Page 7 of Tell Me Everything
She's good.Maura had spoken of a fragile, shy girl, but Alex was faced with a raging lioness. Most of the girls he met never went against him. They were afraid. None of them contradicted him, which tended to be annoying. As for Elena, she was either unaware of Alex's reputation or she couldn't care less. And if he was starting to get her right, it was the second option. Maybe this was all going to be more fun than he'd anticipated.
“No, I'm not going to force you, but before you slam the door, can you at least give me a chance?”
He felt stupid asking her to be his friend. Elena lowered her eyes. She looked so sad and lonely. Maura was right, she needed someone. Alex wasn't sure he was up to it, but he didn't feel like giving up.
“Trust me, you don't want to be friends with someone likeme.”
“Someone like you?”
“Please leave! It's better for you if I'm not part of your life.”
She implored him with her eyes. Elena felt powerless, just like he had a few years earlier. Back when he'd felt there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Alex had suffered, alone and misunderstood, feeling like there was no way out. Elena experienced the same thing now. He didn't want her to feel that way. Alex wanted to answer, but a strange noise came from the hall. Elena's eyes widened, and her body tensed like a bow. Irregular footsteps approached, then a medium-sized man in his forties with a vaguely familiar face staggered into the room. He reeked of alcohol. Alex glanced at the young woman. She was petrified.
“There you are!” slurred the man. “The biggest mistake of my life. Just look at you!”
His blood ran cold. The man moved closer to Elena, and Alex placed himself between them before he could think it through. Something inside him was screaming not to let this man get any closer. If Elena was paralyzed, she must’ve had a good reason. Alex forced himself to smile and held out his hand. The man frowned in confusion but accepted his hand.
“Hi, I'm Alex.”
“Frank.”
Alex had crossed paths with him many times when he was a child. Except that the person in Alex's memories didn't match the man in front of him. Frank left the room without a word. Elena tried to be strong, but Alex noticed how her hands shook. He didn't know what to say to break the silence. He'd just been sucked into this family's woes. Maybe Elena had been right—he should have left. Now that he knew what was going on here, he couldn't leave and pretend everything was fine.
“That's why I didn't want you to come.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Not as much as I am.”
Chapter 5
Elena
“Tell me, Lena, how are you?”
My heart was beating loudly in my temples. How was I? In all honesty, I didn't know what I was supposed to say. It was a simple question that required few words: okay, or not okay. Still, I couldn’t answer. I didn’t remember the last time someone had asked me this, wanting to know how I really was.
Stacey, my therapist, watched me in silence, her big brown eyes hopeful. I swallowed. What could I possibly tell her? Deep down, I knew I wasn't doing well. I hadn't been since... since Mick had been diagnosed with leukaemia. But after years of trying not to feel anything, admitting I was hurting seemed like a betrayal to myself. I'd tried so hard to convince myself I was fine, and yet here I was, a weak, pathetic girl about to break down in front of a therapist who'd never been able to make me talk before.
No therapist had ever been able to get me to talk, but Stacey was kind. She was also the only one who believed I'd make it. Everyone else had classified me as beyond repair. But this was a delusion. The only reason she believed I'd pull through was because she only knew bits and pieces of my reality, not the whole truth.
After the tragedy that had shattered my family, Stacey had given me a diary when my mother realized that I had become mute. For a while, I'd thought that letting my feelings and thoughts out on paper would be safe and without consequence. How wrong I had been. The day my father discovered the diary, I learned the hard way that lying was my best option. Myonlyoption.
I couldn't fool anyone anymore. Alex knew. And if he knew, someone else would find out too. I was so scared. What was going to happen to me now? I had to keep my head straight. I would not fall apart. I looked up at Stacey. She was still waiting for my answer.
“You want me to be honest?”
She raised an eyebrow. “That is the purpose of therapy.”
I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath.Stop lying, Lena.“Things could be better.”
Stacey smiled at me and nodded. I let my head fall back. My heart was still pounding in my temples. I just hoped I wouldn’t regret this.
“How is your relationship with your father these days?”
I could hardly swallow my tears back, the disappointment about to drag me down. After all this time, I should have been used to it. So why did it still upset me so much?
“He never came to see me in the hospital.”
