It's Not Over

Chapter 6

Nick's POV

At this point Amanda wanted nothing to do with anyone so we let her be.
"She's been like this how long?" Fin asked.
"Pretty much since she's been with Jeff. It got worse after she went back to him. I told you Jeff has brainwashed her, she genuinely believes what he did was justified."
"Well it wasn't and she needs to realize that." Liv stated.
"I've tried telling her that multiple times, but she won't listen."
We went silent. I suppose everyone was thinking about how we were gonna save Amanda from herself.
"How bout you Nick?" Liv said at last.
"What about me?"
"How have you been holding up?"
"I'm fine."
"I know none of this could be easy on you.."
"You want to know what isn't easy?"
The tone of my voice became more annoyed.
"Waking her up ever couple of hours because she's screaming in terror. Or listening to her reveal everything that she had to do for Jeff or Caleb or some other coward and not being able to do a damn thing about it. What isn't easy is listening to her convince herself that she is nothing and that she deserved all of this. That's what isn't easy."
The room fell silent once again.

Late that night I found myself pondering how I could help Amanda. She had lost any shed of happiness and hopefulness she'd once had.
"Can't sleep."
Her eyes were wet from crying when she popped out of the bedroom.
"Me neither" I replied. "Here"
I got up and made some packaged chamomile tea. We stood there sipping it in silence.
"You know Liv, Fin they all care a lot about you so don't think you're alone in this." I told her.
"You wouldn't of had to be part of this if I just kept my mouth shut."
"Don't say that we would have found out eventually even if you hadn't said anything."
She didn't argue. She couldn't.

Amanda's POV

After a little while of quietness he spoke again.
"The other night you said something about knowing your place."
I nodded hoping it'd end there, but of course it didn't.
"What'd you mean by that?"
I froze thinking about how Jeff always made sure I knew I was less than him. How he reminded me constantly that I was only there to please him.
"Nothing, it doesn't matter." I answered finally.
I thought about how Jeff would respond. He'd accuse me of hiding something from him, this whole conversation would probably set him off.
"Manda?"
My thoughts were interrupted by Nick who was starting to grow concerned.
"What's going on?" He asked.
His voice was soft, the opposite of what I expected.
"I was just thinking."
"About what?"
I was still kinda in a daze when I answered.
"Jeff. He always hated it when I wasn't honest."
"So you admit you weren't being honest when you said it was nothing"
Caught in the midst of my own lie I decided to tell him the truth.
"Remember your place" I said "that's what Patton, Jeff, everyone would always tell me."
I closed my eyes trying to hold back tears.
"Don't yell, don't tell, always be on time, don't argue. Those were some of Jeff's rules. And if I broke one he had another one.
I broke into tears as the image of Jeff holding me down played through my mind.
"Don't resist"
"What'd he mean by 'your place'?"
"He made sure I knew I was nothing. I was just there for him and his needs!" I cried. "I am nothing without him!"

Nick's POV

She became louder, insistent.
"I didn't have anything, I still don't without him! I have no family, no friends, nothing! And now he's dead!"
"HE was nothing" I told her. "And he knew it, that's why he had to tear you down. And you're wrong, you do have friends, a family actually."
She stopped yelling and instead cried.
"You're wrong." She said
I pulled her into a hug.
"No I'm not. Let's get you back to bed."
"I'm sorry Nick." She said walking back to bed.
"Don't be."

I woke up to my front door open, she must've been sleep walking.
"Amanda" I called out.
No response. It was than I noticed the door had been forced open. Why would she force it open? Just than I heard muffled voices coming from the bedroom. Shit I thought. I grabbed my gun and rushed to the room.
"Hello detective" said a tall Hispanic man.
There were two other men in the room one of which held a gun to Amanda's head.
"You need leave Nick! Go!" She cried.
I ignored her.
"Drop the gun or we'll blow her brains out right here"
I was outnumbered and out gunned. I dropped my weapon.
"Good, now let's get this show on the road"
That was the last thing I heard before being knocked out.