Stop Playing the Victim
Chapter 56
Garrett’s POV
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you correctly. You love Addison. When did that happen? You forget I was her friend even after you ended your friendship. I believe I know her character better than you do. I would never let my best friend go, not like you did. You hurt her and then
let that slut of yours bully her daily. I know you did. I was an eyewitness to it. Tammy was a snake, yet you allowed her to do whatever she wanted. Including hurt Addison, and believe me,
she enjoyed it. You might not have cared, but I did,” Holden told me. I have never seen him this
angry. I could see his fists clenched as he stood there looking at me.
“I believed Valerie, not Tammy, Holden. How could I know Valerie would lie to get on the cheer
squad? I didn’t want to believe it, but what else would I think after Valerie assured me it had happened?” I snapped back. That was low on his part, and I won’t let him blame me for that. I
believed my sister. If you can’t believe your family members, who can you trust?
“For the hundredth time, Garrett, I thought she had done it. I was friends with Addison, too.
Your shutting her out hurt me, too. I was also surprised because it didn’t seem like something she would do. But Tammy is an excellent liar. I had no reason to doubt her at the time,” Valerie
replied, even as she looked around for support.
This was still an issue between us. Why were my parents solely blaming me when it was Valerie’s actions that cost me my child? If she hadn’t started this, we wouldn’t be here. Before I
could point that out, Holden butted in.
“Look, you moved on, Garrett. We all heard the rumors in the gossip rags. Let Addison go. You don’t deserve her. You want her to be single and unhappy for the rest of her life. I want to see
her. See how she is doing. I missed getting to talk to her. Don’t try to guilt me about it, as you ruined our friendship. She just dropped off the face of the earth because she didn’t want your to find her. You were the cause of all her pain. I was a casualty. That wasn’t fair, but things are
different now. I am older, and really, I deserve a chance. There are less than two years between us. I am twenty–one, to her twenty–three. I have just as much chance with her as you do, Garrett,” Holden told me, turning to head back upstairs.
“Holden, Addison is mine. I was the guy in that video with her,” I told him. I knew he didn’t know that for a fact. He was only sixteen when it came out; the whole school had seen it. But Mom and Dad didn’t want to tell him. He asked me that day if I was the one in the video, but I never admitted it. I knew he had a crush on Addison and didn’t want to hurt him, but he is an
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Step Playing the Victim
adult now. I am not just going to allow him to flirt with Addison. She is mine. I don’t care if he
child away from me. Is my brother. I’m not stepping back to let him take the mother of my
That is not going to happen.
“I will apologize to her. I testified against Tammy at the trial. Addison was always nice. I am sure she will forgive me,” Valerie said with a flip of her hand. She still acted as if what she had
done was nothing.
“How can you two be so angry with me when Valerie is the cause of all this? She wanted to be popular so badly that she was willing to destroy my relationship with Addison. None of this would have happened if she weren’t so focused on being a part of that squad. My most prized possession was taken from me. I should have talked to Addison about it. But Tammy and Valerie had both sworn up and down that Addison had done it. How could I doubt them?” I
snapped at my parents.
I was tired of being painted as the bad guy. They downplayed what happened and Valerie’s part in it. They can stand there and blame me for losing their grandson, but not Valerie? That Isn’t right. I did mess up, but it was after I was lied to and deceived. It was never Tammy that I
believed in the first place.
“Garrett,” my mother started to warn me, as she knew exactly what I was about to say.
“Ho, Mom, she deserves to hear how she ruined everything for me and Addison too. Valerie fell right in line with Tammy and the rest of the squad. Picking on and bullying Addison. I may not
have defended her, but I wasn’t in Addison’s face with it daily. You’re still acting like you didn’t
do anything wrong. You ruined my life, Valerie. You still don’t give a s**t about doing it, either.
That is the worst part,” I told her.
“What the hell are you talking about, Garrett?” Valerie asked in confusion.
My father stepped forward as if he were going to stop me, but I wouldn’t let her off the hook.
She’s just as guilty, if not more, than I am. “Dad, I really hope you are not about to defend her,” I
told him quietly.
I told you I didn’t intend to lie, Garrett. I believed her, too. I was a victim of this as well. How
would I know that you would refuse to ask Addison about it? You just shut her out, Garrett.
That’s on you. If it had been my best friend, I would have at least given you the benefit of the
doubt. You could have asked Addison about the football before you did what you did,” Valerie
snapped back at me.
“If you hadn’t done what you did, Valerie, I would be married to Addison. We would’ve never
been apart. I didn’t like or trust Tammy, but you vouched for her. You’re the main reason this
even happened. Saying you’re sorry now means nothing, Valerie. I wanted Addison. I loved her.
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Stop Playing the Victim
I still do. You don’t even realize how much you cost me, Valerie, by what you have done. My life
would be completely different. I wouldn’t have been injured if you hadn’t brought that b***h,
Tammy, here. She was your friend, and you vouched for her. Everything she did is on you,” I
snapped back at her.
“Everyone needs to calm down. Laying blame will not get us anywhere,” my mother said.
I turned to look at her, and my eyebrow almost hit my hairline. “Did you, or did you not just blame me for everything that happened last night, Mom? How come I’m to blame, but your favorite child isn’t? How can you pin this on me when Valerie was the one who started this
whole thing? She is the reason that I pushed Addison out of my life. She told a lie that started
it, but Valerie has no blame? Are you serious?” I was looking at my mother in shock.
How could she put all the blame on me but none on her precious daughter? This was the last straw. The apparent favoritism here has gone too far. I need to get out of here. I can’t live here
anymore as that was too great a slap in the face. I started heading for the stairs. I was
furious, and I didn’t try to hide it.
“Where are you going?” my Mom asked.
“I’m leaving, Mom. Don’t worry, Mom, you will still have plenty of time with your precious golden child without me bothering you. You always have an excuse for her. I don’t know how
you can excuse her when she started it all. Yet, according to you, I’m the one to blame. That’s fine. I’ll take the blame. Just like I did while we were growing up,” I replied. I didn’t even turn around to answer her. I have a vehicle and can live in a hotel for a while until I find a place to
live. I just know that I can’t stay here.
“Garrett,” my father tried to speak, but I just walked away. I honestly wished Mom hadn’t hung my clothes up now. I just took a couple of outfits and T–shirts I knew I could put on myself. The brace will be more difficult, but not more difficult than staying here. I didn’t want to stay and watch my parents as they continued to indulge Valerie and condemn me. I lost my child over what she did. My heart clenched at the thought of it. This would never have happened if Valerie hadn’t brought that viper here. Addison and I would still be together.
I heard a knock on the door. I already knew it would be my father. He always backs Mom, even when she is wrong. I was already in pain from being attacked, but I hurt even more, knowing that, according to my mother, this was all my fault. I didn’t answer. I just kept packing. I will leave my other clothes here. I put the duffle bag over my neck and carried a suitcase. I had money. I could buy clothes if I needed to.
I unlocked my door, ready to go. My father seemed surprised to see how serious I was. I wasn’t going to let him start to argue with me. He was ready to defend my mother and sister,
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Stop Playing the Victim
and I knew what he would say. He can save it.
“Where are you going to go?” he asked as he followed me downstairs.
“Does it matter, Dad? Anywhere but here,” I replied as I continued walking through the living
room.
+8 Points
“You shouldn’t be lifting anything, Garrett,” my mother said, quickly coming over to take my
suitcase away.
“I’ve got it, Mom. Comfort the child you love the most. I can see her pouting from here,” I said
as I headed for the door.
“Garrett, you are being an asshole for no reason,” Valerie said as she continued to act like the
victim. I wasn’t going to let her get away with it.
“Valerie, I lost my son because of what you did. Addison and I would have been together if you hadn’t brought Tammy here. I would have married Addison and seen my son’s milestones. Instead, I got blindsided yesterday. Mom and Dad knew about him but never warned me. I had to suffer a lecture last night about how it was all my fault, piling the guilt on me. But was it? It was you who insisted on letting your friend come over. All because you wanted something. Offering me up as a prize to get it. Now, I must work even harder to regain Addison’s trust. You can blame me for this, Mom, but I will tell Addison the truth when I speak to her. I am telling her what happened, including your precious daughter’s part. I wonder if Addison will feel the same way as I do when she finds out why I cut her off in the first place,” I said.
I headed for the front door and grabbed my keys. I heard Holden and Valerie’s shocked voices, firing off questions as I walked out the door. I was not the only one to carry the blame for this. Tammy may have been the culprit, but Valerie was a willing participant.
