Uncertainty

Willow

The next few days were a Whirl wind. On Friday, Chase and I both missed our classes for the day and I was forced to drop out of my vendors placement at the tournament since I wasn't about to walk around Campus or an arena alone and looking like this, and he wasn't letting me go out alone anyway which I was thankful for. We stopped at my house so I could change into my own clothes and pack a few more days worth. Will probably wouldn't be stupid enough to show up at my house, but I didn't want to be there if he did. I decided to give it a few days to see, then go back home. Olivia and Cass were going to be keeping an eye out for him. He wouldn't do anything to them, but the guys made it clear they would be around often to A) deter him from wanting to go in and B) kill him if he tried.

As soon as he returned from training, Chase called his mom which was less than pleasant. After a short and clipped conversation, he told me that she was not local enough to be considered right now if it needed to be done A.S.A.P since she wasn't from around here and could not guarantee her schedule if we were made a high priority. However, she did recommend some in town which was helpful. Chase wasn't kidding when he said his mom wasn't the mothering type. She sounded cold and detached which I'm sure did her a lot of favors in her line of work.

We went to the police station to do a check in and take more photos and make another statement where we were told they still hadn't made contact, but would be bringing him in for questioning. My dread had stater as soon as I opened my eyes and was continuously rolling downhill. He could lie his way out of being held there easily. I couldn't prove he was there, but he could have someone lie to try and prove he wasn't there.

After the police station, we made it to the office of John Header; A tall lanky man with salt and pepper hair and a short beard to match, who had been expecting us. Chase's mother called him to say we were coming, and as a favor to her offered to do this pro bono.

"Chase Anderson! Look at you! The last time I saw you, you were about this big," He dropped his hand out to waist level with a smile. He pulled Chase in for a hug before shaking my hand and made me suddenly grateful I did not come here alone. "So, what brings you in buddy?"

As we explained his expression went from curiosity to grave. By the time we were finished, he had a sheet of notes and was fidgeting thoughtfully. "So, he has a brother who is a cop in this town, parents with money, most likely a false alibi, and he's a sports star. They haven't located him for questioning yet, meaning he has had at least twelve hours to come up with something,".

"Yes sir," Chase sighed. "I know how it seems, but we have to try something,".

"I don't want to end this before it can start, but the odds of charges sticking are slim. They love young men with "potential" and "A whole life ahead of them with a lot to lose" I don't agree with it, but that's the way it seems to go," His gaze flicked back and forth between us, my heart sinking with every movement.

"So, what can we do?" I asked, leaning forward. If I had any fingernails left, I would be biting them off.

"So today we will file a motion with the restraining order to hopefully speed up the process, with any luck you will be in the court room as early as a week or two. Until the order and charges are decided we will also file an emergency non contact order. So, he will not be able to speak to you, contact you in any way, or have anything to do with you physically,"

"Okay. I like the sound of that,".

" First, we will need everything off your phone we could use. The text app he was using may not hold up in your favor, but we will need them anyway. The main thing I'm seeing here is that even though the texts are harassment, he has not admitted or threatened anything. As your lawyer, I am instructing both of you to stay away from him. But as your friend," He turned to chase with a shrug "If you were to run into each other and he got heated enough to accidentally say something he shouldn't in the presence of a camera, it's admissible but they can accuse you of baiting,".

"I could try, but doing it without putting my hands on him would be hard,".

It took about two hours for us to get everything sorted and uploaded to his computer. He drew up the rough drafts and sent us on our way with a promise to have papers ready to be served in 24 hours. Which they were. By Saturday night, Owen had served Will the papers at his house. Chase refused because he didn't believe it could be a civil situation, which also immediately discounted Wyatt, Miles, Reid, Cass or Olivia. The boys had my car brought over and parked on the street before they left for their game. The girls offered to stay with me, but I knew Cass and Olivia wanted to go see Owen and Callum play as their almost official girlfriends, and honestly? I was dying for some alone time. I was afraid to go anywhere alone (as if they would let me) and they were constantly checking in on me to see if I was okay. I understood considering my miniature blow up and the tidal wave of tears, but it was making a stressful situation so much worse.

However, due to the requirement of being there minimum an hour early, I had minimum two and a half hours to myself and I was planning on enjoying it. After a long, burning hot shower, I was now lounging in the living room organizing the photos on my laptop, responding to emails (some of which being sales) Although I'd sold a couple, missing the game tonight and the tournament outside of town would set me back a little bit. Going outside of town was a good way to bring in new clients, but there would be other tournaments. It didn't keep me from being disappointed. I could have pushed through and dealt with it, but I was still hiding from the general public due to the bruising. The one on my face turned out to be rather large and still fresh making it hard to cover. I could deal with the other ones by wearing a scarf but I really didn't think I couldn't deal with it right now.

So instead, I would take the shred of alone time I was given, and try to get back to feeling human by Monday. I would have to be a cake face for a while to cover everything, but that was not as annoying as the waiting. Will had been served and silent, and according to Wyatt was at their game tonight, witb an excuse in hand to explain the bruises. It was odd to me that he didn';t just tell them he got into a fight with Chase. Most of them hate him anyway so they wouldn't question why it happened, or hesitate to make him a target next time they played each other. However the fact that he showed up meant if he had been brought in to answer to the charges, he was allowed to leave. which wasn't necessarily a bad sign, but I had seriously hoped they would keep him. He would have to admit to more than just the fight if he had to have someone bail him out, so he probably would have stuck it out for a while. Which didn't happen apparently.

Meaning I was probably missing the next game too since we played against them. Though I supposed that would be giving him some level of satisfaction. He was already getting off on the fact that nobody else knew what he did. Or so he thought. If they found him guilty, he would lose his place on the team, his scholarship, everything. His parents could try to pay to keep him there, but I doubt it would be possible. That was a big if. I hadn't heard anything from the lawyer yet, though he told me it could take some time. He would have the response paperwork by Monday so he thought, meaning I had just over 24 hours to wait it out. Although I knew what the response would be. He would fight it tooth and nail with anything he had.

I sighed and closed my email tab. This train of thought wasn't very helpful for business or the pile of schoolwork I had waiting for me, but business was the important one. I couldn't deal with clients right now, so I dove into my schoolwork, until a text interrupted my focus

Chase: Hey, just getting done now. Be home in about half an hour

Me: How did it go?

Chase: We tied this one, missing our good luck charm lol

Me: Maybe next time haha

I knew he meant the words in a joking manner, but it still irritated me. It was my choice not to go tonight, but a lot of it was because of the hovering. I didn't feel like I was out with my boyfriend or friends, I felt like I had body guards. Chase had been treating me like antique glass since it happened; Like I would break if he touched me the wrong way. As if he was touching me anyway. He slept beside me and let me curl up to him, and he held my hand while we were out. But he didn't even hug me today, minus the one-armed side hug I forced him into and a kiss on the cheek. He didn't even put his arm around me on the couch anymore. He was acting like a security guard instead of my boyfriend, and it hurt.

Forty minutes later he came through the door alone, most likely since he was always the first one out of the dressing room, and drove alone so he didn't have to wait around for anyone.

"Hey, you." I smiled at him from the couch as he stood behind it. He looked tired, which was different than his usual post game high. He seemed down, his eyes dull and shifted.

"Are you okay?" I sat up on my knees to get a good look at him. I put my hands on his shoulders and caught the slight shift he did. His shoulder must be bothering him.

" Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" He bent down to peck my lips and I moved my hand to his cheek.

Too quickly, he pulled away, leaving me frowning at him. "because you're not molesting me,". I joked. "You're never so. . . miserable after a game. Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Yeah, just tired. I'm going to hop in the shower,". He smiled at me, quickly kissed me once more and tugged his already loose tie off before turning away

Just a few days ago I would have asked if he wanted company but I wasn't ready for that, and the way he was acting wasn't helping. "Wait, ".

He turned back around and I motioned for him to come closer, which he did. I reached up and grabbed his face to pull him in for a proper kiss. I wasn't trying to feel rejected, but it was simmering in the back of my mind tht he didn't seem interested right now. He went from protective to indifferent it seemed. He was hesitant but did it anyway, only offering a couple seconds. I grabbed his shirt collar before he could pull back, kissing him again. He smiled against my mouth and pulled away. It was a ghost of his real smile that had my heart sinking.

"I'll be down in a few,".

Okay, ouch? I nodded, trying not to let my face betray my emotions. I could feel my face start to heat up, and worked to tell myself how ridiculous I was being. He's not trying to reject you; he's worried that's it. He's just tired. No need to have hurt feelings. I was not quite able to convince myself by the time he got out of the shower.

By then, everyone else was home too and we were all sat around the Livingroom so they would give me a play by play. Apparently even though they tied it was a bad game all the way around.

"You should have seen the hit Davis threw at Chase. Straight up charged him right into the boards. That had to fucking hurt,". Miles stated.

"Really? He never motioned it,". Just tired my ass.

"They were just rabid. I don't know how many times I got slashed, but all of their goals were cherry pickers,". Owen was definitely salty tonight.

The water had shut off almost ten minutes ago, but Chase still wasn't down here. Having had enough of waiting, Callum made his way upstairs to see what was taking him so long, but the shower turning on two minutes after he got up there lead me to believe Chase was in his room.

"Guess he's not in the mood to socialize," I remarked, slightly bitte, before getting up from my seat on the couch.

"Yeah, probably not. He's pissed after that shitshow,". Miles warned me.

Not sure why he wouldn't just tell me that, but I kept it to myself, making my way up to his room. When I waled in, he was standing in front of his closet, shirtless, rubbing at his shoulder. His damp hair hung nearly over his eyes, half hiding his furrowed brows.

"You reinjured it, didn't you? When you got hit," I waked up behind him, putting my hand on his lower back.

"It's nothing, just a little sore from impact,". He sounded annoyed but I would have believed him if the muscles in his neck weren't so tense, matching the coiling muscles in his back. I rubbed his back gently, trying to soothe him, but he was so tense he looked like a spring ready to let loose.

"Here, " I said sympathetically "Let me help," I reached one hand up trying to replace his, but he shifted away.

"No, it's okay. You don't have-"

I rolled my eyes "Chase it's fine let me see"

"I'm fine, "

I sighed in frustration. "Would you just-"

"Willow, stop!" This was no longer an argument. That was a cold-shouldered command and it had me dropping my hands immediately and taking a step back. I fought the sinking feeling that rushed through me. He had never spoken to me like this, ever; and I couldn't figure out why he would start now when I was trying to help him. The upset turned into anger immediately. He won't touch me and I'm not even allowed to try and touch him, and I had no idea why.

"I said I'm fine, alright?". He tried to back pedal, though still irritated and not looking at me. His voice was abrasive and strained. He was seriously upset right now, but I still had no idea what I did wrong.

"Yeah. I'm sure you're just fucking fine,". I snapped, turning away from him.

I heard him sigh, probably getting ready to turn around pretend he's not being an ass but I already didn't want to hear it. I snatched my keys from the desk before storming down the hall. I was trying to keep my emotions in check, hence the need to go for a drive, but I didn't want to alert anyone.

"Where are you going Willow?"

I plastered a nonchalant look on my face before turning around to meet Callum's curious look. "Just out for a drive, I think I left a few things at my place I need for my assignments,". It was half true. I did leave my textbooks there, but I had the online versions downloaded so I didn't need them. However, I did need a reason to get out of the house. I spent most of yesterday out of the house, but it was more stressful than anything. I wasn't about to go out for a walk by myself, but a drive would be just as nice.

"Do you want us to go with you?" Cass asked, turning around on the couch to look at me, her blonde brows peaked curiously

"No, it's okay."

She looked at me for another drawn out second begore nodding. "Okay,".

My room mates knew that I didn't do well being cooped up in a house so a walk or short drive was necessary once every day or two. They also knew I went out when I was angry so I could cool off by myself without lashing out at anyone. Cass knew I didn't need to go home, but she wasn't going to stop me from leaving.

I made it out to my car, turning the key in the ignition before Chase texted me

Chase: Where are you going?

Me: Out for a drive

Chase: Where? I'll come with you

Me:. No thanks.

With that I put my old malibu into gear, taking off to nowhere in particular. Once I was away from the main streets, I hooked up my phone and blasted my Spotify playlist over the Bluetooth, singing along at the top of my lungs. After thirty or so minutes of aimless driving, I made my way back into town and grabbed a coffee from Tim Horton's, glad I wore a turtleneck today. The woman at the drive through didn't comment on the bruise on my face and I was just as thankful for that too.

By the time I made it back, I had only been gone for about an hour, meaning the door would still be unlocked so I wouldn't have to wake anyone up. The thought probably should have occurred to me sooner, but I was petty enough to go back to my own house if they had all gone to bed before I got back. I was more angry at Chase than worried about Will at the moment

The door was unlocked, but it was silent downstairs. Presumably so the couples could all have some time alone. I tossed out my now empty coffee cup and went back upstairs, selfishly hoping Chase had gone to bed. I cracked open the door quietly and was disappointed. He was in his desk chair, dressed in a red hoodie and track pants, with his PlayStation hooked up and was very much awake and enthralled with the NHL game he was playing. Maybe he would be too busy to-

"Where were you?". He glanced at me then back to his game, scowling.

"Out for a drive?" I pulled off my sweater and changed into my plaid pajama pants as we spoke.

"Why?"

He needed to ask? "I needed to get out of the house for a bit. Besides the lawyer and the police station I've been inside since Thursday night,". I tried to play it off as nothing. I'd calmed down while I was out and didn't really want to talk about everything that was on my mind.

"I would have gone with you,".

That would have defeated the purpose, but I wasn't about to tell him that. "I don't need a body guard to go out for a drive,". I tried to make the comment light but it didn't feel as light as it sounded. Peeling back the blankets, I slid underneath them facing away from him. I didn't want to fight with him over something so stupid. You won't even kiss me and then you're biting my head off for trying to help you and you still can't figure out why I wanted to be alone? Maybe because my boyfriend can't even tell me he got hit tonight, or anything else about what he's feeling, but he's sure to throw in how I missed the game tonight? Or maybe that I'm so fragile to him that he can't even put his arm around me anymore. All because I wasn't ready to have sex with him? Because Will hit me? He was practically blaming me with every dodge away from me.

The last person who willingly touched me out of anything besides guilt, sympathy, or necessity was Will and the thought made me sick. Maybe I was too much for him, came with too much baggage, or too much drama. Since I calmed down Thursday after everything happened, he stopped being here for me physically, and now emotionally he was shutting me out. He never responded to my comment so we were respectively silent, giving me the opportunity to stew on everything; and the longer I did, the more I hurt my own feelings. Silently, I wiped a few stray tears trying not to alert Chase. Who was turning off his game and sliding into bed beside me. He turned the tv to a random channel on low volume for background noise.

After a few minutes, I felt his hand gently tug on my hip but I didn't roll over like he wanted. He let out a breath before shifting to get behind me and throwing his arm across me. It should have been comforting but my head was already down the rabbit hole of over thinking about everything, that the gesture just made me sad. If he could just talk to me and tell me what was wrong, I wouldn't have to sit here wondering. However, his actions tonight made it clear he didn't want to talk to me about anything. Or want me at all.

The thought surprised me, and had my heart sinking as I realized it really did seem that way. Who wants to be the asshole that breaks up with their girlfriend because her ex was crazy? Or because she wouldn't have sex with you? Nobody would want to deal with that. I felt my eyes prickle, welling with tears. Why would he? He could have and has always had whatever girl he sets his sights on.  I've seen plenty of them with their skin tight clothes and high heels. They all oozed sex appeal. In every club, at every party. So why did he want me? I sniffed, trying to keep quiet while a few stray tears managed to spring loose. I'd never felt so alone with him right beside me.