"Listen dude, you need to slow down man, you reached the speed limit like ten minutes ago," Anthony said as I sped down the road, towards Jake's house.
I ignored him, I couldn't talk right now. All I could see was April's arm and the marks that that jerk had left there. Mad was an understatement of how I was feeling right now.
"Dude, you need to calm down," Anthony pleaded.
I had never heard him sound so worried before. Usually if I was in a fight then he was down, no questions asked, just sheer excitement at the thought of beating up some dudes for fun but he was acting different this time. I knew that this was different, I had never been so angry but he was going to pay for what he had done to April. I was angrier with myself than Jake though!
How did everyone else seem to know this story about him and his ex and yet I didn't? I would have never left him alone with April if I knew that!
The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. As the red light stopped me again, I let my fist make contact with my side window.
"Dude!" Anthony shouted in shock.
"Seriously, you need to calm down, you're scaring the hell out of me man, I've never seen you like this," he said.
"I can't," I mumbled as I started to drive again.
"You're going to have to man. What you going to do, kill the guy?"
"Maybe," I spat back at him.
"You're acting crazy man, what the hell has gotten into you?" He said in a frustrated tone.
"Did you see her arm?"
"Yeah but-"
"But nothing man, if he thinks he can get away with that, he's wrong!"
"So what are you going to do, end up in prison over an arm?" He asked as though I was being stupid.
I shrugged my shoulders. I couldn't talk about this anymore.
"Look, I get it, ok. Even if you didn't have this thing going on with April you'd be mad but you’ve got to be logical. Going in there like a bull on crack is not going to work. Someone's going to get hurt or worse."
"So, what am I supposed to do?" I asked in a frustrated tone.
"I don't know but not what you're thinking of right now. You're going to pull up at his house and do what exactly?"
"I'll do what he did to her but worse," I mumbled. I need him to shut up, I can't think straight.
"Ok and what about his mom and his little sister, what about if they get in the way, you going to hit them too?"
I didn’t even know that Jake had a little sister. I guess he must have mentioned it to Anthony at some point but he was right I hadn’t even thought about that.
"Don't be stupid, I would never put my hand on a woman or a child, you know that," I said in an angry voice.
"Exactly but things could get messy bro, I'm just warning you."
He had a point, I had to admit. I couldn't just run into his house like this, that wouldn't be fair. See, this is why I don't like it when Anthony starts talking, he talks too much sense, sometimes.
"Ok, so what?" I asked in a calmer tone.
"Let me do the talking, we'll deal with him, my way," Anthony said with a slight smirk on his lips.
I had no idea what he meant but I trusted him.
“Here’s his house,” I said as I began to slow down outside of Jake’s house.
"Keep, going," he said.
"Dude, he lives there," I said in confusion.
"Trust me man," he said as I continued to drive.
"Now, you just wait here."
"And do what," I asked in an angry voice.
"You'll know what to do," he said as he disappeared around the corner.
Somehow Anthony had managed to calm me down but I knew that it wouldn't last very long, once I saw Jake's face. I can't believe that he put his hands on her and I let him. I took out my anger on poor sally again, this time the roof. It didn't matter right now, she could be fixed but I could never erase April's experience. Suddenly my phone made a sound to let me know that I had a message. A slight smile slipped onto my face as I saw April's name.
Please be careful. I'm sorry that I've caused all of this but if you get hurt I'll never forgive myself, just don't do anything stupid please.
As I went to hit the reply button and start typing my message, I was interrupted by the sound of Anthony's voice. I slid my phone into my pocket and waited. The very sound of Jake laughing made me want to kill him even more.
"So this was your little plan, nice," Jake said, turning to Anthony with a smirk on his face.
"You think this is funny?" I asked as I fought with the urge to punch him in his face.
"What dude? I don't think I'm following you," he said as he continued to smile.
"He wants me to kill him Ant," I said as I stepped right up in his face.
"Calm down bro," I heard Anthony say in the distance.
"Yeah calm down bro," Jake said as he let a laugh escape his mouth.
I pushed him in the chest and watched as he fell backwards onto the floor.
"Wohhhh," Anthony said as he grabbed my arm and stopped the kick that I had strategically aimed at Jake's face.
"Get off me man!" I shouted as I pushed Anthony off of me.
"No dude, look at me. This is what he wants, ok? He's trying to play with you. Don't be a sucker," Anthony said in a calm tone.
"Yeah, don't be a sucker dude. I guess it all fits into place now, the other guy that she has feelings for, it's you isn't it," he said as he continued to smile.
Was he actually trying to wind me up?
"You better shut the hell up," I growled as I struggled to get past Anthony. Damn he was strong.
"Calm down," he whispered in my ear. I could literally feel my entire face going red and my heart racing as Jake got up from the floor smiling.
"Yeah dude, calm down. I wasn't looking for anything serious with Blondie, just a little fun but I guess she weren't game. Apparently she didn't like it rough. Did you see her wrist by the way?" He asked with the biggest smile on his face.
That was it, I don't know how I found the strength but I broke free of Anthony and before I knew it, my fist was touching Jake's face.
"If you ever so much as look at her or breathe the same air as her again, I'm going to make you wish that you had never been born!" I screamed in his face as I dragged him up off of the floor and held him up by his black tee. This guy was either stupid or sick because he just burst out laughing. Blood was trickling down his nose and he was laughing.
"She means that much to you, really? She wasn't really my type," he said as he drew his mouth closer to my ear.
"I like them a little bit feistier, like your sister," he whispered into my ear.
As I went to punch him again I was literally lifted in the air by Anthony and turned around.
"Get off me! I'm going to kill him!"
"No, calm down! Don't be stupid! Can't you see what he's doing?" Anthony asked as he tried to stop me from hitting Jake again.
"I don't care, move, now!" I shouted.
"No!"
"Move!" I said as I shoved him hard in the chest as I watched the amusement in Jake's eyes.
"So, are you going to fight me too, now?" Anthony asked in an angry voice.
"If you don't get the hell out of my way, then yes!"
"Look at me! Look at me!" Anthony shouted as he grabbed my head so that I could only see him and not Jake.
"He is doing this on purpose!"
"I know!"
"Then don't fall for it dude, you have too much to lose and he knows that. If something happens tonight it will go on your record dude," he said in a straight voice.
He was right.
"Maybe I don't care," I said as I heard Jake laughing behind Anthony.
"You do care. You're a straight A student man and captain of the team. Are you going to mess all of that up for this jerk?"
"Listen to him Aiden," Jake muttered from behind.
"Shut up!" Anthony shouted back at Jake.
"Listen to me. Are you going to get yourself a r
ecord for this nobody? Ruin your chances of college for him and do time instead, huh?"
"No!" I finally shouted.
"Then walk away," he said, staring me dead in the eyes.
I stood still as I took in his words. My arms were shaking and my heart was racing like mad.
"Walk away," he said in a calmer voice. I stood still for one more minute and then without saying a word, I turned around and started to head towards my car.
"Well done," Jake said as I heard him clapping his hands.
I had to force myself not to turn around as I could hear the smirk in his voice. He wasn’t even sorry.
"Aiden might be a straight A student but I ain't and neither am I from around here," I heard Anthony say from behind me. By the time I had turned around, Jake was already lying in a heap on the floor as Anthony laid another kick into his side.
"Stop," I said as I dragged Anthony back.
"You were right, this isn't the way," I said in a serious voice.
Anthony shook his head and then followed me to the car.
* * *
The first half of the journey was spent in silence as I listened to mine and Anthony's attempts to catch our breaths and calm down. It turns out that I wasn't the only one that Jake got mad tonight.
"You ok?" Anthony finally asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah dude, you?"
"I'm cool, my knuckles are throbbing but it was worth it," he said as he let out a slight laugh.
"Dude, what happened to your whole speech back there, that kind of went out of the window," I asked as I continued to drive towards Anthony’s Cousin's house.
"That was for you, I don't want you messing up your chances in college for a jerk like Jake. It's different for me," he said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked in a frustrated tone.
"Well I'm not an straight A student am I, it don't matter if I add another thing to my record," he said in a sad voice.
"Shut up man. You are smart, you just need to start believing it," I said as I glanced at him.
"As sweet as it is to hear you say all those girly things, you just drove past my cousin's house," he said as he started to laugh.
"Ahhh damn," I said as I stopped in the middle of the road and reversed all the way back to the house.
"How you passed, I'll never know," he said with a smile on his face.
"What are you talking about dude, I'm a skilled driver," I said with a smirk on my face.
"Yeah course, you keep telling yourself that. Anyway dude, stay out of trouble ok?" He said as he stared me straight in the eyes.
"Yeah I'm cool now. Plus I think that punch you gave Jake may just last a good few weeks," I said as we both burst out laughing.
"Yeah, laters," he said as he jumped out of the car.
"Sort it out with April!" He shouted as he walked up the path.
I put my thumb up, smiled and then drove away. I guess that it’s time to face the music.
APRIL’S POINT OF VIEW
"Anthony just text to say that they've just left Jake’s. Everything's ok," Crystal said as she placed her phone back in her lap.
"Good," I replied.
"So you can stop panicking now," she said as she gave my hand a squeeze for like the tenth time tonight.
I could tell that she was really worried about me and it was nice. I can only imagine how she felt when she saw Jake outside earlier, it was horrible. Crystal could be a bit bossy and interfering sometimes but there was no denying that when I needed her she was there. That's why it was killing me to not tell her about Aiden but I didn't want to lose her over it, not now, not after everything that had just happened. I knew one thing and that was that I really was in love with Aiden, tonight proved that and I didn't know how much longer I could hide that fact from her.
"You ok?" She asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, just tired," I answered as a yawn escaped my lips.
"Me too, I'm going up now, you coming?"
"No, I'm going to wait up for Aiden. I need to thank him for what he did for me tonight, it’s the least that I can do," I said.
"Ok, goodnight," she said as she walked towards the door.
"Crystal wait, I have to tell you something," I said as I slowly stood up.
"What's up?" She asked as a worried look filled her face.
Just take a deep breath and say it. Tell her the truth.
What's the worst that could happen?
She could hate me forever and make me chose between her and Aiden. How could I do that when I loved them both?
"Thank you," I said as I walked up to her and threw my arms around her.
"For what?" She said as she threw her arms around me too.
"Just, being you. Pushing Jake away today, everything," I said as a tear escaped my eye.
"April, you're my best friend and I love you, I will do anything for you," she said as she gripped me even tighter. I felt guilty but I couldn’t tell her now, not tonight.
"I know," I whispered before finally letting her go.
"Goodnight," she said as she smiled at me.
"Goodnight," I said as I watched her walk up the stairs.
I took in a deep breath and then sat back down on the chair.
I flicked through the stations to see what was on and stopped when I discovered that Liar Liar was on. It was kind of convenient for my situation. Oh well, I sure as hell needed some comedy right now and a good dose of Jim Carrey always did the trick.
After about forty minutes of watching Liar Liar I was finally feeling better. It was probably because I had spent so much time laughing at the film, that my problems seemed to fade into the past. That was until I heard the front door open.
Jumping up and poking my head through the living room door, I spotted a tired looking Aiden, walking in.
"Hey," I whispered as he shut the front door in, quietly.
“Hey,” he replied quietly.
“Where have you been? Anthony text ages ago,” I said as I stared into his sad eyes.
“I was just driving, I needed to think,” he said as he avoided eye contact with me. I decided not to push the issue any further, I guess that tonight bothered him more than I realised.
“Ok.”
"How come you’re still awake?" He whispered as he walked behind me into the living room and closed in the door, gently.
"I wanted to wait up for you, to say thanks," I said as I slumped back into the chair and turned the TV down a little.
"You don't need to thank me," he said as he took the seat next to me.
"I really do, if it wasn't for me then none of this would have happened," I replied.
"None of this was your fault, he had no excuse to do what he did," he said as his eyes glanced at my wrist.
I quickly pulled my sleeve down, slightly embarrassed that the mark was still there.
"So, what happened?" I asked, terrified of the answer.
"Nothing really."
"Nothing?" I asked as I tilted my head and stared at him.
"Yeah, nothing compared to what could have happened if Anthony hadn't been there," he mumbled. I knew that talking about it was making him mad. I would find out more another day but for now, I would just let it go.
"Ok. You said you wanted to talk to me?" I asked.
"Huh?"
"Earlier, you text me saying that you wanted to talk, what was it about?"
"Oh, that. Erm...It was about what happened at the diner. I wanted to apologise and just say that you were right," he said.
"Right?" I asked in a confused tone.
"Yeah, about what you said. It isn't fair and people are going to get hurt, tonight was a perfect example of that," he said as he allowed his eyes to find my wrist again.
"Oh, yeah," I said in a disappointed tone.
We sat in silence for about two minutes. I didn't know what to say, I guess it was over.
"Thanks for waiting up for me," he said as he stood up from the chair.
"It was cool, thanks again for what you and Anthony did. I'm really grateful that you'd both stick up for me like that."
"Of course, we'd always do that for you or Crystal, it's nothing, really," he said. He stood still for a few seconds as though he had more to say.
"Are you going up to bed now? You must be tired?"
"No, I'm just going to finish watching Liar Liar first," I replied, quietly.
"Good film."
"Yeah it is," I said.
"Ok then, night," he said as he headed towards the door.
I don't know why but a feeling of sadness came over me as I watched him walk towards the door. It was like he was saying goodbye or something and I didn't really want that but what else could I do? He had made up his mind. He was right, everything was just a mess since Crystal's party and yet everything felt so right at the same time. Nothing made sense anymore.
Oh April come on!
It's now or never!
I took a deep breath and stood up from my chair.
"Aiden, wait," I said.
He turned around as though he had half expected me to call him back. I walked towards him and threw my arms around him like a little child. It was nice to I feel his arms holding me too.
"I just wanted to say thank you again, I really appreciate what you did for me," I said as I let my arms slip from around him and took a step backwards.
I was such a chicken.
"Oh, ok. It's fine, honestly," he said as he stared at me.
"Well, thanks," I said as he turned back around and started to walk out again.
"Aiden, stop. Sorry, that's not what I called you for," I stuttered.
"It's not?"
"No," I mumbled as I tried to stop my eyes from staring at the ground.
"Then, what?" He whispered as he kept his eyes fixated on mine.
Then before I could try and chicken out like I always do, I took a step closer to him.
"For this," I said as I let my lips touch his. It was literally seconds before I felt his strong hand slip around my waist and pull me closer. It felt amazing and until that moment, I had no idea how much I had missed kissing Aiden. It was as if his lips had been the missing piece to a puzzle that I had been trying to solve for years. It felt great, it felt right.
"I was so counting on you doing that," he said as a smirk filled his face.
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