All the Faint Lights

Chapter Thirty Three
“Dad, stop it!” I growled as I stood in-between O’Ryan and my dad. I wasn’t with James for an hour before Jake was calling me saying that my dad was at the studio and causing a problem. James and I ran outside and he hopped in my jeep, insisting on coming with me.

By the time we had shown up, Jake was waiting for me outside, I looked at him and then walked right past him and headed into the basement, where the studio was located. I gasped when there were CDs thrown across the room and O’Ryan was telling my dad to calm down. When my dad was about to throw a punch, I ran at him and basically jumped on his arm.

“Stop it!” I yelled again as I pushed my dad back, “You’re acting like a child.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” he barked.

“I called her,” Jake said as he walked down the stairs when James behind him, “Was hoping your daughter would knock some sense into you.”

“I don’t need her,” he said and I sighed and looked at him sadly.

“Dad, you’re going to get yourself in trouble-“

“Why bother listening to you?! You never listened to me-“

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” I growled, “You’ve never listened to me! Always planned my life and told me what to do! I told you the day I walked out of here, I’m done with it-“

“So that meant you were done with me too,” he barked and I groaned and shook my head.

“You’re an idiot! You know that!” I yelled, “You’re my dad, I can never be down with you!” I thought if I told him that, he would calm down and everything would be fine, guess that only happens in movies, this was no fairy tale.

“Caroline!” I heard after hearing a smack and feeling a sting on my cheek.

“You son of a bitch-“ I turned around and placed my hands on James’ chest, he was about to go after my dad, I was just slapped across the face.

I wasn’t looking at my down, I was looking down, my forehead against James’ chest, “Do you want to be alone that much? Not have anything to do with your children that much?” I gulped back my tears.

“What children? We haven’t been a family since your mother died,” he stated and I gripped James’ shirt, not believing that he would really say that.

“Fine then,” I muttered and looked at Jake, “Sorry, I tried,” I said and he nodded his head. I didn’t look at James; I just grabbed his wrist and headed up the stairs, stopping when I hit the middle, “If you want him out of the house, call the cops, he’s on your property,” I muttered and then walked up the stairs.

I was out of the house and leaning against my truck, James was standing in front of me letting me cry on his chest. I couldn’t believe it, I had just finished telling James the story of our family, and just as I finished, Jake calls with this, it was like James saw the story for himself.

“Car,” James whispered and I felt his fingers grip my chin and he pulled my face up and then turned it to the side to see my red tear stained cheek, “Jesus,” he muttered and then rubbed my cheek with his thumb and then kissed it, “Car,” I looked at him sadly, he gently pressed his lips against mine and then wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed my forehead, “It’ll be all right.”

“I can’t believe he said that,” I breathed.

“Wait right here,” James said and then tore away from me and walked back towards the house.

“James wait! Don’t do anything stupid!” I yelled but he was already in the house.

-Jake-
“Let him go!” I yelled because Mr. Donnelly had my dad against the wall and was about to punch him when James Neal came out of nowhere, grabbed Mr. Donnelly’s arm, pushed him back and looked at me dad.

“Are you all right?” James asked and my dad nodded his head.

“Jake,” I looked at my dad, “Cops, now.”

“All right,” I said and grabbed my cell phone, but watched as James walked over towards Mr. Donnelly who was on the ground looking at James.

“Who the hell are you?!”

“I’m Caroline’s boyfriend,” James growled and picked Mr. Donnelly up, “No one hits my girlfriend.”

“Neal!” I called, “You’ll get in trouble too if you touch him.”

James just growled and shoved Caroline’s dad into the wall, “Don’t ever talk about her like that again, she’s a good person!”

“You want her, you can keep the little bitch,” he spat and I had to jump on James’ arm to keep him from punching Mr. Donnelly.

“Come on, James,” I heard and saw Caroline running down the stairs and looking sadly towards me, “Your mom’s on the phone with the police,” she said and I nodded my head, “Baby, come on,” she said and pulled on James’ other hand.

Caroline pulled James up the stairs and I looked towards my dad to see that he looked like he was in shook, “Dad?”

“Was that-“

“Yup,” I smirked.

“And he’s really-“

“Yup.”

“James Neal was in my-“

“Yup.”

“Wow,” dad said and I chuckled and looked back at Mr. Donnelly to see that he was heading for the stairs.

“Hey, wait-“

“Let him go Jake,” dad said and I sighed, “Don’t ever come back here, Jack! You’re finished here!”

-Caroline-
James was leaning against my truck and I was leaning against him. My arms were wrapped around his waist and his were around my neck, my head was lying on his chest and his was on my head. We had to wait for the police to show up, because they’re going to want to question us. We had watched my dad walk out and then drive off a few minutes ago, the O’Ryan’s weren’t worried, they knew everything about my dad.

Jake came outside and asked for us to come inside, it was a little cold anyways, so I was happy to feel the warmth hit my skin. Jake’s mom, Sharron, walked over towards me and cupped my face.

“Oh honey, let’s put ice on that,” she said and I nodded my head and followed her into the kitchen.

“Let’s see, we have assault, trespassing, vandalism-“

“Please don’t charge my dad for hitting me,” I said, cutting O’Ryan off and seeing the shocked faces on everyone.

“Linny, he just-“

“I know Jake, I know, but please,” I sighed and wiped my eyes, “He’s still my dad.”

“You’re just damn lucky that I didn’t really call the police,” Sharron said and I looked at her surprised, “But if he landed a hand on my husband or son, I would have. I didn’t know that he hit you, or I would have too.”

“Thank you,” I breathed and she sighed and hugged me tight.

“You’re welcomed around here anytime Caroline, our door is always opened to you or your siblings.”

“Thank you,” I said and then smiled towards Jake. I then looked at O’Ryan to see that he was staring at James with a big smirk on his face, “Oh! O’Ryan,” he snapped his head back to me, “This is James Neal, James, this is O’Ryan-“

“Pleasure to meet you son,” O’Ryan smiled brightly as he shook James’ hand rather excitedly.

“Same to you,” James said and I giggled when O’Ryan was still shaking James’ hand.

“Dad!”

“Gunna need my hand back, sir,” James smirked and O’Ryan took his hand back and laughed nervously.

“Sorry.”

“James, this family’s a big fan of the Pens-“ I smiled and James nodded his head and I watched as Jake turned around and went into the other room to bring back two jerseys for him to sign.

“Thanks so much!” O’Ryan said and I smiled and nodded my head, feeling James’ fingers slip in-between mine and we said our final goodbyes before leaving to head back to James’.

“I can’t believe he hit you,” James said as he walked down to the basement and James pulled me onto his lap after he sat on the couch. He examined my cheek and then signed and kissed my cheek, “If I ever see him again- Your own father-“

“Hey, shhhh, it’s all right, I’m fine,” I said as I wrapped my arms around James’ head and laid my head on top of his. His head laid on my chest, I was on his knees feel his arms around my waist, “I told you that my dad and I didn’t see eye to eye.

“That’s an understatement,” James snorted and I sighed and kissed his head.

“Asher is gunna flip,” I muttered and then snuggled my face into James’ neck, “Gordon too.”