One Day

Chapter 23: Check mate

Chapter Twenty Three:

When everyone had went home Isabelle informed Mam about what she had just witnessed.
"Chase come here for a minute" Mam shouted. Seamus sat beside me on the sofa a supportive arm around me.
"Yeah?" He asked worried looking straight at me.
"Jessica was here talking to Aibhlinn" Mam explained crossing her arms.
"What was she saying to you?" Chase asked a look of distress painted across his face.
"She told me you raped her for two years, when I told her she was a pathological liar she went to take a run at me before Is showed up" I explained.
"I think it's time you both hear the truth of what really happened" Chase sighed sitting down on the chair.

"It all started when I was a young boy. My older sister Catherine babysat me. She would torture me, do things that are unexplainable and unjustified for reasons I can't explain. When I was twelve she killed both my parent.." Chase broke off a tear streaming down his face but he continued anyway "I never hurt Jessica. Throughout my teen years I took a lot of drugs, that was the biggest regret I will ever have aside from getting justice for my parents. When I met Jessica I thought she was a nice girl who could change me, but sadly all she did was feed me more anti depressants. I never realised her and Catherine knew each other until the night she showed up at Isabelle's apartment saying I had hurt her. Soon after I learned that she had been painting realistic bruises all over herself and pretending I had been beating her. How she managed to break her ribs I will never know but I swear to you both I never touched her. I know I've made many mistakes in my life but I never raised a hand to her".

Chase could barely finish his sentence before he broke down into a flood of unwanted tears. I stood up and hugged him.

"I know your not a monster Uncle Chase. You made mistakes just like everyone else did but that doesn't make you bad" I reassured him.

"When Chase came to see me in hospital he believed himself that he had hurt Jessica.." Isabelle interrupted "When I tried to talk to her about what had happened she had a go at me about how I had never been her friend from day one, that was when all the lies she had told began seeping in. When I was talking to the doctors about how she was getting on in the hospital they said that they hadn't found any trace of sexual assault and that the only thing they found wrong with her was her ribs".

"Why would you lie about something like that?" Seamus asked sickened by what he was hearing.
"Some people require such an amount of attention that they don't care who they destroy on there way" Dad explained.
"Do you talk to Catherine anymore?" I asked Chase gently.
"I haven't spoken to her since the night she killed my parents" Chase confessed "I could never look her in the eye knowing that she had killed the only people who ever loved me.
"We love you" I smiled, Seamus held my hand supportively.

When all the tension had died down I felt a weight lifting off my shoulders.
"You okay?" Seamus asked as he unzipped the back of my dress.
"Yeah are you?".
"Yeah I'm just tired" he smiled handing me the shirt he had been wearing.

I pulled his shirt on over my head and climbed into bed. After everything that had happened I was glad to be able to climb into bed next to Seamus and just sleep. Not having to worry about the normal teenage worries of sex and not being good enough.

"Hey Aibh" Seamus whispered kissing my temple.
"Yeah?" I muttered half asleep.
"I love you".
"I love you too" I felt a smile creep onto my face. I slowly reached up in the dark and kissing him softly.