Free Coma (Paranormal Romance) by Lilly Mance Page A

didn't. He raped me. I
never told anyone about it. Foolishly, I blamed myself for allowing
it to happen by not breaking things off when I should have. For not
seeing him for who he truly was. As if that wasn't enough, his rape
left me with a present. Chlamydia. Adulterous bastard! That's when
I confided in Helen. “You've always been there for me,” I patted
Helen's shoulder.
    “Come on you two,” Maya said after applying a
ton of lotion. “It's not like she's gonna marry him and have lots
of babies. How many of our relationships end up being just a fling?
Let the girl have some fun!”
    Helen narrowed her eyes, ready to explode,
“Okay, miss casual. When did you ever hear Lyra say she's falling
for anyone, let alone hard ? Ha?”
    “Guys, I'm right here. Don't talk about me
like I'm not,” I said, earning two butt out looks, so I
added, “Or do. I don't care.”
    “Never,” Maya replied to Helen's question.
“That's why I say go for it !”
    “Oh, sure. Let's double date with them. All
six of us in the movies, and one empty seat. Or better yet, let's
have dinner. The chair will have ravioli! ” During her
theatrical, Helen's face turned beet red.
    “Stop it! I get it,” I wasn't gonna let this
turn into a fight of epic proportions. “You both have great
arguments, but it's my life, and I'll do as I see fit.”
    “What's with the frowns?” Shawn said,
startling us. All three of us forced a smile.
    “Oh, nothing,” Helen replied, and handed him
a fresh towel. “Girl stuff.”
    After fifteen minutes of awkward silence, and
Brad and Shawn's confused look exchange, Helen turned to me, and
said: “Let's go for a walk.” I nodded, and started getting up. She
said to the guys, “We're gonna get our feet wet. It's too hot. Be
back soon.” She placed a kiss on Shawn's lips, and signaled Maya to
follow.
    With our heads bowed, we walked through
shallow water without a word. I watched crystal clear water caress
my ankles until Helen said: “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make a big
deal out of it.”
    “Don't worry about it, Helen,” I said,
knowing she was worked up because of my past, not my present. “It's
not like we have to agree on everything. Like I said, you both had
good points, and I'm not sure what I'm gonna do about it
anyway.”
    “I just want you to be happy. I didn’t want
to sound so unsupportive,” Helen's eyes watered, and I hugged her,
then pulled Maya into the hug.
    “Life's not all roses. I'll be okay,” I said,
and Helen snorted.
    “So, BFFs again?” Maya said in high pitched
voice.
    “Was that ever in question?” I replied, and
we laughed, glad that our fight was behind us.
    ~*~
    I came home rather sunburned. Mom went to get
Dad from the airport. I was looking forward to seeing him, and
telling him all about my job. Mom and I had agreed to keep it a
secret until he came home to surprise him. With some free time on
my hands, I decided to take a bath, and apply some skin
moisturizer. Those burns were bound to sting like hell
tomorrow.
    Relaxing in the tub, I thought about what
Helen had said about Zack. Reason told me to listen to her; there
was no way to have a normal relationship with him. Thinking I
could, would be plain crazy. But that place deep inside of me that
usually made me feel out of place was screaming now to be heard.
There was something about him that made me feel alive, that made me
feel like I needed him. All my life, I felt as if a stark had
dropped me off in a wrong place. Messed up delivery, I guessed. And
now, with Zack in the picture, I felt as if everything fell into
its place, and yet, I couldn't have him. Annoyed, I threw a sponge
toward my feet. It landed with a loud splash.
    For as long as I have lived, I had to hide a
piece of me from the world. All my past relationships were
okay––regular guys doing regular things––but there was always
something missing. It was all too superficial, and I needed depth.
That's why I never was head over heels in