Chapter 14

Mara learns what Dakota did to Jessie.

 

Chapter Fourteen

 

Mara looked at Dakota shocked by what she just heard.

“Dakota, what the hell is she talking about?” she asked him.

“It’s her fault you were thrown out. I made her pay for it.” He rolled his eyes, like he couldn’t believe they were having this conversation.  

Mara got up from the table and grabbed Dakota’s arm, “Did I not walk into your room and tell you that Holly’s moving?”

Dakota avoided my eyes. “No one told me anything other than you leaving.”

“You f*****g moron!” She pushed him slightly. “You hurt her! You actually seriously hurt her!”

“You broke her wrist.”

“That was an accident! I didn’t go into her room aiming to break her wrist and I had the balls to apologize for it. I apologized for everything I did to her over the years. We were all wrapped up in your crazy ideas about her and Tristan we didn’t see how crazy you truly are. Forget it you’re no longer my brother until you get help serious help Dakota.” She stormed out of the kitchen.

 

* * *

The following morning the tension in the house doubled over night. I woke up and I considered going back to sleep. The air felt so heavy and oppressive or maybe those were my own feelings due to Dakota being in the house.

 

Ben is still sleeping, I thought about waking him up early so he could sneak back into the guest room where he's supposed to be, but he needs sleep. I carefully got out of bed, changed into a sandy brown striped shirt and jeans, and crawled back into my bed.

 

"You're awake already?" Ben asked with his eyes closed.

"I'm going back to sleep though, I don't want to face today so I'm going to sleep until tomorrow."

"What about food, you need that at some point in the day."

"I'm sleeping until tomorrow and I'm not changing my mind." I said lying back down and closing my eyes.

"So you changed out of your pajamas so you could go back to sleep?" Ben asked climbing into my bed. I felt bad he slept on the floor but he claims he's slept in worse places than a floor.

"I decided that after I already changed and I didn't feel putting pajamas back on." I explained and he smiled, like he was trying not to laugh. "Oh shut up will you!" I hit him with my bed pillow.

"Did I say anything?"

"You were going to say something!"

"But I didn't say anything." He giggled and I hit him again. "To be fair you made that decision and I thought the decision was funny, so I’m going to giggle and tease you about it.”

"And I’m going to hit you with my pillow as a response."

"Do you really want to keep this conversation going?"      

"Well I’ve already made up my mind and there’s not much you can do to stop me."

"Do you really believe that there's nothing I can do that will stop you from hitting me?"

"Damn right I do." Before I finished saying 'do' he pinned my arms down by my head.

"You're not hitting me for a while now, so I could be a jerk and tease you all I want."

"You know I could just kick you instead right?"

 "Are you implying that you wanted me to tie you up?" He smiled and I rolled my eyes.

"Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Maybe I like my mind in the gutter.”

"You're not winning this conversation Ben."

His response was to kiss me for a while then he stopped suddenly and continued giggling, "I think I already won."

"Cheating doesn't count as winning."

"I don't know whose cheating."

"You just did!"

"Because I kissed you!"

"Yes! That's cheating! Now let go of my arms."

"Are you going to hit me again?"

"Are you going to tease me about the root beer thing that happened forever ago?"

"Why do you even have to ask?"

"Then I'm going to hit you again."

"Okay, fair enough, but you can't hit me if I don't let go of your arms."

"If I knee you in the balls then you're letting go whether you want to or not."

"That's cheating!"

"Well if kissing is fair then kicking is fair too."

"Those are two completely different things…"

I jerked my knee up but I never planned on hitting him. He flinched, and I pulled my arms down and I rolled off my bed. I almost fell on the floor but I stuck my feet out before I completely fell off.

"Next time I get you, I'm going after your feet."

"Well then I’ll just kick you, you’re not very good at this game."

"That's right I just remembered you're really ticklish."

I ended up backing myself into the back my desk chair, "Don't even go there." I grabbed his hands and held them by his sides.

"You won't know when but I'll do it."

 

 

* * *

 

 

I ventured down to the kitchen, with Ben right behind me, around the same time as yesterday. Since the fridge full with leftovers today looked like a cereal day, my cereal of choice as well as Tabby the unopened box of Lucky Charms someone brought recently but nobody seemed to notice.

"How long are you staying here for?" I asked Ben once I'd finished my food.

"I have to go back to get all of my stuff, but once I do that I'm here until New Year’s."

I smiled, I've never spent more than a day with him this will be interesting. "I get to deal with you for nearly a week."

"Yup and all the teasing and tickling and random kissing to confuse you every now and again."

"So that's why you do that?"

"Yup, just for shock value." He's lying and I can tell from the smile on his face.

"It's starting to lose its effect; you're going to have to change your strategy."

"Well if you know I'm changing it then it's not as effective."

"That's also true but I won't know what you're planning so in a way it still has some shock to it." I drank the last of the milk out of the bowl because I still do that and for some reason I like the way cereal milk tastes.

"Do you really plan on hiding in my room with me for a week?"

"You're not going to be hiding for a week." He said and I remembered Dakota's still in the house.

"Well we're hiding for another day."

"That's fine, it's better than your original plan."

"I made that plan before I knew that you decided to stay here until New Year’s."

"You also made that plan before you knew what you wanted to do for the day~"

I gave him a look, not that he finds anything I do threatening in any way shape or form, but I did it anyway. He laughed of course, but I'd beat him for it later.

“If I tell you I love you will you stop punching my arm?” Ben asked as we were leaving the kitchen.

I stopped walking, there’s no way he just said what I heard. “What?”

“If I tell you that I love you, will you stop punching my arm?”

I could feel my cheeks warming up. No blushing yet, I can’t blush right now!

I opened my mouth to answer. Someone grabbed my forearms, big hands like vice grips, and my back collided with the side of the stairs.

"Why do you always f**k everything up?" He's asked leaning entirely too close to my face. I could feel the anger pouring out of him. I felt like if I didn’t get away from him, I would drown in his anger.  

“You’re the one who beat me. I did nothing to you! Mara didn’t even know you beat me until last night."

"It’s your fault Mara was thrown out!" He squeezed my arms tighter. I wanted to fight back but I broke down. I don’t understand why he’s still in the house. I wish they would call the cops. Maybe a night in jail would scare Dakota straight. My knees stopped supporting my weight, hell I couldn’t even feel the lower half of my legs. I hate crying but one of the things I do around Dakota is cry like a blubbering idiot. Then again this is his fault; he beat me for no reason. He was well aware Mara left to help her friend. She told him the night she left.

"How am I responsible?" I squeaked through my sobs.

"Ireland threw her out~"

"No one threw her out! She left on her own free will after I came back from the hospital! Why don’t you listen when people talk to you?" I should have let him scream at me and get his anger out. I shouldn’t have interrupted him. He had the audacity to hit me with Ben standing a few feet away. I pushed his hand away and covered my face with my bad but free arm.

"F**k off will you,” Ben grabbed my hand and pushed passed Dakota. Back to hiding in my room we go.

"If he's still here tomorrow I don’t care what your parents say, I want you to stay with me until they figure out what to do with him."

"I'd like that quite a lot, but I don't have money for a plane ticket."

He kissed the top of my forehead, "Do you honestly think I'd make you buy your own plane ticket?" I shook my head no. "I'm buying your ticket and I'll fly back with you whenever you want to come back here." 

Author's Note

i hate this chapter, I will fix it eventually but here is the chapter for now.