Chapter 3

A Reality Check, Some Progress, But Still Some Major Mandi Manipulations

Three Months Later

Shea

Things have been better, much better. After the Labor Day party from hell, War and I have reconnected and are talking about things with each other. I swear I don't think he realized how much Mandi was manipulating him. I told him, I'm not going to harp on this, but that girl has not gone away and she has not given up. She flashes me snarky and victorious looks whenever I'm at the club, says some crappy stuff to try and make me doubt War. She's also always hinting about "fun pics and videos of War and me", which I don't want to believe, but am secretly worried about. I won't though, I won't play let myself endlessly stress, or go to him with everything she says that bothers me, and I really try to not let her know that she gets to me. As far as I'm concerned, that's a win for her if she even comes up as a topic of conversation between War and me.

Between the guys at the club and some of the club girls, I have a very clear picture of Mandi and what she's done, and also what she continues to try to do. She was trying to get him to rely on her, fill his head with doubts about us, and be his strength. Stoner says when they would use different drugs, she was always trying to be near War and tempt him. Stoner also said that War wasn't romantic with Mandi, and that he didn't even seem to see that she was after him. All of this goes along with what we've talked about the past couple of months. I do believe him, I trust that he never cheated or was even tempted to cheat, but he definitely lied by omission, and hid way too much from me.  So that alone put our marriage at risk.

Her game is still going strong though, it's changed, but it's still on. After War told her to stop calling and texting him, she slowed down considerably, but she is still trying to maintain a connection. When he didn't respond to her attempts to make him jealous, or protective, she tried to act like his buddy. Thankfully he saw that for what it was, and shut it down.

He said he hasn't done drugs since, and I believe him. I don't know if he willingly did drugs that night, or if she gave him something, it doesn't really matter. He kept the drugs a secret from me, so it gave her ammunition to use, and however it happened, it did.

What I don't understand is why he used drugs in the first place. He never showed any interest before, aside from occasional pot, he never used anything that I'm aware of. When he found out how my parents died, and saw that my brothers never touched anything, he just kind of fell in line with us. I never even thought he'd have an interest.

He says he did coke a few times when he was hanging with Stoner, Rider, Hack and some of the club girls, Mandi being one of them. He said he liked it, but not enough to go out of his way to do it more often. He also admitted he felt super guilty and ashamed and he didn't want to tell me what he'd done.  He also said that when I was out of town with my friends one weekend, at a club party Mandi gave him X. From what I've read it's known as a party/sex drug. He said that it made him super touchy feely with everyone, and that my brothers just thought he was drunk so they put him in his room and he eventually passed out. The club girls said that Mandi was planning on using the sexual side effects of the drug to get him to have sex with her.

When I told War what I'd been told he got really quiet. He said he remembers the night, and how he felt, that he felt different, and was bummed I wasn't there sharing it with him. When he woke up and realized how he'd felt, even thinking that he wanted me to do the drug with him, he realized how off everything was. But even then he didn't see how Mandi was trying to manipulate him. Now in hindsight he gets it, but we were dangerously close to losing our marriage.

Now we're getting back on even footing. If nothing else, I think this brought us closer, we're talking about things in a deeper manner, and we truly appreciate what we have.  I never realized how dark Wars thoughts were about himself, I naively thought he viewed himself as I see him, strong, loving, kind and true.

But that's not how he sees himself, his inner dialog and self worth are not how I think of him.  We've talked about it, but he still feels like the kid in the system who was tossed around, beaten up, forgotten, then kicked out.  I'll keep on telling him how I see him, till he believes that he is the incredible man I know and love.

This weekend we're going on a club fun run, spend a couple hours on the bikes, then coming back to a giant bbq and bonfire, it reminds me of when War and I were first together. I love putting on my property cut, climbing on the back of his bike, wrapping my arms and legs around him and holding on for hours. The smell of his leathers and of him, the warm sun and the wind on us, it feels like we're just the two of us in the world, an island of love.

War has been stressed all week trying to prepare for the run, the guys have a lot to do getting ready for the bbq and party.

I'm just hoping that I feel better by Saturday. I've been battling the flu that's been going around our school, and damn I will be so ticked if I miss the run!

War

I feel like shit. I don't know how to tell Shea, but Mandi the fucking bitch sent me a video of the two of us. I don't know when it was taken, I have ZERO memory of it. In the video I'm lying in my bed at the clubhouse, and she's on top of me, grinding away. She's naked, and it looks like we're having sex, but if you really look at me, you see that I'm not moving. I'm not talking. It looks like I'm passed the fuck out.

I got this yesterday, the run is in an hour, I'm gonna tell Sheas brothers now, and then talk to Shea on Sunday. I need Rocky and Jax to know that I got this, but I swear I don't know how it happened. Since Labor Day, they've been helping me clean up my act and also see what a manipulative twat Mandi really is. I know they're gonna freak out, but fuck, I can't handle this one on my own. I learned from last time, that I need to be open and forthright, and part of that will be letting Sheas brothers in, and helping me, god fuckin help me.

Shea has been sick that past few days, fuckin flu at her school has her totally green and queasy. She woke up this morning with pretty severe cramps and her period started, so that makes her feel even worse.

Fuck, here are Rocky and Jax. If I get out of this without a black eye and a concussion, well then it'll be a goddamn miracle.

"Rock, Jax, can you guys come over to my room, I need to talk to you about something fucked up."  Rocky looks at me with the raised eyebrow of fury, and Jax is doing the same.

"What's up War, does this have something to do with Shea?"  When I nod, holding their glare, I see when they realize how shitty this conversation is gonna be.  Walking into my room. Jax blows out a deep breath.

"Is this about Bitch Cunt Mandi War? She got something to do with Shea?"  As I close my door, we stand, arms crossed, fury and rage on all of our faces.

"Yeah guys, it does. Mandi sent me this video last night, I haven't shown it to Shea yet. I fucking don't know anything about it, I don't remember it, but it's me. If you look, you can see I'm not moving, I'm not talking I think I'm fucking passed out."  I hand my phone over, the video is pulled up and I hear the screeching audio of Mandi moaning begin.

"Yeah War, yeah baby, you doing me soooo good, so hot baby."

Ad fuckin nauseum.

Rocky and Jax start cussing, arguing, and glaring at me.

"Fucking idiot! We fucking TOLD you to stay away from that cunt!"

"I fuckin did you guys! I haven't spoken to her since the Labor Day shit show! I swear! You've seen me, I avoid her, and I shut her down whenever she tries to talk to me, I'm no where near her at any time!"

"Look Rock, look at the bed next to him. That's the shirt he wore the night he got so fucked up we had to put him in his room! Remember he fucking barfed all over it and we threw it out the next morning! That fuckin stupid "The Dude Abides" shirt?!"

"Yeah, Yeah! I remember that night, we thought he was on something and we moved him out of the party! He kept huggin and kissing on the girls saying he loved his sisters! Fuck!" Rocky pounds the wall with his fist.

"What are you guys talking about? I don't remember that at all!" I'm rubbing my hands through my hair, trying to get a grip on something.

"Ok, fuck it, it was the party the weekend that Shea went with her friends on the girls trip. We were all at the club, you were hanging with some of the guys for a while, and then you came over to Rocky, Kay, Suz and me. You were all fuckin twisted, touching the girls telling them how much you loved them, all kind of hyper. Rocky and I took you to your room, left you in there. You were sick all over your shirt, we left it on the bed because we were pissed at you. At the time I was pretty sure you were on some shit. Now that we know all that was going on with Mandi, I bet she slipped you some X, then snuck into your bed later."

I'm shaking my head and I start punching my wall. If I'd listened to my wife from the beginning about how untrustworthy that bitch was, I wouldn't be in this problem.

Rocky is biting his lip and mumbling under his breath.

"Fucking look at him, she's bouncing all over him, but he doesn't move, he's just still. Fuck look, right there! His leg falls off the bed, looks it's at a weird fucking angle. You're totally fuckin out of it man. There's no way you did this. When we put you in bed you were out for at least 12 hours, no way did you wake up, according to this time stamp 30 minutes later to fuck. She fuckin played you dude. This is so messed up!"

"I don't want to tell Shea now, lets tell her tomorrow, get through today, then deal with it. She's been sick for the past week, I just want her to be able to hear this at home ok?"

"Yeah, fuck. Ok, tell her tomorrow, Rocky and I will come over with the girls, at let her know that it was not you, that you were a fuckin victim."

I can't believe these guys trust me, Sheas brothers, I'm so fucking lucky, this family was the best thing that ever happened to me, I'm never going to screw up and hurt them again.

"Thanks guys, you don't know what it means to me, I swear, I had no fucking idea what that bitch was up to. No fucking way I'd ever cheat on Shea!"

Kayla bursts in at that moment, laughing when she sees the three of us.

"Come on guys, we're getting ready to go! War, Shea is looking for some ibuprofen, she's having major cramps, you got any in here?"

Grabbing the ibuprofen on my desk I pick up my cut, and Sheas jacket, and head out the door. I call out for my girl, knowing today is gonna be the last bit of her peace for a while.

"Shea, baby,I've got your meds and your jacket here, lets head out to my bike!"