Perfectly Dysfunctional

After we’d hit the motorway I’d taken Nathan’s phone and text Jay back everything Nathan had said the exact way he told me to, basically saying we were on our way, much to my disappointment. I hit ‘send’ then threw his phone in the compartment behind the gearstick and handbrake.

“Would you watch what you’re doing?” he sighed and I scoffed, “Jenny, don’t start-”

“Don’t start what, Nath? God knows what’s happened to him, and you just want both of us to wander in there as if we don’t know anything.”

“But Jenny that’s the fucking point, we don’t know anything!” he yelled as he took the next junction off the motorway, “So what’s the point in acting as if he’s got Jay ‘trapped’ if – for all we know – it is Jay?!” He was taking the piss out of me; quoting ‘trapped’ and pulling a face that clearly said he didn’t believe me.

I huffed, “Fine, but you’ll be fucking sorry if he is ‘trapped’,” I mocked him and threw myself back in the seat. Finally he made it back home and he pulled up in the driveway. I opened the door and slammed it shut with as much force as I could and he jumped out the other side and grabbed my wrist.

“For fuck sake Jenny, if it makes you any happier, we’ll clash the plans, right?”

“Fine; I want to go in first, and if I don’t come back out or go to the window or something, then you know something’s wrong,” I said and wrenched my hand away from him, not giving him a chance to reply to me or pull me back as I stalked away from him towards the house. I knew I was being a bitch, but I was stressed and frightened, and that combination in anyone really is enough to make them snappy. I’d apologize to him and make it up to him later somehow, but right now, I had to find out about Jay. Because of the anger that was running through me, I found it quite easy to walk up to the door and push it open, whereas if I hadn’t been angry, I would’ve been too scared to do it. The door swung open and I stepped inside looking around, “Jay?” I called but heard nothing. I glanced upstairs quickly but decided if I found nothing down here I’d check up there in a minute, “Jay, where are you?” I walked towards the living room, took a few steps inside then screamed at what I saw. Jay was lying on the sofa unconscious with his arms tied behind his back and it looked like he had some sort of head-wound. The mere second I screamed, the front door slammed closed with such force that it made me gasp, jump forward and spin around to face the door all in less than two seconds. I calmed myself as much as I could and side-stepped towards Jay, still keeping my eye on the door. When I reached him, I heard the lock flick shut and I silently cursed. I heard footsteps and kneeled beside Jay, looking around his head but not touching, “Jay, fuck... What did he do to you?” I mumbled to myself, “Wake the fuck up!” I whisper-yelled and prodded his chest.

“I don’t think he will, at least not for a while anyway,” Dave said and I rolled my eyes and stood up.

“What the Hell, Dave?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, I know they lied to you about me and I couldn’t find any other way to try and tell you the truth than to get you here without them somehow...” he looked down.

“So you felt the need to kick in the head of one of my best friends – who’s well-capable of killing you, by the way – in an attempt to make me believe you?!” I asked incredulously, “How’d you do it anyway?” I asked, forcing curiosity to lace my voice as I peered at Jay’s wound again. It pained me to sound so interested, but I figured if I stayed on his good side then he might not try the same with me.

“Ten pound ashtray to the head...” he almost questioned and I forced a tight smile.

“Well you done a pretty good job, I’m not gonna lie.”

“You mean you’re not mad?”

“Of course I’m fucking mad, Dave, you took a ten pound ashtray to the head of one of my best friends! I just don’t know why you didn’t, y’know, ask me or anything, rather than taking out one of my friends...” I was becoming increasingly worried; Jay would probably need a hospital and fucking soon, Nathan was meant to be here by now; if me not going to the door or window wasn’t a sign enough that something was wrong, my almighty scream and the front door slamming sure as Hell was. And also, the front door was now locked and I don’t know if Nathan had another way of getting in or not.

“Whatever!” he suddenly snapped and advanced towards me by a couple of steps, “Look, stop trying to waste my time. I’m not stupid, I know Nathan is outside so I know I don’t have much time,” he spat.

I paused then nodded, “You’re good.”

“So shut up and listen to me.”

“Can I just say, if you’re gonna try and make me believe your side of the story, that attitude so isn’t going to help,” I interjected, but sat down beside Jay’s legs anyway. He walked straight up to me and grabbed my face with one hand, squeezing my cheek and jaw bones with so much force that I would have believed he was using both hands.

“You’re fucking pushing it,” he growled, and it was only then that I smelled the alcohol and cigarettes on his breath. Well, at least we know where he got the ashtray from... He threw my face away and it took everything I had in me to not yell out in pain. Instead I raised one hand and rubbed over where he’s most likely left a few marks. He sat on the floor beside the wooden coffee table and pulled out a penknife. I eyed him as he flicked it open and threw it at the table, letting the knife stick into it before pulling it out and doing the same again. He continued this as he started his story.

And because I was keeping such an eye on the penknife in Dave’s hand, I failed to notice anything else that was going on around me.