Shaking his head, the guy added, “Wow, I wonder what’s wrong with him. He never drinks.”
“I’m sure Demarco knows,” I commented, forcing a scowl out of Demarco.
Demarco understood the meaning behind my words; his expression clearly said it all.
“Shut up, Janessa,” Demarco growled.
Pouting, I said, “Some friend you are.”
He shifted uncomfortably under Dakota’s cousin’s scrutinizing gaze, but avoided making eye contact with him. It was apparent Dakota’s cousin knew nothing about Margaret’s betrayal either. Otherwise, I suspected he would have commented on it.
“Well, it was nice meeting you…uh…?”
Dakota’s cousin smiled. “Uziel. My name’s Uziel.”
“Nice to meet you Uziel.” I smiled back. “I have to get going now.” I started for the front door. “I’ll see you boys around.”
Demarco trudged after me. “I’ll see you out.” His eyes were less than friendly though.
Before I could decline, he grabbed my arm and ushered me outside. His grip on my forearm really pissed me off, because it actually hurt. But not wanting to put on a show in front of Dakota’s cousin, I didn’t protest as Demarco practically shoved me outside, shut the door, and turned to face me.
“What the hell are you up to?” he whispered harshly.
Rubbing my arm where he’d grabbed it, I stomped on his right foot. He yelped and jumped back, eyes throwing daggers at me.
“What the fuck?” he hissed angrily.
“Grab me like that again and I’ll shove your balls up your throat!” I hissed. “And I’ll have you know, I’m mighty good at that.”
Jumping on one foot, he asked, “What is going on?” he demanded. “Why are you here? And with Dakota?”
“You should know,” I snapped. “You’ve known all along.”
He straightened up, smoothed one hand over his short brown locks, and said, “So he finally knows.”
“Yes, he does.” I placed both hands on my hips. “You’re no friend. A real friend would have told him instead of letting him believe that cheating bimbo loved him.”
He closed the gap between us, until our noses were almost touching, and growled out a few harsh words, “Dakota is a good friend of mine. I didn’t want to hurt him.”
“Bullshit! You’re a coward.” I shoved him back and away from me.
He stumbled a bit but regained his footing quickly.
“He got into a scuffle with Kirk over her,” I said.
Demarco said nothing for a moment.
“And he’s drunk because of everything that happened today,” I added.
“Why do I have the feeling you have something to do with Dakota finding out? And how did you even figure out Margaret is—was Dakota’s girl?”
“Oh, please. As if I would never find out,” I said. “I have my sources you know.”
“Yeah, I bet I know at least three of them.” He snickered.
“Besides, I only did what you should have done.”
“Fine,” Demarco shouted, only to lower his voice when he realized it could be heard inside. “But I did talk to Margaret about it.”
My face scrunched up. “What?”
“I pulled her aside and gave her an ultimatum.” He leaned back against the wall behind him. “I told her that if she didn’t tell Dakota before graduation, I would.”
Though I was not happy over Demarco’s actions, I had to admit that he cared enough to get involved one way or another.
“Well, she obviously didn’t do it fast enough,” I remarked. “And she’s lucky she still has her face intact.” I gritted my teeth, anger once again coursing through my system. I was seriously regretting nor hurting this girl.
“Since you’re here, I’m assuming you told Dakota,” he pried.
“No. I didn’t say a word to him about it. He saw her with his own two eyes.”
“And you just happened to be there, right?” he bit back sarcastically.
“That’s right.” I rolled my eyes at him. “Why do you care anyway?”
Demarco stepped away from the wall and took the five steps that would bring us face to face.
“Dakota is my friend.” He looked straight at me. “And I won’t let you hurt him more than what he’s hurting already.”
“Considering you’ve hurt him enough, I wouldn’t be so smug about calling him your friend,” I challenged.
He scowled. “I already told you—”
“I don’t care what you said. Bottom line is, you knew about it and didn’t say anything to him. If he finds out, who do you think he will hate more? You or me? At least he picked up on what I was up to right away. But he still doesn’t know that you knew.”
Demarco shook his head slowly. “Are you planning on telling him? Is that how you plan to get back at me?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. You are not that important,” I bit back.
He looked me down, as if wishing he could just make me disappear with a mere look. “You’re not good enough for him. Just stay away. He could do without people like you.”
“That makes two of us.” I raised my chin defiantly. “You’re not any better.”
“You will hurt him more than Margaret ever did. I’m sure of that. You actually hold the power to destroy him, and before that happens I’d much rather have you thousands of miles away.” Demarco’s words carried a hint of warning underneath, but I was unfazed by it. “Dakota is a great guy, and he deserves a woman that will make him happy. You are too selfish to think about anyone but yourself.”
“As if you even know me well enough to make that assumption.” I snickered.
“I’ve seen how you treat people. And I know how well you can make others feel like crap,” he said.
“He is a big boy. He can decide what he wants on his own without your influence thank you very much. You could have done one thing for him and you didn’t so shut the hell up and save me the lecture,” I added, irritated by his comment.
“You are one to judge.” He sneered. “You’re the most self-centered person I’ve ever known. And since you’re here I’m assuming there’s something you want from Dakota.”
Demarco was another person I seriously wanted to hurt.
“Since when do you care about your friends?” I asked, offended by his remarks about me. I knew he was right to a certain extent. I wasn’t a very nice person. In fact, I’d been accused of being a soulless individual sure to end up in hell for the amount of times I’d made others cry, quit school, and the one girl that moved out of state to get as far away from me as she could. But it still bothered me that Demarco would point out my faults, especially since I liked to believe I was perfect in every way even if I was not.
“That’s none of your business,” he barked.
“Fine. Well, it’s been fun Demarco, but I gotta run. But before I leave, I will tell you this: I have no intention of going anywhere and you will be seeing me around more often, of that I’m sure.” I laughed when he stepped back and actually balled his fists to his sides, as if wishing he could punch me. “Bye, bye now.”
Spinning around, I started down the stairs without bothering to glance back, knowing that although Demarco could threaten me all he wanted, I was still going to do what I wanted.
Chapter Eight
Though it would have been nice to return to Michaela’s party after dropping Dakota off, I decided time to think would be nice, so I hurried home instead. Being that both Delilah and Audrey were probably at the party anyway, I would have the house all to myself.
The moment I decided which college I was heading out to soon after my high school graduation, my father purchased a two story, three bedroom townhouse a few miles from campus, in which I could live in during my years away from home. Not that he lived that far away, but since I was finally moving out it was a bonus for the both of us. I’m sure of that.
During my junior year in college, I met Delilah Grayson. She was a red headed bomb s
hell who dreamed of one day becoming a famous movie star just like the actresses of the Golden era she admired so much. Amongst her favorite were Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, Dorothy Lamour, Hedy Lamarr, Kay Francis, and of course, Elizabeth Taylor. She often dressed, styled her hair, and acted as if she was living in the 1920’s and 1940’s era. Most people thought she was weird, I thought she was different, refreshing, and even unique. She was never boring that’s for sure. It was not long after we met that I realized we would be great friends and I hadn’t been wrong about that.
A couple of weeks after meeting Delilah, I accidently ran into Audrey Yates, one day on my way to class. Though I didn’t like her at first, her love for life was contagious. She always had a positive outlook on life that impressed me. It was her ability to deal with everything, even the negative stuff that I came to admire about her. The more I hung out with her the more I grew to appreciate her personality, which was so different from mine.
Although most people develop a relation and even bond together because of the things they have in common, Delilah, Audrey, and me became friends because we were different from each other. Some would say it was unusual but it worked for us.
Not surprising, having two amazing friends like these, I asked them to become my roommates and although they were already set up on campus, they agreed. We had been sharing a living space for almost four years. So far, I hadn’t come to regret our living arrangement.
However, as I made my way home, parked the car outside of the garage, walked up to the front door, which I then unlocked and opened, I was greatly relieved to be on my own. It had been a long day and I was beat. Not to mention the emotional ups and down had me just about ready to fall flat on my face.
Things had worked out according to plan. But at the same time, I wasn’t entirely convinced I should continue on with a payback scheme that kept losing meaning as the minutes ticked by. For the first time ever I actually doubted myself. And I knew the reason for that was Dakota. Even when I hated to admit it, Demarco was right. Dakota was a great guy, and he didn’t deserve to get hurt.
Frustration setting in, I hiked up the stairs to the second floor and hurried to my bedroom.
Unfortunately, my inability to do the right thing kept me from thinking things through. I was determined to pull through my plan no matter what. And I refused to further consider anybody else’s feelings because it was hard for me to. I preferred to think about myself and only myself because if I did not, no one else would.
For some unexplainable reason I felt the almost overpowering need to exact revenge. I refused to be the one hurt once again. I hated feeling as if someone had gotten the best of me and moving on as if nothing had happened was quickly becoming my worst nightmare. I’d gotten through a similar situation years ago and there was no way I could do that again.
Sighing, I proceeded to take a shower. Keeping myself occupied seemed to be the perfect way to keep my mind from overthinking. And the more I thought, the more the image of the hurt behind Dakota’s eyes kept popping up. It was beyond frustrating and tormenting even.
I decided the best way to handle my doubts and misgivings was by simply turning in and drowning in the wonderful world of oblivion.
***
Morning arrived too soon for my piece of mind. Though it was Sunday, and by all rights I should have been able to sleep in if I wanted to, I found that lying in bed just made me cranky, especially since I woke up a little after nine in the morning and could not go back to sleep no matter how much I tried to.
Besides, the aroma of fresh coffee practically begged me to stop being lazy and move my ass to the first floor where a cup was surely waiting for me. My growling stomach also reminded me that I had no eaten anything in sixteen hours. This was enough incentive for me to decide it was better to stop fighting off hunger.
Finally giving in, I picked myself up and sluggishly made my way to the bathroom, which was located right next to the master suite aka my bedroom. After going through my morning grooming ritual, I trotted down the stairs and into the kitchen where Delilah and Audrey were preparing breakfast.
“Good morning, Janessa,” Delilah greeted me as I trudged through the kitchen entrance.
“Hey, girls.” I took a seat on one of the empty dining room chairs. “What’s up?”
“We saw you leave with Dakota last night,” Audrey pointed out as she removed several slices of toast out of the toaster.
“Where were you? I didn’t see you on my way out.” I interlocked my fingers as I placed my hands over the table, waiting for my good friends to provide breakfast for me.
“I called out when you hurried on by the stairwell but you didn’t hear me.”
I chewed on my lower lip. I’d been in a hurry to get Dakota home, so I hadn’t notice much of anything.
“Then again, you did seem in a hurry to be on your way.” Delilah laughed.
“Just so you know nothing happened. Dakota was drunk, and I drove him home,” I said. “That’s it.”
“Don’t get all defensive. We know nothing happened.” Delilah smiled as she placed a plate filled with diced fruit, one fried egg, and two pieces of white toast in front of me.
“Thank you.” I eyed the contents of my plate hungrily. My stomach protested to being empty and it growled just to emphasize its point.
“Did he say anything about Margaret?” Audrey asked as she handed over a fork to me.
“Not much. Just that they had been dating for five years,” I replied, spearing a couple of slices of banana with my fork. “He wasn’t much for talking after what he saw.” I brought the fork up to my mouth and quickly filled it with the tiny pieces of fruit.
“I’ll tell you one thing, that guy can pack a punch.” Delilah walked over to the table and offered me a cup of coffee, which I took. “Too bad you showed up a minute too late.”
I rolled my eyes as I chewed. She just had to remind me I missed what had surely been the upper cut of a lifetime. Damn!
Audrey made herself comfortable on the seat next to mine. “I swear, for a second there I thought Kirk was actually going to cry.”
Delilah—who was standing next to me— and I looked at each other, busting out laughing a second later.
“Really?” I asked, half amused. Had Kirk really been that angry?
Audrey nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yeah. But come on, what did you expect? First you break his nose, and then Dakota shuts at least one of his eyes.”
With plate in hand, Delilah finally joined Audrey and me at the table.
“How was it?” I asked intrigued.
“Phenomenal!” Audrey continued. “Dakota hit him once and he sent Kirk to the sidewalk just like that.” She snapped her fingers.
I laughed. “Only one?”
“Only one. Well, it was kind of an upper cut to the middle of his face. Kirk didn’t even try to hit Dakota back. It was awesome.”
It was probably wrong to laugh at Kirk’s expense, but the way I saw it, he had it coming.
“So how did Dakota ended up with a busted lip?” I asked.
“Kirk accidently smacked him with one hand on the way down,” Audrey replied.
I envisioned the awkwardness of that scuffled and smiled when I pictured Kirk on the sidewalk, staring at Dakota with wide eyes.
“What happened afterwards?” Delilah pried as we began to eat.
“Well, I took him home. Invited him to Michaela’s party. And from there we headed to the party where he got drunk. There’s really nothing much to tell.”
“I thought you had a plan in mind.”
“I do, which is why I’m picking him up after his shift at the mall today.” I reached out for the cup of coffee and sipped at it before placing it back on the table.
“What exactly has that mind of yours concocted?” Delilah asked as a mischievous sparkle lit her eyes as she gazed at me.
“I’m on the way to self-discovery.” I laughed softly.
“What do you mean by that?” Audrey
asked.
Although I had no idea why I’d said that, it was exactly how I felt. It was weird to think that I could be moving on with a new phase in my life, especially since I didn’t even know what that could be, but at that moment, it really felt as if everything around me was changing.
Ignoring Audrey’s question, I continued eating. But my mind was busy at work, trying to make sense of my crazy existence and all the chaos that followed me, the majority of which was caused by me. Dakota was quickly getting involved in just another one of my schemes and it served to remind me that at some point in my twenty one years, I’d lost that ability to sympathize with others most times.
“What was your impression of Dakota?” I asked the girls, hoping the small talk would distract me from so many contradictory thoughts swirling in my messed up head.
“I like him,” Delilah responded first. “I’ve seen him around, and I know he’s a stand-up guy, which is more than I can say for Kirk.”
“I think he’s nice.” Audrey looked at me and smiled. “Why do ask?”
I shook my head. “No reason.” I quickly filled my mouth with more food to keep from voicing out exactly what I thought of him.
“Whatever it is that your mind is thinking, you better just leave him alone.” Audrey, the voice of reason, started. “If he really is a good guy, don’t you think he will only get hurt if you use him?”
I coughed uncomfortably. “Thank you for the advice.”
Delilah opened her mouth to respond when a loud rapping on the front door announced the arrival of a visitor.
“I’ll get it.” Audrey pushed back the chair she was sitting on and popped to her feet. “Is anyone expecting someone?” she asked.
Delilah and I both shook our heads.
Shrugging, she skipped to the front door.
Finishing the cup of black coffee Delilah had poured for me; I set it on top of the table and almost jumped out of my skin when I heard the sound of Kirk’s voice shouting, “Where is she? I need to talk to her.”
Delilah and I looked at each other.
Payback is Sweet Page 7