Liam
October 2nd, 2016 | 1:30 pm
"You made it," Liam said as he greeted Lexi at the door.
Liam took in Lexi's appearance. She had distinct under-eye bags that looked a little purplish. Her eyes were red and puffy and her skin was very pale. Her lips looked dry and chapped and her normally styled brown hair was up in a messy bun. She was wearing a crop top and sweatpants, Liam was kind of confused why she was wearing one sneaker and one boot but didn't say anything about it.
She also looked completely shocked by the state of the house. "I guess I never considered how bad a place could look after the party."
Liam scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, thanks for offering to help."
"Of course, I desperately needed a distraction anyway."
Liam smiled and Lexi followed him inside. He handed her a trash bag and pointed to the kitchen. "Rachel is cleaning up in there if you want to help, I have to go somehow get a chair off the roof."
Lexi grimaced. "I don't think your girlfriend likes me very much."
Liam smiled a bit. "She isn't always the person she pretends to be, once you get to know her you'll see what I see in her."
Lexi seemed skeptical but she walked off and Liam went up to get the chair off the roof. The entire time his thoughts were focused on Lexi. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened when she chased after Austin last night but he felt so bad to see in her pain again.
After managing to get the patio chair safely back in the backyard, he went back to the living room and finished cleaning up in there. He had gotten just about all the beer cans when he overheard Lexi and Rachel talking. He leaned closer to the door and listened.
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable, the last thing I want is more people to hate me," Lexi said witch candor that surprised Liam
"I feel for you Lexi I really do, but you know what girls are like at school and I hate to be that girl but I can't really be seen with you."
Liam frowned, what was Rachel so afraid of? How could she go from being on the edge of crying from the pressure of her mother, but then still try to put others down?
"I don't mean to be a problem," Lexi said rather quietly.
"I know that, and I know you don't want to steal Liam from me. I've already heard those rumors, but it's pretty clear you aren't over Austin. So, I know it is nothing but gossip."
"So you don't mind then?" Lexi asked.
"You can be friends with him, but please keep your distance when I'm around."
Liam wasn't sure what to do. Walking in and defending Lexi seemed like the wrong thing to do to his girl. He stood there as he heard Rachel speak up again.
"I don't want to be mean to you," Rachel said softly. "I wish it wasn't like this."
Liam wasn't expecting Lexi to be as understanding as she was, but as always she surprised him. Lexi went over and hugged her.
"I know, and in some weird way I do get it," Lexi whispered.
Liam heard footsteps approaching and immediately backed away and pretended to be wiping some beer off the table. Lexi noticed him at once.
"Were you listening?" she asked with a smile playing on her lips.
Liam blushed and tried to deny it but it seemed as if Lexi saw right through him.
She smiled softly. "It's okay."
"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly.
"I think I should go," she said.
"Actually, you're in luck," Rachel said, also joining them from the kitchen. "My mom wants me home," she waving her phone in the air. "She just texted me."
Liam was now nervous about letting Rachel leave. "Let me walk you out," he said.
They left Lexi who continued to clean up, and stood outside together.
"Rachel, are you okay?"
She looked up at him with such a despairing look. Liam felt so awful.
"If it's about Lexi-"
"Jeez Liam, not everything is about Lexi!" Rachel yelled exasperatedly.
Liam took a deep breath. "Okay, sorry." He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
"You know even though all the town can do is talk about Austin and Lexi, not everything is about them. I have my own problems too, you know?"
Liam nodded. "Okay you're right, I'm sorry."
"My mom wants to take me shopping for a dress to wear to the dance next weekend, she'll probably pick out your outfit too."
Liam nodded he wasn't really concerned about that though. "I'll come by your house tomorrow after I finish volunteering at the hospital."
She nodded and they kissed goodbye. Liam sighed as he watched her drive away. Their relationship was so unnecessarily complicated because of Rachel's mother. Her need to make Rachel this perfect girl she wasn't was so unrealistic.
He walked back in to his house to find that the rest of the living room was all clean. Lexi was now cleaning up the hallway where there was spilled beer on the ground.
"Your house is huge, thankfully the upstairs isn't that bad," she stated. "How are you going to clean the rest up?"
Liam sighed. "With your help I guess."
Lexi looked up at him. "Good thing I have nothing else to do."
He bent down and helped clean up the beer. "Why are you wearing one boot and one sneaker?" he asked.
She looked down at her shoes and realized what Liam was talking about.
"I had to get out of my house. It was driving me crazy. All I could think about was what happened last night and it put me in a bad place."
"Now I feel bad inviting you to the party. It must be hard trying to stay sober after rehab," he said.
Liam quickly realized his mistake but it was too late. Lexi looked up at him and stopped cleaning the beer.
"You know about me being in rehab?" she asked.
"Well yeah I mean rumors spread like wildfire," he said nervously.
She studied Liam's shaky hands and red ears.
"Liam, why do you act so nice to me?"
"I told you I think you deserve to be treated better," Liam said uncomfortably.
"Yeah but why? Rachel is totally right, it's weird how insistent you are on helping me."
Liam's expression faltered and for the second time today, he realized Lexi had seen right through him.
"Liam?" she pressed.
Liam sighed and leaned against the wall. "I volunteer at the local hospital," he began.
Lexi sat so her head rested forward on her knees. "The hospital I was brought to on the first night of summer?"
Liam nodded.
"So you heard about what happened to me and felt bad," she said miserably.
Liam felt terrible just hearing it out loud.
Lexi looked over at him with scrutinizing eyes. "Liam, how long have you been working at that hospital?" she asked.
Now Liam was in serious trouble, she knew. "Since we were fifteen," he mumbled, staring at the floor.
"So you know about my parents too," she whispered.
"Yeah, but I never talked about it, I swear. There is a policy, we aren't allowed to discuss things we hear about patients," he rushed to explain.
Lexi put her head back down on her knees and Liam waited patiently until she collected herself.
"What's your last name?" Lexi asked, trying her hardest not to let the tears fall.
"Summers," he said quietly.
"Your dad operated on my dad, didn't he?" she asked, refusing to look at him.
"Yes," he said, the guilt eating him up now.
Lexi didn't say anything. She wiped her eyes and stood up. "I keep my promises so I am going to finish helping you clean up, but when I'm done, I'm leaving and I would think you understand why."
Liam nodded miserably, he watched her go upstairs. Great, his efforts to be kind had gone down the drain. Not only had he hurt her feelings, but now she wouldn't even want to talk to him.
As Liam was finally sorting out the last remnants of the party, he heard the door slam. That must have been Lexi. He only hoped she didn't hate him, he had practically forced her to work with him in not one, but two classes. This would be one long year if she hated him now.