I Have A Secret

[live.love.laugh]

sooo good

[smile♥]

My head hurt, my eyes felt like there was a ton of brick lying on top of them, and there was something stuck down my throat. As I opened my eyes, I was blinded by the brightness of the room I was now in.

Tay was sitting across from me on the edge of the couch with her head on Chris', while Teddy was asleep with his head propped up on his hand. Tay was the only one awake. She stood up and pushed the button on the railing of my bed that would summon the nurse in.

"It's ok, babe," she said to me. "After this is all over, you get to stay with us."

The nurse came in, and told me she was going to take the tube out. She instructed me to cough as she pulled, and even though it hurt like hell, coughing was just the natural gag reflex and wasn't hard to do.

"They had to do a little surgery on you," the nurse, Jackie, her nametag read, "You had a broken nose and cheekbone. You're lucky you didn't fall down those stairs, sweetheart. Good thing you left your phone in that guy's car, huh?"

I couldn't laugh, because my sides were killing me. My Dad must've kicked me some more while he was attempting to kill me.

"Oh and you've got a broken rib. I know it hurts, but I can't give you and pain meds right now." She smiled at me. "I'll be back in an hour."

Tay nodded as she left, and then looked back at me. "Teddy found you. He got all the way home before he realized your phone was in his car. I guess it's a good thing I was so nosey about how the date went or it never would've rang and got his attention..."

"Where is my Dad?"

She shrugged. "He tried to visit last night, but they arrested him."

"What?"

"Your Dad is in jail, and they're probably going to put him in some sort of group therapy, rehab thing, as well as sending him to a shrink." Tay informed me. "I'm glad you're ok."

"Me too."

----------

It was nighttime now, and honestly, I was glad everyone was gone. Tay's family, Teddy's family, and Chris had been here all day, and as much as I loved all of them, I just wanted to sleep all this off. But it was practically impossible to fall asleep, because I kept seeing flashes of everything my Dad had ever done or said to me. I just wanted to escape it somehow.

I sighed as I turned the television on and finally left it on a kid's channel that was playing cartoons.

I just wanted to leave the hospital. Maybe they would let me go home tomorrow. I rolled my eyes and figured they would probably have to keep me longer than that since I had surgery.

I had only been awake for a few hours, but I was bored out of my mind. Suddenly I was regretting that everyone left. At least if someone was here I could keep myself entertained.

I looked to the nightstand for anything that could possibly keep my attention for longer that two seconds. My eyes landed on a rather thick puzzle book. Crossword puzzles, word searches, and tons more, it read across the yellow cover in big blue letters.

I sighed as I turned on the light and grabbed the pen on the nightstand and went to work. This was going to be a long night.

[Ally booo yo [=]

ahhh! more more more more more! im addicteddd :-D

[Kourtni]

amazing. =)

[live.love.laugh]

wow!!!

[Carie]

intense. more? please?

[jmlove]

amazinggggg
more.soon.please =]

[smile♥]

I was at Tay's house now, but the doctors wouldn't let me actually re-enter the society of high school just yet, and I was completely bored. I had finished the activity book just two days after starting it, and requested magazines, which I read through in two days as well.

Sure, I had a computer with games and the internet, but you can only stay on there so long before you feel like you're about to go insane.

"Anyone home?" I heard a deep voice from downstairs in the foyer, it was Ty. What was he doing here?

I heard the excited footsteps of Tay's dog, Desmond, and I decided to join the two of them to see what was going on.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I was surprised he didn't ask about my face. I still had to wear a strange splint over my nose for protection, and my cheeks were still bruised and swollen as well.

"Long story," I sighed as I tucked my hands into my back pocket. Ty had been the only guy, besides Tay's other brother Reid, that I had been completely comfortable talking with.

"Well, I've got tons of time, and it looks like you do too, so why don't we find ourselves a snack in the kitchen and talk about it?" He was such a redneck, and I was just waiting for him to call me by one of my many nicknames. "Shortcake."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Ughh. Helen made cookies last night. It was a welcome to some form of normalcy gift, I think."

"Normalcy? Ok Joey Potter, when did you get all Dawson's Creek on me?" I snorted and rolled my eyes at him, which stung just a little.

"Since my life became an utter, screwed up mess."

"Well, seeing as how I'm best friends with an ex-druggie, rock star, I think I'd know about screwed up messes." He smiled. "Maybe I could help you. I'm a great listener."

"You're a twenty-four year old man and you want to sit here and listen to a seventeen year old talk about her angst-filled life?"

"Like I said, Dawson's Creek." He smirked. "My favorite show."

I rolled my eyes and laughed at him as I grabbed a soda from the fridge and we sat down at the kitchen table.

----------

"Look what I found outside in the trashcan," Tay joked as entered the bedroom we were now sharing. She was standing there with Teddy and Chris on each side of her, arms linked. "Can you imagine the fun we could have with these two?"

She wriggled her eyebrows and I let out a giggle as she plopped down on her bed, followed by Chris, and Teddy sat on the edge of the old twin bed Tay's Dad drug out of the attic and re-assembled for me to sleep on.

"So how's it goin'?" Teddy asked curiously.

"Slowly. You have no idea how boring it is to have nothing to do all day," I informed him.

"Hey, I resent that," Ty said as he walked past the door. "Two hours of Dawson's Creek is all the entertainment I need."

In addition to telling him the soap opera that was my life over the past few months, we actually did watch Dawson's Creek, and I enjoyed it.

I stuck my tongue out at him as he smirked and left. "Go shave, loser," I laughed at his dark, scraggly beard before turning back to Teddy. "Ty arrived today, I'm guessing for Thanksgiving, so we hung out, but after Dawson's Creek, it was pretty boring. Did you know the only thing on TV during the hours of twelve to five are nothing but kiddie cartoons, infomercials, country music videos, Parental Control, and do it yourself shows on how to assemble the best flower garden for your climate?"

He raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "Sounds like you've got quite the variety there." I nodded and laughed. "How's the pain?"

"Tolerable when I'm not thinking about it, which is pretty hard because it's pretty hard to ignore sometimes."

"It's sad that such a pretty girl has to go through that," he said as he lifted the edge of the noseguard (as I was now calling it) to sneek a peak at my restored nose.

I felt myself blush, because I thought it was rather sweet, not completely true, but sweet.

"So I'm totally digging the sheets," he said. It was an awkward attempt at suddenly changing the subject. Apparently his words had came out faster than his brain could process them, and now that it had, he was slightly embarassed.

"Oh, me too. The Little Mermaid kicks major boo-tay," I laughed. "Definately awesone, but you can't forget the comforter, I think it belonged to Ty."

"Peter Pan, keeping it Disney," he laughed and I couldn't help but laugh along. "Keepin' it real, yo."

"Never do that again," I laughed at him.

"You know you like my gangsta' side," he struck a mock-gangster pose and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Ok, you caught me. I like it..."

Did I seriously just say that?

[curlykt]

omg....Teddy being gangster is just about the greatest thing ever....I would pay BIG cash to see that! lol...so freaking hilarious!!!

[jessb]

Is is sad that I REALLY wanna see Teddy act all gangsta'? haha

Great update! Can't wait for more!

[smile♥]

Thanks guys... I was trying to make this chapter a little more funny than the other ones

[Kourtni]

Awesome update! I cannot wait to read more! =)

[Carie]

awww i loved loved loved that and i need more soon!

[jmlove]

adorableee
more soon. pleaseeee =]

[smile♥]

4 Months Later

I had seen my Dad a few times while he was going through therapy. First he lived in a relaxed, hospital-style place where the guys in his room and himself would attend therapy together, as well as individually. Most of the people were there for alcoholism, but there was a heroin addict in my Dad's room, who also beat his daughter, who was ten.

"I never realized it, honey," he had said to me. I had to admit that during the first two visits I really hated him. I was glad he still got the chance to see the swollen, bruised skin on my face. "My baby girl. I messed her up... I'm so sorry," he went on and on, but I didn't want to hear any of it.

Then, it was like something clicked and I realized that he actually was doing better. They released him, but he was still required to attend the therapy sessions with his psychiatrist, and I had even stayed with him on the weekends.

Teddy and I weren't exactly a couple, but Tay said it was just because he was too shy to ask me out himself. I said it was because he didn't really like me that way, even though I could see the signs he was sending.

"So what did you two do while I was away?" Taylor wiggled her eyebrows and giggled. She, as well as her parents and Reid had gone to visit her grandparents for their fiftieth anniversary, while I opted to stay back with Ty, who had suddenly started staying here more often.

"Shut up, we're not a couple," I laughed.

"Doesn't mean you don't have benefits," she winked at me and I shook my head.

"And plus, Ty was in Reid's room, so it's not like we'd do anything if we wanted to." I laughed at her and she laughed as well.

"He totally wants you," she informed me for the millionth time.

"Shut up, he does not."

"Ok, call him and ask him for yourself."

"No," I snorted and laughed at her as I pushed my cell phone across the floor so that I would have an excuse to not call. "Besides, my phone's all the way over there."

She smirked at me. "Ok."

I loved this. This moment... All the moments I had here, they were so happy. I was back to who I was when my Mom was alive, without my Dad. As much as I hated to say it, I didn't want to move back in with him. It was almost graduation anyway, and by then I would be in a dorm at college.

My phone began to vibrate and scoot along the floor as someone called.

"It's Teddy," Tay said excitedly as she picked it up and tossed it to me.

"Hello?"

"Hey... I was wondering if maybe you wanted to do something tonight?" He wasn't nervous to ask this time. I wondered what was up.

"Sure," I smiled to myself. "I'll see you at...?"

"Six." He said. "I'll be there at six."

"Great," I said nervously. "See you then."

Oh geez, what was I going to wear? I hung up the phone and squealed.

"What's going on?" Tay laughed at me.

"I don't have anything cute to wear."

"What?"

"I'm going out with Ted tonight and I have nothing wear," I said again, but calmer this time.

"I told you he wants you."

"Shut up, he does not." I laughed as I watched her enter her closet thoughtfully to find me an outfit.

This was going to be fun...