She is the One (Part 4)

Two major things kept me awake for a while that night. The first, and most prominent, was Kayla. I was glad I was able to get her out of there as quickly as I did, but the last thing I wanted was for her to continue getting hurt like this. She was too sweet, too kind to deserve this crap. I was seriously tempted to grab my phone and tell her everything but the last thing I wanted was to compound her misery. Not that I thought that finding out something like that would stun her at this point; I didn’t want her feeling foolish for falling for an asshole like that. Worse, I didn’t want her thinking I had held out telling her just to make Craig look bad.

The second, and far more uncomfortable, thing keeping me awake and watchful was Amanda. She had retreated to her room by the time I had got back in the house but I didn’t dare look through the keyhole. I knew she would be waiting for that. As a precaution, I locked my door and prayed she didn’t know how to pick a lock. I tried drifting off to sleep, keeping one half-open eye on the doorknob. By the time I fell into an uneasy sleep, it hadn’t jiggled once.

It only seemed a few seconds later that my alarm blared like a siren in my ear. I sat bolt upright in bed, my fist swinging. My alarm clock flew across the room and skidded across the floor, stopped only by the length of the cord connecting it to the wall. I was panting, though unsure why. Maybe I had been having a bad dream or maybe I was just so tense from last night that I was wound up beyond belief.

Despite my Mike Tyson-esque swipe, though, the alarm still blared.

I got up, switched it off, then checked my phone. No messages. I wasn’t surprised. After the night Kayla had, she deserved to sleep in a little. I tossed a glance out the window to see her curtains were still closed. I thought about sending a text, then decided against it. She’d text me when she was ready.

There were no sounds from the twins’ room but I locked the bathroom door all the same. I still didn’t trust Amanda’s grasp of personal space. As I stood under the water, waiting for it to get hot, I thought again about my decision to get a job. If Kayla was going to ditch Craig, she was going to have a lot more free time to hang with me, even if we weren’t dating. A job would eat into that time. But then again, if we were going to hang out, I’d need cash. And I still had games I wanted to buy. But I couldn’t exactly play those games if I wanted to hang with Kayla…

I knocked my head against the wall. It was way too early in the morning to be thinking about this crap.

I was lathering the shampoo into my hair when I thought I heard the doorknob rattle. I listened. Nothing. It might have just been my imagination but I wasn’t going to take chances. I quickly finished my wash, toweled off, and got dressed.

I opened the door to find Amanda standing not six inches away, clad in her ever-skimpier bathrobe. I jumped and almost yelped. “The hell are you doing?” I snapped.

She didn’t respond. She just stared at me with her piercing blue eyes with an unreadable expression. Whatever she wanted, I wasn’t sticking around to find out, not after what she had pulled yesterday. I slid between her and the edge of the door, taking care not to touch her. She just followed me with her eyes. As I turned to close the door to my room, I saw her enter the bathroom, sliding off her bathrobe before she got inside. She was naked underneath. Her butt jiggled as she walked in and shut the door.

I didn’t like having to keep on guard in my own home. At least before, Alan and Amanda kept their horizontal romps behind closed doors. Now I couldn’t even find refuge in my own room. I locked my door again, hating the fact that I had to do such a thing.

No text messages on my phone yet. I shot a quick text to Joe and Brad.

Me: Hey, guys, be on alert. Craig’s going to be extra pissed at me today.

I was loading up my backpack when I got a buzz.

Brad: He puts a hand on you, we’ll make sure no one will ever wonder if he’s right-handed or left-handed again.

I smirked a little. Joe chimed in a second later with a slightly less violent message.

Joe: We got your back, man. And Walburn already knows Craig’s a little shit. No worries, bro.

Thank God for these guys. Maybe I wouldn’t out-mature them. At least, no time soon.

I opened up Kayla’s contact and my finger hovered over the screen. I really wanted to send her a message, if, for no other reason, than to try to start off her day on a positive note. God knows she needed one.

“Jack!”

It was my dad’s voice. Geez, when had they got back? And what the heck were they still doing up?

“Yeah?” I called back.

“Can you come down here, please?”

I sighed and put my phone in my pocket. It didn’t sound like I was in trouble or anything but I’ve been blindsided before. They managed to get me to fess up to sneaking ten bucks from dad’s wallet when I was ten by claiming to have a present for me. The ‘present’ was a good hard swat on the rear.

Mom and dad were both looking significantly partied-out but managed to both send a very serious look my way. “I just got a message from Mr. Hannigan next door,” dad said, “He says you helped his daughter out last night.”

“I did.”

Mom and dad gave me big smiles. “Good for you, Jack,” my mom said, hugging me. It wasn’t the most pleasant hug; she smelled like stale smoke and alcohol. But the intention more than made up for it and I hugged her back.

“Did she express her thanks?” dad said, winking at me.

Mom spun around. “Honey, if you keep up with Jack…” She raised a fist and I remembered, with amusement, Kayla’s similar gesture the night before.

“Honey, keep this up and I’m going to end up a battered spouse on TV,” dad said, pretending to cower.

She rolled her eyes at him and turned to me seriously. “Was it Craig?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“Was Craig the reason you had to bring her home?”

Resolving to look into the matter of female mind-reading, I nodded. “Halfway through their date last night, he got bored with her.”

My mom looked furious. “Jack, if you get a chance to punch this guy in the face, please do so.” I looked at my mom in surprise. When did she suddenly start condoning Violence?

Dad noticed it too. “Honey, have you been watching those Rambo movies again?”

“No, I just think guys who treat women like that deserve a swift kick to the nads.” Dad and I both unconsciously crossed our legs.

Mom was setting out breakfast when Alan and Amanda came down. Unusual for them, they were not trying to do everything in sync. It was a little disconcerting at first, but then I reflected that I could be dealing with the Creepy Couple and let it go. What I could not let go was Amanda sitting next to me and sliding her chair up so our thighs touched. I tried to scoot over as far as I could but I was pinned against the table leg.

Alan was in a rather chipper mood. He was actually smiling and humming a little as he spooned some scrambled eggs onto his plate. “What’s inflated your happy balloon?” dad asked him.

I could guess what it was but that wasn’t the answer we were going to hear. “It’s Friday!” he said cheerfully, “One more boring-ass day and then two days of freedom!” For those of you confused by the math, we had Monday off. It was Labor Day.

“Say, Jack,” dad said, pouring himself some coffee, “I’m taking the day off. You up for hanging out after School?”

“Hanging out where?” I asked. Damn it, I hoped to finally be able to chill with Kayla.

“Maybe go out to Franco’s,” he replied, grinning. Franco’s was a local sports bar and a favorite hangout for dad and me.

“Sure,” I said, uncertainly, “What for?”

“Just to hang out. Nothing special.”

Dad and I hadn’t hung out in a while, it’s true, but I felt bad that Kayla would be left with nothing to do this afternoon. Craig wasn’t getting any time with her today, not if Mr. Hannigan had anything to say about it. “Sounds good,” I said.

“Fantastic! We’ll head out maybe around 5.”

“All right.”

I was finishing up my breakfast and saving my dishes when my phone finally buzzed. My dishes clattered in the sink as I dropped them to get to my phone. It was Kayla.

Kayla: Hope you were able to wake up without your preferred alarm clock ;P

I laughed aloud then glanced guiltily at my family. Mom and dad were looking at me with amusement, Alan like he wanted to make a joke, and Amanda was glaring at me. More accurately, she was glaring at my phone.

“Excuse me,” I said, leaving the room.

Me: I punched the shit out of my alarm clock but I was able to haul my butt out of bed lol how are you?

Kayla: I’m doing a little better. Sorry I didn’t text you earlier. Craig was blowing up my phone.

Me: With what?

Kayla: Oh, just bullshit about being sorry and that it won’t happen again. Damn right it won’t.

Me: Lol your dad texted my parents.

Kayla: Yeah, he really likes you! I wish you could have met my mom.

Me: Soon, hopefully.

Kayla: Hopefully.

Me: So…are you going to want a ride with us this morning?

Kayla: Yes.

Me: Awesome.

Kayla: Yeah, it is.

Me: Did you text Craig back?

Kayla: No. And if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll stay clear today.

Me: I’ll protect you.

Kayla: Lol you my shining knight in armor, now? xD

Me: Yes I am. I’d be proud to be.

Kayla: Awwwww <3

Me: See you soon.

Kayla: Can’t wait.

I was feeling about as chipper as Alan had been. I didn’t know if Kayla was planning to fully break it off with Craig but he was on probation now. And with Joe and Brad as backup, there wasn’t much he could do. And if he wanted a fight, he could just bring it on. I was ready to turn my imagination during my workout yesterday into reality.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

We were pulling out of the driveway when I remembered a comment Alan made yesterday about how Craig’s arrival always seemed perfectly timed. As if he was waiting for Kayla to try and get in my car before speeding up to deliver a giant ‘fuck you’ to my face. “Hey, Alan?”

“Yeah?”

“Take a look up the street. You see a Chevy?”

Alan turned to look. Amanda was trying to catch my eye and I ignored her.

“I see a couple. Why? You thinking about that douchebag?”

“Yep. We’re going to grab Kayla.”

“Awesome,” Alan said, clearly pleased. Amanda’s tongue made a complete circle in her cheek, her eyes never leaving my face.

I pulled up in front of Kayla’s house. She came running out the door, straight to my passenger-side door, and slipped in. “Morning, everyone,” she said brightly, throwing a fond glance at me. She was wearing the green hair-bow from yesterday, I was pleased to see.

“Hey,” Alan said. Amanda just grunted.

“Good morning,” I said distractedly, looking into my rearview mirror. Sure enough, Craig’s Chevy was barreling down the street towards us. “Hold on,” I said.

Kayla frowned at me then seemed to understand. Her mouth twisted and her eyes flashed with anger. I hit the accelerator and we rocketed down the street, Craig following close behind. He wasn’t making any aggressive moves, no slamming into my bumper or anything, but he rode my ass all the way to school.

Kayla kept glancing behind us. She didn’t look worried or scared; if anything, she looked ready to get our and kick Craig’s ass. Amanda had gone from staring at me to staring at Kayla. What was her deal anyway? I mean, if her plan was to seduce me then, yeah, I’d understand her dislike for her but she disliked her even before she tried to get with me last night. Unless she’d wanted to do it before…

Jesus Christ…

Craig parked beside me in the parking lot, out of his car and stalking over to the passenger side of my car before I even had time to shift into park. He knocked hard on the window but Kayla ignored him as she gathered up her backpack and opened the door into him.

“Babe—” he started but she pushed past him without giving him a glance. Craig gave me a hate-filled look before going after her. I grabbed my backpack and tried to catch up.

Craig was trying to get Kayla to stop but she stoically refused to even look at him, keeping her face forward and wrenching her arm away when he tried to take it. He was getting more and more aggravated and finally I sprinted to her other side and said, “Dude, if she doesn’t want to talk, she doesn’t want to talk.”

“Beat it,” he snarled at me, “I’m trying to talk to my girlfriend.” Kayla made a disgusted noise somewhere in her throat. He didn’t miss it. “What? You are!”

“You weren’t acting like one last night,” I said.

He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at me, the pieces fitting together in his head. “So that’s where you went,” he said to her, getting furious, “Have you been cheating on me?!”

Kayla didn’t respond and continued her march to the front door. He made to intercept her but found himself suddenly bared by the twin behemoths of Joe and Brad, giving him a look that just dared him to try and force his way through them. He glared up at them for a second, turned to burn hatred through me, then stalked away in another direction.

“So Kayla’s just about done with him?” Brad said in a hopeful voice.

“Probably,” I replied, “Which means he’s going to start getting desperate.”

“We got your back, man,” Brad said, putting a heavy hand on my shoulder.

“I don’t give a shit about me. It’s Kayla I’m worried about. If he starts going after her…” I didn’t even want to think about that. I’d seen Craig in a temper before. He had not yet hit a girl but I wouldn’t put it past him.

“She’s got you protecting her,” Joe said encouragingly, “And you’ve got us and about a dozen other people. He can’t do shit.”

I bit my lip. He could, if he wanted. He knew where she lived and I couldn’t be looking out for her all the time.

But I trusted her to be able to take care of herself. She’d let me know if she needed my help. And I’d be on the lookout even if she didn’t ask for it.

Kayla came into homeroom (the last time we’d have homeroom before the first period of the day) a little after me and sat down sullenly. After a couple of minutes, she turned to me. “I’m sorry.”

I was genuinely confused. “For what?”

“For just bolting away from you like that. I just couldn’t deal with—”

“Kayla, don’t worry,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile, “I understand. Trust me, I do.”

“But you were so sweet for giving me a ride and I don’t want you to think I just wanted you for that.”

“I don’t. Believe me.” I smiled again. “I was more than happy to.”

She squeezed my forearm. “How are you so amazing?” she asked.

“Well, if my parents were here, I’d say I got it from them. Since they aren’t here, let’s just say it’s a learned art.”

“Oh? A learned art? Where did you learn it from?”

“You know. Around.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Around?”

“Yeah, around.”

“How about we just treat my original question as rhetorical, hmm?”

“But then I lose a great compliment!”

She stuck her tongue out at me. “There will be more. Believe me.” I blushed and she giggled.

Spakler didn’t even bother taking roll-call today. “By now you know what your name is and if you’re supposed to be here. If you aren’t here, you couldn’t pay me to care.” He put his feet up at his desk and closed his eyes. Apathy, thy name is…

As the announcements droned on, Kayla turned to me and whispered, “And I’m sorry if this morning makes you a target for Craig.”

“More than I already was?”

“Jack…”

“It’s fine, Kayla. What’s the worst he can do to me?”

“Please don’t say that.” She actually looked distressed as she said it. “I don’t want him hurting you. Especially not after what happened in gym class a couple days ago.”

“That was nothing,” I replied easily, “Just a little souvenir.” The bruise, though noticeably smaller, was still visible.

“Well, I don’t want you to have another ‘little souvenir’. Or any souvenir. Jack, seriously, please don’t get hurt.”

I was touched. And she went on about me being amazing. “All right, I’ll promise to be careful.” She smiled just as the bell rang.

“See you back here soon,” she said as she got up. I followed her out, glancing around for Craig. He was nowhere in sight. Hopefully he got the message to steer clear.

As we walked to our first class, Joe leaned in close. “Dude, just say the word and we’ll make sure Craig never even thinks about her again.” I turned to him and he quickly continued, “Just a suggestion, man.