Hollywood's Golden Runaway

(2 4)

"Salem?" Finn looks at me quizzically when he realises that Liam knows who I really am. I roll my eyes at him and try to work out what the best way at managing this situation is.

"Yes, Salem. I know who she is and I know exactly who you are," Liam growls at him. I feel how tense he is underneath my arm. I need to salvage this mess somehow. I physically put myself between the two boys, hoping that neither will go for the other if I'm in their way. The tension in the air is palpable. The fact that Liam knows about my backstory has made Finn angry, but he has no reason to be angry and I need to let him know that.

"Stop it. Both of you, please," I hold my hands up, giving them both a look that tells them that I am serious and when I see both of their shoulders drop, I drop my hands as well. I decide to try and deal with Finn first. "I told Liam who I am after I visited my sisters for the first time. It was hard not to be distracted by coming back here after all this time, so it was pretty obvious, and when I told him the reason why I left in the first place I was honest. The bullying at school, the neglect from my parents and then you cheated on me, and that was it. So, frankly I don't blame him for being angry at you, or me right now, considering everything." Finn's face softens when I remind him of the reason I ran away all those years ago and he backs down. I turn to Liam whose anger hasn't vanished in the slightest.

"Finn snuck onto set about a week ago, the day we went to Chicago. He explained things and I gave him my number to try and resolve our issues so that I can try and get on with life without being debilitated by my nerves anymore." He doesn't look the slightest bit happy at the news that his girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend are still talking and I don't blame him.

"You'll still talk to him after what he put you through?" His murderous glare snaps to me and the guilt that has taken root in my stomach twists painfully.

"It's not as simple as that-"

"What the hell does that mean? It seems pretty simple to me, Salem. He fucked you over, you never speak to him again, done." I am speechless, but he doesn't relent, "and he has a key to your trailer. What am I meant to make of that? So tell me exactly what's going on because I can, and have put up with a lot, Salem, but this is almost too far, even for me."

"You don't fucking know anything about it, bro," Finn suddenly pipes up, looking furious again at Liam's outburst.

"I'm not your bro, shithead-" Liam snarls back, making a start towards Finn.

"Stop it! Both of you!" I repeat myself, raising my hands again. When Liam sees the look in my eyes he stops in his tracks. I turn to Finn, "go home, Finn," I tell him, he goes to argue but I cut him off. "Go home. Now." He never drops eye contact with Liam as he walks out of the door and he slams the door behind him.

I turn slowly to Liam who's just staring at the ground with a myriad of emotions across his face and I pace over to him. The knots in my stomach tighten as I approach him, especially when he doesn't look up. Even though Finn has left, the tension still hangs heavy between us and I am determined to try and fix this before the night is over.

"Can we talk?" I whisper, I reach for his hands and he allows me to link my fingers with his. I sigh in relief at the small gesture but he still doesn't look at me. With a deep breath I start to try and explain Finn and I's relationship even though I have no clue how to define it to myself let alone to Liam. "I don't think I can ever really describe how close Finn and I were before I left. Even before we started dating, we had been best friends since we were six. We grew up attached at the hip. I thought I knew him better than I knew myself. We were basically two sides of the same coin. So leaving was hard, really hard. I was so lucky that I was able to get straight into work to take my mind off it, but now I'm back I feel like something inside me needs to resolve things between  us so I can finally get that closure to move on with my life. I can't keep going with this tension around me, weighing on me. I'm halfway there to moving on, I just need this last little piece in place to get there." As I try to verbalise the feelings and thoughts that have been on my mind ever since I got here, the more I realise that it's true. It's the closure I need to finally be able to put Matlin Falls behind me.