Ivy supports Nevaeh.
"What, you're a psychologist now?" Peyton asks defensively.
"Pey...when things are good, you tend to run away and we get it, you never had a great example of love to look up to. Not your parents and not even your best friend's relationship. But not every guy is the same...Jack is good, so don't push back because of fear"
Nevaeh gives Peyton's hands a squeeze, hoping that her words and Ivy's would encourage her to do the right thing.
"Okay...what?" She asks when Ivy raises both eyebrows at her.
"Get your ass out of here and go get your man!"
Ivy cries out, throwing a couch pillow at her. Putting her hands up in surrender, Peyton walks out of the living room. A few moments later and the door opening and then slamming shut, tells them that she went to do with their advice.
"Now that that's out of the way...you never told either of us what happened between you and Matt..."
It was now the blonde's turn to get shot by the Cupid's arrow, this cupid being Nevaeh. Ivy only throws her head back, letting out a groan as her best friend adjusts her sitting position to face her fully.
"It doesn't really matter anymore..."
Ivy brings her own mug of hot chocolate up to her lips and takes a long sip out of it.
"It does if it's hurting you and don't even try to deny it"
"I found him kissing another girl and that's all to it. He's a playboy and to ever think he'd change is my mistake. I practically hurt myself"
She says with a shrug, her eyes not leaving the screen. They've both been bingewatching arrow after finishing watching a rerun of the vampire diaries. They've been so consumed with tv, that doing anything else literally hurt their head.
"That's not true! Did you at least confront him? Knowing you, you didn't and ran away instead"
"I actually did...he said that she came onto him and that he pulled away imidiatelly"
"You don't believe him?" Nevaeh asks with a frown.
"I do. But that's not the problem..."
"What is?"
"People just don't change, Vaeh. It's humanly impossible and so unfair to even expect it off someone. There will come a time when he hurts me again and again and again, and I can't-won't take that"
"It's funny really, how you're telling Peyton not to be afraid of love when you are-"
"I'm not afraid of love, I'm just being rational. Nothing good will come out of dating a playboy. Former or not" Ivy finally moves her gaze to land on Nevaeh.
"You and Matt are not Justin and I. Stop comparing them both together, it's just not fair. And give him a chance, people really can surprise you. Besides we can't read the future and you'll never know without trying..."
"And Ivy? You might be protecting yourself from getting hurt again. But what about you hurting yourself?You love him, it's as clear as day and you pretending to somehow read the future...is hurting you way more than he could ever hurt you"
"Since when did you start giving good love advice?" Ivy mumbled, not wanting to admit defeat.
"Just get your ass out of here and go get your man!"
Ivy chuckles at Nevaeh's attempt of sounding like her.
"You're cute, Claire"
"I'm not kidding, get out of here!"
"Not before the green arrow finally grows a pair and puts Damien Darhk down..."
With a small smile on her face, the brunette turns her attention back to the tv screen.
*
With every step she took closer, she considered more and more of turning around and just leaving. And every time she's reminded by the promise she made her two best friends and how they were both living up to their promise at that exact moment, the thought of telling them she couldn't find him grew stronger.
"Vaeh, please, open the door"
Throwing her clothes randomly into a suitcase that she threw earlier on the bed, she tried shutting out his voice. But the crack in his voice laced with so much sadness was enough for her to almost open the door for him.
"I know I screwed up...but please...I-I lo..."
Her heart almost stopped at the thought that he was finally going to say those three words to her. But not even the threat of losing her forever could bring him to finally say those words. And that was like a stab to her heart, opening it up to soar in pain.
"I promise to do better, I just need one more chance..."
But how many chances before it's enough?
Zipping up her suitcase, she falls down on the bed. Pulling her knees up to her chest as she lets her tears soak up her face. The pain from the stab in the side of her stomach, strangely enough giving her power to let this go, to let him go.
And then the next thing she knows, she's standing infront of her friends' apartment. And no matter how many times she left and ended up giving him yet another chance, deep down she knew that this time would be the last.
"Hey, do you know where I could find Justin Bieber? "
Searching for him on campus, she couldn't find him where she normally used to. So she ended up searching for any familiar face instead and finally stumbled upon this guy she once saw him talking to.
"Yeah, I just left him in the cafeteria with his girlfriend"
Said I loved you without hesitation...
"His...girlfriend?"
A frown of confusion creeps up to her face. She can't remember them making their break up official and surely he hadn't moved on that quickly.
So easy for you to break my foolish heart.
"Yeah, Sienna. They've been together for a couple years now. I gotta go..."
She couldn't hear anything else the guy was saying.
Now I wonder if you ever speak my name.
Rounding the corner, the last two people she sees before turning around to leave was him and a model looking girl with long jet black hair. But the tears in her eyes were blurring her vision from seeing the angry look on his face.
If only she knew how much he hated that girl with the jet black hair...
Will I always be defined by my mistakes?
A/N Well that was the last chapter of the before part, there's still one after chapter and an epilogue.
Bye, luvies 💜
A-