Serendipity

Chapter 17. In Your Eyes

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Chapter Seventeen ~ In Your Eyes 

            I wasn’t a fighter. Never was, and never will be. What led me to believe that I’d be able to beat up someone who was five times bigger than me? I had no idea.

            I wasn’t particularly surprised by the fact that I was knocked on my ass in front of everyone in the mall. I guess I had it coming for me. But the worst thing was, everyone saw me. If they didn’t know me before, then they surely did now.

            “Joe!” Melanie shrieked as she rushed to my side. She placed her hands at the sides of my face and forced me to look at her. When she saw my face, she sucked in a breath.

            “Is it that bad?”

            “Bad?” she questioned. “Oh no, you look perfect.”

            I knew she was lying. She was a horrible liar. Instead of letting her help me up, I stood to my feet without her assistance.

            Joe balled his hands into fists as he stared at me, flaring his nostrils. He didn’t make a move to attack me again, but he didn’t remove his eyes from mine.

            “Let’s get you home,” Melanie suggested, hooking her arm through mine. She shot Joe a cold glare and ushered me in the opposite direction.

            My hopes of walking home were ripped away when Melanie insisted that she accompanied me. I protested for hours but it didn’t change her mind one bit. I knew she would want to come inside and I couldn’t have that.

            Considering that she would never give up until she reached her goal, I hoped for the best.

            When we got to my house, I hesitated to open the door. Dad would probably have all his materials laid out in the foyer. I turned to face her. “Melanie,” I said softly. “Thanks for walking me home.”

            She shot me a crooked smile. “You’re welcome.” She gestured towards the door. “Well, are you going to open it?”         

            I dug my hands into my pockets. “I don’t have my keys.”

            A strange expression flickered over her face. “Just ring the doorbell.” She pushed past me and pushed the button.

            I wanted to scream. This wasn’t going to end well. “My dad isn’t home,” I told her.

            Melanie quirked a brow at me and glanced over her shoulder to see the mid-sized white sedan. “You sure?”

            Before I had the chance to respond, the door opened and Dad stood on the other side of the threshold. He gave Melanie a dry look, and then turned to me. “Hello, son.”

            “Hi.”

            “Hey,” Melanie greeted. “I’m Melanie Bradshaw. I’m Damien’s friend. It’s very nice to finally meet you!” She held out her hand.

            Dad stared blankly at her hand and looked at me. “It’s nice to meet one of my son’s friends.” He was mad and it was obvious.

            Melanie withdrew her hand and shifted uncomfortably.

            Suddenly, a hand popped out from behind Dad and I realized it was Gretchen. Her red lipstick was smeared and she had a serious case of bed hair.