Chapter Nine:

As I take a bite from my breakfast, I smile at my mom who is staring at me weirdly ever since yesterday evening. I'm still trying to figure out how to tell her the news. Should it be 'Hey, mom, the doctor suggested I need to see a psychologist, but I'm fine though' or should it be 'the doctor thinks I'm crazy'?! I haven't decided yet.

"Alexis is coming to Miami and I'm going to wait for her at the airport tomorrow morning." Hannah blurted and took a sip of her coffee.

"That's great." our mom cheered while staring at her phone. Maybe if I tell her now, she won't listen to me. Only if...

"She booked a hotel room at some hotel down the beach and I'm gonna stay with her during the week so you won't see me much around."

"Sure, okay honey." mom said while typing on her phone. We all looked at each other, because we knew she wasn't here mentally, only physically.

I take a deep breath and sip from my coconut milk latte. I'm nervous and it feels like I'm shaking on the inside also my vitals are burning from the need to tell yesterday news. Oh God, now or never.

"Doctor Jenkins recommended a psychologist." I mumbled and started at my plate. With my peripheral vision I could see our mom typing on her phone furiously, while the rest of the people on the table dropped their forks and spoons and stared at me with their eyes wide open by the sudden shock I caused. Grandpa even chocked on his coffee.

"What?!" Derek spat in respond. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about visiting a psychologist and discuss the car crash and depression. Plus I hadn't visited one in over a year." I replied.

"Jake didn't say anything." my brother was angry. Angry at me, angry at his best friend.

"I told him not to. I wanted to be the one to tell you the news. To be honest, I wanted to tell only mom, but look at her." and I pointed at the woman who didn't pay much attention to us. She just finished her coffee in one sip and rushed back in the house. "You see." and I pressed my lips into a firm line.

"Honey, if you don't want to see a specialist, please know that it's okay." grandma told me and smiled at me gently. "You can talk to us."

I was never comfortable with that. I couldn't talk to them. To be honest I felt ashamed by the whole thing and that made me feel uneasy. Talking to a complete stranger made it easy.

I had a therapist in Los Angeles, but she decided to choose to be a housewife instead of a proffesional helper. I couldn't be mad at that. We still hear each other on the phone from time to time, specifically when something is bothering me, but I can't rely on her forever.

"I actually made a research last night and a certain name caught my attention." I replied and smiled at my family.

"Are you sure, honey?" grandma asked again.

"Yeah. I am hundred per cent possitive on this."

"What about doctor Fields?" my brother asked confused.

"She have birth around a year ago." I explained and took a bite from my breakfast. "I'll be okay. I'll probably take me a few sessions."

"What about the memory loss?" Derek wasn't going to let this go so easily. And I mean, What. The. Fuck?!

"Give her space!" Taylor scolded him.

"I'm worried."

Maybe telling them was a bad idea. Mom was definitely the better choice, but that ship already sailed.

"We all are." Taylor raised her voice.

Wow! I've never heard her shout like that before. She was always the most calm of us, but this made even Derek stare in shock. On the other hand, I never wanted them to fight. I just wanted to get through these three weeks without worries about Jake.

"Maybe we shouldn't fight about this." Hannah mumbled quietly. For someone who can't see the difference between 'you're' and 'your', this was smart of her to say something like that.

"So when is your first appointment?" Grandma tried to sound excited. I couldn't blame her for that. For the past two years every time she looked at me, I read pain in her eyes.

"I'll call at his office today." I cut her shortly and finished my coffee. "So why is Alexis coming to Florida?" I turned to Hannah.

"She wanted to party." Hannah replied and texted someone.

"I thought her parents took her fake I.D." Taylor mumbled confused with a weird frown on her face.

"She paid for a new one a week ago." Hannah said to Taylor with her eyes still glued to her phone.

"What kind of friends do you have?" grandpa asked with a disgusted look on his face. "Hannah, I want you at my club at twelve o'clock in the afternoon. And please, just please, be sharp." he sounded demanding.

"Why? I didn't do anything!"

"You'll see." she just rolled her eyes at grandpa and stared at him with an angry look on her face. "What?"

"Nothing." she mumbled and returned her attention to her phone.

In the late afternoon I stood above my suitcase a d ruffled through my clothes. I don't know what to wear tonight, not that Jake confirmed anything, but I had to be ready just in casr if he called. And to be honest, I was kinda excited.

But if he confirms, this would be our first date. I smile at that, but regret it seconds later, because flashbacks brough ugly memories of him and his ex. But Jade... She was a bitch, but she looked absolutely perfect with her red hair, full lips and tiny waist. And she always hated me for some reason. I remember knce Hannah told me 'I guess you have something more than her.' Did I? Well, let's see. Jake allegedly broke up with her and started dating me... Allegedly. And then I saw him eating her face. Well, she had it all and it was pointless to hate her.

A sudden 'bing' brough me back to the reality. I looked at my phone and saw a text from a number I didn't recognize. I clicked on the message and read it.

'I'll be at the beach at sunset. I'll be waiting for you. - Jake'

'How do I know it's you?' I texted back.

Then I recieved a picture of him shirtless and still in bed. Yep, that's him.

'What should I wear?' I texted him again.

'Whatever you feel comfortable in babe ;)'

I feel nervous and mad, and broken and the verge to vomit from the emotional chaos. Why is he still playing with my heart? What is his goal? Doesn't he have a bitch to fuck? Jade maybe? Why me? And why is he texting me while being with someone at the moment?! Maybe he's trying to score with his best friend's baby sister? What a sick bastard!

"Alexis told me everything." Hannah's voice scared me and I jumped in my seat.

I look at her with fake confusion on nt face, but I know she saw through the lie. She always did it, saw through me. She also oftenly spoke about Jake for the past few months. I lied to her, telling her I didn't know who he is. I lied to her then, but sensed she didn't believe me much, but she knew I didn't want to talk about it. And Alexis telling her was something I thought it was going to happen. I mean, they are best friends.

"Come on, I've seen the way he looks at you." she said and sat beside me. "Even Derek can."

I looked at her blue eyes and saw warmth and love in them. She always teased me about him and believe he loved me unconditionally. Did he?

"I'm not gonna tell Derek about tonight." she said and wrapped an arm around me. "You know, I'm the one who gave him your phone number."

I pressed my lips into a firm line and nodded my head in understanding. Of course she'd do something like that. She always believed in the idea of true love and soul mates. And she believed he was my prince charming on that silly white horse. But little did she know the truth about my moving to Los Angeles.

"He's with Jade, Hannah." I spat back angrily the obvious reason.

"He's not dating her! They broke up three years ago, a little before we left." she tried to defend him, but I already knew the truth.

"Then why did I see him with her a day before we left? They were making out, Hannah!"

She took a deep breath and released it heavily. Then she tapoed her nose. That was something she did when she was thinking hardly about something.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the city?" I tried to change to topic.

"Nice try, but I just arrived." she smirked at me.

"What did grandpa want?"

"He's renovating the club and he wanted to hear my ideas. His exact words were 'I want to make it look modern and cool, because I know your generation likes cool stuff.'" she said with deepend voice that made us both laugh.

"Wow! He really said that?" I screamed and laughed harder with tears in my eyes.

"Yeah!" she laughed back. "Now let me make you look pretty for tonight!"