Chapter Thirty Five - "Girls Are Weak."
___

Avery's P.O.V

"Mommy!" River screams, making me jolt up and look over where River is - well, now, was. I notice long dark brown hair running towards the car park and I gasp, running towards the screams from River.

"Mommy!" River cries louder, making my eyes sting with tears.

"No..." I breathe out, watching as Jade runs faster with my child in her arms. I try to catch up to her but end up tripping over a rock, making me land straight on my face.

"River!" I shout, my eyes snapping open as I look at where River is - playing in the sand. Everyone in the park looks at me weirdly, as if I am crazy. River notices me and gets up from her spot on the sand, walking over to me. She holds my hands, a small frown on her face.

"Whats wrong, mommy?" River asks, her eyes filling with worry. "And why are you crying?" River mumbles, her frown deepening. I furrow my eyebrows, wiping the tears away from my cheeks.

Just a nightmare, I think to myself as I look down at River.

"D-Don't worry, baby. Go and play." I say, forcing a smile onto my face. River nods slowly and turns around, walking back to her sand castle.

Suddenly, my phone vibrates and I grab it out of my pocket, looking at the message.

Logan: Where are you?

Me: The park.

Logan: Is River with you?

Me: Yeah.

Logan: I'll see you in ten :)

I breathe out a sigh, placing my phone back in my pocket. I run my hands down my face, trying to get Jade out of my head.

Stay strong, Avery, I think to myself as I watch River grab a leaf and put it on the top of the sand castle.

●●●

"It's you..." I hear a familiar voice say and I look in front of me to see Drew making his way over to River. I watch as River's face is pulled into a look of digust.

"Go away." River says and Drew sits down in the sand, right next to her sand castle.

"No."

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my wonderful lady..." I hear another familiar voice say and I look to my left to see Logan walking towards me. He sits next to me on the bench and I breathe out a sigh.

"Hey." I mumble, watching as Drew begins to make his own sand castle.

"Hey, what's with the long face? It's a beautiful day." Logan chuckles and I turn to him.

"Jade keeps running through my mind." I say and Logan sighs, nodding.

"I forgot about her..." Logan mutters. "What happened at that meeting?" Logan asks and I sigh, rolling my eyes.

"Nothing." I say and Logan furrows his eyebrows.

"Nothing?" Logan asks and I nod.

"Yeah. All she did was get into my head like the manipulative person she is." I say and Logan takes my hand into his, rubbing his thumb over it.

"Trust me, we will get to the bottom of this. If Jade even tries to take anyone, she will have to get through me." Logan smiles and I can't help but chuckle.

"Why are you laughing?" Logan asks and I point at Drew and River who are glaring at each other.

"I'm going to build the biggest sand castle ever." Drew says, earning a scoff from River.

"No, I am."

"Girls can't do that."

"No, boys can't do that."

"Girls are weak."

"Boys are-" Before River can finish her sentence, we hear a voice that makes us all freeze.

"Wonderful sight..." Katie mutters, her hands shoved in her pockets. What she is wearing makes my eyebrows furrow. Since when does Katie Holmes wear sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt?

To be honest, Katie looks like absolute shit. Her hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail and from the looks of it, it doesn't look like it has been brushed. Her makeup is slightly below perfection and her shoes are - are those slippers?

"Fuck," I mutter, looking up at Katie. "What the hell happened to you?"

I know Katie has treated me like shit my whole life but the fact that Katie is standing in front of me, not dressing as herself and acting her bitchy self makes me a little worried. I'm not saying that I care, I'm just concerned. What happened to the real Katie?

Or maybe... is this the real Katie?

"Thats none of your concern." Katie says, looking over at Drew who is slowly moving over to River. The fear in his eyes is clear, even River can see it. The way she grabs her hand out and pulls Drew close to her makes me feel like she knows what's going on.

She knows Katie is a monster.

"Hey Drew," Katie mumbles, sending him a small wave. Drew turns his head, not looking at his mother. The look that Katie wears now is a look that makes me a little shocked. Is that... regret?

She goes to take a step towards him but River immediately jumps to her feet, standing in front of Drew. "Go away." River says, narrowing her eyes at Katie.

Katie looks over at me, a small smile on her lips. "Your daughter is going to be such a great sister to him." Katie says weakly and instead of staring, I stand up and walk over to Katie. Suddenly, she flinches, immediately stepping back away from me.

"Please... I just wanted to see my son." Katie mumbles, holding her hands up. I furrow my eyebrows at Katie but before I can say something, I hear a voice call Katie's name.

"Katie, there you are!" I look over Katie's shoulder to see a guy who looks a little older than her. He has blonde hair, like Katie, and bright blue eyes. He runs over to Katie and grabs her by the wrist.

"What are you doing? You have to stay in the house." The guy says and Katie shakes her head.

"No... I can't." Katie says and the guy looks over at me. "Stay away from Katie, got it?" The guy says and before I can say anything, he pulls Katie away from us and towards the car park.

I look over at Logan who is narrowing his eyebrows at Katie and the guy. "I'm not liking this feeling I'm getting..." Logan says and before I can ask him what he is talking about, he stands up and kisses me on the cheek.

"I'll be back. Take Drew and River with you to your house."

●●●

"Who is this?" My father asks, looking over at Drew who is walking in behind River. I look over at Aunty Heather who's eyes are wide. Crap, only Aunty Heather knows who Drew is... I think to myself. My mother walks into the living room with Joshua by her side, joining the rest of the family.

"Uh... It's-"

"Drew!" River chirps happily, a wide grin on her face. My eyes widen as I look down at River who has her arm linked with Drew.

"Drew?" My father asks, looking over at me. "Did you have another kid or something?" My father asks and I nearly choke on my saliva. My mom gasps, slapping her husbands shoulder.

"Jason!" My mom snaps, sending my father a glare. My father rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest.

"I want an explanation. Now." My father says and I breathe out a sigh. I look over at Aunty Heather and nod my head down at the two children. She nods and walks over to Drew and River.

"C'mon, let's go play in the backyard." Aunty Heather says, taking River and Drew's hands. Once the three are gone, I look up at my father.

"Can we... sit down?"

Because I might pass out if my father keeps looking at me like that...

●●●

Once I have done explaining the whole situation from when Katie first said she was pregnant till a few hours earlier, I lean into the couch, trying to calm my racing heart.

My father looks over at my mother who is frowning slightly. "Wait... so Drew is Katie's kid?" My mother asks and I nod slowly.

"Yes."

"And Katie has been abusing Drew?" My mother asks and I nod again.

"Yes."

"Has Logan gotten full custody of Drew yet?" My mother asks and I shake my head, breathing out a sigh.

"Ever since I found out that Katie has been abusing Drew, Logan has been trying to get full custody but Katie's parents are fighting back stronger because they have a really good lawyer." I explain and my mom sighs.

"I am really starting to hate this 'Katie' girl." My mom mutters and I look over at my father who hasn't said a word since I first started talking. The look on his face tells me nothing and it's sort of scaring me.

"Dad..." I trail off. "What are you thinking?"

My father looks over at me, his eyes narrowing. "I'll tell you what I'm thinking. Why is it that everytime you start to get on with your life, Logan comes back into it? Why isn't he worrying about his child instead of running off and seeing what is wrong with Katie-"

"I didn't say that he was running off to see what was wrong with-"

"I don't trust Logan at all, ever since I first met him. I don't even believe that bullshit story he said at dinner once when your mother asked how you two met." My father says, clenching his jaw.

Wait, he still remembers that?

"One night at a party, Avery was dared to climb across a ladder that was from one apartment room to the other and just to point out, she was really high up and Avery being the crazy daredevil she is, decided to do it but when Avery reached halfway, she fell, hanging onto the ladder with one hand. Since I was the closest, I chose to go and after many protests, she finally accepted my help and I saved her life." Logan says, grinning at me and I roll my eyes.

Cocky bastard.

"Why the hell would you even do that?" Joshua asks, turning to face me. I bite the inside of my cheek in annoyance.

"Oh gee, I actually don't know." I say through gritted teeth.

"Dad-"

"No, I'm honestly so sick of this guy thinking he is so it. I mean, yeah you two have a kid with each other, so what. That doesn't give him an excuse to start hanging around when he didn't even know you were pregnant anyway!" My father growls angrily and I breathe out a sigh.

"I know but listen-"

"Does he still love you?" This time, it's my brother that cuts in, cutting off what my father is about to say. Everyone looks over at him, even me. With my eyes wide, I gulp.

"If he still loves you, then doesn't that mean he is still trying? Yeah, he may have done a few mistakes but if he does still love you, after everything, that means something, right?" Joshua asks, looking at our parents.

My mom sighs but doesn't say anything and neither does my dad. So, Joshua continues. "Logan and Avery may have been through heaps of drama but come on, if they are still trying, if not for themselves but for River, then that means that everything can change for the better." Joshua says and I can't help but crack a smile at my brother.

Don't cry, Avery.

"I may be eighteen but I have been in love and so have you two." Joshua says, looking at our parents. "You know what it feels like to be in Avery's situation. Maybe not exactly but the main parts, you know." Joshua says and I stand up from my seat on the couch, walking over to my brother and attacking him into a hug.

When we both pull away from each other, Joshua slings an arm around my shoulder. My mom looks between the both of us, her eyes teary. "Oh, you two." My mom says and stands up, bringing us both into a hug.

"You two are honestly the best children a mom could ask for." My mom whispers. I chuckle and when we all pull apart from each other, my mom looks down at her husband.

"Jason, you can't be angry at Avery." My mom says and my father sighs, running a hand through his hair. When he stands up, I can't help but smile, bringing him into a hug.

"This is the last chance I am giving that boy. If he hurts you or does anything wrong, I will definitely end up hunting him down and killing him."

●●●

Awe, Avery's father finally came around! What do you all think of this chapter? What are your thoughts on Katie? What has Logan gone to do?

Don't forget to vote and comment!

Lofd - "I need you, I want you, come home for me."

-XmysterysmileX