Don't Get Angry

50- Dalta: Poking Holes

I stood by the car with folded arms. Penny and Todd were in the motel room getting ready to leave. Otis walked over to the car holding his phone in his hand. He looked at me then got into the car. I got in after him. We sat silently waiting for Todd and Penny. I looked at my hands on my lap. "I'm sorry." I choked on my tears.

He nodded then looked down. "I'm sorry too."

I sighed in relief.

"I shouldn't have told you how I felt."

Tears filled my eyes.

"Maybe things would've gone according to your plan. I would get tired of you and we would break up like any other couple would."

"Otis, I wish I could make you understand-"

"I understand enough." He kept his eyes away from me. "I'm just some guy. Just like Ethan...Peter and Todd. You want attention...and you take it however you get it... You're nice and sweet to everyone but deep down...you're just manipulative-"

I lifted my hand to cover my mouth. "Are you serious? That's what you think of me-"

"That's what you are," he shook his head not looking at me. "We're in this mess because you had to be the hero. You had to burn Chad's car, you had to pull Peter out of the station, and now we're running away from home because there's a chance we might go to jail because you had to put together some plan to rob Chad's house-"

"My plan was never to rob Chad's house!" I yelled, completely enraged by Otis. "I told Ethan to take Chad's money. It's Chad's money in the trunk, not his parents'. If I was so self-centered, I would never have done any of this for Betty, or Peter. Admit that."

Otis rolled his eyes.

"What I did has nothing to do with me being with you, but because you're angry, everything that has happened has EVERYTHING to do with us...or should I say, with you," I pointed at him. "Don't act like you're so perfect." I sat back in the seat. "You say that I'm the immature one...but I was being realistic. Did you expect me to be your girlfriend forever? We're horrible together. We barely lasted a couple of days-"

"Because you couldn't keep it in your pants."

"Look who's talking."

He shook his head. "I don't wanna hear your voice right now. Just..."

"Just what? Shut up?"

"Yeah, Dalta!" He finally looked at me. His eyes were wide and one of his cheeks was twitching. I had seen Otis angry before. He was always angry. But this anger...it was different. I was waiting for him to reach for my throat, the way he grit his teeth. "Shut up!" His spit hit my cheek. He turned away. His face softened to shame. He pouted and rolled his eyes, tears forming in them.

I wiped him spit of my cheek, then opened my mouth about to tell him how much I hated him when he started shaking his head.

"I can't believe I did all of this for you...I would never... I didn't think you deserve any of this. You were too good for jail...even though you committed crime after crime... I need to stop thinking that you're a good person. You're just doing good things to cover up the fact that you're terrible. You care about your ego and you bring down others to feel good about yourself."

"You sound like you hate me," I tried not to cry. I didn't want him to get that satisfaction.

He scoffed and shook his head. "I want to...so bad."

I turned away with tears in my eyes. "I...-I have to use the bathroom." I opened the door and got out of the car, making my way towards the motel room. Todd and Penny were just coming out.