People Change
Brian VS Carl
“She told me that she’d put my words into account and shooed me right back out the door,” Brian concluded, taking a drink of his beer and looking out at Jimmy’s humongous backyard. The grass swayed gently in the delicate breeze diving down from above the fences.
“See? I told you she’d listen to you if you threatened to never leave,” Jimmy said smugly. “But why did you ask me what her favorite flower was?”
“Because I sent her flowers,” Brian answered. “I figured that most women are suckers for random flowers, so I sent her a bouquet of tulips. I don’t know how she reacted to them, but I hope it was positive.”
“That was possibly one of the finest ideas you’ve had this year, Gates,” Jimmy said. “Sydney is a total sucker for tulips. She can’t resist them. I’m sure it’ll help her realize that you’re not a total asshole.”
Before Brian could answer, Jimmy’s cell phone rang.
“Hold that thought, will you?” Jimmy asked as he dug his phone out of his back pocket. Brian nodded as Jimmy flipped the phone open and put it to his ear. “Hey, you stalking me?”
Brian shook his head and grinned at Jimmy’s strange greeting. Jimmy refused to answer the phone any other way. Brian knew every time he called Jimmy, he could expect him to answer that way. If he didn’t say that, then something was seriously wrong with him.
”No, dumbass. Listen, you remember that ex-boyfriend of mine, Carl? Well, he’s prowling around outside the flat. Could you come over? Maybe if you arrived, he’d stalk his stalker ass on home,” Sydney answered. Jimmy frowned and sat up a little straighter in his chair. There was one thing Jimmy never joked about, and that was the safety and welfare of his sister.
“Is he just prowling around outside?” Jimmy asked. Brian looked over at him, downing the rest of his beer.
”Yeah, but he keeps glancing up at the window and grinning all twisted-like, like a villain on a cartoon or something, you know? He seemed fine when I broke up with him, but now, he’s sort of creeping me out. What kind of guy prowls around outside his ex-girlfriend’s house anyway? I won’t say that I’m scared, but I’d feel loads better if you came over,” Sydney said. Jimmy could practically see her pacing back and forth in her small living room, glancing out the window every once in a while to see her ex-boyfriend walking casually around in the alleyway.
“Of course I’ll come over,” Jimmy assured Sydney. “See you in five minutes, alright?”
”Yeah. Thanks a lot, Jimmy,” Sydney replied.
“Anytime, babe,” Jimmy answered before hanging up. He put his beer on the table beside him and stood up, motioning for Brian to follow him. “I think I’ve found a way for you to get on Sydney’s good side. Well, maybe not her good side, but in her debt at least.”
“How? What’s going on?” Brian asked as he followed Jimmy back into the house.
“Hey, Lee, I’m heading over to Sydney’s,” Jimmy told Leana, who sat on the couch in the living room reading a magazine.
“Say hi for me, will you?” Leana replied as they shared a quick kiss and Jimmy scooped his keys off of the coffee table.
“Sure thing,” Jimmy answered before stepping out the front door, an extremely confused Brian following behind.
“Jimmy, what’s going on?” Brian repeated as Jimmy unlocked his navy blue Ford F-150 and pulled open the door.
“Climb in, Gates,” Jimmy answered as he hoisted himself up into the vehicle. “I’ll explain on the way.”
Brian sighed but obeyed, pulling open the door and climbing up into the passenger seat.
“You and the guys aren’t the only ones who noticed how gorgeous Sydney’s gotten lately, you know,” Jimmy began as he backed out of his driveway and headed into Huntington Beach. “Ever since she changed herself so drastically, there have always been guys chasing after her. There was this one guy, though, that she dated for about five months. His name is Carl, and I sort of liked the guy. He’s about as tall as me, but three times as wide. Not fat wide, either, but muscle wide. He played defense in college football and totally kicked ass at it. I felt better knowing Sydney was dating a big bruiser like that, because he could keep her safe. But she broke up with him quite a long time ago, and he seemed fine with it. But now, he’s prowling around outside her flat and she’s seriously creeped out.”
“And where do I come into play in this major plan of yours?” Brian asked curiously.
“If he high-tails it out of there the instant he sees me, then nothing, really, and we’ll have to come up with a different way to convince Sydney that you aren’t such an ass after all,” Jimmy answered. “But, I doubt he’ll run scared because he’s considerably bigger than I am and could probably take me down within seconds. No, I think he’ll see her on the phone and panic. He’s not a real smart guy, see, so he’d probably barge up there into her apartment. And she’ll need protecting after that, I suppose.”
“So, you’re telling me that you’re going to have me beat this guy up?” Brian asked, raising his eyebrows at Jimmy.
“See, you’re catching on!” Jimmy answered enthusiastically. He pulled into the alleyway out back of the bakery. The steel staircase leading up to the front door of the flat ran up the back wall of the bakery. “Look, luck is on your side, Brian! The front door’s open. He’s probably gone up there by now.”
“Do you honestly think I can take this guy down?” Brian asked as Jimmy killed the ignition and slid out of the vehicle.
“Of course you can, Brian!” Jimmy answered as he walked over to the staircase and headed up the steps. “You can fight better than anyone I know. And if you get rid of this guy, Sydney will be in your debt and you can ask her on a date or something. You’ll have to figure that out yourself.”
Jimmy and Brian stepped over the threshold into Sydney and Lanie’s flat. They stood looking around for a few seconds before hearing Sydney yell, “Get off of me!” from her bedroom. Jimmy and Brian walked over to the door leading into her bedroom and peeked around the door.
“No fucking way, Sullivan!” Brian hissed, looking around at Jimmy as they both ducked their heads out of the room. “That guy is three times my size!”
“I know, I know,” Jimmy answered. “But Brian, just think Hulk thoughts. Get really angry. You could beat the devil in a fight when you’re angry. It’ll get Sydney to feel like she owes you. It would really help you in your Quest For Forgiveness!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Brian grumbled, peeking around the door again. Carl had Sydney pinned down on the bed. He was so big all Brian could see of Sydney were her legs and her arms. She was punching Carl with all her might, but he didn’t even seem to acknowledge her fists thumping against his back. He fumbled to unbutton Sydney’s flannel shirt with one hand while his other hand was clamped over Sydney’s mouth to keep her quiet.
“I have confidence in you, Brian!” Jimmy said. Brian scowled at him before slipping into the room. He strode over and tapped Carl on the back of his shoulder. Sydney even stopped punching him in shock of seeing Brian standing there. Carl glared around at Brian, and once Brian got a clear view of Carl’s face, he pulled back a fist and slammed it hard into Carl’s nose.
“Mother fucker!” Carl yelled, raising a hand to the blood now seeping out of his nose. He looked down at Sydney, who was still staring in shock at Brian. “Right, sweet, let me take care of this whiny little bitch and then we’ll continue where we left off.” He pressed a hard kiss to Sydney’s forehead, and she cringed as his lips made contact with her skin.
Brian felt a strange surge of rage upon seeing Sydney cringe. It didn’t always seem like it, but Brian hated when dudes were disrespectful to women. He thought rape was just sick and always hated to see a guy hit a chick, or treat her like she was just a piece of ass that he could fuck. Sure, Sydney hadn’t exactly been hurt, but Carl was still forcing himself on her when Sydney clearly wasn’t interested.
Think Hulk thoughts, Brian. Jimmy’s words rang in Brian’s ears. He scowled deeper and the instant Carl’s face was clear of Sydney’s, he pulled back another fist and slammed it into Carl’s jaw.
With a roar, Carl launched himself off of Sydney and at Brian. Brian dodged out of the way, punching Carl neatly on the temple as he did so. Jimmy rushed into the room and wound an arm around Sydney’s waist. He dragged her off of the bed and stood her upright, pulling her slightly towards the door. They stood right next to the door and watched as Brian quite literally kicked Carl’s ass.
It wasn’t too long before Carl was down on the ground with Brian standing over him, breathing heavily with nothing from the fight except a black eye. Carl whimpered as he shoved himself first to his hands and knees, then to his feet. He stumbled away from Brian towards the door, and Jimmy’s arm tightened around Sydney’s waist as Carl got closer.
But he didn’t even spit an insult at her. He just kept walking, one hand holding his nose while the other hand scraped across the wall to keep him upright.
“See? I told you she’d listen to you if you threatened to never leave,” Jimmy said smugly. “But why did you ask me what her favorite flower was?”
“Because I sent her flowers,” Brian answered. “I figured that most women are suckers for random flowers, so I sent her a bouquet of tulips. I don’t know how she reacted to them, but I hope it was positive.”
“That was possibly one of the finest ideas you’ve had this year, Gates,” Jimmy said. “Sydney is a total sucker for tulips. She can’t resist them. I’m sure it’ll help her realize that you’re not a total asshole.”
Before Brian could answer, Jimmy’s cell phone rang.
“Hold that thought, will you?” Jimmy asked as he dug his phone out of his back pocket. Brian nodded as Jimmy flipped the phone open and put it to his ear. “Hey, you stalking me?”
Brian shook his head and grinned at Jimmy’s strange greeting. Jimmy refused to answer the phone any other way. Brian knew every time he called Jimmy, he could expect him to answer that way. If he didn’t say that, then something was seriously wrong with him.
”No, dumbass. Listen, you remember that ex-boyfriend of mine, Carl? Well, he’s prowling around outside the flat. Could you come over? Maybe if you arrived, he’d stalk his stalker ass on home,” Sydney answered. Jimmy frowned and sat up a little straighter in his chair. There was one thing Jimmy never joked about, and that was the safety and welfare of his sister.
“Is he just prowling around outside?” Jimmy asked. Brian looked over at him, downing the rest of his beer.
”Yeah, but he keeps glancing up at the window and grinning all twisted-like, like a villain on a cartoon or something, you know? He seemed fine when I broke up with him, but now, he’s sort of creeping me out. What kind of guy prowls around outside his ex-girlfriend’s house anyway? I won’t say that I’m scared, but I’d feel loads better if you came over,” Sydney said. Jimmy could practically see her pacing back and forth in her small living room, glancing out the window every once in a while to see her ex-boyfriend walking casually around in the alleyway.
“Of course I’ll come over,” Jimmy assured Sydney. “See you in five minutes, alright?”
”Yeah. Thanks a lot, Jimmy,” Sydney replied.
“Anytime, babe,” Jimmy answered before hanging up. He put his beer on the table beside him and stood up, motioning for Brian to follow him. “I think I’ve found a way for you to get on Sydney’s good side. Well, maybe not her good side, but in her debt at least.”
“How? What’s going on?” Brian asked as he followed Jimmy back into the house.
“Hey, Lee, I’m heading over to Sydney’s,” Jimmy told Leana, who sat on the couch in the living room reading a magazine.
“Say hi for me, will you?” Leana replied as they shared a quick kiss and Jimmy scooped his keys off of the coffee table.
“Sure thing,” Jimmy answered before stepping out the front door, an extremely confused Brian following behind.
“Jimmy, what’s going on?” Brian repeated as Jimmy unlocked his navy blue Ford F-150 and pulled open the door.
“Climb in, Gates,” Jimmy answered as he hoisted himself up into the vehicle. “I’ll explain on the way.”
Brian sighed but obeyed, pulling open the door and climbing up into the passenger seat.
“You and the guys aren’t the only ones who noticed how gorgeous Sydney’s gotten lately, you know,” Jimmy began as he backed out of his driveway and headed into Huntington Beach. “Ever since she changed herself so drastically, there have always been guys chasing after her. There was this one guy, though, that she dated for about five months. His name is Carl, and I sort of liked the guy. He’s about as tall as me, but three times as wide. Not fat wide, either, but muscle wide. He played defense in college football and totally kicked ass at it. I felt better knowing Sydney was dating a big bruiser like that, because he could keep her safe. But she broke up with him quite a long time ago, and he seemed fine with it. But now, he’s prowling around outside her flat and she’s seriously creeped out.”
“And where do I come into play in this major plan of yours?” Brian asked curiously.
“If he high-tails it out of there the instant he sees me, then nothing, really, and we’ll have to come up with a different way to convince Sydney that you aren’t such an ass after all,” Jimmy answered. “But, I doubt he’ll run scared because he’s considerably bigger than I am and could probably take me down within seconds. No, I think he’ll see her on the phone and panic. He’s not a real smart guy, see, so he’d probably barge up there into her apartment. And she’ll need protecting after that, I suppose.”
“So, you’re telling me that you’re going to have me beat this guy up?” Brian asked, raising his eyebrows at Jimmy.
“See, you’re catching on!” Jimmy answered enthusiastically. He pulled into the alleyway out back of the bakery. The steel staircase leading up to the front door of the flat ran up the back wall of the bakery. “Look, luck is on your side, Brian! The front door’s open. He’s probably gone up there by now.”
“Do you honestly think I can take this guy down?” Brian asked as Jimmy killed the ignition and slid out of the vehicle.
“Of course you can, Brian!” Jimmy answered as he walked over to the staircase and headed up the steps. “You can fight better than anyone I know. And if you get rid of this guy, Sydney will be in your debt and you can ask her on a date or something. You’ll have to figure that out yourself.”
Jimmy and Brian stepped over the threshold into Sydney and Lanie’s flat. They stood looking around for a few seconds before hearing Sydney yell, “Get off of me!” from her bedroom. Jimmy and Brian walked over to the door leading into her bedroom and peeked around the door.
“No fucking way, Sullivan!” Brian hissed, looking around at Jimmy as they both ducked their heads out of the room. “That guy is three times my size!”
“I know, I know,” Jimmy answered. “But Brian, just think Hulk thoughts. Get really angry. You could beat the devil in a fight when you’re angry. It’ll get Sydney to feel like she owes you. It would really help you in your Quest For Forgiveness!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Brian grumbled, peeking around the door again. Carl had Sydney pinned down on the bed. He was so big all Brian could see of Sydney were her legs and her arms. She was punching Carl with all her might, but he didn’t even seem to acknowledge her fists thumping against his back. He fumbled to unbutton Sydney’s flannel shirt with one hand while his other hand was clamped over Sydney’s mouth to keep her quiet.
“I have confidence in you, Brian!” Jimmy said. Brian scowled at him before slipping into the room. He strode over and tapped Carl on the back of his shoulder. Sydney even stopped punching him in shock of seeing Brian standing there. Carl glared around at Brian, and once Brian got a clear view of Carl’s face, he pulled back a fist and slammed it hard into Carl’s nose.
“Mother fucker!” Carl yelled, raising a hand to the blood now seeping out of his nose. He looked down at Sydney, who was still staring in shock at Brian. “Right, sweet, let me take care of this whiny little bitch and then we’ll continue where we left off.” He pressed a hard kiss to Sydney’s forehead, and she cringed as his lips made contact with her skin.
Brian felt a strange surge of rage upon seeing Sydney cringe. It didn’t always seem like it, but Brian hated when dudes were disrespectful to women. He thought rape was just sick and always hated to see a guy hit a chick, or treat her like she was just a piece of ass that he could fuck. Sure, Sydney hadn’t exactly been hurt, but Carl was still forcing himself on her when Sydney clearly wasn’t interested.
Think Hulk thoughts, Brian. Jimmy’s words rang in Brian’s ears. He scowled deeper and the instant Carl’s face was clear of Sydney’s, he pulled back another fist and slammed it into Carl’s jaw.
With a roar, Carl launched himself off of Sydney and at Brian. Brian dodged out of the way, punching Carl neatly on the temple as he did so. Jimmy rushed into the room and wound an arm around Sydney’s waist. He dragged her off of the bed and stood her upright, pulling her slightly towards the door. They stood right next to the door and watched as Brian quite literally kicked Carl’s ass.
It wasn’t too long before Carl was down on the ground with Brian standing over him, breathing heavily with nothing from the fight except a black eye. Carl whimpered as he shoved himself first to his hands and knees, then to his feet. He stumbled away from Brian towards the door, and Jimmy’s arm tightened around Sydney’s waist as Carl got closer.
But he didn’t even spit an insult at her. He just kept walking, one hand holding his nose while the other hand scraped across the wall to keep him upright.