Igniting the Wild Sparks

by Alexander, Ren

  Ricky mutters something and Finn rubs my arm as I try to empty my sore stomach. I didn’t eat much today, so it’s not a big production for all to see. Finn says something, but I can’t hear him above the sound of my retching or the ringing in my ears.

  When I’m done, Ricky steps over and lifts me up from Finn’s grasp. However, Finn clutches my arm and tugs me back to him. I again feel like a ragdoll.

  “Finn, let go of her!”

  He garbles through his crying, “Ricky, don’t take her away from me!”

  “Get me out of here, Ricky,” I tiredly plead.

  “Come on. People are watching,” Ricky advises us. He gives me a once-over. “Are you hurt?” I sorrowfully frown and he regretfully amends, “Physically.” I shake my head, swabbing my eyes with the heel of my hand. Ricky pulls me up against him and lowering his voice, he says to Finn, “I heard your address from dispatch and I got here as fast as I could. Another unit is on the way, though. Finn, you need to settle down before another officer gets here. They won’t be as sympathetic to you, but then again, neither am I right now.”

  Finn doesn’t reply to Ricky. He only stares up at me, but I look away. Sighing, Ricky wipes his hand down his face and mumbles, “Shit.” He lifts and lowers the bill of his hat as he contemplates what to say next. “I can give you a warning as long as Finn isn’t hurting you, Hadley. I don’t want to have to arrest either one of you for a domestic dispute or fine you for disturbing the peace.” This has to be devastating for him to see his best friend in a situation like this.

  I furtively look around to see some of his neighbors out on their porches watching us. Even though Finn has ruined my life and eviscerated me, I still feel protective of him. There are people watching their beloved sportscaster and daredevil at his lowest point. I can’t let them think this is all his fault. I’m not a vindictive bitch, no matter what he did to me.

  I step back from Ricky and stick my arms out. Loudly, I say, “Arrest me. I punched Finn Wilder twice and kneed him in the groin. Without any warning. That’s battery in Virginia.”

  Ricky looks over at Finn, astounded. “Did she?”

  Still on his knees, Finn wipes blood from his busted lip and glares up at Ricky. “No.”

  “Yes, I did! I attacked him!” I affirm to Ricky through my tears, hoping the bystanders hear me. There’s enough who probably witnessed me doing it.

  “Off the record, you deserved it,” Ricky mutters to his best friend. I gape at Ricky in astonishment. He cheated on Nina. He’s been where Finn is.

  “I know I do,” Finn replies, bowing his head as his body shakes.

  I hoarsely whisper to Ricky, “I just want to go home.”

  “You’re not driving home like this. I’ll have the other officer take you home.” He heavily sighs as he walks me to the cruiser and opens the door. “I want you to have a seat, Hadley, until they get here.”

  Finn snaps his head up and bolts over to Ricky’s car. With excellent reflexes, Ricky holds his hand out to stop him.

  “Finn, go inside. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  He shoves Ricky’s arm aside, fixedly staring at me. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Ricky shouts, “Come on, man! Just do as I tell you! I don’t want to have to take you downtown!” Keeping his hand on my shoulder, Ricky steps closer to Finn and quietly growls, “This is fucking hard enough for me.”

  Finn yells, “I know I fucked up!”

  “No kidding!” Ricky snaps.

  “Shit!” Finn throws his hands into his hair before falling to his knees again. Ricky holds onto me and swears some more.

  “Please stay!” Finn mops his wet face on his sleeve. His hair and his glistening eyes glow red and then blue from the lights on Ricky’s car. He tearfully begs, “Marry me, Hadley. I love you. I was so stupid for saying no. I’ll marry you whatever time we land in Vegas. We’ll get married as soon as we get off the plane. God, I promise you we will. Be my wife. Becks, please marry me.” Becks. That’s what gave him the fat lip. I’m in ruins. I want to say yes. Who’s the fucking moron now?

  I turn and hug Ricky, hiding my face against his chest and Tesco nameplate. He whispers over me, “Fuck.”

  When I glance at Finn, I see him putting his hands on the ground, and he howls up at me, “I know I’m a dick, but don’t break up with me!” Even the site of him on all fours begging me is too much. I feel sorry for him and want so much to forgive him this instant.

  “Finn, stop this! Go home now!” Ricky says and ushers me into the backseat.

  “What are you going to do with him?” I sadly ask him as I sit.

  He turns to look at Finn, who is still on the ground. “I’ll stay here with him for a little while until he calms down. I need you to go stay somewhere for a couple days. That, or I can have an officer parked outside your apartment when you’re home.”

  “I’ll call someone.”

  “Okay. I want you to call me if you have any problems. Call me anyway. I need to know what happened. He’ll eventually tell me, but I want to hear your side, too. I’m sorry, Hadley. I really am. Shit. I never…” He again looks at Finn and sighs.

  “Me, neither.”

  “Can I have your car key? I don’t want you over here. That’ll just fire you both up again, and next time, it probably won’t be me here and you’ll both be arrested. I’ll have Shay help me bring your car to your place tomorrow.”

  I nod and dig my keys out, pulling the right one off and handing it to him.”

  “I’ll get the key to you tomorrow. Sit tight. Your ride will be here soon.” He shuts the door and walks over to Finn. I’m sitting in the spot that Finn did when he was drunk at the club. Ricky squats to be eye level with Finn, but Finn won’t look at him.

  I’m numb. How do I function? How am I supposed to face people? How am I supposed to go to work tomorrow?

  I watch Ricky talking to Finn. Finn’s going to need him more than ever, not just for skydiving, dirt bike riding or coaching a softball team together. Oh, shit. I can’t play if Finn refuses to stop coaching, but then again, I won’t want to play anymore without him. Ricky will have to take over, which will only be a painful reminder. Would he keep tabs on me and report to Finn? Would Finn even care about me after a while? Worse yet, would Cara dare to stay? I won’t be responsible for what I do if I see that bitch again. I highly doubt she has that kind of gumption; however, she had enough to offer my boyfriend a blow job even though she knew he was with me. How could he refuse? She’s younger, prettier and way too eager to do that kind of thing for him.

  Ricky helps Finn up as more flashing red and blue lights illuminate the area. Ricky shouts something to the officer as he holds onto Finn. A redheaded female officer walks over to Ricky and they talk as Finn stoically gazes at me, while Ricky keeps his hands firmly on his shoulders.

  The woman officer nods several times before turning to Ricky’s car, and opening the door to let me out. She asks if I need to get anything, and I tell her about my suitcase and a box in the apartment. As she walks me to her car, Finn starts yelling for me again, and at Ricky to let him go.

  “Becks! Fuck, I love you! Don’t go! I’ll die without you! Jesus Christ! Hadley, don’t fucking leave me!” I stop and blearily gape at the disheveled, desperate man crying for me, shocked and even more dismayed than I thought possible after what I’ve seen. I’ve never heard Finn say the Lord’s name irreverently before. I suppose he’s been doing a lot of new things.

  Ricky says something to him and Finn tries to push past him again, but Ricky holds him off as Finn sobbingly yells, “I love her! Damn it! I want to marry her, Ricky! Becks! Shit! Hadley!” I cry harder seeing his neighbors watching him with curiosity and shame. My heart aches for him going through this. I so much want to run over and throw my arms around him.

  I’m an easier whore than Cara.

  I reach up to hold onto my key, but realizing it’s gone, it feels like all the air has been knocked out of me all over again.


  Officer Carson settles me into the backseat of her cruiser and then she goes to get my things. I stare out the window as Ricky holds Finn up against his cruiser, trying to calm him down. I can’t believe I’m not the one Ricky has to be subduing. I threw my jewelry at Finn. I chased Cara down like a dog. I kneed, kicked and punched Finn. I yelled things that I thought would never leave my mouth. Why is he the one losing it more than me now? Didn’t this possibility enter his mind at all when he was entering Cara’s mouth? I cringe as the image again assaults me. I lean forward, crying into my lap, “Why, Finn? Why wasn’t I good enough for you? Didn’t I love you enough?”

  Maybe I wasn’t daring enough.

  As we pull away, Officer Carson asks if there’s anyone she can call for me. There’s only one person I can think of.

  She escorts me to my apartment so I can gather what I need before my other ride arrives. She also advises me not to come back for a couple days and to possibly get my locks changed if this separation is permanent. Separation. More like a bludgeoning.

  There’s a knock at my door and Officer Carson answers it.

  “Where is she?”

  “Ms. Beckett is right here.” She steps aside, Greg Rodwell rushes through the door, and running over to meet him, he catches me as I fall.

  CHAPTER 26

  ROD

  “You want something to eat?”

  “No.”

  “Come on. You gotta eat.”

  “No.”

  “I made sausage links for breakfast.”

  From underneath my blanket, she yells a muted, “Asshole!” What did I do?

  Better yet, what did Wilder do?

  I look down to the plate, more than confused at what just happened. “Okay... Um, well. How ‘bout I give you a knife so you can hack them up? That’ll be good, right?” I scoot closer to the mound hidden under the blanket and warble, “You know you want to, Hadders.”

  “No.”

  Reaching down to the blanket, I grab her side, tickling.

  At least I thought it was her side.

  “Get your damn hand off my boob!” Not her side. Shit!

  I jump up, almost dumping the sausages onto the floor. “Yeah. Sorry.” I rub the back of my neck and sigh. “You can’t stay in bed forever.”

  “You’re not using it.”

  “Well, I was until…” Probably shouldn’t bring that up yet. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  “Go to work.”

  I glance at my alarm clock. “Yeah. It’s 3:23 in the afternoon. I already took care of that earlier. I talked to Amos and Val this morning.”

  Muffled, she says, “Oh. What did you tell them?”

  “That you have crabs and needed a ride to the aquarium.” Hadley finally throws the blanket from her head and gives me a bizarre look. Yes!

  “What the hell does that mean?” she grumpily asks.

  Trying not to laugh at her chaotic hair, I say, “I told them they’re monster crabs and you’re in a court battle against Red Lobster and Long John Silver for custody. Unfortunately, the crabs have a party side, so now the crabs are threatening to sue you for emancipation. They want to be able go to concerts and shit without interference from you. It’s all getting messy so you decided to donate them so everyone can enjoy your raging crabs.” I stick my tongue out and cross my eyes.

  She stoically stares back, unblinking, before the blanket goes back over her head.

  “I’m here all week,” I say mostly to myself. I gawk at the gray bundle occupying my bed. Last night was totally out of the blue. I got a call from the police saying my friend wants me to pick her up because she had an argument with her boyfriend. Hadley. At first, I thought it was over the proposal. I figured that fucker told her no. I knew he would, but I thought it odd they waited two days to fight this much about it. She hasn’t told me anything, but I know if he had said yes, she would’ve been in his bed and not mine this morning.

  Hadley Beckett in my bed would’ve been a dream come true two and a half years ago if she wasn’t with Wilder, but she has been since before I met her. He had her first. I couldn’t help it, though. I liked her. Really liked her. She was everything I was looking for in a woman. She’s funny, caring, an awesome dancer and she’s so beautiful. Not just looks. She is cute, but she’s beautiful on the inside, too. She’s such a great friend and she’s always there for me. I’ll do anything for her. I truly mean that. If she wants me to wash her car, I’ll do it. If she wants me to buy her a box of tampons, I’ll do it; though, she does have that huge box from the shower. I’ll even paint her toenails, putting little smiley faces on her big toes. Fuck, I’ll paint my own toenails. Anything to make her show that pretty smile again.

  I don’t know what happened with her and Wilder, but I need to find out so I can help her. It’s my turn to support her. The cop chick didn’t tell me anything and neither did Hadley. I have a feeling it’s about more than the proposal. She said she’d stay with him even if he said no. Well, he did. So, why was the police called to Wilder’s and she’s now with me?

  I hear my phone playing “Bitch” in the living room, so I walk out, careful to not roll the sausages onto the floor. Setting the plate down on the coffee table, I pick up my phone and right off, Morticia asks, “Have you heard from Hadley? It’s fucking Tuesday morning!”

  “Yeah.” I look over my shoulder, walking out to the kitchen. Lowering my voice, I say, “She’s with me.”

  “At work?”

  “No. My apartment.” I start to pace my kitchen, hoping Morticia gives me some advice on how to handle Hadley. I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with buying her tampons, even though I did say I’d buy them for her. Those things creep me out.

  “Why? Oh, my God. That bastard said no, didn’t he?”

  “I think so. Mortgage, I got a call from a cop last night. She had to respond to Wilder’s apartment for a domestic dispute.”

  “What? Did Hadley finally kick his ass?”

  “I don’t know. She’s not talking. She’s super depressed and won’t get out of bed. I heard her crying all last night. I mean, really crying, like she lost her best friend.”

  “Oh, shit. He told her.”

  “Told her what?”

  She sighs. “Finn and Cara kissed. I saw them.”

  I lean against the refrigerator as I digest that. “Christ. Are you fucking serious?”

  “Yeah. I saw her kiss him first, but he did kiss her back. He said he didn’t mean to kiss her. I don’t know if I believe that shit. I told him he had a month to either tell her the truth or propose to her before I told her the truth.”

  “So, you think he chose to tell her instead? Wow. He must’ve told her after he said no.”

  “Yeah, so I didn’t have anything over him and he could go back to yanking her chain.”

  “She’s crushed. First, the secret skydiving and then whatever happened Saturday…” Shit. If I were gay, at least my big mouth would be useful.

  “Skydiving?”

  “Fuck. I wasn’t supposed to mention it.”

  “That fucker is skydiving behind her back?”

  “Don’t say anything, but yeah.”

  “He said he’d never do it again!”

  “I know.”

  “So, he’s lying to her now? I wouldn’t put it past him that he and Cara are fucking then.”

  “Maybe they are and he told her. That could be why she’s so upset.”

  “I’m going to dig around and see why the cops were called to his residence. I’m sure I can find out more. I wonder if he was arrested.”

  “Like I said, she didn’t tell me anything.”

  “Ricky would know, but I think I should pay Wilder a visit when I get back. I’m sure if he was arrested, someone bailed him out by now.”

  I rub my temple and glance to the doorway. “Oh. I don’t think you seeing him is a good idea.”

  “Why?”

  “Because what if he is cheating on Hadley?”

  “Th
en his ass is mine. A kiss is bad enough, but if he fucked that bitch, it’s over for him. I’ll see to it. Find out what you can from Hadley and I’ll do my own checking. Let me know, Rod. If he cheated on her, I need to know.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about, though. You’re going to kill him. I want to kick his ass, too.”

  “It’ll be better if you let the adults handle this.”

  I frown and flip my middle finger at the phone. “Thanks, bitch.”

  Hearing the toilet flush, I hang up on Morticia and walking out to the living room, I see Hadley coming out of the bathroom. She looks so pretty, even with swollen eyes, bedhead, and wearing T-shirt and boxers. Wilder doesn’t realize the prize he has. Or had, if that’s the case.

  How could he not want to marry her? He loves her—obvious from his actions lately. I know he does from the way he was fighting for her at the club, chasing after her at the kite festival, hunting her down at work, getting inked for her, kissing her in front of my coworkers and his precious public’s eye, trying to knock her up—yeah, he’s doing that—so she’ll be happy, to threatening me in a church that if I even dream about taking Hadley from him, he’ll cut off my junk and feed it to rabid squirrels. It’s a good thing he couldn’t read my mind a couple years ago. He would’ve made it so I would’ve had to quit my job to join a circus just so I could pay my way through fucking mime school. Those assholes get paid salary, right?

  So, why would he not want to make her his wife? Does he just like boning her? Well, I’m sure he does. When I first met Hadley, I thought about what it would be like to be with her. After I realized that she and Wilder were serious, I had to force myself to get over her. We’ve become close, but we’re like brother and sister now. I can’t picture us as a couple, like she would actually give me that chance anyway. Though unlike Wilder, I’d give her anything she wanted. How could he not want to? He is, indeed, a lucky bastard.

  Sitting down on the couch, I slap the plaid cushion. “Hadders, come sit.”