Oh, Ara

Chapter 22

Previously there was this:

"Ara? Ara, what's wrong?"Jason asks. Coming behind Carter and in my sightlines.

"I think she's going in to shock, Carter," Jason says. I force myself to stop crying. I shake my head and take big gulps of air.

"No, I'm not, well maybe I am, but I'm coherent. I have a sinking suspicious and I'm terrified that I'm right," I squeeze out really fast.

"Start at the beginning," Jason says.

"Close the door," I say. I'm lying down on my bed with Carter holding me and Jason sitting at my feet. For the first time in what feels like forever, I feel safe. I end up telling them everything that happened on the island. Everything. Including Levi almost raping me. Something I didn't ever think I would tell them because I knew it would destroy them, but I didn't want to hide it anymore. I needed to talk about it to heal. Then I tell them about Jaime's confession and everything he said.

I take a deep breath, "so, I think Jaime's the real mastermind, not Levi."

Now we are here: (don't know what I'm doing with these head things but I doubt any of y'all read anything in bold anyway).

Ara's POV

"What? How?" Jason asks.

"Well, think about it. Jaime loved being on the island. He kept talking about how it was like a vacation. And... and think about how Jaime's tour break just so happened to conveniently align with his kidnapping. All this coupled with Jaime's apparently weird false love thing towards me and oh my god, he kept trying to get me to write an album with him. Do you think he did all this so I would write an album with him? That would be clinically insane. No, I'm just being crazy, right? This is shock or something..." I look up at my brothers. Jason and Carter exchange glances.

Carter gets up and starts pacing. I can practically see the wheels turning in his head.

"Carter?" I ask softly after a few minutes of this, "will you please say something?"

Carter doesn't answer, he's still pacing back and forth. I turn to Jason.

"Jason?" I ask.

"Ara, I don't know what to say. I don't know how to deal with this, 

"It means we have to get the FBI to interrogate Jaime and find out the truth and end this once and for all," Carter finally answers and looks up at me, "I'm gonna go make some calls."

I see the glint in his eyes and squint my eyes at him.

"Carter, you shall do no such thing. You will sit here and make those calls. I know that look. You're about to go do it yourself. You cannot subject Jaime to that in the case that I am wrong-" I start to lecture and Carter starts shaking his head and walks towards me with his hands outstretched.

"But you're probably not wrong Ara, I-" Carter cuts me off but I plow throw his words and shake off his attempt to comfort me.

"No, Carter, no! If I'm wrong, you're going to subject that poor soul to unnecessary violence after he'd already been kidnapped and rejected by the person he's supposedly in love with, aka me," I sigh, "I have a feeling I'm not wrong about him, Carter, but I'm hoping with every fiber in my being that I am. Besides, I believe in giving people the benefit of doubt. Innocent until proven guilty, right? I mean, that's what I know you believe in."

Carter runs his hands through his hair, "If it's true, can I beat him up?"

"If it's true, get in line," Jason adds.