Chapter 5

I woke up to the light buzz in my pocket and a sore neck. I reached around under me to find my phone and finally got a grip on it, answering the call without looking at the caller ID.

'Hello?" My voice was groggy and raspy from sleep. I squinted through my drowsy lids and saw the sun just about to rise in the horizon. I didn't dare straighten my legs, knowing that they'll feel stiff from being folded all night long.

‘If my back is in this much pain, God have mercy on my legs,' I thought silently with a wince while trying to stretch a little.

'It's me. I just wanted to tell you that we finally managed to calm the idiot, knowing you're probably worried about him," I heard Preston say into the line and I immediately perk up at that.

'Is there a park nearby where we can meet up? I think it's going to be better to not talk about this over the phone," I replied and I could hear his frown though I couldn't see his face.

'Aren't you hours away by now?" I laughed nervously at that.

'Yeah, about that..."

A couple of minutes later, I was sitting on a bench in a park that was a few minutes away from the Jones' house. There were a couple of swings and a slide along with a small sandbox; a small green bucket that was upturned on top of the sand.

The morning breeze blew and I hugged the coat tighter around my body, trying to block the chill that was slowly seeping through the thin material.

I heard a set of feet jogging up to the bench and turned around to see Preston. I Scooted over to give him some room and he plopped down on the bench, sliding down and resting the back of his neck on the back of the bench.

I could see how worn out he was by the faint but definitely existent dark rings around his eyes. He was wearing a grey hoodie and joggers along with black colored shoes. His headphones hung around his neck and his hands were stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie.

'So did you find out about anything?" I asked him, staring at the motionless swing the whole time ever since he sat.

He hummed in response, letting out a deep groan before sitting up straight and telling me everything he managed to gather from his brother that seemed to have completely lost it.

'Apparently, he has grown to believe that you've killed our mother," was Preston's first sentence and I released a breath at that; the accusations and yelling proved as much.

I didn't interrupt him and remained silent, deciding to let him finish talking before making any comments.

'After you left, my dad and I tried to get him to calm down and prevent him from going after you. He threw a few punches but the knife was kicked away by Dad after it was dropped on the floor.

Someone has been drilling things into my brother's head and since he's lost a part of his memory, he was drinking it up gullibly."

Preston sighed, rubbed his eyes and took his time to calm down before speaking up and continuing again.

'Aside from believing that you killed our mother, he also thinks that you're lying to us by pretending to be on our side. He believes that when our mother was in the hospital, you sneaked into her room and injected her with something that caused her death," he muttered in disgust.

Meanwhile, I was rooted on my seat and didn't dare move my eyes away from that swing. This was what my ex-boyfriend thought of me this whole time.

'Oh goody," I grumbled under my breath, my patience growing thin. If I ever find whoever was feeding this shit load of bull to Adam, I'm going to skin him alive and use it to decorate some tree in one of the forests.

'Yeah," Preston snorted and I thought that was it but turns out, there was more.

'Not only that, he also claimed that he saw it himself. He claimed that he has seen proof," I looked at him in disbelief at that.

'No, you're shitting me," I half-whispered, narrowing my eyes in confusion and bewilderment. There's no way such pictures exist because, newsflash! I've never done it!

'I know, it's not possible, all you've ever tried to do was help us and I don't believe that you would have the heart to kill someone."

I shook my head slowly, it doesn't make sense. Why would these people try to brainwash Adam in such a way? And there must be something left in Adam that tells him otherwise every time someone accuses me of such a thing.

Then, I remembered the state Adam was in and turned to Preston.

'Did you get to find out about what happened to him last night?" Unfortunately, all I got in return was a shake of his head, no.

'Did you at least get to assess his wounds after he calmed down?" Preston's been living under the same roof as Adam all this time, he'd know things about wounds and scars since Adam was a street fighter even before he met me.

He nodded, looking deep in thought and I awaited any information he can give me about the cuts, the dirt clinging onto him and just about anything he can give me.

'All I can tell from the short glimpses was that it wasn't a deep cut, something like a graze and a sprain to the leg but otherwise, I see no more external injuries."

I released the breath that I was holding and shook my head. I didn't know what to do or how to find out what made him think the way he did. All I knew was that I'd be damned if this thing doesn't get straightened out.

Just when I wanted to ask Preston whether he was sure he didn't find anything else, my phone buzzed, signaling an incoming call.

I reached to my back pocket and fished it out, answering without looking at the caller ID.

'Case, the new schedule just came in and you're up tonight." Levy's voice greeted me, sounding a bit distracted. I rubbed my forehead.

Right, the fight; How could I forget.

'Okay, thanks Lev."