Addison’s Gone
Chapter 20
Garrett’s POV
Before Valerie could say another word, I stopped her. “Tell me once again, Valerie. What
happened the day my football was taken?” I asked. My voice tightened in anger.
“Addison took your football and left the house with it. I am glad she finally gave it back,”
Valerie told me.
“No, not the story you’ve been telling me. I need the actual truth. Did you, Valerie Pearson, see
Addison, with your own eyes, take it from our house,” I asked, and I could barely control my
anger at this point.
“Garrett, I know you’re angry, but Valerie didn’t do anything to you. You need to stay calm,” my
father told me.
“I know she’s my sister, Dad. That is the only reason I believed her. Now, I know that it’s all
been a lie. Valerie liked Tammy so much. She wanted to be friends with her to get on the
cheer squad. I know exactly what happened now. I want Valerie to tell me the truth this time
like she should have the day I asked. I was gone, out of town. Did you see Addison in this
house the day it was taken?” I asked. It hit me suddenly as I realized what I had been missing.
Addison and her mother had just returned to town on the day it happened. She wouldn’t have come here without me being here. She even brought me back some souvenirs with her. She came over the next day after I came back home. I had stepped on the items she bought me and crushed them under my shoe because I was so angry at her. What in the hell had I been thinking? Was I so angry at her for taking my football that I didn’t listen to her at all?
“No, I didn’t actually see her take it. Tammy was the one who saw her take it, and I believe her. She was the one who told me what happened when you came back the next day and saw it was missing. I went down to change out the laundry while Tammy was over. When I came back upstairs about six minutes later, Tammy told me what she had seen,” Valerie told me as if it made perfect sense.
“Valerie, I asked you if you saw Addison do it that day. You swore to me that you saw Addison take it. The fact that YOU swore to it was the only reason I stopped being her friend. That is the only reason why I allowed Tammy to bully her for years. I thought she deserved it,” I managed to get out. I felt immense pain because of what I had done to Addison. How could she love me after the way I treated her?
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Addison’s Gone
“Well, didn’t you just get it back from Addison?” Valerie asked me as if I was stupid.
“No, Valerie, I didn’t. I just found it inside your friend Tammy’s house. She stole it and gave it to
her younger brother. Her mother was the one who just told me that I had given it to him, at least according to Tammy. All this time, I blamed Addison, but you let Tammy steal it from my
room and then had the nerve to blame another. I have been a bastard to Addison for years
now, blaming her for something she didn’t even do. That is on you, too, Valerie. If Addison
doesn’t forgive me, I won’t be forgiving you for this either. Do not let that lying, stealing w***e
back into this house. I will go over and beg Addison to forgive me,” I said as I turned towards
the door.
“Addison isn’t home, Garrett. The funeral was held earlier today. Addison is gone, son. She is
not coming back. She is going to go live with her aunt. I need to talk to you. There are things you don’t know,” my mother told me. Her tone was unforgiving, and I knew that she was
pissed. She never talks to us like that. My anger started to morph into fear.
“What are you talking about, Mom? Addison was there just last night. She was angry with me,
but I didn’t have her number to tell her what I was trying to do. I was going to straighten it all
out with her as soon as I had proof of what Tammy had done,” I replied.
“You don’t have to get proof, Garrett. Her aunt was on top of it when Addison finally broke
down and admitted what had happened. I want you to know that I know exactly what happened. You broke her heart,” my mother said as her voice broke. I could tell how upset she was as Dad went over to wrap his arms around her and comfort her.
“What do you mean? I have to get proof. I need to help Addison. That was the only reason I was around Tammy yesterday. I was going to explain it to her as soon as I got it,” I replied as I
watched my parents.
“Garrett, I am disappointed in you. Tammy has played you for years. I cannot believe I heard from your mouth that you allowed that to happen to her. Addison was your best friend. That poor girl loved you, yet you hurt her like this? Can you imagine my surprise to learn that not only were you sleeping with that terrible girl in my home, but you were allowing her to bully Addison? Do you know how often I asked Addison to come over here to swim? To spend time with us. I sent Tammy and Valerie to ask her. She refused to come over here. Now I know why,”
my mother said.
I saw the flush on Valerie’s cheeks, and I knew that had been a lie, too, so I pinned her with my gaze. “Did you actually go over and ask her to come and join us, Valerie?” My mocking tone showed that I didn’t believe it at all. I already knew the answer. Tammy hated Addison, and there was no way in hell that either of them ever invited her to come over.
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Addison’s Gone
“Tammy said that seeing Addison in a swimsuit would keep us from being able to eat. So, we walked to the end of the block and then came back. It was only because Tammy didn’t like Addison. I didn’t want to cause waves. I wanted to be on the cheer squad, and Tammy helped get me on the team. I believed her when she said that Addison took your football. Tammy hated her, but I didn’t think she would be low enough to lie, so I just went along with her. You were the one who cut Addison off, Garrett, so don’t try to blame me. I didn’t know Tammy could do something like that, Garrett. I’m sorry,” Valerie cried out.
“Sorry, won’t cut it if I lose her because I believe you, Valerie,” I told her.
I could tell she felt guilty, and was sorry about doing it. I had to admit my fault in it as well. I had cut her off and refused to speak to her. If I had, we might have been able to work past that day. I doubted Tammy’s story, but I trusted my little sister. If only I hadn’t rushed to believe them. It would have taken a little while to figure this whole mess out. I know I would never have gotten my football back. Tammy would have made it disappear to keep from getting caught. Even with it being my most prized possession, it was less valuable to me than
Addison was.
I grabbed the key to her house from the keyholder and ran next door, calling her name. I refuse to believe that Addison would leave and not even tell me goodbye. She loves me. I saw it in her eyes. She cared about me, and she might even be pregnant. I couldn’t let her leave without
talking to her about us. I ran upstairs and saw that her room had been cleaned out. Her
clothes were gone, and when I backed out of her room into the hallway, I noticed the pictures
were gone.
I went into her mother’s room and saw some of her clothes and jewelry box missing. The safe
was open and empty. I knelt on the floor. I didn’t think that she would rush to leave like this. It
had just been a few days since her mother passed away. Where could she go? I refused to accept that she didn’t want me. There was no mistaking the passion we shared between us.
Addison loved me as much as I loved her. I can’t lose her again.
I reset the alarm and locked her home back up. I slowly walked back home, and when I
entered, my parents had me go to the kitchen with them. Valerie was nowhere in sight. I sat
on a stool at the island and waited for them to lecture me.
I was met with silence. I finally couldn’t stand it and raised my eyes from the floor. My father
finally spoke. “You know, son, when your mother told me what had happened. I refused to
believe that you would be a part of it. Yet, I see that you were the mastermind behind the
whole thing. I hope you realize everything that happened to her at school falls on your
shoulders. You broke her heart, and you lied to her, Garrett. You betrayed her trust. I saw her
today, and she is not the same girl she was just a few days ago. Some of that was due to
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Addison’s Gone
losing her mother, but the other half was you. I promised her father that I would look after her.
Now, you’ve made me a liar, too. If you hadn’t allowed her to be bullied these last three years, then they wouldn’t have gone as far as they did at school. Your friends are going to have to pay for their actions. I can promise they will all be sorry before this is over.”
“Are you talking about what Tammy did? I only let her come here yesterday to try to get a confession out of her. Ask Holden. He was helping me,” I replied.
“No, Son. I am talking about what Alden and Tripp did to Addison at school on Tuesday. They were both arrested at school today, along with Tammy,” my father told me. I could see tears swimming in my mother’s eyes. I knew she was too upset to speak, which did not bode well, as my mother could always speak her mind.
“Why? What did they do?” I asked carefully. Fear rose inside me at what they would say.
“They sexually assaulted Addison at school. Her aunt is heading this all up, and believe me, she will be getting justice for Addison. Trust me when I say they may all have a record after this incident. The three of them are neither welcome nor allowed inside our home again. I told them last night, but I am sure they will still try to return,” my father told me.
My head is spinning. What in the hell happened? I felt sick. Tammy had better get this added to the rest of her charges. I knew in my heart that she had instigated this whole thing. I knew Tripp said what he did because he saw Addison’s video. I didn’t know something happened before that. I didn’t have Addison’s number. I didn’t know where she was, and I didn’t know if I would be able to fix this between us.
