The Curtis Sister

A Small Purple Umbrella

     As soon as Dallas laid eyes on him he started fuming. He went for the door handle and I grabbed his shoulder. My heart was racing like in the dream, I started sweating, and realized it became harder to breathe. I felt like I was going to cry but I held back. I remembered the pain that I felt after I walked Cherry home. I thought I was dying. Dallas realized I was panicking and hugged me close to him. I felt safer, but still scared.
      He wanted so badly to punch him. And a part of me wanted to let him go and watch. But I knew they'd probably put him in jail. With his reputation, he could probably walk into a gas station past midnight and get thrown into the backseat of a cop car within the next five minutes. He was tensing up just looking at him, aimlessly pacing. We had been on the wrong side of town. He clenched his jaw. He was holding back for me, if I wasn't there he'd be socking him in the jaw right now. But he stayed, just because I was scared. I closed my eyes and leaned back to my side of the seat. He laid his hands on my shoulders.
        "If it's gonna scare you, don't look."
        I made a quiet sigh and reached across him to unlock his door.
        "If you go out there," I started to say.
        He raised an eyebrow at me questionably.
       "Beat him."
       He smirked.
       "I always do."
       He opened the door and I covered my ears and looked over at the backseat. I heard faint yelling, but thankfully I couldn't make it out. I thought about the dream. I wasn't looking right now, and no one around town was awake. Bob could do anything to Dallas, and I wouldn't know until Bob was in the drivers seat ready to start attacking me again. It wasn't about if I was scared, Dallas wasn't safe. That was more important. I turned over and saw Bob punch Dally. I felt my eyes water.
        I opened the glove box and heard Bob grunt. Dallas punched him, which deep down made me proud over all the thoughts running through my head. I grabbed an umbrella from the glove box and opened my door. I was truly crying now, because my chest started to hurt at how scared I was. I held the umbrella by the closed fabric and whacked Bob's leg with the handle. He kneeled on the ground and I didn't look at where I was hitting him. I closed my eyes as I swung around the handle of the umbrella. I stopped hearing him grunt and looked back at him running away. I'd never seen Bob run away from a fight, but he was limping. I dropped the umbrella to catch my breath.
        "How is an umbrella that strong?", Dallas asked. He had a bruise on his cheekbone and a bloody nose.
        "Did I hit you!?", I asked.
        "Only like twice. Besides you got him more than me."
       "Where'd I get you?"
      He pointed to his bleeding nose. I rolled my sleeve up over my hand and wiped my blood off from his lip.
       "I'm so sorry.", I said.
       "Why? That was awesome!", he yelled.
      "At least you beat him."
      "I beat him? You whacked the hell out him."
      He went to kiss me and then stopped.
     "What?", I asked.
     "Forgot about my nose."
                       ______________
     I grabbed ice from the cooler and dumped it into a rag, then folded the rag over the ice. Dallas was sitting on the couch while we kept the lights off so we didn't wake anyone up. I sat down next to him and placed the ice on his cheekbone while he threw another bloody tissue into the garbage can I put by the side of the couch. He grabbed the ice pack and smiled at me.
     "Well we've been done this road before.", I said.
     "Except I'm not wiping blood off your face with my bare hands."
"Thank god.", I sarcastically.
"You didn't say anything then!"
"Well I'm saying something now."
He playfully glared at me and I laughed.
He grabbed another tissue from the box and covered his nose.
      "Is it done?", I asked about his nosebleed.
      "I think it's almost there."
"I'm still sorry."
He stared at me with a serious face and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Whats so funny?", he questioned.
"I've never seen you make that face."
He rolled his eyes and smiled. Then he took off the ice pack.
      I mumbled an 'ow'. At the bruise.
     "Does it hurt?"
    "It was worth getting to watch you trample him with a purple umbrella.", he replied.
     I snickered.
    "Well trust me it didn't feel like an act of heroism."
     "Pretty badass in my book."
     "It was a small purple umbrella!"
     "That you made him run away with!"
     I pushed his shoulder.
"What? I'm telling the truth."
"Okay so what does that mean? Bob: 2, Y/N: 1?", I asked.
"To me that's Bob: 0, Y/N : 800."
"And why is that?"
"Because only weak guys hit girls.", he said.
I smiled and stared at the couch.
"You're cute when you do that."
"What?"
"Look down when your shy or don't know what to say.", he responded.
"I didn't know that I did it that much."
"Well don't stop now that you do know."
I nodded and yawned. I felt my eyes growing tired and pleading to be closed.
    "Tired?", he asked.
    "A little bit."
    He opened his arm out and I grabbed a pillow, placing it on his lap and laying my head on it so my back was facing him. He pulled my hair out of my face and behind my ear, then slid down on the couch.
    "I'll stay here until a little after you fall asleep to make sure you don't have another bad dream.", he said.
     "You don't have to do that.", I said.
     "I don't, but I will."
     I laughed and closed my eyes. It took me a little bit to fall asleep, because I was cold and my head still hurt. But eventually, I felt myself start to drift away into sleep.