Bad Things

Chapter 23

Twenty-Three
☯☯☯

"Where's she?" She looked around, searching for Lo.

"You're drunk, Nellie. It's best you go inside. Take rest."

"Where the fuck is she?! How dare she show up here? How dare she!" She yelled on my face again and I saw Lola slip behind Al in case Nellie sees her and starts a fight. If she did, there was no way this night would end in a pleasant note.

Before Nellie takes things further and causes more drama, I picked her up on my shoulder and carried her inside the house. She kept thrashing and cursing all the way up to her room.

"Put me down, Jay, I'm telling you!"

With great difficulty, while trying to keep her on my shoulder without falling, I unlocked the door to her room and took her inside. She began throwing her fists at me the moment I set her down on her feet. They landed on my face and neck and chest like rocks, hardly giving me any moment to even open my eyes. She was a tough little animal to keep calm. Her anger and determination were the things that kept her going each day.

I grabbed at her wrists. "Stop it, Nellie."

She fought back, grunting as she tried to free her hands from my grasp, hoping to knock me on my face again. She had always been slightly violent in her own ways before, but nothing seemed to have topped her current conduct. Her face was now wet with tears and the dark makeup of her eyes had begun to run down her cheeks. The moment I loosened my grip on her hands to give her a break, she went and hit me on the side of my head. My ear pinged as if she had deafened me for a while there.

Jesus.

I clutched her on her shoulders and pinned her against the wall.

"What the fuck do you want?" I asked her.

"I want her gone," she answered through her teeth, eyes wet, nose flaring with rage.

"Stop this, Nellie."

She sucked in her breath and tears came rushing down her face again, "I love you, Jay."

I let go of her and took a step back. "I've told you a thousand times before. You and I would never work."

"Why can't we?" She cried harder. "I've loved you all my life, Jay. Ever since we were kids and God fucking knows I love you more than anyone does. Why can't we just work!"

"Well, you fucking understand it. I don't feel that way about you!"

Then she grabbed at my collars and pulled my face down to hers, leaving an inch in between. "What is it about her, huh? What does she even know about you? What does she care?"

"This isn't about her. Nellie, I have been telling you and you know what I mean."

"And I've been telling you too! I love you, Jay. We could make it work."

I pulled myself away from her.

She stalked across the room, opened the first drawer of her nightstand, pulled out a gun, and pressed the mouth on the side of her head. My heartbeat picked up speed instantaneously as a gush of heat shot up to the back of my neck. Yet I clenched my teeth and forced myself to remain calm. She was drunk, and she had no sense of judgement, if what she was doing or saying was right or with it. And she could do anything right now.

Fuck it, Nellie.

"I swear I'm going to kill myself. I can't live without you, Jay. I love you!" She sobbed harder. Her body trembled as she did, and I prayed inside for this shit to stop.