ambivalent | hes

6

I sat on my couch, my knees brought up to my chest and my head resting on a pillow.

It had been two days since the incident at the beach, and I couldn't seem to get it out of my mind.

Bea had called Tyler, who was in the hospital. He apparently hit the glass hard and had fallen into a concussion. Ty wasn't very happy about what had happened and was angry at me for reacting "inappropriately". He made it seem as if I had tried to harm him.

But he was being charged with attempted rape and was sentenced to two years jail time. Since he was thought to be in the hospital for a while, there was no court hearing, but they ruled the situation anyway, and quite fairly. He deserved everything he got.

"I'm so sorry this happened. I shouldn't have left you alone with him." Bea apologized for maybe the thirtieth time since the incident.

"Bea, really, its okay. It's not your fault."

I smiled reassuringly and put the pillow down. Bea sighed.

"He's not very happy. He's really angry and he's been sending me threats towards you. I'm just worried, Lyla."

"Don't be, he'll be in jail, locked up and away from humanity after his release from the hospital. I'll be safe."

It seemed like I had the positive attitude in this situation when I should be the worried one. It took me a while of convincing to get Bea on my side, but at least she was calm.

She had to go home and unpack, so we hugged and she left.

I went upstairs, showered, then texted my mom. I'm sure she had heard about the issue by now and was worried about my safety. I wouldn't be surprised if she flew home.

I didn't bring it up, just in case. I didn't need her worrying on the job.

She told me that things were going well in Washington. Apparently some couple had broken into multiple houses and killed many witnesses. They found the two and they were taking them to court soon.

When our conversation ended, I was shocked she hadn't figured out. She is a lawyer, I suspected that news like this flies fast in that business. But it's better that she doesn't know, and I planned to keep it that way.

My mind somehow found its way back to Harry. Throughout the time we had spent together, though short, the subtle hints he had dropped caused me to believe he was a sweet guy. I enjoyed his company, and hopefully he thought the same about mine.

I settled down in bed. It took me a while to finally drift off to sleep. I couldn't get that horrid day out of my mind. It even bothered me in my dreams.

The same reoccurring nightmare continued over the next few days. I was back in that car with Tyler. He had complete control of me and I couldn't move my hands or legs, in fact I couldn't move any part of my body. He had stripped me of my clothes and was laughing uncontrollably. It was a loud, high pitched laugh, unlike a normal one. I woke up before anything happened, thankfully.

It had been a traumatizing experience, and I began to dread going to bed every night afterwards. I thought I'd stay tough until I barely remembered what happened, but this changed everything. I was beginning to worry and I felt like Bea's emotions were finally getting to me.

It was Friday, and I was still in my pajamas, sitting on my couch when the doorbell rang.

The sudden visitor startled me and I jumped up and frantically rushed to the door.

Harry stood at my door step. I forgot we were supposed to go out today.

"Hey, I texted you, but I didn't get an answer." He said, a worried look on his face.

"Oh, sorry about that. I haven't checked my phone. Come in." I moved out of the doorway, allowing him to enter.

"You can sit if you want. I'll go upstairs and get ready." I suggested.

Once he was seated, I hurried upstairs. I got dressed, and while I was in the middle of doing my make up, Harry spoke,

"Lyla, who's Tyler?"