Smile

Seventeen

Vanessa POV
"Where's Y/n?" I asked Summer walking into the room.

"She's sleeping in the room with her mom and brother." Summer sighed sitting down on the bed.

I frowned. "Why?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know why Vanessa," she leaned against the headboard, "when I told you to be honest with her I didn't mean break her heart even more."

"I didn't try to I just wanted her to know-" Summer cut me off.

"That she'll never have a chance with you?" She raised a brow.

I sighed and sat on my side of the bed. "I'm guessing you're mad at me too."

I heard her shift from behind me. "No just annoyed, you know why?"

I shook my head and laid on my back. "Why?"

"Because you tried to do the same thing to her that you did to me," she scoffed, "I mean you allowed me to fall in love with you just to go back to David."

I closed my eyes. "I don't know what my problem is," I bit my lip and looked up at her, "I'm sorry for hurting you Summer."

She sighed. "I'm not mad at you I'm..." She trailed off shaking her head. "Can I tell you what your problem is?" She laid down turning to me.

I chuckled and faced her. "Please?"

She smiled softly. "You don't know what real love is," she whispered, "you think love is when someone hurts you and then apologizes just to do the same thing over again."

I frowned. "What do you mean."

"You know what Stockholm syndrome is right?" She asked.

I nodded.

"I think you um, have something like that when it comes to relationships." She said.

"I don't get what you're saying." I shook my head. Stockholm syndrome? I'm not that...oblivious.

She reached out and tucked a strain of hair behind my ear. "Your mom and dad."

My mom and dad? "What about them?"

"Vanessa, what did he do to your mom?" She asked softly rubbing my arm.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"No, that's the problem you know what he did but, you want to believe he did nothing wrong because you, idolized him." She said.

I gulped. "But, he didn't do anything wrong."

"He beat her Vanessa, and he eventually beat her to-" I cut her off.

"Stop talking." I closed my eyes as they started to burn with tears.

He didn't mean to, he loved her.

"David hit you three times before can't you see what's the problem?" She asked. "You think you deserve to be treated like that because your mom was treated like that by the person you loved the most." She scooted closer to me and put her hand on my waist.

It was just an accident.

"I'm sorry if I haven't been understanding or if the things I've been saying seem like I'm mad at you, because I'm not mad at you mon amour." She said.

I shook my head my breathing increasing as I gripped her arm. "It wasn't like that Summer, he accidentally squeezed too hard, she made him mad and he couldn't control himself, he loved her, I know he did."

She pulled my head into her chest. "Shh, just breath okay," she held me tightly, "I need you to calm down."

I gripped her shirt as my tears started to fall rapidly. "You helped Y/n out, you made her feel better, now it's your turn to let someone help you," she ran her fingers through my hair, "you've been through so much, what did you tell me when you found me in the bathroom crying because I peed on myself in front of the whole class."