Heartbreak Girl

Chapter Fifteen: Confrontation

 "I'm leaving," Bibi stated as she packed away her few belongings. Coen was waiting in the living room for Bibi.
"Sure thing," Jeriah replied, but asked, "are you sure we can trust him? I mean, last time didn't end so well."

Bibi paused before zipping up her duffle and tried to sling it over her shoulder. "I know about last time, but I know for sure about this time." After struggling for a bit, she gave up and stood straight to face him. "I love him, and that requires trust. This time, I know there are no secrets."

Jeriah sighed. "I just want to make sure you're going to be okay."

She smiled, "I know, and thanks."

Jeriah lifted her duffle and laid a lazy hand on the top of her head. "Anytime, and I mean anytime. Day or night. Call me whenever."

She smiled wider. "Same to you." Bibi swerved around him and jogged down the stairs. Jeriah followed, hearing voices in the living room. Finally reaching the landing, Jeriah saw the lovebirds grinning at each other. He hadn't noticed it before, but he could tell that that was definitely love they had between them. Coen did love her.

At that moment, Jeriah's gut seemed to ease a bit. Bibi was going to be alright. She had Coen.

"Hey." Jeriah looked up to see a straight-faced Coen. "I need to talk to you about something."

Looking from Bibi to Coen, Jeriah couldn't read the thoughts on either of their faces. They were both blank slates. "About what?" Glad that his voice didn't betray his nerves, Jeriah stood tall against what seemed like a metaphorical giant. Coen Alister was known as the bad of all baddies. A gang leader of one of the more vicious and renowned gangs in Boston. Could Jeriah take him if Coen attacked? Would he survive?

"I hear through the grapevine that you like Shaye," Coen stated. Taken aback by surprise, Jeriah let Coen speak. Walking so they were a handshake away from one another, Coen slapped him on the shoulder. "Good. She needs someone like you."

The room was still. Jeriah's heart was racing. Good? "Uh, thanks?"

Coen laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I don't know what's going down with you lately, but you've got Shaye really worried. So just, talk to her."

"I-I tried! She won't listen," Jeriah explained. "She thought I was lying to her."

"That's likely," Coen replied. "But you need to prove to her that you do love her. It's just that simple." Coen glanced over his shoulder and grinned at a smiling Bibi. "It worked for me." Turning back to focus on him, Coen ducked into his ear. "Helps to do something big to show it though. Just don't go too crazy, yeah?"

Coen took the duffle from Jeriah's hand and patted his shoulder before walking out. Bibi gave him a light kiss on the cheek saying in a positive tone, "go get her tiger," and following Coen out the kitchen door.

Jeriah stood stunned in the living room, as he heard their voices fade and the sound of Coen's beat-up car driving off. It took the stark silence to move his thought forward. Big action? How big?

Ideas sprang into Jeriah's mind. Digging through his pockets, he brought out his phone and checked the time. Just in time for Shaye to get out of work. Gripping his phone in his hand, he grabbed his keys and bolted out the door.

Jeriah kept checking the clock on his dash as he drove. By the time he reached the park, he was praying he wasn't too late.

Running through the park, he ran to her usual path to the T station. Walking around the dugout was the girl he was looking for. She walked around the fence and stopped when she saw him. For a moment they both stood still to take in what the months before had left a mystery. She looked haggard. After work at the Seven Eleven, she was usually tired, but Shaye looked miserable. With dark circles under her red-rimmed eyes. He could feel something break inside of him to see her like that.

She shook her head, "no."

"Shaye-"

Holding up a hand and walking past him, she said, "no. Just-just no."

"We need to talk about this, Shaye. You can't keep avoiding me," he stated as he followed her to the other dugout.

"I will stop avoiding you when you stop lying!" She exclaimed. He could hear the tears welling in her eyes. Frustration ran through him at knowing he was the cause.

"I'm not lying! I love you, and that's the truth!" he argued.

"But you are, because why would a guy like you be in love with a girl like me?" She babbled frantically while clenching her hands in her short, now purple, hair. HSe must have dyed it while they weren't talking.

He stopped and steeled himself. "What do you mean a guy like me?"

She ripped her hands from her hair to throw them about, finally stopping and spinning around to face him. He was right, she was crying. "Yeah! A good guy like you! Because you're a good guy with a promising future and you're sweet to boot! Good God are you a sweet guy! I don't know who wouldn't fall for you!"

He didn't recall when the warm feeling came, but he could obviously feel it in his chest. She had feelings for him too.

"So what's the problem?" He asked over the train coming down the tracks.

"Just- ugh!" She yelled and kicked the wire fence behind her, making it bounce back. "Because I am not right for you!"

"Why not?" He asked, his temper rising again.

"Why not?" She asked mockingly. "Why- because you're too good for me! And I'm-" she breathed. " Bad. Gutter trash."

"You're not gutter trash and we can at least try and give it a shot-"

"And ruin your perfect reputation?" She scoffed. "No. I'm not messing with your life any more than I already have."

Jeriah raised his hands to bunch up his hair in his hands. "Why do you do that? We've been over this. I want that. Maybe I want the trouble you bring, maybe I want to do all of the crazy things you do."

"Just admit it Jer!" She exclaimed. "You're too good for me! I know it, you know it, everyone knows it! So just wake up!"

She turned away from him to walk away from him. Something told him that if he let her walk away, he would have lost her.

Just prove it to her, show her you love her. She liked him. She wanted to be good as much as he wanted to be a badass. Maybe... maybe they could do it together.

Time to take a risk.

Jeriah leaped forward and grabbed her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. He spun her around and backed her against the chain-link fence. She bounced once before looking up at him shocked.

Resting hands on either side of her, Jeriah ducked his head to look into her newly brightened eyes.

"Maybe I don't want to wake up. Maybe you just need to dream better dreams."

He brushed against her lips, before slamming his lips against them. He moved his lips against her shocked ones. After another moment or two, he broke the kiss to peer at her through his lashes.

She was staring at him, shock evident in her eyes. Her mouth was partially open and showing off her pierced tongue. It really made him want to kiss her again.

He pressed his forehead against hers and looked her in the eye. "Next time, close your eyes," he whispered as he went in for another kiss.

It took a moment for her to respond. She leaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her off the ground. After a squeal of surprise, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him harder.