3. The Ex-Factor

Bree's P.O.V.

Then the next day in therapy was... interesting.

Or more like super annoying actually.

The minute I open my mouth and start "pouring my heart out" to the group like I always do, you know, putting on one of the best performances of my whole acting career, Marshall once again, cuts me off with a sarcastic and an extremely disrespectful remark.

I cut my eyes at him so quick!!

Because I've honestly thought that ever since we had... shared a moment the night before, that he would finally lay off of me and stop tormenting me during group sessions, now that he's funally gotten what he wanted from me and all.

But apparently I was wrong!!

Because this white boy is still talking shit!!

Giving him a dirty look, I sigh.

"What is your problem, Em?!" I exclaim.

"Now, Miss James," the group therapist then scolds me when she should be scolding HIM!!

"Oh, my bad baby girl. I just ain't like fake people," Marshall then shrugs, staring at me emotionlessly.

And my blood absolutely boils, because what the hell is his deal NOW?!

"Well, at least I'm not here just to appease my manager and my ratchet ass baby momma about whom I constantly talk shit in my songs," I then blurt out childishly underneath my breath before I could stop myself.

His face immediately flashing with anger, which does give me a sort of a sense of satisfaction.

If only for like a brief second or two.

Marshall clenches his jaw so hard, and I swear I can see smoke coming out of both his ears.

But he doesn't say shit to me and is just regarding me with those pale blue eyes of his.

"Um, oooookay, thank you for that Ms James. Now, does anybody else care to share at all?" The group therapist then asks visibly looking uncomfortable as hell, her usual controlled and caring poker face slipping away.

I look over at Marshall and he still stares at me angrily from across the room.

Only for a devilish smirk to suddenly appear on his lips, sending a weird chill down my spine.

Bipolar ass white boy!!

"Yes, I would like to share," a fellow patient's hand then shoots up in the air, and I recognize her as Rose Day, a former child star and pop singer. She used to be in the Mickey Mouse club with Justin and Britney, if I remember correctly, but now baby girl has a major drinking problem. Figures...

I can barely even hear Rose's testimony though, because I am still so very angry at Marshall and him talking shit to me earlier...

And apparently, the crazy ass wigga was mad at me too.

Because as I'm casually trying to make my way back in my room, minding my own damn business, he suddenly snatches me up!

Marshall's grabs me by the waist and pushes me inside of the room, slamming the door shut behind us ans cornering me against it.

And for a second there, I truly panic, haven't had seen his face yet, i have no idea who it is, grabbing me like that!!

Immediately having a flash back to one of the times back when Adam was angry at me about something, some petty ass fight we've had, and he had allowed one of his band mates run up on me and roughen me up in retaliation.

Something I had trouble forgiving him for, but eventually got over it, once Adam got me high enough and told me he loved me and that he was oh so sorry for what he'd allowed his boy to do to me.

I think that was one of the points after which my addiction had worsened actually. I didn't want to feel anything anymore and to just gradually become more and more numb.

"NOOO, LET GO OF ME!!" I now yell at the top of my lungs, and Marshall quickly covers my mouth with his hand, only causing me to freak out more as I squirm in his hold.

"Yo, be fucking quiet, bitch. Gonna make all them goddamn nurses rush up in here," he says into my ear with a harsh whisper, completely unaware of the fact that I'm currently on the brim of having a full blown panic attack.

God, I wish I could get high right now...

All of my supplies are currently exausted though.

And Jake won't talk to me. Ever since that one time Marshall had found out about me hooking up with him in exchange for Jake sneaking coke in for me, for whatever reason, that stupid orderly had been too scared to do me any more favors, and he won't budge on the damn matter neither!

Weirdly enough, my panic subsides somewhat when I look into Marshall's infuriatingly emotionless pale blue eyes.

I take a few deep breaths and then force myself to smack his hand away from my face.

"Fucking get off of me!!" I exclaim indignantly.

Marshall stares at me angrily.

"Listen to me well, Bree. You ain't had no motherfucking right bringing what I had told you in confidence during that shitty ass therapy session. About my baby momma and my manager pushing me to get clean and all. And the next time you open your big mouth like this..."

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?!" I cut him off dramatically. "You are literally the one started the whole shit talking bs, Marshall!! You kept calling me out in therapy after I had thought we done squashed the whole beef between us, and..." poking my index finger in his chest.

He straight up starts busting out laughing in my face then, advancing towards me and backing me up against the door again.

"Let me get this straight, yo. You really thought shit was over just cause you finally threw some pussy my way, bitch? Shit wasn't even all that," he scoffs.

"Fuck you!! Just leave me the fuck alone then!!" I shove him in his chest and he shoves me back, causing the back of my head to bump against the door.

"Nah, cause you are my favorite toy to play with in this God forsaken place," Marshall smirks.

Within like a second, I'm slapping him hard across the face.

And then in the next moment, we are fucking inside of one of the closets in the room.

Don't even ask me how it happened or who had made the first move.

Marshall's low grunts fill my ears as he pushes me harder against the wall inside of the small closed space, while my fingernails scrap against his back over the thin material of his white t-shirt.

My legs wrapped tightly around his waist and he's thrusting in and out of me harshly.

"Yo, that was my bad, aight?" He says to me afterwards, looking almost like he means his half-ass apology, and also almost nervous like.

He sits on the edge of my bed next to me, scratching at the back of his blonde head before dragging his hand down his face.

"I ain't mean to talk so much shit to you during therapy, Bree, but the thing is, I knew that would make you angry as fuck at me if I did that shit. And the thing is, baby, you are sexy as fuck when you are like this, so I knew we'd fuck real good if I had pissed you off prior," his tone now turning smug as all hell, Marshall says to me with a deadpan expression on his face.

"So, you seriously humiliated me just so we could have some angry ass sex afterwards?!" I ask him furiously.

"Ay, don't act like you ain't enjoyed that shit though," he shrugs.

And I want to just bash his head in!!

The more I know him, the more he's been reminding me of Adam, to be honest...

A few days later...

I walk into the visitation room and see my on and off again boyfriend sitting there behind one of the tables.

I immediately stomp in his direction, my curly hair angrily flopping all over my face and my eyes wild.

"Fuck are you doing here, Adam?!"

I swear to God, I seriously hate his guts!!

Narrowing my eyes, I'm quite literally staring daggers at him. Like if only looks could kill!!

Flashing me one of his signature smiles that makes most of his groupies drop their panties on sight, Adam then looks at me sadly and gives me puppy dog eyes.

"I've missed you, Bree," he simply says. "And I can't wait for you to get out of this shit hole so that we could work shit out like we always do."

"Fuck you, Adam, it's cause of you that I'm even in this bitch right now in the first place!" I scoff. "And I am so done with you, I want nothing to do with you anyways when I get out!"

"First of all, Brianna, you are here in rehab cause you couldn't control you temper," Adam then smirks. "And second, what you mean we are done, no we are not. You know that I love you so much," he smiles.

"Love me?! You used to fucking beat me!!"

"And you've always fought back," he shrugs.

"Excuse me, you two, but it is against this facility's policy to behave the way you two are behaving right now. You all are disrupting the vibe in this place," one of the orderlies then interjectes between us, and when I look around, I can see the whole visiting room staring at us.

Thank God that Em isn't here right now!!

"It's okay, because Adam was just leaving, and I do apologize," I say sweetly then, forcing myself to get my emotions in check, my pocker face slipping back in place almost effortless like.

And all these damn movie critics say I can't act for shit!!

I clearly can, because I'm able to hide my despair so easily.

"I will see you when you get out, Brianna. I love you," Adam says then and kisses my lips before walking out.

I just stand there like a statue.

A sense of both dread and anger washing over me.

But back in the next therapy session later, I'm singing like a bird again, talking about how much I appreciate my time here and this opportunity to get better one day and get clean.

While the whole time, my mind is literally elsewhere.

So much so that I barely even am paying attention when Marshall cuts in and starts picking on me ans talking shit as usual.

I just sit there with a serene smile plastered on my face.

"Yo, you aight?" Em asks me almost incredulous like when he barges into my room later on, Ling after therapy has ended.

"Sure," I reply, sitting on my bed and facing away from me.

I hear him sigh loudly down his nose.

Marshall then cups my face in between his large palms, surprisingly gentle like, and he turns me around to face him, forcing me to look at him.

The look in his eyes is pure amusement though.

"Cause you ain't even react to me tryna get a rise out of you earlier," he smirks. "Now, wassup with that, cause I know you was heated, baby, don't even try to deny that shit."

God...

"Look, Marshall, I really am not in the mood for your bullshit today. Plus, I'm on my period anyways," I reply back blankly, avoiding to really look into his eyes because if I do, I'm afraid I might drawn in them.

Just like I used to do in Adam's.

Yes, I do have a thing for the bad boys, unfortunately.

"So, it's not like we could angry fuck today, which seems to be your thing. So please just let me be for right now, alright? Seriously can't take your mind games right now," I whisper.

Marshall frowns, his face briefly flashing in anger and his jaw clenching.

"Yo, I could give a fuck less if you bleeding or not, girl. But do this got to do with the clown that came to visit you earlier? Ya know, that whack ass ex of yours?" He asks me.

Oh great, so he does know...

"That's none of your business, Marshall," I sigh.

"Oh, no doubt," he scoffs. "But I'm just curious, you know what I'm saying?"

"Curious about what?!" I suddenly explode then. "The fucked up ass relationship me and Adam used to have?! Nothing to talk about, really. We would fight, then fuck, sort of like you and I do now. Only difference is, you haven't put your hands on me yet, Marshall."

"Fuck you mean, yet?! I would never hit you, Bree. Nah, wait, hold on. Motherfucker used to beat you?" Marshall asks me, a realization washing over his face, as he stares at me completely dumbfounded.

And I really can't understand what is he even so mad for.

Didn't he used to beat his wife??

"What does it matter?" I shrug.

"Nah, but it do matter though. Cause I'll fucking kick his ass. He used to beat you, Bree?" Marshall asks me again.

"Our relationship wasn't exactly perfect," I shrug. "But in a way, it must've been my own fault, because I always went back to him."

As I'm speaking, I can see Marshall get progressively more and more pissed off, and I don't want to see him looking like this.

"How was your thing with your ex-wife anyways?" I ask him, just to change the subject.

But that was apparently the worst possible move to make.

I can literally feel him suddenly shut down.

"Yo, don't even talk to me about that shit cause it ain't none of your goddamn business bitch," he says to me angrily.

And I want to yell at him so bad right now!!

Instead, I'm simply getting up and walking towards the door to my room, snatching it wide open.

"Imma need you to leave right the fuck now, Marshall," I say quietly, in a sort of monotone voice.

I have just opened up to him about Adam.

Somewhat.

And yet, he can't do the same for me about his ex.

And somwthing about this hurts a lot, I feel betrayed in a way.

I feel like he had forced me to lay myself bare for him, only for him to remain fully clothed, if that even makes sense.

Marshall doesn't move from his spot though.

He drags one of his hands down his face.

"I've know Kim ever since I was like 15, aight? She was always the one for me, till shit between me and her started to get fucked," He forces out emotionlessly, but with so much hidden pain behind his words.

I sigh and slowly shut the door.

Making my way over back towards him, I sit back on the back, facing him.

It was never my intention to force it, but I'm glad that he's opening up to me...