Sparks

Chapter 17: "I hate you."

"What?! What do you mean you're outside?" Joy asked in frustration to her phone, "No! I have a limousine waiting for me- you kicked him out? Martin! I specifically told you not to show up here!"

"Hey, hey, chill out. Everyone is looking at you," I whispered at Joy. Everyone around us was looking at Joy. Jessie asked me what's happened, but I told her everything was alright.

Joy ended the call and cursed, "Damn it! He's here," Joy sighed and put her hand on her forehead.

"Who's here?"

"Martin! Gosh, he never listens," Joy groaned as she walked to the door. I grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Wait! We're not done, Joy," I said.

"Not now, Harris. I need to go now," Joy walked to the door, and when she saw an Audi parked one block from Jake's house, she cursed under her breath, "he's here. Fuck. How dare he come here."

I turned Joy around to face me and squeezed her shoulder, "Joy, tell me. Everything."

"There's nothing to talk about, Claude! I'm drunk, and that's it!" Joy spoke with a hint of panic.

"Drunk people tend to tell the truth," I spoke as she froze for a while.

"It doesn't matter, and I need to leave before-" Joy stopped her sentence as she saw the driver of the Audi step out of the vehicle, "and he's walking over here. Do you have any idea who Martin is? Just drop it. I need to go-"

"Yes I do!" I exclaimed as I got a confused look at Joy, and I immediately added some sentence to avoid suspicion, "I mean, I can tell the first time I saw him that he's a sociopath," Joy went silent because my statement was correct, and I continued, "and no, I won't drop it when I'm not allowing you to eat your feelings, Joy. I know you're the infamous Jocelyn Wright, whose life is a mystery, and it needs to end now or never."

Joy raised an eyebrow, "why do you care, Harris? I don't understand why you, of all people, care about my life."

I stood closer to her as I took her hands, "because I know it's eating you alive. If you have something to say, say it," I grasp her hands gently, "something must have happened at your house. You've been acting weird towards me because you've never been that close to me back at the gym."

"What do you want from me?" Joy folded her arm in front of her chest.

"Tell me, why do your brother's remarks keep you up all night? Why does it bother you?" I asked her.

"Because it's fucking weird for him to think that you can save me from my fiancee. I mean, save me from what?" Joy talking animated.

"You didn't think I noticed the red marks on your neck or arm?" Subconsciously I finally said that sentence.

Joy froze as she exhaled an air, "so, you did notice?"

I smiled sadly at Joy as I thought it was hard to see the red marks on her body because of Martin, and I saw in my dream how she got it.

"I'm sorry, I should have helped instead of keeping it to myself. I want so badly to help you, but-" Joy stopped my ranting with her putting her finger on my lips. Joy hushed me and shook her head.

"There's nothing you can do about it. Thank you for not telling anyone," Joy said to me. We stared at each other for a while as I sensed her sad emotion.

"Jocelyn," Martin showed up behind Joy, breaking our staring contest.

Joy closed her eyes before turning around, "call me Jocelyn, and I'll rip his head off."