"So what are y'all doin' right now?" Kim's voice came through my speakerphone.

It was another lazy Saturday night, and the usual bodies were inhabiting my living room. Lance, Chris and Justin liked to wear out their welcome on the weekends, and Kim and Joey were almost always on the speakerphone at the same time.

"Ummm...Lance and I are playing Play Station. J just got Olive to analyze his dreams. He's laying on the couch and Olivia is sitting there taking notes," Chris explained.

Kim laughed. "Oh, Lordy...Dr. Olivia and J-Dawg."

"JC? What the hell are you doing here?" Chris shouted as Josh burst through the door.

"Oh, shit..." muttered Kim.

"Where’s Joey?" Josh screamed.

"You bellowed?" Joey answered over the speakerphone.

I gasped in surprise and fear. Justin instinctively jumped off the couch and stood in front of me.

Joey continued, "I'm at Kim's. Bring it on, crackhead."

"What the fuck, man? Why'd ya have to flush my stash?" demanded Josh.

"'Cause you need to quit and you pissed all of us off," Joey replied. "And I'd do it again."

"Pissed you off?" said Josh in disbelief. "By doing what? I wasn't anywhere near y'all last night!"

"You've been pissing us off ever since you and Jerome got acquainted," Joey retorted. "The crack ain't the way to go, damnit."

"So Jerome and I are buds, man!" scoffed Josh. "What? I can't have any other friends besides y'all? It's my choice, damnit! The stuff makes me happy, gets me away from all the stress and shit this job comes with!"

Joey replied, "Friends who supply drugs aren't friends, asshole. We all deal with it, the stress of the business...what makes you so special that you have to use drugs? And what about Olivia? Look at what it's making you do to her!"

Josh paid no attention. Turning to me he shouted, "Come out from behind Justin!"

I whimpered as I tried to keep myself from crying. Lance took a step toward us, but Chris held him back.

"Step off. She ain't got nothin' to do with anything!" Justin said, giving him a hard look.

"I just wanna talk to my wife, man. Is there a problem with that?" Josh asked. Justin continued to glare at him and remained in front of me. I closed my eyes, silently willing Josh to step down.

"God damn it!" Josh screamed, knocking over the vase. "Get your ghetto ass away from her!"

He pushed Justin out of the way and grabbed my arm. I gasped, my eyes wide with terror.

"Josh...p-please..." I stammered, tears quickly blurring my vision. My body still ached from a few days prior, and my fear grew as he tightened his grip.

"You wanna beat on somebody?" Joey challenged over the phone. "You come to Kim's and we'll handle this man to man."

Josh glared at Chris and Lance, then at Justin, then at me. Releasing my arm he said, "Fine, then! Joe, you're the one responsible for my withdrawals. I'm gonna go over there and kick your ass!"

He gave me a cold-hearted look as I sobbed, grasping Justin's hand. "I still have a few things to settle with you, but I have other things to worry about."

He stomped out the door. I heard the car door slam and a few seconds later the squealing of tires as he tore down the street.

Justin leaned down and kissed my cheek. "I’ve gotta help Joey. Don't worry about JC."

As he turned to leave I shouted, "Wait! Justin..." I started to run after him, but Chris tugged on my hand.

"Psychopath," Kim muttered, still on the phone.

"Yes, yes he is!" Chris agreed. I cringed at their remarks. "You gonna be okay Kim?"

"I'm gonna be alright," she answered.

"Where's Lance?" Chris wondered, looking around. He opened the front door and looked for the 4 Runner in the driveway.

"Lord please, for Olivia's sake..." murmured Kim.

"He’s on his way over, too!" Chris called out.

"No!" I shouted. Gasping for breath, I sat up and looked around. It was happening again. The terrifying events from a few months back were haunting my sleep. I felt the tears coming on, but I willed myself not to cry. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, wishing that Lance were around.

I jumped as the telephone rang. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey," said a deep bass voice.

"Hey," I replied.

"You know," said Lance, "I suddenly just felt like I needed to call you. How are you doin'?"

"It's happening again," I confessed, trying to muffle the tears that did not want to go away.

"I knew something didn't feel right," he said.

"You sure we weren't twins in another life?" I giggled, dabbing at my eyes.

"We probably were," he laughed. "I'm on my way home from Meredith's press conference. She's got a photo shoot in a couple of hours, but I've got some time. Do you want me to stop by?"

"No, I'll be alright," I lied.

"Tough, I'm comin' over anyway. You can't fool me Olivia Chasez. I know you better than that. I'll be there in a few minutes," he said.

"Mmmkay..." I replied. "Lance?"

"You're welcome," he answered.

I hung up the phone and walked into the bathroom to wash up. I stared at myself in the mirror. My normally straight hair was a tangled mess of curls leftover from Justin and Joey's birthday bash. My eyes were red from crying and had dark circles under them from the lack of sleep. I sighed and splashed my face with cold water. When will this all end, I thought as I brushed my hair, then pulled it back with a butterfly clip.

I walked back into the bedroom, looking for something decent to wear. I threw on a white tank top and a pair of jeans, then rummaged through a drawer in search of my Fumanskeeto zip up. Finding it, I pulled it out and saw a pile of Josh's many shirts neatly folded underneath. I felt a pang of emotion, but I slammed the drawer closed when I heard the front door open and shut downstairs.

"Olivia?" Lance called.

"I'm here," I answered, coming down the stairs.

"Hey," he said, kissing my forehead then giving me a hug.

"How was Meredith's press conference?" I asked.

"Good," he answered, as we made our way into the family room. Lance sat himself down on the couch where I collapsed next to him, resting my head lightly on his shoulder.

"Have you slept at all today?" he asked.

I sighed. "A little. I got in a few hours after you dropped me off last night. I tried taking a nap again earlier, but I had flashbacks again."

"It's gonna take more time," he said soothingly.

"It's been seven months," I whined. "How much longer is this supposed to go on? I can't live like this, being haunted in my dreams."

"Awww, Liv..." Lance began, interrupted by the shrill sound of one of his many cell phones.

"Sorry, hang on a sec," he apologized.

"It's okay," I said.

"Hello?" Lance answered. "Oh, hey Bex..." his expression darkened. "I'm at Olivia's...yeah, she's having flashbacks again. No, Meredith's press conference is over. I was just gonna hang around here awhile. Fine...fine...okay...bye."

"What's going down?" I asked, glancing up at him.

"Nothing," he muttered. He took my hand and squeezed it. "The nightmares will pass."

"I know," I replied, yawning. We sat in silence for a while and eventually I felt my exhausted body drifting off to sleep.

"Lance?" Becky's voice and the sudden slamming of my front door jolted me awake.

Click here to Return Home...