Stronger With Her

by JA Hensley

  I check my phone to see if there’s another text from Stephanie. She sent one last night, but I didn’t know what to say back. There’s nothing yet today, which I hope means that she hasn’t gotten her delivery yet. I’m about to send her a message when Jason walks in.

  “Are you ready for tonight, Runt?” he asks, settling on my couch.

  “You bet. It’s going to be hard to keep myself in check, though. I’m so pissed I just want to rip his head off and shit down his neck.”

  “I know and you will, but you need to time it just right. This is supposed to be a learning opportunity for him, not just a beating.”

  “Hopefully it’ll be both because he’s done fucking with my life,” I say.

  “All right, well, I’m gonna head out. I’ll see you at John’s tonight.”

  Instead of trying to get anything else done, I go ahead and shut down my computer. Sitting here is just going to make me even more crazy. I wave goodbye to Simone as I walk by her desk. I see Joe coming my way and I stop him before Simone sees him.

  “Dude, back the fuck off,” I say grabbing his arm.

  “What’s your problem, Runt? I was coming to see you,” he answers shaking me off.

  “Whatever, just leave Simone alone, okay? You’ve got her spooked, so if you want more with her you need to slow down.”

  “Since when do you give relationship advice?”

  “Apparently today’s my day. Now, I’m taking off to get ready for tonight. Can I trust you to go back to your desk and do some actual work?”

  “I guess. I just, man, I,” he stammers. Seeing Joe at a loss for words is oddly entertaining.

  “Yeah, I know. Just give her some space.” I slap him on the shoulder and press the button for the elevator.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll see you tonight,” he says as he sulks back to his office. I laugh out loud. How did we all become such love-sick puppies all of a sudden?

  It doesn’t take long to get ready to go to John’s, but I make sure I show up a little late. I want to take Jacob by surprise a little.

  My text alert goes off as I pull into John’s driveway.

  The flowers are beautiful. Thank you.

  I smile as I read her words. Hopefully, tomorrow’s gift will warrant a phone call from her. I don’t want her to think I’m ignoring her so I send a quick reply.

  You’re welcome. I miss you.

  I look around and see everyone else’s vehicles parked in the drive or on the street. Time to get this little revenge party underway.

  I don’t bother knocking on the front door, throwing it open and yelling, “I’m here,” into the house.

  “We’re out back, Runt. Grab a beer and get out here,” John replies. I do as I’m told and take two bottles with me to the back porch.

  “Wow, what a bunch of losers,” I say laughing. Jason throws a bottle cap at me and Jacob gives me the finger.

  “It’s about time you got here, where’ve ya been?” Joe asks.

  “I had to help Ma get some things off the top shelves. She would’ve called one of you assholes, but she didn’t have a ladder tall enough for you to use.”

  “You’re fucking hilarious, you know that?” Joe laughs.

  “Whatever,” I retort before taking a long pull on my beer.

  We give each other a hard time for about half an hour before things turn a little more serious.

  “I’m telling you guys, she’s the one,” Joe confesses. He’s had more alcohol than I think his brain can handle right now.

  “You’re talking out of your ass,” Jacob scolds. “There’s no such fucking thing.”

  “What are you talking about? Of course there is. Don’t you remember watching Ma and Pop? You think he would say that Ma wasn’t the one?” John says angrily. We all nod in agreement staring at Jacob. This is the opening I need. I look at Jason and he nods, pulling out his phone and looking like he’s texting.

  “So, you just like to fuck ‘em and leave ‘em, Jacob? That’s the kind of man you are?” I ask nonchalantly.

  “I didn’t say that,” he replies. “Sometimes I go back for seconds or thirds.”

  “Damn, you’re quite the Casanova, aren’t you?” Joe adds.

  “Well, I don’t like to have a woman hold me back. They’re really only good for one thing,” he says with a cocky grin.

  “And what would that be?” Jason probes.

  “Seriously? Do I have to spell it out for you? The warm hole you can’t get anywhere but from a woman. There’s nothing like sinking your dick into some hot, wet heat that makes a man know he’s alive. It’s all the other bullshit that isn’t worth it.”

  I can feel my blood pressure spike and my fists clench at my sides. Joe is giving me a look telling me that he knows where my mind is and he shakes his head slightly. I know I need to hold back for just a little longer to get what I need.

  “So, then what’s the deal with you and that computer chick?” John asks.

  “What computer chick?” Jacob replies glancing at me.

  “The one that used to work in your building. Didn’t you run into her at Ma’s the other day?” Joe asks.

  Jacob looks me in the eye and then addresses Joe. “Oh, yeah, she’s fine. I’ve wanted to tap that for months. She could use a good fucking to lighten her tight ass up,” he says leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. I’m just about to lose it when he starts again.

  “You hit that, though, didn’t you, Runt? You poached what I’ve been hunting for months,” he says leaning forward again and pointing his finger in my face. That’s it for me. I jump out of my chair and grab him by the neck, lifting him up to a standing position. The other guys stay in their seats.

  “You are a sorry excuse for a man, you know that? Part of me wishes that Pop was still here so he could kick your ass. Do you have any fucking idea what you’ve done?”

  Jacob’s eyes are growing wider and he’s pulling on my hand. I’m not letting him go just yet, but I do ease my grip so he can take a breath.

  “I didn’t do anything, asshole.”

  “You disrespected the first woman to make me feel something in years. You lied to her and hurt her and Ma with your shitty-ass attitude. Did you actually think that you’d have a shot in hell with her after the way you treated her?”

  “I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about. I didn’t do shit to her,” he chokes out. I let him go, but I don’t move.

  “You are such a piece of shit, Jacob. I had hoped that you’d grow out of it, but you haven’t. You’ve been like this since we were kids and I, for one, am sick of it.”

  “What’cha gonna do about it, Runt? I really don’t give a fuck what you think.” He crosses his arms over his chest and I see my opportunity.

  Without a word, I shake my head and start to sit down. At the last second, I punch Jacob in the gut as hard as I possibly can. He doubles over and gags.

  “Don’t you fucking puke on my patio, asswipe,” John calls out on his way to the kitchen.

  Jacob is on the ground, clutching his stomach and trying to breathe. I lean down and say, “If you ever do anything to disrespect a woman again, I will end you. Do you hear me?” He nods but doesn’t say anything.

  I stand back up as Jason is lowering his phone.

  “Did you get it?” I ask as I pick up my beer.

  “Oh, yeah, even the last part. It’s epic,” he says with a huge grin.

  “I think you broke my spleen,” Jacob whines from the floor. I look down and he’s in the fetal position now, rocking back and forth.

  “You really need to man up, dick head. I barely touched you,” I say. “Besides, you fucking deserved it for being such a prick.”

  “You guys,” Jacob continues, “I really think I need to go to the hospital. It really, really hurts.”

  John walks out of the house and laughs out loud. “Some things just don’t change. The bigger an ass they are, the harder they fall, and the louder they bitch about it. Get
up off the floor you idiot. You look ridiculous.”

  We all laugh as Jacob scoots on his back to the wall and uses it to help himself up.

  “I can’t believe you let him do that to me,” he says to the boys.

  “I didn’t see him do anything to you. Did you, Joe?” John asks.

  “Nope, I was looking at a video on Jason’s phone. All I know is one minute you’re standing there and the next you’re crying like a baby on the floor.”

  “You guys are real assholes. Thanks a fucking lot,” Jacob says as he limps back into the house. A few minutes later we hear an engine roar in the driveway followed by squealing tires.

  “Thanks, guys. I appreciate the assist.” I smile at my brothers.

  “No problem, man. I rather enjoyed watching that. The bonus is that we can watch it again and again,” Jason says holding his phone in the air.

  “Don’t forget to burn that on a DVD for me. I need to have it in the morning so I can deliver it to Stephanie.”

  “What exactly are you going to do?” John asks.

  “My hope is that she’ll see that I tried to take care of her even when she’s not around. That she’ll know that I’ve always got her back, something she’s never had in her life,” I say as I shrug my shoulders. I have no clue if this will work or not, but I have to try.

  “It’s worth a shot,” Joe says raising his beer. We join him in the toast and settle in to enjoy the rest of the evening.

  The knock on my door at nine in the morning is a surprise. Surely Becca’s at school, and I know Christin had to work today. I open the door and find the hallway empty. There’s a purple gift bag on the floor with a heart-shaped balloon tied to it. I know it’s from James and the smile on my face matches the butterflies in my stomach. I bend over to pick it up when I hear a door open down the hall.

  “Well, well, looks like your high school sweetheart wants to ask you to prom.” Her voice makes me cringe, but I keep the smile plastered on my face and look up.

  “I think you might be right, Ms. Jessica. Although, knowing this man, he probably just wants to make all my sexual fantasies come true. Has anything like that ever happened to you?” I say with sweetness dripping in my tone.

  “You little cunt,” she spits out at me.

  “Takes one to know one, Jess. I hope that someday you find someone to give you a good fucking. Maybe that would make you quit being a frigid bitch,” I retort as I walk back into my condo, slamming the door in her face.

  I dig into the bag, tossing the tissue paper on the floor and find a CD in a protective sleeve. There’s a yellow sticky note attached that simply says, “Play this DVD.”

  I get the television turned on and put the disc in the player. The screen is filled with a green background and white letters.

  I hope this proves how important you are to me.

  That image fades and then I see James and Jake. I turn the volume up and watch as they get into an argument that ends with Jake on the ground. I don’t bother trying to stop the smile that emerges. Nobody has ever stood up for me before. I’ve learned to fight my own battles, which is sometimes difficult at my size. I pick up my phone and type out a text to Becca and Christin.

  You’re not going to believe what I got today. I think he’s fought hard enough.

  I replay the video while waiting for them to respond. I can’t get over the look of pure anger on James’ face. It’s a little frightening. The best part is when he punches Jake in the gut and the other boys make fun of him. That asshole deserves it and so much more.

  Time to put our plan into action. We’ll come by later. Christin texts back.

  I spend the rest of my day sitting at the kitchen table putting contracts together for my newest clients and making phone calls to potential ones. Even with the work, I can’t get the picture of what James did out of my head. It makes my skin break out in goosebumps and my heart beat faster. I think I’m actually turned on by it. Thankfully Becca and Christin arrive before I have to break out my vibrator.

  “Steph, we’re here,” Becca calls out from the living room. I gave her a key when I bought the place.

  “Sit down and prepare to be impressed,” I say as I press play on the DVD player. Five minutes later they’re both staring at me, Christin’s mouth is hanging open.

  “I think that might be one of the hottest fucking things I’ve ever witnessed,” she says breathlessly. I start giggling.

  “I can’t wait to introduce him to Colin,” Becca sighs.

  “One step at a time, sweetie,” I say patting her leg.

  “All right, let’s check off what we know,” Christin says settling back into the chair. “First, he’s put forth a huge effort to get your attention. Second, it seems that his brother is a dick of gargantuan proportions. Third, and possibly the most important, what the dick said to you may not be true.”

  “I’ve never had anyone work so hard to be with me. I’m still worried about what he’s going to tell me, but I know I’m ready to hear it. I just want to call him and have him come over right now.”

  “I think you’ve made him wait long enough,” Becca agrees. “Do you want us to stay while you call him?”

  I look at my two best friends, the only people on the planet that I know I can count on for anything and nod. I wouldn’t want to do this without them. Christin hands me my cell phone and I dial James’ number.

  “Stephanie, is it really you?” he says answering the call.

  “Yes, James, it is. Can we talk?”

  “Absolutely. You have no idea how glad I am that you called. Tell me where and when and I’ll be there.”

  “Why don’t you come to my place tonight. Anytime is fine with me,” I can’t keep the grin off my face.

  “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” he says excitedly and ends the call. I pull the phone from my ear and stare at it.

  “And,” Christin starts.

  “He’ll be here in fifteen minutes,” I say grinning ear to ear.

  “Then we’re going to leave,” Becca says as she stands. “You’ll call us when you can, right?”

  I stand and give her a hug. “Of course I will. I couldn’t have done this without you girls. I will let you know all the details.”

  Christin joins our embrace and we squeeze each other. I’m so lucky to have these two in my life.

  “All right, let’s go before we start singing Kumbaya or some shit like that,” Christin laughs, breaking the moment. “Call us,” she says as she walks toward the door.

  “I will, thanks, girls,” I shut the door and look around my condo. It seems clean enough so I jog to the bathroom to make sure I’m presentable. Yoga pants and a long tank top, my hair pulled back in a messy bun makes up my outfit. I get out my makeup and start that process before I think, “if he wants me then he should get the real me.” I put everything away and go back to the living room, pacing the floor. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. He’s the one who has to convince me, right? When the knock on the door finally sounds, it startles me.

  I open the door and find a version of James I’ve never seen. Somehow he seems smaller, but I’m not sure why. I move aside to let him in and he shuffles by me, going directly to the couch and sitting down.

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  “No, thank you, I’m fine,” he responds quietly. This is not what I expected at all.

  “You don’t seem like it,” I say as I sit across from him. I pull my legs underneath me and wait for him to talk. He fidgets with his hands and looks at the floor. I see him open his mouth a couple times, but then he closes it without a word.

  “I was hoping we’d talk,” I start quietly. He looks up with tears in his eyes.

  “We will. I just have to figure out how to say what I need to say. I’ve never had this conversation with a woman I was interested in and it’s surprisingly difficult,” he smiles weakly.

  “How about I go first. Would that help you?” I offer. I don’t really want to go first,
I want him to tell me about this other woman and child, but if it gets the ball rolling, I’m willing to try. James finally looks me in the eye and nods.

  “When I was growing up, I dreamt of being a princess. I wanted the fairy tale with the prince slaying dragons and all that crap Julia Roberts talks about in Pretty Woman. But, I was encouraged to be independent. I was smart, prodigy smart. My parents, at first, wanted me to become a surgeon or something. I finished high school when I was thirteen years old and had my first bachelor’s degree at seventeen. Because I was so young, I did all my courses online, which is what fed my love of computers.

  “When I was fifteen my sister starting acting strange. She would yell at the walls and lock herself in her room a lot. My parents thought she was doing drugs and threatened to kick her out of the house. Things kept getting worse until one day she got a knife from the kitchen and snuck up behind me. She grabbed my arm and pulled me against her, pointing the knife at absolutely nothing. She was talking, but it was gibberish and she wouldn’t let go of me. I was terrified. Thankfully my father came home a few minutes later and was able to talk her into giving him the knife. He called the ambulance and she was hospitalized for two weeks after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.” I stop and take a deep breath knowing that this is going to get worse. James has moved from the couch and is now kneeling on the floor in front of me. His eyes are sympathetic but he doesn’t say a word.

  “After that first time things got a little better,” I continue. “Erin was taking her medication and she was seeing a therapist. My parents were helping her find a job, and I was finishing my degree. About six months later we found out that Erin had started hiding her meds and she was smoking pot. She swore that it was the only thing that helped her sleep. Of course, she wasn’t sleeping at all, and that made her psychosis more intense. My mother had to call the police because Erin had broken into their dresser and stolen my father’s gun. She was taken out of the house in handcuffs and put in the hospital for about a month.” I look up and James is still with me. He moves his hand and places it gently on my knee. He nods and I continue with my story.