by Brooke Page
“Can we go yet?” I whined.
“After we dance. Come on.” He motioned to the dance floor as the lights went lower, the disco ball turning in beat with the slow song. I rolled my eyes, feeling like an official loser for dancing at my high school prom with my older brother. Reluctantly, I took his hand, and we went into a formal step together.
“This is awkward. They’re all staring at you,” I muttered.
“No way, all the guys in here haven’t taken their greedy little eyes off you,” Landon countered as we swayed to the music. I dipped my head low, not wanting to believe him. “They’re staring at you because they don’t recognize you. You’ve changed this past year. You’re more grown up, stronger. I know you don’t feel that way because of that fucker Rod, but I see it, Jamie. Most girls wouldn’t have pushed that dip shit away like you did.”
“I should have done it sooner,” I whispered quietly.
“Maybe so, but you did it. Ninety percent of women would still be taking orders and beatings from that asshole. Not you, Jamie. You’ve beaten the odds.”
My chin found his shoulder as my stomach fell. “Then why do I still think about him? Why at night when I’m lonely do I remember all the good in him?”
Landon stared down at me, pity in his eyes. “You thought you loved him, Jay. He fed you lies, and you were young and naïve, but not anymore.”
I nodded, believing him. I was stronger than that asshole.
“Has he tried to contact you at all?”
I shook my head.
“Good. Try to forget about him, okay?”
“That’s the ultimate goal.”
***
“Kevin’s got a new place with some roommates from college. He says it’s really nice,” Landon said with excitement. He hadn’t seen any of his friends yet, and I could tell by the extra skip to his jump that he was eager to throw back a drink with his buddies.
I smiled and followed him. “We should have brought different clothes,” I said, feeling out of place as we approached the front porch filled with people in jeans and T-shirts.
“Who cares?” Landon said, opening the door.
“Look who it is! My airman!” Kevin hollered, jumping out of his seat while holding a beer in each hand. “Look how official you are, suit and all. Way to outdo us all, you bastard!” Landon’s smile was wide as he greeted his friends. I stumbled behind, feeling like an idiot.
“Jamie, you look hot as hell!” Kevin whistled, putting his arm around me. “Damn it, why didn’t things work out between us?”
“Because you’re a fucking moron,” Landon shouted past us. I noticed he already had his arm around a girl who looked familiar. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was the girl he took to his own prom.
“Jamie, come on, let’s catch up. I’ve missed you the past few months while ole’ Lando here has been away at camp,” Kevin said with a pout. I couldn’t help but smile at him. He was always nice to me and acted like a brother most of the time. I felt safe with him at least, and that was something rare after Rod.
We all started playing drinking games. I hadn’t had a lot, but could hold my liquor very well, and I wasn’t even feeling buzzed after the first few rounds of flip cup. Landon wandered off once we began beer pong. Kevin was my partner, and we’d won five games in a row, which meant the drinking hadn’t been as heavy for us.
Kevin took a swig of his beer, then called for a break. “Come on, Jay. Let me give you a graduation present.” I stopped in my tracks, worried what might happen. He stopped and turned, giving me a puzzled look. “Come on, I’m not going to try anything stupid. Your brother just doubled his weight in muscle, and even though he’s probably deep in that blonde’s tits right now, he’d still pull out to come kick my ass.”
I winced at the picture that formed in my head as I followed Kevin onto the front porch. It wasn’t crowded anymore because everyone had moved to the backyard for the bonfire.
We took a seat on the steps. Kevin pulled out a lighter and a zip lock bag from his pants pocket that contained a joint. Handing me the bag, he smiled. “Happy graduation.”
Taking the bag, I returned his smile. “Um, thanks?”
“You need to have a little fun, and a joint will loosen you up. I’ve seen what you’re like with a good amount of booze in you. Let’s party it up!”
“Yeah, but I’ve never smoked before. I could be a complete bitch for all you know.”
“You already are,” he teased, elbowing me in the bicep. I laughed, then pulled the joint from the bag. Kevin took out his Zippo and helped me to light the joint, taking a puff first himself. He passed it over, giving me a wink.
Why the hell not? Maybe it would temporarily erase all of my mistakes. I took a hit, trying not to cough as the smoke infiltrated my lungs.
Kevin laughed as I covered my mouth. “You took that like a champ. Most girls puke.” Taking another puff, I relaxed more, leaning my back on the railing. This wasn’t bad at all. We passed the joint back and forth until it was gone, then stared off into the dark space. Kevin would ramble, but I merely stared, not thinking about anything. People were coming and going, but we only sat, mellow and calm.
The voice that came from behind me sent chills up and down my back, pulling me from my high. “Jamie? Is that you?” Rod’s frame was taking up the threshold of the door, some chick was on his side, kissing on his neck while her hand wandered into the front of his pants. He shoved her aside when he saw me, his eyes becoming larger with each step.
“What the fuck?” he said in confusion, staring at Kevin’s arm that was now draped around my shoulders. I hadn’t even noticed Kevin was touching me. Before I knew what was happening, Rod ripped Kevin’s arm from my shoulders, shoving him down the few steps from the porch.
“Dude?” Kevin shouted as he stumbled to his feet.
“Get away from my girl,” Rod demanded as he stood in front of me protectively. I backed away instinctively, not sure what was going on.
“Since when? Dude, she’s like a little sister to me. I mean, don’t get me wrong—she’s hot as shit. And if she gave me a chance I’d probably go for it, but come on,” Kevin rambled as he dusted off his jeans.
Rod turned to face me, sadness filling his eyes. “Can we talk? I miss you, Jamie.”
I swallowed hard, not sure what to say to him. He’d lost weight, his face thinner than when I’d stroke the stubble on his jaw. His hair was longer now, curling past his ears. I remembered when I’d tug on it as he made love to me. I also remembered when I’d pull on it wanting him to stop choking me, so I shook my head no.
Rod’s eyes grew wide. “Are you really with this stoner?”
“No, I just don’t want to talk to you.”
Rod stormed down the stairs until he was directly in front of me, his scent fresh in my nostrils, a smell that used to turn me on, but now brought on fear. “You listen—”
“I thought I told you to stay the fuck away from my sister,” Landon growled from the entrance to the house. The blonde he was with earlier nowhere in sight. His muscles looked huge in his button up uniform, and anyone who tried to mess with him was surely an idiot.
Rod looked into my eyes but slowly turned to face Landon. “I thought you were off being the best you could be?”
Landon walked down the steps until he was toe to toe with Rod. Last time I was worried about Landon, but this time Rod was the one who’d be in trouble.
“No, I aim high, fly-fight-win, you dip shit. You lay a finger on her and I’ll break your neck,” Landon snarled.
“Aren’t you precious in your little uniform. Too bad daddy lost his.”
Rod was egging Landon on, and it wasn’t going to be good. He’d been drinking, and the way his eyes were bloodshot wasn’t a good sign.
“Gentleman, let’s cool down,” Kevin said, moving his hands between the two men. “This is a celebration, after all. Landon’s home, Jamie’s prom, come on, can’t we all get along?”
Rod t
urned to look at me. “Let’s go talk. I’ve changed, Jamie.”
Landon reached for Rod’s shoulder, turning him so he was facing him again. “Don’t even look at her. She wants nothing to do with you.”
Rod’s lip curled. “She wanted me. I couldn’t keep her off my dick.”
Landon lost it, winding his arm back and making a hard blow to Rod’s right eye, causing him to go tumbling down. Kevin backed away toward me while Landon continued to beat him with reckless abandonment.
“Landon, stop!” I shouted, Kevin holding me back. “You’ll get into trouble!”
Just as Landon looked toward me, Rod caught him off guard, throwing a punch to his gut, bringing Landon to his knees. Rod stumbled up, knocking his fist into the side of Landon’s head.
“Stop it!” I screamed again. “Please! You’re hurting each other!”
The devil was in Rod’s eyes as he kept punching, relentless blows while Landon tried to stand and defend himself. A crowd was forming now, and I was furious no one was trying to stop them. Just as Rod was going to throw another punch at Landon, Landon leaped toward Rod’s knees, causing him to tumble to his back. Now Landon was straddling him, sending hit after hit to Rod’s face. He was bleeding from his nose and lips, bruises already forming on his face.
I wailed and begged for them to stop, sick of the fighting and the anger in both their eyes. Finally, Landon stood, straightening his shirt and rubbing the blood from his mouth with his hand. “Stay the fuck away from her,” he threatened one last time while his chest heaved.
“Let’s go,” I said firmly to Landon, reaching for his arm and yanking it toward the car.
“I can’t fucking drive,” Landon said as he stumbled alongside me.
“I’m fine. We need to get out of here. That was amazingly stupid of you to do,” I chided Landon as we got to the car. “Do you know who his grandfather is? He’s the head of all the police in Florida. Probably the reason why Dad can’t get a job anywhere else!”
“Fuck,” Landon mumbled, wiping his nose again. I handed him a sweatshirt from the backseat.
“This whole night was a mistake,” I muttered into the steering wheel as I pulled out of Kevin’s street.
“Whatever, that sick bastard had it coming to him.”
“I just hope it doesn’t get you into trouble,” I sighed, realizing this fight could jeopardize everything Landon had worked so hard for the past few months.
He shook his head, acting invincible, then we both jolted forward in our seats.
BAM!
A car bumped us from behind, then did it again.
BAM!
The strong force caused us both to lurch forward, my chest burning from the seatbelt. “What the hell?” I shrieked, trying to gain control of the steering wheel so we wouldn’t fly off the road and into the trees.
Landon flung his head toward the back, trying to look out the window, but all he could see were headlights. BAM, another blow, but now the car sped up to the side, roaring so he was even with us in the other lane. It was Rod, murder in his eyes as he looked at the two of us from the window. He mouthed for me to pull over, but there was no way I’d stop the car for that sick and twisted man. Especially with the insanity in his eyes. I’d seen the damage he could do in that state of mind.
“Go faster!” Landon ordered, wanting to get away from the sick freak as bad as I did, but Rod was keeping the same pace, no matter how heavy I laid on the gas pedal. The car began to shake with the speed, and the steering wheel fought me as I hit the gravel. Rod was slowly pushing me off the side of the road with his car, getting pushed until half the car was completely off the road. The trees were getting closer and closer with every inch Rod pushed.
Tears of fear sprung from my eyes, wanting more than anything to not be in control of the car. “Focus, Jay. You can do this,” Landon encouraged, although I could sense the tension in his voice.
My instincts kicked in, focusing on Newton’s laws of motion. I slammed on my brakes, hoping to stay at rest, but my tires skidded in the gravel, my back end swinging into a complete circle. We bounced, nearly rolling to one side, but thankfully fell back on all fours and right up against a tree trunk. I shrieked as my side of the car dented inward, touching my thighs, my breath halting as the car finally stilled.
“You all right?” Landon asked, reaching over to touch my arm. I nodded, my body shaking from the adrenaline of our crash. With trembling hands, I attempted to maneuver away from the tree, but it was pointless. The car was jammed and the steering wheel wouldn’t turn. We were trapped now, at Rod’s mercy.
My heart pounded as I saw the headlights shining in Landon’s direction. Landon hadn’t noticed because he was too focused on making sure I was okay. My eyes widened in horror as the sound of his engine revved, then the screeching of his tires blared through the dark of the night.
“No!” I screamed as one final blow hit us. Glass shattered, bending the metal of the car with a loud creak. Landon howled along with the sound of metal crunching, but it wasn’t metal, it was his legs. Landon was pinned from the waist down, his body warped where his head was in my lap.
“Landon!” I screamed.
My hands reached to try and pull him, but it only caused a blood-curdling scream to come from his mouth. He was trapped between pieces of the car, smashed together like a metal sandwich. I thrashed inside the car, attempting to wiggle my way out in every way possible to find help. I shouted at the top of my lungs, begging for a sign of life to come and rescue us, but it was no use. It was one o’clock in the morning on a nearly deserted road. My head slammed backward into the headrest, my fists pounding against the steering wheel. Landon moaned, and I moved my hands to cradle his face.
“Someone will come soon, Landon. You’ll be okay,” I assured him soothingly.
***
The hours passed as I listened to the calmness of the night mingling with Landon’s whimpers. My legs were cramped and numb from the lack of blood flow. My back ached, and the headlights from Rod’s car had finally disappeared, leaving us in the moonlight. I was running out of ways to distract us from the terrible situation we were trapped in.
“Soon, you’ll be doped up on pain meds, and I’ll make sure the most attractive nurse will be by your bedside at your beck and call.”
He let out a slight laugh, followed by a groan. I winced as I helplessly watched, running my fingers over his eyebrows and along the buzzed cut of his hair. It was something my mother always did when I had a bad dream. The way his face slightly relaxed led me to believe my mother did the same for him.
His heavily lidded brown eyes met mine. I bit my lip to stop it from trembling, but my voice shook with uncertainty. “You’re going to be okay.” I wanted to sound brave and convincing, but the light was fading from his eyes as his shallow breaths began to slow. “Hang in there with me, Landon. Please. I can’t lose you.” Tears flowed from my eyes like an endless faucet. He was my everything, the only person who’d made me smile in months and understood why I was the way I was. He was practically my twin, only separated by eleven months. Landon had always been the strong one, and my weakness was overpowering me. I couldn’t let him go.
He gurgled before he barely whispered the words, “You’re the fighter, Jay.” He gulped, closing his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the pain that was written on his face evaporated as though he saw the light at the end of the tunnel, taking him from this world.
“No,” I said sternly. “Don’t you dare leave me!” I shook his head firmly in my hands, pleading with him not to give in to the other side.
His lips parted slightly. “Fight… for me…” He faded, his eyes drifting away from mine, staring as though he was looking right through me. After another gurgle, blood began to pour from his mouth and drain from his ears as his body spasmed to fight for his life. He was trapped and bleeding from the inside out, and all I could do was yell for help.
Utter, painful wails beseeching for hope.
&nb
sp; Chapter Twenty-One
Keeping Mitch at arm’s length wasn’t a walk in the park. Not because he wasn’t giving me my space, but because I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Every time the door to the office would open, my head would whip up, hoping to see his smug grin walking through the door, white T-shirt and jeans looking sexy as ever. But I was repeatedly let down. I’d hardly talked to him, besides the daily pick-up line texts that I looked forward to.
Mitch:I want to live in your socks so I can be with you every step of the way.
My phone rang, saving me from my sorrowful thoughts. “Hello?” I answered without looking at the screen.
“So is there any room in your socks for me?”
My grin was wide as my breath caught.
“My feet are pretty small.”
“Hmm… I guess I could squeeze into your bra, although you fill that sucker up nicely.”
I leaned back in my chair, thankful no one could see my blush. “You’re such a boob guy.”
“Mmm, yes I am. Only yours, though.” I sighed heavily, feeling my heart thump loudly as I closed my eyes. “Sorry, that wasn’t very appropriate,” he corrected.
“No, it wasn’t. Where are you?” I asked, wanting to change the subject.
“I’m in Chicago, have been for a week now. We’ve been finishing up a new high-rise. Thankfully, I’ll be in Grand Rapids all next week.” He paused for a moment. “Are you going to be at Becca and Tyler’s welcome home party from their honeymoon?”
I’d been looking forward to that party for the past three weeks. I’d missed Becca and the Conklin’s, especially Mitch. Trying to hide the excitement in my voice I replied, “Yes, my flight leaves Saturday morning. I’ll be staying in Grand Rapids the following week as well.”