For Us: American Dreamers

Chapter 19: Prisoners Of Our Past

   Wilson's residence.
Few days later...

   Hayley is spending the last few days in the only place she feels safe, Amastasia's and George's home since her father has camped in her own. The young cheerleader wakes up her friend and gives her, her breakfast. "Good morning sleepy girl!" she says to her and Hayley wakes up much calmer than the past few days...

  "It's Friday right?" Hayley asks with a sleepy voice and Anastasia nods, remind her that today is the final play of the year before the Nationals. They both start eating their breakfast while talking about the recent events with Hayley's father. "I wish you had told me about the situation about your father earlier...I would have supported you earlier!" Anastasia points out and the girls share a hug. Meanwhile George gets ready to leave for Bluelife when someone knocks the door and the young man opens, only to find an unknown man in the front of his porch, in his late twenties and asks...

  "Is Hayley here?"

  George asks Hayley to come to the door and when she arrives, she immediately runs towards the man and hugs him like she knows him for a long time. "Do you know each other?" George asks them as he and Anastasia look really curious. Hayley turns to the two people who help her and replies, "That's Logan, my older brother...Logan this is George and Anastasia, they helped me a lot now that Erin is dealing with our father!" and then they all enter the house for a little briefing expect for George who really has to open his business.

  Olivia's apartment.
In the meantime...

   The past days, Olivia seems really troubled and Julian has noticed that. After they have sex and she starts getting dressed, the young man is really curious about what is wrong with her and finally asks her what's bothering her. "I mean part of being a couple is, us being honest with each other...right?" Julian points out and Olivia smiles awkwardly, completely avoiding to answer her boyfriend's question and she gives him a quick kiss before she departs for school.

   "It's nothing really, don't worry...I have to go to school, I'm so late!" Olivia says in a single breath and runs away with her purse while Julian crosses his arms and says madly, "I know your lying, school doesn't start for another hour!" as he walks with her towards the door but unfortunately for him, she closes it in his face.

   Bluelife.
Twenty minutes later...

   As George opens the store and walks inside, Olivia grabs him and places him behind the bar to make her coffee. "Finally, why were you so late?" she says to him in an unusual tone and the boy seems really freaked out. He starts making her espresso and looks at her waiting to start her speech...

   "I received a phonecall from Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh...You see they want me to go there, to be a lecturer and that's an amazing offer but I just started putting my life here into place and now I have to think about Julian too..."

   George gives her, her espresso and smiles at her before he responds...

  "Liv, listen...I believe that you should be honest with him, you clearly care about him and trust me when I say that he really cares about you too...but for the job, you should accept it, you are going to be missed from everyone but it's an amazing opportunity!"

  Olivia thinks about what her best friend is saying and instantly everything is clearer. She grabs her coffee and turns with determination to her friend as she says proudly, "We are women and we are the ones who make our own choices!" while George hopes that she is not referring to him as woman.

   Orleston High.

  Roy leaves a book in his locker while he is briefing Cameron about what happened the past few days since he was pretty busy with work. Both of them are trying to imagine what their friend's life must have been like for years before she and her sister managed to escape. "Everything makes complete sense suddenly and the fact that we think we have problems because of stupid football...It doesn't seem that important anymore!" Cameron points out and Roy agrees with him even though both of them are eager to see the team managing to go to the Nationals.

  "Hey I was thinking that maybe we should chill after the game, you know...maybe a beer at Bluelife?" Roy throws an option at the table and Cameron quickly turns him down.

   "Sorry bro but tonight I'm kind of occupied...It's my mother's birthday and I really want to spend some time with her...she seems weak lately due to her chemotherapy..." Cameron explains and Roy understands everything. It's been a few months since they started hanging out and now they are really like brothers, not only teammates.
 
   Meanwhile, the girls also arrive at the school and Anastasia is commenting on how hot Hayley's brother is when they bump into the boys. It's awkward at first and the young cheerleader simply waves at Cameron since she has been avoiding him for the past few weeks while Roy grabs his ex girlfriend and they walk to the side so they can talk without someone noticing them. "Hey, how are you?" the young boy says softly and worried to her and she finally puts her shields down for him as she steps closer to him and kisses him on his right cheek...

  "Thank you for being there for me always, but Roy...my father is a very dangerous man and I don't want you to be caught in the middle of a complex situation like this one." Hayley adds and smiles at him, knowing that she has to push him to let her go but the young boy has a different opinion on that thought. "I don't care how much you push me away, I'm always going to have your back and like it or not, I'm never going to stop being there for you!" Roy replies and the two of them are just sitting in the halls, looking at each other, desperately hoping that they could still show without caring some public affection. Anastasia is looking at the two of them from afar and she seems troubled before she turns around and realizes that Cameron is no longer standing behind her.

   James residence.
Later that day...

   Cameron returns home with a birthday cake for his mother and secretly lights a candle before he surprises her. He notices that she is not in the living room nor she is at the kitchen, so he starts looking around the house to find her, only to see her sitting outside, at a chair they have in their garden. "Hey, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" he screams to her but he doesn't manage to scare her or get a reaction from her at all, so he walks closer to her...

   "You always fall asleep like that...I told you when you are tired go to your bed, it's better there...mom?" he touches her and says quietly.

   Olivia's apartment.
In the meantime...

   Olivia gets back from work and she is welcomed by a worried Julian who says to her, "You know, boyfriends exist to help their other half with their problems, so I'm here, waiting for you to tell me what's bothering that beautiful brain of yours..."

  Olivia sighs and rubs her forehead before she has enough courage to explain everything to him, but first she starts with just holding his hand like she is grabbing every last second she can have with him. "I got offered a job..." she begins and Julian immediately holds her hand harder mostly to say without a word how happy he is.  "And?" he adds, waiting for the rest.
 
  "And it's at Pittsburgh, as a lecturer at the Carnegie Mellon University and I just accepted it...I'm leaving once the school year ends and I wrap my teaching duties here..." Olivia concludes and Julian suddenly gets up and walks back and forth around the living room very calmly, clearly thinking about the situation. "Well first things first, congrats and I know this will feel awfully selfish but what about us?" he points out as he and Olivia look at each other. Both of them have no clue where all of this is heading and Olivia replies...

  "I don't know..." as she sighs once again.

   Bluelife.
Two hours later...

    Hayley is working and Roy is helping her behind the bar while Anastasia is drinking her smoothie and how, while looking her friends being in love, has made her realize what she actually wants from her love life and what that is, is the person that makes her feel completely herself when she is around him. Then Cameron walks inside and she doesn't lose a second to approach him and say to him...

   "Hey Cameron, we have to talk...Hey, is everything okay?" she starts by wanting to confess something of her own but notices that her friend is rather lost. Cameron looks at her and it's noticeable that he was crying a lot earlier. "My mother died..." he says and Anastasia immediately wraps him around her arms.

  To be continued...