The Not So Good Girl

Chapter 11: Drunk

We sat under a tree, watching the sun set, a romantic moment. How I wish we could freeze time and live in this moment, how I wish our worlds wouldn't turn to shit. My head on Ace's shoulder and his arm around me, as one, content and unharmed, under the warm glow of the sun as it disappeared behind the trees, it's light casting dappled patched onto the grass.
"Lexie..." a soft voice whispered, I looked up to see not Ace but my bastard of a father, grinning wickedly, I screamed but no sound came out of my open mouth.
"Lexie, wake up hun." I sat bolt upright, breathing hard, I saw my mother's worried expression and relaxed... he was gone, he wasn't going to hurt me.
"Hun, are you ok? You were gasping and tossing and turning like nuts." Mum said, cupping my face in her hand.
"I just had a nightmare." I replied, not willing to tell her the full extent of my dream.
"More like a morning-mare, it's nearly 8, you need to hurry if you want to get to school on time." I cringed at her awful joke and looked at the alarm-clock on my bed-side table.
7:59
School starts at 8:45
Shit.

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Ace:
Pacing, I tap the marker on my lip as it think... and pace. The cabin felt so empty after Lexie left to go home, the cops had found her Dad, he would face trial in a few months. I stared harder at the 'murder board' as I walked by it again, nothing came to me and none of it made sense.
I started to feel dizzy, alcohol thinking and pacing was obviously not the smartest mix.
I took another gulp of my bottle and sat at the table, looking out across the cabin and then letting my eyes travel back to the 'murder board' as Lexie liked to call it.
I chugged the rest of my beer, whipping my face with the sleeve of my jacket, I had a pretty high tolerance and after quite a few standard drinks I decided I needed something stronger.
I find the loose panel in the shingle and reach in, remembering Dad's... Victor's... not-so-secret-stash.
My fingers brushed glass and I felt around until they wrapped around the neck of a bottle, I pulled it out to find a bottle of whiskey.
Perfect.
I uncap the bottle and pour myself a glass, sipping it and feeling the liquid burn a path down my throat, my eyes started to water, man... that stuff was strong.
Good.

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Lexie:
I dumped my bag on the kitchen table and rubbed my face, feeling tiredness clinging to me like a limpet on my brain.
Arrrrrrrrg.... could school get any worse?
Ace.
I remembered what I had been reminding myself to do all day, call him, he wasn't at school today which was nothing different but he usually texted to let me know, which he hadn't done.
He's probably just busy...
I shook my head and tugged my phone out of my pocket, a text message sat comfortably on the lit-up screen.
'I'm on my way from the airport.' - unknown
I frowned, maybe it was a 'wrong number' situation? Ignoring it I dialled Ace's phone and pressed it to my ear, listening for his voice.
"Hello?" He answered.
"Hey babe, you weren't at school today?" I said.
"Who's this?" He slurred. He's drunk
"Lexie." I answered.
There was silence on the other side of the line as I waited for his response.
"Lex?"
"Yeah. What happened." I said, Ace never got drunk, it was an effort just to get him tipsey.
"I'm lost." He answered after another pause, it's a tiny country town in the middle of nowhere, how could he possibly get lost?
"Are there any street signs?" I asked carefully, he could be in a paddock having a conversation with a cow... which is totally not what Jess has done...
"Cassidy... and lyuon..." he answered after a long pause where I assume he was looking for the signs.
"Did you ride or walk?" I asked, mapping out where he was in my head.
"Walked." He slurred.
"Ok, I'll be there soon. Don't move." I say firmly before hanging up the phone and grabbing my keys.

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I tapped the steering wheel impatiently, scanning the streets as they were warmed by the glow of the setting sun, my eyes were getting sore from watching intently for my irresponsible, drunk boyfriend.
He hadn't listened to me and when I arrived at the spot he said he would be at, he was gone, I have been driving aimlessly and calling his phone repeatedly for the last hour.
He could be anywhere...
I shook my head and turned the corner, I nearly hit a figure as it rushed out of the bushes onto the road, the guy was pretty badly beaten, he jumped back and stumbled, falling on his back in the middle of the road, I knew I hadn't hit him but he seemed hurt and disoriented.
I leaped out of my car and raced over to him, his face was covered in blood and he had a swollen eye that I knew would end up black, his lip was cut and his nose was bleeding. He looked at me with his good eye, I would have recognised those emerald eyes anywhere, or... eye...
"Lexie?" He struggled to say through the pain of his beat up face.
"Ace." I sighed.
"Get out of here." He warned, his eye widened and he was looking directly at where he had come from. I turned to see a tough-looking man, he was wearing a leather vest and he had a bald head, he was pretty cut up like Ace but there was fury and pure animal aggression in his menacing gaze.
"Lexie, go" Ace hissed at me.
"Not without you." I told him firmly, getting off the ground and pulling him to a standing position. I immediately turned to the angry man in front of us just in time to see a bloody fist being thrown at my head. I somehow dodged it and before I knew what had happened my knee connected with his crotch, he keeled over in agony and Ace swung a drunken punch at the man's head, knocking his bulky frame to the ground.
"Get in the car." I said to Ace, we both got in, Ace rather clumsily and before he had even closed the door, I slammed the accelerator to the floor and the car roared forward, we sped down the road until the man was out of sight, I slowed down, adrenaline pumping through me.
"Damn." I heard Ace say from next to me, I turned to see him staring at me, an impressed and confused look on his bloody face.
"Too bad you won't remember any of it tomorrow." I commented, but Ace wasn't listening, he was still looking at me like I had grown a second head.
"I've created a monster ... a bad girl monster?" He said.
He's off his rocker.
"Ace, what happened?" I asked, I didn't have any patience for his playful banter right now. He sighed and leaned his head on the rest.
"I hit rock-bottom with the case and got a bit drun-nk." He stuttered, his face still swollen and his everything still intoxicated.
"I'd say more than a little." I muttered, turning into my street.
"Yeah, I guess." He admitted.
We pulled into the drive-way and I got out and made my way to Ace's side, pulling him out and slinging his arm over my shoulders to help him walk.
"Where are we going?" He slurred.
"Shh." I hushed him, not wanting him to wake my Mum up.
Once we were inside, I took Ace to the bathroom, closing the doors on our way and sitting him down on the edge of the tub while I sifted through the cabinet for medical supplies.
"I can go home now." Ace murmured.
"Your staying here tonight." I told him, aha, the first aid kit!
"Why?" He questioned.
"Because you got beaten up pretty bad and I'm not driving you home at 9 o'clock at night." I said, wetting a cloth and wiping as much blood off his face as I could.
"Oh." He simply replied, although his brow was furrowed, deep in thought.
Once the blood was gone and his nose had stopped bleeding I fetched an ice-pack from the freezer, making sure to lock the bathroom door to prevent Ace doing anything particularly stupid, I returned to find him in the same position I left him in.
"Hold this to your eye." I say softly, handing him the pack. He did as I said, though rather gingerly and I continued to stick some butterfly stitches on a deep cut on his cheek, other than his wincing very know and again as I applied disinfectant and bandaids, he stayed still and didn't say a thing.
When I had finished I helped him up and guided him to my brother's room.
I almost screamed.
Almost.
Standing in the middle of the room, a suitcase on the floor, stood my baby bro.
"Mike?!" I asked in a half-whisper, his head snapped up and the biggest grin spread across his face, his messy blonde hair and brown eyes like Dad's so familiar.
The thought of my father made me shiver and the smile on my face faded a little.
"Hey Lex!" He exclaimed, his expression wavered when his eyes landed on Ace.
"Who's he?" Ace asked, his eyes fixed intently on my brother.
"I could ask the same question." Mike replied, returning Ace's stare. I saw a flicker of emotion cross my boyfriend's face but it was gone the second I noticed it. Was he... Jealous?
"Ace, this is my little brother, Mike. Bro, this is Ace... my... boyfriend." I explained awkwardly.
"Since when?" Mike said, his eyes not leaving Ace.
"Since you left with your bastard father." Ace hissed through gritted teeth.
"Ace." I snapped a warning.
"Yeah, leash your Mutt Lex." Mike almost growled, his effort at intimidating Ace falling flat as Ace shrugged and turned to leave. I shot my brother a death stare and watched Ace limp to my room, trying his best to hide it.
"What the fuck Mike?"
"It's great to see you too." He said sarcastically.
"Could you try to remember that you are my little brother. I don't need you psychoanalysing my boyfriend."
"Well, you got one thing right, he is a psycho." Mike added, grabbing another few t-shirts and throwing them in his draw.
"I can't deal with this right now, it's nearly 11 o'clock and I really don't feel like dealing with your petty bullshit right now." I snapped at him and slammed his bedroom door.
I stomped to my room and threw the door closed feeling a bit like a toddler having a melt-down.
"You done with your temper-tantrum?" I hissed at Ace when I spun around to accuse him of picking a fight with my brother.
"Yep." He replied.
"Arrrg... you're impossible." I sigh, Ace took off his shirt and jeans, revealing his toned abs and muscles he smirked when he caught me staring and I rolled my eyes.
He climbed into my bed and patted the spot next to him under the covers.
"Fine." I huffed, too tired to argue or kick him out of my bed.
"You're going to sleep in your jeans?" He mocked. He's annoying when drunk. Oh well, he won't remember anything in the morning so what the heck... right?
I turned and unbuttoned my pants, sliding them down and taking them off, I felt Ace's eyes watching me and decided to ignore him. I threw my ripped jeans in the wash, since they had blood on them, and did the same with Ace's. I grabbed a pair of pj shorts and put them on. Oh well I guess I'm sleeping in my shirt.
I climbed into my bed and rested my head on Ace's arm, closing my eyes, I felt his other arm wrap itself around my waist and just as I was about to fall into a deep sleep I heard Ace whisper; "I'm falling in love with you."

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Dun dun dun!!!! Cliffhanger alert.
What do you think of Mike? He is younger than Lexie but he's super protective. I hope he comes off sweet later on though here he's a bit of an asshole... thx for reading as always!