Page 71 of Strong Side
“What’s going on, pretty girl? Talk to me.” I stand in front of her and cup her face. I’m trying to get her to look at me, but she won’t make eye contact.
“Can I ask you something first?” She finally looks at me.
“Of course. Anything.” I rub my thumbs across her cheeks.
“Did you ever go over to Trey’s and threaten him?” She doesn’t look mad, more like curious.
I stare at her a beat before I answer—because I want to be thoughtful with my response. “Yes, I did.”
“When? Why?” She takes hold of my wrists.
I drop my head back, and her hands fall from my wrists, then I slide my hands down her arms. “Because he didn’t treat you right.”
“Casey, tell me what happened,” she pleads.
“It was our freshman year, and it was one of the times you had broken up. When I came to see you, I overheard you telling your friends that he had been telling you to lose weight and that he didn’t like your hair either.” I shake my head. “You stopped talking when I came in the room, but I couldn’t let it go. I could tell you were upset, but you wouldn’t tell me why. But what I heard just kept playing in my head on repeat. So, later that night, after I left your dorm, Beck and I went over to his apartment. I didn’t lay a hand on him, but I did tell him to leave you alone. He started spouting off about how you were his and that I was jealous. He definitely tried to provoke me into hitting him, butBeck held me back. A few days later, you were back together, so I didn’t think it mattered if I told you or not.”
“But why didn’t you just tell me?” She tilts her head. “If that’s all that happened, you could have told me that.”
“Noelle, I swear that’s all that happened. If he said otherwise, that’s just another lie to add to the long list.” I bend slightly to look in her eyes so she knows I’m being truthful.
“I believe you. And I actually remember that night I was talking to my friends about that. It was one of the first times he did that. When we got back together, he blamed me for overreacting and said my friends were trying to break us up. I thought he meant my roommates, but I guess he meant you too.” She sighs. “Let’s go to your room so I can tell you the rest.”
As we walk down the hall, I try to put together how and why they had this conversation at the game. It makes no sense.
Noelle sits on the bed, leaning back on her hands. “I don’t even know where to start.”
She tells me about seeing Trey’s family, and then she drops a bomb. When she starts to talk about the baby, I’m literally stunned speechless. I knew he was a son of a bitch, but this is a whole different level of scum.
When she finishes, she’s not crying, but I notice her hands in her lap are shaking. I hate him for so many reasons, but I hate him the most for what he’s done to her. She didn’t deserve any of this. She thought she loved a man who loved her. She wanted to believe she was important to him. And all along, he had a baby with another girl. A baby he neglected by spending all his free time with Noelle.
“So, yeah, that’s all of it.”
I sit down next to her and wrap my arm around her shoulders. She leans into me, but she’s holding back.
“I can’t imagine what’s going through your head, and I don’t want to make assumptions. But I want you to know that you cansay anything to me. Even if it’s something I might not want to hear. Yes, I’m your boyfriend, but I’ll always be your best friend too.” I kiss her temple.
“Honestly, I can’t even narrow it down to one feeling or emotion. I’m completely disgusted by his behavior for sure. I feel sad for that little boy and his mother.” She shakes her head. “I’m mad at myself for being so blind. For letting him make me doubt myself, and I’m mad that I didn’t see it until it was too late. I’m mad that I said and did things just to keep the peace, out of fear he would break up with me. For, quite literally, being the other woman. It’s just … a lot to take in.”
“Noelle, none of this is your fault. Please believe that. Trey behaved and acted selfishly, deceitfully, and I’m sure you see it by now, but he’s a narcissist.”
“It was so weird, seeing him with his son. The look on his face, the love that was showing, seemed real.” Her hands twist in her lap.
“And I hope that’s true, for his son’s sake. I hope his son is the exception to the way he treats other people, but, Noelle, Trey will destroy that family in one way or another. And that is not your fault.”
“I know that logically. I got to thinking though.” She drops her head, closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath.
I have a feeling I’m not going to like what she’s about to say. “Tell me.”
When she looks up at me, tears swim in her eyes. “I think I need to go to therapy, Case. Everything with us has been so good, but I don’t want it to be a Band-Aid. All of this today has made me realize just how much damage he’s done to my mental health. And I feel like in order to be the best partner to you that I can be, I need to take some time to heal.”
“Okay, then let’s do it. We’ll get you a good therapist who can work on all of this with you, and of course you have me. I’ll be there to help.” I take her shaking hands in mine.
“Case, I know you want to be there, but you can’t always fix me or take care of the problem. I need to learn how to do it on my own. Because the fact is, I want to be able to be there for you in the same ways you’re there for me. Mentally and emotionally. I want to trust myself, have confidence in myself, not because you support me, but because I believe it down to my core.” The tears are streaming down her face now.
My stomach drops, and my first instinct is to say no. I want to be selfish and assure her that I won’t get in the way, that I can, in fact, be there to help. But that’s not what she needs right now. And as much as I don’t want to admit that I can’t be the one to fix her, I do think counseling would be good for her.
“For the record, this is going to kill me, but I understand, and I don’t disagree.” I swallow down the lump in my throat. “I think it would be good for you to have an unbiased support system. But anytime you need me, just say the word, and I’m there.” It’s making me sick to say this to her because every instinct is telling me to fix it.
