Flood

One minute I was experiencing the best kiss of my life, and the next I was thrown on the floor, sliding a few feet. I shook my head and looked up. A man with brown hair and brown eyes stood over me, his hands clenched into fists. He was tan and well built. Unfortunately for me, he seemed to be stronger than I was. I didn’t know who this guy was, but he looked ready to beat my ass into the ground.

“Get up!” he yelled. “Get up and fight!”

“Dude, what the hell is your problem!?”

“You put your hands on my girl,” he snarled and picked me up by my shirt.

“You’re like, twice her age,” I snapped and kicked his gut.

He let me go and I fell with a small grunt. I heard running heels and I looked up. Charlotte was standing there, looking worried and scared shitless.

“Come on, Spencer,” she said, tears in her eyes. “We have to go.”

“Why?” I asked. “It’s just some drunk ass-”

“No!” she screamed and, out of nowhere, a foot collided with my face. The force knocked me onto my back and I blinked the stars away. “Leave him alone, you asshole!”

“Get out of the way, Charlie!” the man yelled.

I heard her slap him as I stumbled to my feet. “Go away!”

He glared at her and suddenly back handed her. She stumbled and tripped over her heels. I yelled in rage and threw my body into his. Surprised, he fell back on his ass and pounded on my back. We rolled on the floor, hitting every inch we could. Charlotte was screaming for us to stop. I could feel the blows but I was more concerned about making this ass wipe pay for hitting her.

“All right, gents,” a rough voice said and someone lifted me from the back of my shirt. “Time to break it up.”

I was put on my feet and Charlotte ran to me. “You’re bleeding,” she said in a shaky voice.

I grabbed her chin and looked at her face where a bruise was forming.

“Are you all right?” I demanded and she nodded but she was crying.

“Please, let’s just-”

She cried out as the man grabbed her hair. The bouncer got a taser out of his pocket but the man pulled her to him. She was scratching at his hand and, smirking, he licked her neck.

“I missed you.”

The world dropped out from underneath me when I realized who this was. I ran for him but the bouncer stopped again. Turner pulled roughly on her hair, making for the exit but Charlie’s friends ran in the way, all of them looking scared but determined. Following them were my friends Chris, James, and Evan. Turner glared and was about to run through them when the bouncer got him with the taser.

Charlotte fell to her knees and her friends rushed to her.

“Let me go,” I said to the bouncer. “I need to make sure she’s okay!”

“No, I need you here for a statement. Looks like her girlfriends have got her taken care of until the police get here.”

I groaned, trying to keep an eye on her. Turner was out like a light. My friends ran over, not bothering to walk around him.

“Are you all right, man?” Chris asked and I nodded, wiping blood from my lip.

“Is she okay?” I asked. “This ass won’t let me go.”

The bouncer laughed.

“She’s fine,” James said. “Jimmy’s bringing her a shot to calm her down until the police get here.”

“She’s got one hell of a bruise, though,” Evan said, glancing over nervously.

They had brought Charlotte a chair and she was bent over, sobbing into her hands. I tried to go over again but the bouncer had a firm grip on my shoulder.

It felt like forever until we heard the sirens. Three officers came in. One went to Turner and stood over him until he woke up. Another knelt in front of Charlotte, trying to get her to calm down enough to give him a statement. The third came up to us.

“All right, boys,” he sighed, “what happened? A drunk fight? Some chick get in your way?”

I glared at him. “No! This asshole has it out for her!”

My friends stared at me like I was insane and I glared at them. They got the message and left. Hoping she wouldn’t hate me forever, I told them what Charlotte had told me about Turner. The police officer started to frown as he wrote, his amused face gone completely. He made a note to call her parents.

I turned, annoyed, to the bouncer.

“Can I please go make sure she’s okay now?” I snapped.

The bouncer looked to the officer for confirmation. He nodded and the bouncer let me go.

“Charlotte!” I cried, and got on the floor in front of her.

She looked up and let out a sob. She threw her arms around me and I held her tightly.

“I had to tell them,” I whispered in her ear. “I’m sorry but I had to tell them.”

“I did, too,” she sobbed.

I looked up at her friends. They were all crying and, from the looks on their faces, I knew they had heard.

“Do you want to take her home?” the police officer asked me and I nodded immediately.

“Can you walk, babe?” I whispered and she nodded, wiping her tears with the tissues the officer gave her.

The bruise on her face was getting worse. Just as she stood, Turner woke up and looked around. He saw us and jumped to his feet. Charlotte whimpered but I held her tightly. The police officer didn’t waste any time in putting him in handcuffs.

“There’s a warrant out for his arrest,” the officer that had been talking to Charlotte said when I asked. “I guess it’s a good thing Jimmy’s a friend.”

I only nodded and helped her into my car. Her friends followed behind in her Cadillac. She was sitting in the passenger seat, folded in half. In the back, my friends remained silent. The excitement of getting to dance and kiss Charlotte was gone. I gripped the steering wheel, doing my best not to turn around and go back to beating the shit out of Turner.

When we got to the dorm, I helped her up the stairs. Her friends followed. One of them was sobbing quietly. I unlocked her dorm with the key she handed me and set her gently on her bed.

“I have to go,” I whispered. “Your friends are here, okay? And if you need anything you call me right away. I don’t care if it’s three in the morning.” She nodded, avoiding me. I made her look at me. “I’m serious, Charlotte.”

Her lower lip trembled and she hugged me again. I held her tightly. I could feel the bruises and the aching start. I was going to suffer for it tomorrow. I stood up and nodded to one of them whose name I believe was Jennifer.

“Thank you,” she rasped and I nodded again.

“Someone stay with her tonight, please,” I said. I wrote my number down. “Call me if anything happens. I don’t care what it is.”

“We will,” she promised and I left.

-

“What happened!?” my father asked the second I walked in the door.

I rubbed my eyes. “What?”

“We heard about the bar fight,” my mom said and pulled me into the kitchen. She and my dad winced at the bruises and she took my shirt off. I looked down and groaned. “What were you thinking?”

There were bruise marks all over my stomach and, from what my dad said, they were on my back, too.

“It was some guy trying to molest and kidnap Charlie,” I said wearily.

I was exhausted all of a sudden.

My mother looked petrified. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah. I got her back to her dorm. Her friends are staying with her and the shit bag is on his way to jail.”

For once, my dad overlooked my language. “He beat you like this?” I nodded and he smiled gently. “I’m proud of you, pal, but there are other ways to defend a woman’s honor than becoming a punching bag.”

I chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind. Do we have ice packs or frozen peas?”

“Of course,” my mom said quickly and sat me down at the kitchen table.