by Xana Jordan
“Brittney? I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I think you’re trying to make this out to be my fault when it’s you who’s never gotten over that overgrown jerk.”
“Noel has nothing to do with this! Don’t think you’re getting out of this! I SAW YOU WITH HER! Remember that party you took me to and I went home early? I wasn’t sick like Matt told you. You left me for almost an hour all alone! Matt and I went outside to see what you and the guys were doing, only we found you and Brittney instead. Your hand was up her skirt and you were telling her she was your girl. Apparently I was just a pity date because of Mike. Sound familiar?” My tears vanish and I am left very angry. I cross my arms and watch Jeff’s face go through several emotions before settling on placation. He thinks he’s going to sweet talk his way out of this.
“Baby, it wasn’t what you think. You probably saw her outside with Rodney. She was with him that night. The guys and I didn’t stay outside long before we went to the garage to bring in more beer. You’re my girl, Xana. Not Brittney,” he says reassuringly as he drags me into a hug. My arms are still crossed and I’m not buying his bullshit for one minute. He’s lying and I know it. He NEVER calls me Xana. EVER.
Forcing myself away from his hold, I yell, “You can take your lies and bullshit somewhere else, because I’m done. Forget my name. Forget my number. I never want to see your no good, lying ass again!” Mike chooses this moment to open the door and step outside with us.
“What’s going on, guys?” Mike looks at Jeff, then at me, confusion clearly on his face.
“Nothing. He was leaving. I’m going to bed.” I turn away from Jeff and walk inside. Why is everything happening to me?
Xana leaves me on the porch, never saying goodbye to him. That’s just as good for the conversation I’m about to have with him. I close the door so Mom and Dad, who just got home, can’t hear us talking.
“Have something you want to tell me, Jeff?” I ask, crossing my arms in front of me.
Jeff looks at me, trying to decipher what I am asking. “No, I’m just going to head on home so Alexandra can get some rest. I know she’s tired with everything she’s been through. We’ll go out later.” Jeff places his hands in his jacket pocket and rocks back on his heels.
“I think it’s in your best interest if you didn’t come back at all,” I warn him. I hope he can see just how serious I am about that by the look on my face.
“What are you talking about, Mike? Why wouldn’t I come back to see my girlfriend?” Jeff stands a little straighter, and I follow suit.
“Maybe because you already have a girlfriend on the side and if you ever come near my sister again, I’ll make you wish you’d never met either one of us.” Uncrossing my arms, I take the cell phone I had in my hand and show it to him.
Jeff’s eyes go wide, and his mouth drops open when he sees the video of him kissing Brittney in the doorway of his apartment. I can tell when he notices the sign in the background that advertises available apartments in the complex. It has dates for viewings on it. He’s trying to explain his way out of this, but he’s not going to. Even if he had a decent reason, the video I was just sent seals his fate with me. Whoever made the video clearly had the time and date on it in a way that made it irrefutable. I was impressed.
“Imagine my surprise when this showed up on my phone a few minutes ago.”
“It’s not me in that video and you know it, man. That’s Rodney. You know how obsessed with her he is. He came home for the weekend and used my apartment for their date since I had to work.”
“I heard the two of you arguing, and I heard what you did. She said get lost, and I think you’d better listen to her. I’m ashamed I ever called you my brother.” Shaking my head, I turn away from him, but am interrupted by Jeff’s yelling.
“I don’t even know why I put up with her for as long as I did. She’s the biggest tease I’ve ever known. She plays all innocent but as soon as I’m gone, she jumps on the first guy she sees.”
All I see is red. Before I realize what I’m doing, I’ve punched Jeff so hard in the mouth that he flies backward a few steps. As he reaches for his jaw, I punch him in the gut with my other hand, sending him to the floor.
“If I ever hear you talk that way about my sister, I swear to God, I will make this look like a fun day at the park! Get out of my yard and stay the hell away from Xana!” I watch as Jeff makes his way down the porch steps and walks to his car. He turns to look at me over the hood of his car, and I know he isn’t going to leave this alone. I can see it in his eyes. Once he starts to get in his car, I go inside. I lock and deadbolt the door behind me, and turn the entryway lights off.
How could we have been friends for years and I never see him act like that? I swear if he comes near her again, I just may kill him. Maybe I owe Noel an apology.
Xana’s parents come in through the garage door while I’m putting the mugs in the dishwasher. I help her mom by putting things up while she goes to put her coat and purse away and change from her work scrubs. I’m taking the last of the canned goods out of the grocery bag when Xana comes barreling by the kitchen on her way to her room. She’s upset and I can see tears on her face. What the hell happened on the porch?
I follow her to her room and catch her before she shuts the door. “Sweetness, baby, what’s wrong? What did he do to you?” I ask as I sit down beside her on the bed. She lunges for me and buries her face in my sweatshirt.
“He...he was just so...awful,” she stammers in between sobs. Her tears soak through my shirt as I hold her, rubbing her back in hopes of calming her.
“What happened? Did he hit you?” I can’t hide the anger in my voice, even though I really try.
“He was so mean and angry you were here. He tried to blame everything on me when he’s the one who did it to me,” she cries, and twines her arms around my neck. Her body shakes with sobs as she nearly wraps her entire body around me. I’m not sure what she’s talking about, and she doesn’t say anything else about it as she cries harder into my chest.
“I’m sorry, Xan. So sorry. I’m here, though.” I was hoping to keep her from finding out about that. She’s been under so much stress with school and her health that Cade and I wanted to deal with it ourselves. Looks like that asshole didn’t hear what we were trying to explain to him the first time. If I get my hands on him….
Her sobs slow, and I’m able to get her calmed down enough to fall asleep. The only way she would agree to lie down was if I laid down with her. That’s how Mike finds us when he comes to stand in her door way.
I quietly slip out from under her, pull the quilt up to cover her, and follow Mike out into the the main part of the house. His parents are sitting in the living room, and I can smell dinner cooking in the kitchen. They thank me for staying with their girl and invite me over for dinner tomorrow to thank me. I can’t say no to her mom, and promise to eat with them. Mike walks me to the entryway, out of earshot from his parents, and tells me about the argument he heard them having, and his confrontation with the asshole.
I am beyond livid about what he said about her. Mike told me about the video he was sent, and gives me an accusatory look. All I can do is return his stare. I may or may not have texted Cade after Jeff’s surprise arrival. Needless to say, he was as pissed as I was. We warned him to leave her alone, but he just couldn’t listen. Cade said he had enough and was going to text the picture and video of Jeff and Brittney to Mike. I was already thinking of ways to make him pay, so I didn’t try to talk Cade out of it. In fact, I gave him Mike’s number. Maybe I should feel badly about it, but I don’t. Not when it’s protecting Xana. I’ll never feel bad about protecting my girl.
“I owe you an apology, Daniels. I had no idea he would do something like that to her, or I would have never let them date. I’ve never seen him act like that.” Mike looks down at his feet and shakes his head in disbelief. I kinda feel sorry for the guy. If Cade had ever done anything like that to Stacy, I’m not sure how I would handle t
hat.
“It’s not on you, man. It’s all on him.” I grab my jacket from the hook by the door and put it on. “But I can promise you I won’t let him hurt her again.” Mike nods his head and claps me on the shoulder.
“I know you won’t. But I’m here if you need backup.” I nod and walk out onto the porch.
“Not a problem,” I tell him before closing the door behind me and walking to my car. I’m too busy thinking about what I want to do to Jeff that I don’t realize his car is still parked by the curb, until he gets out and slams his car door. He quickly walks around it and heads straight for me. I decide to meet him closer to the street so that no one inside the house can hear what happens. How in the hell did I not see that? Why didn’t he leave?
“Look, Jeff. I think it’s better if you just leave now,” I say, hands in the air to avoid making him madder. I don’t want to cause a scene on her parents’ lawn if I can help it.
“Don’t you tell me what I should do, you asshole. How dare you step back in after what you did to her,” he shouts at me, spittle flying from his mouth and landing on my face. He is very wound up.
My hands drop to my side and ball into fists, while I take a step toward him. I’m no longer concerned about trying to keep the peace for her family’s sake. I can’t take anymore of this jerk’s drama fest.
“What happened between us back then was before you were even around. You get no say about it. But, from where I’m standing right now, you’re the one who’s the asshole. Everyone knows about what you and Brittney have been up to. Hell, the whole baseball team knows you’re screwing around with each other. So, I do have a say about what you’re doing. We warned you to leave Xana alone and never speak to her again, but you just couldn’t listen. She’s not a trophy for you to put on your wall or hang on your arm at parties! She’s amazing the way she is, and she doesn’t need you to change her for your own needs!” I have backed Jeff up against his car, and he is still not backing down.
“It sure didn’t take her long to hook back up with you when I wasn’t there, did it? Is she still a cock tease? That frigid bitch never would give it up, no matter what happened. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did since you seem to be the one she’s hung up on,” he says with a slimy smile on his face. And that does it.
With my left arm, I grab the asshole by the collar and use my other fist to hit him as hard as I can. His eye is already bruised and bloody from where Mike hit him, and I just added to the damage. I hit him one more time and he lands with his back on the hood of his precious little car.
Taking a step back from Jeff I shake out my fist. Jeff wipes his face and lunges for me. I block his swing and punch him in the stomach twice, sending him down to the ground. The street lights give enough illumination for me to see he is hurting after those punches. He’d better stay down, because I’m not quite done with him.
He slowly staggers into a standing position, breathing hard and rubbing his jaw. He tries to swing at me again, but I catch his wrist in mid air and squeeze as hard as I can to get his attention.
“I think you need to leave now. She doesn’t want to see you, and you are no longer welcome, either. The next time you try anything else with her, I’ll make sure not to take it easy on you like I did this time.” Shoving his arm away from me I open his car door and push him inside. Once he is completely in the car, I slam the door for him and stand on the lawn, arms crossed, to make sure he leaves this time.
Jeff peels away from the curb, and I watch his taillights fly down the street into the darkness. I sit in my car for another ten minutes, waiting to make sure he doesn’t have the nerve to come back. When I feel it’s safe to leave, I pull out of the drive and make my way home.
It’s after eight o’clock when I pull into my driveway. I turn off the engine and sit, looking out of the windshield. It’s starting to snow a little, but it’s not predicted to stick to the ground for very long. I leaning my head against the headrest and close my eyes. My thoughts are all over the place, and I know I have to get them somewhat under control before I go inside. Mom and Grams are going to bombard me with questions about Xana as soon as I walk through the door.
I inspect my hand to find it’s only a little swollen and worse for wear. Nothing a hot shower won’t fix. Fighting with Jeff was not what I wanted to do, but he left me no choice. I couldn’t stand there and let him say those things about her. She’s never deserved anything like that and I will not let anyone else talk about her like they did before. This time, I’m holding on as tightly as I can to her.
Holding her in my arms while she cried, about broke me. I just wanted to stay and hold her like I did when I rushed her to the school clinic. My confession and our talk today only made the need to stay stronger.
Finally calm enough to leave the car, I make my way inside and head for the kitchen. That’s where you can always find Grams and Mom. The smell of pot roast and Christmas cookies fill the air, making my stomach growl.
“Hey, honey. How is Xana today?” Grams asks as I sit down at the bar. Mom turns away from the counter where she is mixing up icing and waits for my answer.
“She was better today. Still pretty sore, but she looks a lot better,” I tell them and smile before continuing. “She said to make sure you both know how much she loved the surprise you sent over, and that you may have a permanent guest at your house, Grams.” I laugh at her response. You’d think she had just won the lottery.
“Well, you tell her she is welcome at my house any time she wants. Gramps and I love having her around.”
“She really is special, Helen,” my mom says as she smiles at Grams. It’s obvious Xana can never do wrong in their eyes. I love them for that.
“Do you know what the doctors said about what happened? Is she going to be alright?” Mom asks, concern showing on her face. She’s rather understanding on the subject since she and Dad had trouble getting pregnant with me. She knows what it feels like to have things happen to your body that you have no control over. I even had a twin in the beginning, but there were complications from the start. She doesn’t want Xana to go through what she and Dad did.
“It’s about the same as last time. They’re doing more tests to see if any damage was done, and she’s just having to deal with it for now. Hopefully, things will look better when they get more answers.” I walk over to the fridge to get a glass of tea, needing to keep occupied.
“I’m sure things will be just fine for Xana, my boy,” Grams declares, giving me a quick hug before removing what’s left of dinner’s roast from the oven.
“It’s going to be hard for her to deal with, and she’ll try to hide it from everyone, but you can’t let her shut everyone out,” Mom moves over to where I’m standing by the refrigerator. She takes me by the shoulders and looks up at me.
“I know you two have had a lot happen, but I also know just how much you both care for each other. It’s obvious she still means a lot to you.” Mom takes a moment to smile at me before continuing. “You look at her like your father looked at me. Don’t let her go through this alone. She’s going to need you whether she realizes it or not.”
“Thanks, Mom.” What else can I say to that. She always seems to know what I’m thinking.
“Now, go on up and wash for dinner. Tell Dad to come take out the trash on your way,” she leans in and kisses my cheek, then turns toward the stove to finish fixing me a plate of roast. She never remembers that I can fix my own plate.
I’m in my room watching some television before bed when my phone rings. Cade. I’m surprised he’s waited this long to call me.
“Hey,” I answer and mute the television.
“How did it go with the dumbass? Did he finally get the message?”
“After Mike and I let our fists talk to his body, I sure as hell hope he did. If not, he’s one stupid tool,” I tell Cade, not sorry for one punch I landed on Jeff.
“That bad, huh? I take it the video did what it was supposed to,” he asks and I can he
ar gunfire in the background. He must be playing Playstation again.
“I’d think so, but the look he had in his eyes as I shoved him into his car doesn’t bode well with me. I don’t know what he would try, but I’m not so sure he’s given up just yet. It’s almost like he thinks this is some game and Xan’s the prize. Asshole.”
”Seriously? You really think he’ll try something else? He can’t be that stupid, can he?” Cade asks, and I can hear the game stop.
“Who the hell knows. Mike doesn’t seem to think it’s over, either. Doesn’t matter. He’s not getting near her again.” Not as long as I’m breathing, he isn’t.
“I hear ya, man. At least Stacy finally got in touch with her. I swear she was about to drive back up here in the middle of the night if Xana didn’t answer her phone. The girl drives me insane,” he sighs and continues, “I swear she’s like a mother protecting her cub when it comes to Xana.” That image makes me laugh.
“I never heard her phone ring while I was over there. I don’t even remember her having it with her today. It’s probably in her room or dead. She’s kinda had a rough two days.”
“I know that. You know that. Try telling Mamma Bear that,” Cade laughs, and I do not envy him at all. Stacy is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her friends.
“No thanks. That’s your job, man. I’ve got enough to deal with right now.” I look at the clock to see that it’s almost ten o’clock, and wonder if Xana’s still awake or not. “What’s going on with you two, anyway? Something feels off with Stacy. Is she alright?” I hate to pry, but the last few weeks have been different when Stacy is around. She just doesn’t seem like herself.