by Kat Cameron
Going back inside the house Grayson and Ryder looked like they just got caught eavesdropping. “I am gonna go to my dad’s and see if he has any answers for me. Asher said he is the only one that can answer all of them so I might as well go talk to him and get it over with,” she explained to the guys.
“Do you want a ride over there baby?” Grayson asked.
“No, I want to walk. Thanks though big guy.” She went to give us all hugs and kisses before she left. We all watched her leave and I felt like we had all been holding our breath ready for an explosion of emotions since everything last night.
“What the fuck are we going to do about this mess? Malia is hurting and there isn’t a damn thing we could do about it. I say we go interrogate Skylar and see if this was the reason she is bullying Malia so bad but at the same time I don’t want word getting around until Malia gets all of her answers first.” Ryder told us. For once I feel like the level headed one about everything.
“No, we are going to finish cleaning up the little that there is left and we will keep ourselves busy until she comes home.” Calling this our home has made a goofy smile light up my face and now the guys were looking at me like I had three heads.
“What the fuck are you smiling about Benson?” Grayson growled at me.
“I just like the sound of her coming home to us.” I saw the moment they understood because they started grinning and walked away.
A lot of people didn't know the story that I told Malia today. Really it was only Grayson and Ryder but they literally know everything about me and the same thing with them. There weren't any secrets between us since we were all we have had since meeting each other. Malia has the power to make even the worst situations seem like they weren’t that bad. Now that I look back on everything I realize it could have been worse. Did it suck that my dad basically beat me into the ground for three years until Jason became a waste of space? Of course it fucking sucks but it was in the past.
To this day my parents and I didn't talk that much. Other than the usual greetings of hi and bye that was really it. When Jason got hurt and lost his career my parents became withdrawn and bent to his every will. I told myself I would never ever get as low as Jason has been and still was. Now that I was older I could see why he was upset. Hell I would be too for a little while but there was nothing stopping him from being a coach or something else to do with the game. Was it the same as being on the field? Hell no but it was still better than wasting your life at the bottom of the bottle and on my parents couch.
“Ash you okay?” Ryder walked in my room asking.
“Yeah actually I am. All of the events that took place today made me realize I will always strive to be great even if my football career goes to shit. Without you guys and Malia I don’t know where I would be honestly. To have you guys as my support system is one of the best things I could ever ask for.” Jesus Christ I feel like a fucking school girl spewing my feelings and shit.
“Hey Gray! I think Ash needs a reminder that we aren’t going anywhere,” he yelled and I had no idea what that meant until he and Grayson jumped on the bed that I was peacefully laying on and almost knocked me off of it.
“Grayson you giant bastard get the fuck off me!” I yelled without any heat behind it.
“Oh shut the fuck up and let us give you a brotherly hug that you apparently need since you are confessing feelings and shit.” This caused Grayson to actually smile for once instead of just smirking like usual. After this we went downstairs to the game room and waited for Malia to get back hopefully with the answers she was looking for.
32.
Sweet Girl
Malia
I feel like someone was going to jump out from the closet and tell me this was all one big prank. In all my life I didn’t think I would ever meet my mother. I always knew her as a deadbeat mother who could give a shit less about her daughter. Turns out she has been right under my nose this whole time I have been in this new fucking shit hole of a town.
There were so many thoughts running through my head at the moment. I knew it wasn’t rational to be mad at the guys but some part of me was upset that Ryder didn’t come to me first. He should have woken me up as soon as he found it. There was also the whole issue of the girl that has been bullying me since the first day was my half-sister. I wonder if she knew about this. Maybe that was why she was such a nasty bitch to me all the time. All the makeup in the world couldn’t make her pretty with how ugly she was on the inside. God damn it!
Running my hands through my hair I was pacing my bedroom floor. Yes, my actual bedroom floor in my dad's house if you could even call it that. I needed some space from the guys so I could think about this more clearly. When I walked in the door I expected to see him passed out on the couch with a bottle next to him. Instead the house didn’t reek of alcohol and it was spotless. This just added to my fucking confusion. When did my dad get sober? I guess these meetings have been helping him more than I thought.
“Fucking motherfucker!!” I yelled at nothing and no one. This anger needs to go somewhere before I do something I regret so I shove everything off my dresser onto the floor and it hits the floor with a satisfying thud. I don’t have much except for a wall so that took a beating from my fists. I was breathing heavily when the door opened and my dad's face appeared.
“Malia what is the problem? Why do you look like you want to murder someone?” he asked quietly like he was talking to a feral animal.
“Did you know she was here? Here this whole fucking time we have been living here?” I shouted at him barely containing the tears.
“Who are you talking about, sweet girl?” he asked and the cute name he has never bothered with before almost breaks me.
Shoving my birth certificate in his face, “This woman who is on my birth certificate! Did you fucking know?” I begged him to tell me no but by the look on his face I knew it would be a lie.
He breathed out a sigh and said, “I did but she is not who I fell for before we had you, Malia. She is just this walking, talking, work machine now. There is nothing left of the woman I used to know. I am sorry I didn’t tell you but I am not sorry you don’t know her. We are both better off without her,” he said as if this was his choice to make.
Glass shatters as I throw my phone at the mirror. Who knew if my phone was broken but I could give a shit less if it was at the moment. “What gave you the right to make that decision, huh?! What gives you the goddamn right not to tell me about her?! Did you know I have a half-sister too? She has been so nasty towards me and now I am wondering if she knows and everyone has just kept it one big fucking secret from me.” I shouted all over again.
My blood was boiling and I couldn’t seem to figure out how to get it to stop. “Please just go dad. I can’t handle anymore tonight.” I begged him to leave but he just walked in the room and wrapped his arms around me.
“Would you stop? Why be a dad now? You never were before but now that I found out your dirty little secret you want to, what? You want to be here for me? Comfort me? It doesn’t fucking work like that and I don’t want your pity!” I screamed and pounded my aching fists on his chest.
“Go ahead and take it out on me Malia. I am here and I am so sorry for everything I have put you through. I am not going anywhere right now or ever again. I love you baby girl,” he cried into my hair and that was the last straw.
Sobbing I fell to the floor and my dad fell with me. I curled up on his lap and cried into his shirt like a little girl that I never got to be. With the sounds coming out of me you would think an animal was dying. So much anger and hate all rushing out of my body like rain through flood gates in a hurricane. God it hurt so bad. Everything hurts so much and I didn't know if I was going to be able to come back from this as strong of a person as I was before. My dad was stroking my hair and rocking me back and forth while I was trying to catch my breath from crying.
“You didn’t even know I am your sister you dumb bitch! You never were worth anyone’s tim
e anyways. I don’t know what these three see in you anyways.”
“Your mother never loved you. Why do you think she never told you about her?”
“Everyone knew but you. I bet that makes you feel worthless huh?”
“Malia did you really think we love you? You really are a fool aren’t you?”
I woke up hyperventilating from my dream. God was that really how the guys feel about me? Was I really that stupid?
“Shhh baby girl I got you,” my dad whispered and it was only now that I realized we were still on the floor and I fell asleep in his lap.
“Dad? You are still here?” I croaked not sure if I was still dreaming.
“Of course I am. I told you I would change and I am working my hardest. I know things won’t be okay overnight but I will never let you down again.”
“I need to get up and shower. I feel disgusted. I think I am going to ask the guys to come with me to the hospital and see if Jessa is awake.” I told him
“Just please don’t get your hopes up sweet girl. I don’t want you to be anymore hurt than you already are.” Dad told me.
After my shower and I was feeling refreshed I noticed the glass was gone from the floor. I guess dad cleaned it. My phone was sitting on the bed and it was lighting up like fireworks. Huh, guess it wasn’t as fragile as I thought since it wasn’t broken. There were three text message notifications.
Ryder: Pretty girl call me please I am worried about you.
Asher: Gorgeous I love you please call us.
Grayson: Baby please call us soon. I love you.
My nightmare was still playing in the back of my head making me hope that they weren’t true. It felt so real I really thought that they were saying those things to me. Taking a deep breath I replied back to Grayson so it would cool his temper. I was sure he was feeling since they all texted me about four hours ago and I have yet to answer.
Malia: I am fine. I will meet you guys at Ryder’s in thirty minutes.
Since I could really use the fresh air, I walked there and exactly thirty minutes later I was knocking on Ryder’s door. I didn't really know why I did that because I had a key and I could just walk in if I wanted to but I will admit I was still frazzled from everything and I didn't want to see their looks of pity for me in their eyes. A minute later the door flies open and Ryder was pulling me into his arms, “Thank fuck you are okay we were all so worried about you when you weren’t answering our texts,” he confessed.
He put his hands on my throat under my ears and looked into my eyes but I didn't see the pity there that I thought I would. Instead there was nothing but love there. He looked at me a second longer and pulled me in for a kiss that could knock the socks off me. It was so intense that I have to hold onto his wrists for dear life.
Hearing a throat clear I pulled back and saw Grayson standing there like the giant he was with his arms crossed over his impossibly broad chest. His eyes wander down my body and stop on my hands. I heard a deep rumble from deep in his throat and he turned so red I thought he was going to explode.
“What the fuck happened to your hands?” he gritted out through clenched teeth.
“Oh I kind of attacked my wall no big deal. Self-inflicted wounds I promise.” I sassed at him feeling a little better now that I was around them again.
“So did you find what you were looking for beautiful?” Asher asked and I decided to just tell them every little detail of my sobbing, pleading, mess of a situation with my dad.
33.
Bacon and Eggs
Grayson
Malia’s pain and hurt was evident in the reiteration of her trip home and her conversation with her dad. It seems as though her dad was actually sober these days. I also found out that he has been visiting Jessa in the hospital. We were going to need to find out what that was about.
“So where do you want to go from here pretty girl?” Ryder asked her.
“I think I am going to go talk to Skylar tomorrow during school. Dad says she doesn’t know and that Helen is just this machine that only works and that is pretty much it.”
Malia looks utterly wrecked by everything she has found out. I didn't want to smother her but she looks so lost so I get up and give her a hug. She snuggles into my chest so much that I feel like she was trying to just hide inside me. We sat there for a few minutes in silence, everyone just thinking about everything. Pulling back a little bit I put Malia’s face in my hands when I saw that her cheeks were wet. Wiping her tears away I say, “It’s okay to cry baby. We know you are strong but you don’t have to be all the time. We are here for you now.”
When she looked up at me with those tears in her eyes I couldn’t handle it anymore so I grabbed her under her thighs and picked her up. She wrapped those sexy as fuck legs around me and we went upstairs to her room. I sat her on her bed and told her, “Baby get clothes to take a bath. I will get it ready for you. You need a good soak to get your mind off of everything and just relax for a little while.”
As I was walking to the bathroom, I heard her call my name, “Grayson?”
“Yeah baby?”
“Thank you for everything. I love you.” Hearing those words made me turn around and stalk towards her so I could plant a searing kiss on her delectable mouth.
“I love you too now get those clothes.” I said making sure to adjust myself in my jeans since just kissing her gets me hard.
While I was running the water I heard the guys come up the stairs and into her room. Asher grabbed Malia’s clothes while Ryder brought her to the bathroom.
She strips down and gets into the tub that was now filled with bubbles and lavender oil to help her relax. Ryder folded up a towel and put it behind her head as a pillow while Asher lit some candles I brought in earlier. Hopefully this will help her forget everything that she was going through for a little while even if it was just for a few minutes.
“Baby we are going to go back downstairs while you relax for a little while.”
“Okay thank you guys. I love you.”she said.
“Fucking Christ what the hell are we supposed to do about this? How do we help her?” Asher asked the moment we got downstairs. Honestly at the moment I didn't even know how to answer his question. The only thing I knew was that we needed to be there for her.
“I think the best thing we can do is be there for her. She is stronger then she looks because of everything she has already been through. We will deal with this whatever way she thinks is best.” I told them.
About half an hour later I went up to make sure Malia was alright because it has been a little while and we haven’t heard from her. When I got up there it was to find that she was sleeping. Looking at her, she looks so soft and angelic. Her face didn’t show any of the shit she has been through in her short eighteen years of her life. Considering her skin was pruned I need to wake her up from her nap.
“Baby time to get up. You fell asleep in the bath.” I pushed the hair that had fallen into her eyes behind her ear and her eyelashes fluttered open but she looked at me like she was still dreaming. Her eyes were in a far away place almost like she was looking right through me.
“Baby you okay?” I asked her in a soft voice. Well, as soft as my voice could be. Finally after what feels like forever she sat up and my jeans got a little tight again just from seeing her smooth back and her hair up in the messy bun that she likes to put her hair in.
She took the towel that she was using for a pillow and wrapped herself up in it while stepping out of the bath. Malia didn’t even get dressed. She walked through the bathroom door into her bedroom right to her bed. Pulling the blankets back she climbed in the towel and all and just laid her head down.
“Grayson, come lay with me please?” she asked. Of course I was like a moth to a flame when it came to Malia. Instead of answering I just take everything besides my briefs off and climb in with her. After sending off a quick text to the guys to let them know we won’t be coming back downstairs I put my arm around her waist and pull
ed her closer so her leg was around my hip and her head was on my shoulder.
“Thank you Grayson. Goodnight. I love you,” she whispered.
Looking down at her, I told her, “You don’t have to thank me for anything baby. Go to sleep I am right here. I love you.” Pressing a gentle kiss to her mouth I let her relax into my hold and in about five minutes her breathing evens out and she was sleeping. Five minutes after that the guys came in and crawled into bed with us after getting undressed as well. Asher crawls in behind her, puts his face in her neck, and his hand on her hip only to pass out immediately. Lucky fucker. It took me forever to fall asleep. Ryder ended up wrapping himself around her legs and he passed out as well.
The next morning I ended up getting up before everyone so I took a quick shower and went downstairs to make everyone breakfast. Today Malia wants to confront Skylar at school although I was not sure that was the greatest idea or place for this to take place. I love that our girl wants to take this head on but I think she may be moving too fast for her own good. While I was thinking about all of this I whipped up some eggs and bacon along with everyone’s coffee. After I was done plating everything I heard footsteps coming down the steps and saw Malia with Ryder and Asher right behind her.
“Morning Grayson. Oh, you are amazing! I could love you forever if you do this every morning of my life!” she chirped. After coming up to me and smacking a loud kiss on my cheek she went and sat down to eat. Leaning up against the counter I study her face to see if she was giving anything away in her expression about how she was feeling today. Not a damn thing was going on, just her satisfaction of the food I made. Huh? She was usually an open book about her feelings. She actually looks really refreshed in a beautiful way only Malia could pull off.
“Baby? How are you feeling today?” I asked a little while after she finished eating.
