Chapter 22

Grady

Kipp sits across from me, a heavy silence hanging between us. "So they actually arrested her and are charging her?" I ask, barely above a whisper. "And Jessica wants your money to just make it all go away?"

I stare at him, my mind racing. Barbi? Arrested?

"Jessica's convinced that Van was obsessed with Barbi. That when Ollie found out about them, she broke it off and Van cried rape."

With a heavy heart, I finally speak my thoughts, "Kipp, she's in deep trouble. I saw the video, and the guy did look out of it. She's guilty. Are you okay?"

Barbi is an asshole, and I have never cared for her, but she is Kipp's child. His only child. So even though this is the right thing to do, it's gotta be weighing on him.

"I'm okay. Heartbroken that my daughter is being charged and will be found guilty. However, I refuse to let her go unpunished. You saw the video and said that Van looked out of it. If that's true, then she should face the consequences of her actions."

"I agree. And for what it's worth, I think you did the right thing. By bailing her out or covering her attorney fees, it would convey the message that you believe she was justified in her actions."

"What are we gonna do?" Kipp asks, his eyes pleading for some kind of direction. "Should we call and tell Ollie?"

This is going to change everything between the three of us. She's gonna go back to Van, and then where will we stand? But we owe it to Olivia to be honest and tell her what we know. And after all, Kipp is Barbi's dad.

"We have to tell her," I say, more to myself than to Kipp. "She deserves to know. No matter what that means for us, she needs to know the truth."

Kipp nods. "Okay. Let's call her."

I reach into the pocket of my discarded jeans and retrieve my phone, quickly dialing Olivia's number. She answers almost immediately.

"Hello?" Her voice is bright and excited, like she's been waiting for this call.

"Hi, babe," I say, wincing at the word. It's natural for me to call her that, but it feels wrong in this context. "We have something we need to tell you, but we're wondering if we could do it in person?"

"Why can't you just tell me over the phone?" she asks, her tone full of suspicion. "Is everything okay? Is Kipp okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. It's just not something you should be told over the phone. Can we come over?"

"Ummm, yeah, that'll work. We can eat in. Do you wanna grab some dinner on your way over?"

"Yeah, we can do that. We'll see you in an hour." I hang up, feeling the weight of what's to come settle on my shoulders. For good or bad, this will be a life-changing conversation.

Kipp and I arrive at Olivia's place a little after seven. She greets us with a warm smile, but there's a hint of worry in her eyes. "Hey, guys," she says, urging us to come inside. "What's going on?"

We walk into Olivia's apartment, the familiar warmth of her home contrasting with the weight of our news. Setting everything down on the little coffee table in front of her couch, I try to muster a smile.

"We brought Mexican," I tell her, trying to ease the tension. "I hope that's okay. We got tacos, fajitas, and tortas. And we stopped and got a case of Pepsi."

"Sounds fine to me," she says, motioning for us to sit down. She heads to the kitchen and returns with plates and silverware.

We unpack the bags and fill our plates with food.

Olivia sinks into the couch, crossing her legs and placing her plate in front of her

"So, what's going on?" she asks, her eyes searching ours for answers.

"Olivia," I begin, trembling slightly. "There's no easy way to say this. Barbi was arrested."

Her face goes pale, and she gasps. "What? Why?"

"She's being held on a rape charge," Kipp says, his tone steady but filled with pain.

Olivia's eyes widen in shock. "No." She shakes her head, trying to process the information. "Who?"

"That's why we wanted to come over, baby," I say gently. "It was Van."

Olivia sets her plate on the table, her hands trembling. "This is too much," she whispers, her voice breaking. "I can't believe this happened to Van." She pauses a second and I can see she's trying to collect her thoughts. "Was it that night? The night of the video?" she whispers, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Yes," I tell her gently.

"Oh God," she cries, tears streaming down her face. "I'm an awful human. A terrible girlfriend. What did I do? When he needed me the most, I kicked him out of my life."

"You didn't know, Ollie," I say softly. "I don't think he knew at first. Or he did, but he had to come to terms with it. He's male and assaulted by a woman. That's a lot to wrestle with. I can't imagine how he feels."

She looks up at Kipp, her cheeks soaked with tears. "What about you, Kipp? She's your daughter."

"I'm okay, don't worry about me," Kipp replies. "Jessica called and is backing Barbi one hundred percent, but I'm not. Grady saw the video, and he said Van looked out of it."

Her head snaps my way. "I showed it to you and you didn't say anything. Why?"

"Because, Ollie, I don't know him like you do," I explain, my voice shaking. "I assumed you saw the same thing I did, and that's just how he is. Not to poke fun at him or the situation, but maybe that's just how he is during sex. I'm sorry. The minute we heard, we called you."

"You're right," she says, her tone filled with regret. "You don't know him. I did. I do. I should have known," she sobs, her body shaking.

I move over to the couch where she's sitting and wrap my arms around her tightly. "Tell us how to help you, Ollie, and we will. We're here for you."

As she trembles in my arms, I gently rub her back. Her face is ghostly white, and I can see the shock in her eyes. Without warning, she shoots up from the couch and races to the bathroom. I follow close behind, with Kipp right behind me.

She rushes to the toilet, barely making it in time, and hurls violently. I sit on the edge of the tub, quickly gathering her hair and holding it out of her face. Kipp kneels beside her, his fingers tracing soothing circles on her back. When she's finished, she brings a trembling hand to her mouth.

Kipp picks her up gently, carrying her to the bed. He holds her close as she cries, her tears soaking into his shirt. I follow them but head back to the bathroom once they're settled in the bed together, The loud sound of the toilet flushing bouncing off the walls.

Returning to the bedroom, I set the water on the nightstand. "Here's some water, baby. You need to drink and catch your breath. I'm gonna put dinner away and lock up, but I'll be back, okay?"

"Okay," she gasps, trying to catch her breath between sobs.

I head out to the living room and start packaging up the food. I carefully return each item to its original container and place them in the refrigerator, alongside the case of Pepsi.

After locking the door, I turn off the lights and make my way back to her room.

Slipping out of my clothes, I crawl into bed beside her, feeling the soft sheets against my skin. She's in the middle, between me and Kipp. I pull her into my side, feeling the warmth of her body against mine as I run my hand up and down her arm.

"It's gonna be okay, Ollie. We're here for you, and we'll help you fix this. Whatever you want from us, we're here."

We stay like that, just holding her, until she finally falls asleep. Once I'm sure she's out, Kipp slides out of the bed and strips down to his boxer briefs. He gets back in beside her, wrapping an arm around her protectively.

"What are we gonna do, Grady?" Kipp whispers, his voice heavy with concern.

"I don't know," I admit. "But we're going to follow her lead and stay and help her until she kicks us out of her life."

Kipp nods, his eyes never leaving Olivia's sleeping face. We stay silent, the room filled with her soft, uneven breathing. The night stretches on, but I feel a resolve settle over us.

We'll be her support, her strength, and her shoulders to cry on. And somehow, we'll help her navigate through this darkness.

"We're here for you, Ollie," I whisper, more to myself than to her. "We're not going anywhere."