Stripes In The Devil
Chaptah Twelve: "Hold Your Head High Heavy Heart"
Ryan went back to the sidewalk and picked up my things and put them in the back seat. We didn’t speak until we reached his house. It was a cute suburban house. Ryan turned and spoke quietly “Now wait here just a moment.” I nodded the pulled my knees up to my chest. He carried my things inside. When he came back I started to get up but he scooped me up again. Once we reached the door he placed a finger to his lips “shh”. He carried me up a flight of stairs and to what I guessed was his room.
He sat me down on a couch in the room. He sat next me sighing “So are you ready to talk?” I nodded slowly and then my story all just kind of spilled out. There were more tears and many hugs. Ryan went and got me some ice to stop the swelling. I mean this wasn’t just your usual girl fight ‘I’ll see you at the flagpole’ slap. It was a full fledged, back of the hand as hard as he could ‘smack a betch’… minus the betch. Eventually Ryan gave me a pillow and a blanket and we both went to bed, him in his bed and me on the couch.
***
The next morning I awoke to the feeling of soft breath on my face. I opened my eyes and recoiled with a start. Ryan’s face was inches from my own. His eyes held a curious and shocked look. We sat there in awkward silence for a minute before Ryan sat down cross legged on the floor and I sat up the same on the couch.
“Do you always twitch when you sleep?” Ryan asked with genuine curiosity. I thought briefly before replying “I’m not sure. I don’t watch myself sleeping very often.” He grinned at that “Your eyes and mouth were twitching.” I smiled I had actually been told that before.
I had something huge to do today. Ryan agreed to help me kick out Nick today. I was raised to never take any crap from men. I wasn’t going to then and I still don’t to this day. Brent called as we were leaving. Ryan explained what we were doing and Brent wanted a part in it. We waited for him to come over (he didn’t live but four blocks away) and left.
We arrived at the complex at the complex and stomped up the stairs. I tried my door and it was already unlocked. I walked in and Nick was sitting on the couch. He looked up at me startled. “Where were you last night?” he asked in a worried voice. I gave him a look of disgust – he didn’t even remember. “I stayed with Ryan last night” I said in a hushed tone. His face went from worried to blank to furious in a matter of seconds. “You little whore!” he hissed “putting out for everyone but me.”
I stood there speechless but then remembering why I came I said firmly “nick, you need to go. We’re breaking up.” I didn’t care if he didn’t remember what happened because it wasn’t my fault. Apparently he did though. He lunged across the room hands outstretched and pushed my shoulders up against the wall next to the door. “So you’re leaving me huh? You like this Ryan kid more?” I could hear the anger rising in his voice. “Nick” I started in a would-be-confident voice “you hit me yesterday – you’ve started to drinking – you’re violent. You scare me now Nick… you’re not the same guy that I used to love.”
“DON’T LIE!” he screamed. Those words again ‘don’t lie’. He raised his hand to hit me again. Ryan stepped in the door way from the hall at this point closely followed by Brent. He grabbed Nick’s wrist as his hand was about to make contact with my face. Brent pulled me out into the middle of the room. Ryan punched Nick hard in the stomach growling “Don’t you dare touch her again.” Shocked and spluttering from the blow, Nick went to punch him back but Ryan caught his fist.
“Please don’t do this” I cried running up behind Ryan and tugging on his shoulder. They paid no attention to me and Nick went to punch Ryan who turned and dodged it. Unfortunately Ryan’s chest was at the same height as my face. Consequently Nick’s fist hit my face – hard. That is where the shit hit the fan.
Brent vaulted over my crouched form completely tackling Nick into the wall. He and Ryan both managed to get a fair amount of blows in before I got involved. I pulled them off with all might (Nick was unconscious by that point). I’m horrified by blood so when I felt warm, sticky, red liquid drip onto my had from my face I swayed and then passed out on the living room floor.
He sat me down on a couch in the room. He sat next me sighing “So are you ready to talk?” I nodded slowly and then my story all just kind of spilled out. There were more tears and many hugs. Ryan went and got me some ice to stop the swelling. I mean this wasn’t just your usual girl fight ‘I’ll see you at the flagpole’ slap. It was a full fledged, back of the hand as hard as he could ‘smack a betch’… minus the betch. Eventually Ryan gave me a pillow and a blanket and we both went to bed, him in his bed and me on the couch.
***
The next morning I awoke to the feeling of soft breath on my face. I opened my eyes and recoiled with a start. Ryan’s face was inches from my own. His eyes held a curious and shocked look. We sat there in awkward silence for a minute before Ryan sat down cross legged on the floor and I sat up the same on the couch.
“Do you always twitch when you sleep?” Ryan asked with genuine curiosity. I thought briefly before replying “I’m not sure. I don’t watch myself sleeping very often.” He grinned at that “Your eyes and mouth were twitching.” I smiled I had actually been told that before.
I had something huge to do today. Ryan agreed to help me kick out Nick today. I was raised to never take any crap from men. I wasn’t going to then and I still don’t to this day. Brent called as we were leaving. Ryan explained what we were doing and Brent wanted a part in it. We waited for him to come over (he didn’t live but four blocks away) and left.
We arrived at the complex at the complex and stomped up the stairs. I tried my door and it was already unlocked. I walked in and Nick was sitting on the couch. He looked up at me startled. “Where were you last night?” he asked in a worried voice. I gave him a look of disgust – he didn’t even remember. “I stayed with Ryan last night” I said in a hushed tone. His face went from worried to blank to furious in a matter of seconds. “You little whore!” he hissed “putting out for everyone but me.”
I stood there speechless but then remembering why I came I said firmly “nick, you need to go. We’re breaking up.” I didn’t care if he didn’t remember what happened because it wasn’t my fault. Apparently he did though. He lunged across the room hands outstretched and pushed my shoulders up against the wall next to the door. “So you’re leaving me huh? You like this Ryan kid more?” I could hear the anger rising in his voice. “Nick” I started in a would-be-confident voice “you hit me yesterday – you’ve started to drinking – you’re violent. You scare me now Nick… you’re not the same guy that I used to love.”
“DON’T LIE!” he screamed. Those words again ‘don’t lie’. He raised his hand to hit me again. Ryan stepped in the door way from the hall at this point closely followed by Brent. He grabbed Nick’s wrist as his hand was about to make contact with my face. Brent pulled me out into the middle of the room. Ryan punched Nick hard in the stomach growling “Don’t you dare touch her again.” Shocked and spluttering from the blow, Nick went to punch him back but Ryan caught his fist.
“Please don’t do this” I cried running up behind Ryan and tugging on his shoulder. They paid no attention to me and Nick went to punch Ryan who turned and dodged it. Unfortunately Ryan’s chest was at the same height as my face. Consequently Nick’s fist hit my face – hard. That is where the shit hit the fan.
Brent vaulted over my crouched form completely tackling Nick into the wall. He and Ryan both managed to get a fair amount of blows in before I got involved. I pulled them off with all might (Nick was unconscious by that point). I’m horrified by blood so when I felt warm, sticky, red liquid drip onto my had from my face I swayed and then passed out on the living room floor.