"You alright?" he said coming up behind her and rubbing her shoulders.
"Yeah, it was just kind of a sneak attack to have everyone come all at once." she said brushing her hair out of the way.
Nick kissed the top of her head and helped her carry out the drinks. Angie was sitting near Aj telling Claire's mother all about her and Nick. Claire gave her a glare and Angie piped up.
"Okay, so to answer your questions." Claire started.
"Mom, yes me and Nick are in a relationship. Angie, Nick spent the night because we were tired and that's all. Aj, get your mind out of the gutter." Claire said walking out into the hall and getting her cat.
Claire's mother smiled at Nick, "She stressed?"
"A little I think ... " he started.
Claire came back in and the phone began ringing. She took a deep breath and picked it up.
"Hello?" she answered.
Nick looked at her and noticed the color drain out of her face. He watched her as she numbed up and just said No a few times, walked away from everyone else then hung up. She sat down on the couch and her mother looked at her a little worried.
"I am not feeling so good. Can you all come back later?" she asked.
Aj and Angie left behind Claire's mother and Nick asked if she wanted him to stay or go.
"Nick, I just need to take a ride. I will see you a little later." she said kissing his cheek and grabbing her keys, heading out the door.
Nick grabbed his stuff and left, but was deeply worried about Claire. He drove home and watched Tv, played with his pugs, and did anything to keep himself busy, but he couldn't get Claire out of his head.
Claire jogged down the stairs instead of taking the elevator. She rushed out to her car and took a few deep breaths, before getting in and screeching out of the parking lot. She turned the radio up loud as she drove onto the highway. She tried to get the conversation out of her head, but she couldn't.
"Hello Claire. It's Scott." he said in his eerie voice.
The minute she heard his voice, she tensed up. This was the man who made her feel worthless for a period of time. Scott was the boyfriend who emotionally abused her, and probably would have down worse if she hadn't left.
"Why Claire, you were never this quiet when we were together. Everything okay?" he asked.
"What do you want?" she asked shakily.
"Oh I was just in town and I was thinking it would be nice to go on a date. You know you always were my favorite girl." he said in a tone that made her skin crawl.
"No." she said wanting to hang up.
"Oh, come on baby. When have you learned to stand up for yourself? Always such a worthless little pushover you were." he seethed.
Claire walked away from her mother, Aj, Angie and Nick.
"So help me god, if you come near me or try to call me again, I will call the cops." she said and hung up.
Claire swerved around a car and skidded almost crashing. As she was remembering the conversation she started to shift into the other lane. Her heart beating fast from the near collision, Claire pulled over and laid her head on her steering wheel and began to cry. Just when she was getting her life back together, she thought. This was the present and that was the past. She didn't want her past to rise up again. She wiped away her tears pointlessly considering more just poured down her face. She reached into her purse and grabbed her cell phone.
She dialed the number of the one person she could always trust, the one that would stick through with her, thick and thin. She tried to steady herself in her car as the phone rang.
Finally, the person picked up, "Hello?"
"Angie? Can you come get me?" Claire said with a sad feeling.
Claire had worked so hard never to be in this position again. The feeling that she had to rely on someone else to do the simplest task, like driving home. But when things came up from her past it was hard to even think straight.
"Claire? What's wrong? Where are you?" Angie said feeling frantic since she hadn't gotten a call like this since Claire had broken up with ... Scott.
"Did Scott call you? What happened?" Angie said feeling her throat close up.
"Please come get me, I am on exit 3 off the highway. Please come get me." Claire said feeling her last grips onto her control slipping.
"Honey, I will be right there. Don't worry, I will be right there." she said slamming down the phone and running down the stairs.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Aj asked when Angie almost knocked him over in the hall.
"Nothing, I will be back." she said grabbing her keys and running outside.
A minute later, Aj heard the roar of an engine and the squeal of tires pealing out of the driveway. He felt a pang of worry in his stomach. What could make Angie act that way? He had heard her talking on the phone, so Aj went in and looked at Angie's caller id. He pressed the back button and saw Claire's number on the screen. Aj started putting the pieces of the puzzle together. The last time Angie had ran out like that, was when Claire was dating that guy who abused her. Could he have called her or come to see her in some way?
"Damn it." Aj said grabbing his jacket and running out of the house.
He took his car and drove over to Nick's as fast as he could. The last time Angie had brought Claire over after a brief argument with the ex-boyfriend, Aj was in shock. He had never seen Claire look so helpless and desperate. If that's what was happening, Nick needed to be there for her.
Aj got out of his car and knocked on Nick's door a couple of times, after he didn't answer, Aj went back to his car and grabbed his car phone. He dialed Nick's cell phone number and waited while it rung. After a couple of rings it switched over to his message. Aj cursed and shut off the phone. He got back in his car and drove to Brian's.
Angie sped down the highway and took a furious turn onto exit three, where she spotted Claire's car. She took a deep breath and readied herself for what she knew was coming.
