chapter 8 dinner with friends

Chapter 8: Dinner with Friends

“Joey let go of me! I heard Laura shout from back in the parking lot. We spun around and looked for her

“Would you shut up I’m just helping you out of the car!” Joey shouted back. He sounded angry. We started to head over to them.

“I can get out of the car myself,” she shouted, “You’re too upset! Just go home!”

“I’m not going home! We’re going to eat!”

“Joey, let me go.” We got to the car to se Joey dragging her out of the car.

“Come on!” he shouted and yanked her suddenly. She got out and I could see the tears.

“Please,” she whimpered.

“Come on now, it’s ok,” Joey whispered holding her close to him. I watched his hand gently pet her cheek.

“Joey please, I’m not in the moon,” she whimpered.

“I think that’s enough,” Will said sternly, standing up strait beside me. Joey would have said something but he thought better of it after seeing how mad Will was.

“Let’s go eat,” I said weekly.

“Yes,” Will agreed strongly while pulling Laura away from Joey. He looked upset but didn’t say anything about it. Will took both of us under his arms and walked away with Joey following sulkily.

“Thanks,” Laura muttered quietly.

“It was nothing,” Will said sadly.

“He’s not normally like this,” she sighed. I gave a small snort but she ignored it and went on. “Sometimes he’s so so nice and then other times he gets so obnoxious. I blame his mother, she coddles him.”

“Well Will knows a little about that,” I laughed darkly.

“That’s not something we go around discussing,” Will muttered.

“Sorry,” I whispered guiltily.

“Sounds like you two are getting pretty close,” Laura giggled.

“Shut up,” I hissed playfully at her.

“As your best friend she’s entitled to know,” he said indifferently.

“Shut up,” I smirked.

“Well I am!” she hissed at me playfully.

“Yes we got very close at the movie… in the car,” I whispered the last bit but I think she heard.

“How close?” she giggled.

“I’ll tell you later,” I sighed.

“Aw, she’s blushing,” he laughed.

“Shut up!” I laughed as I pulled out of his arm and opened the door. He let Laura walk in first and then Joey then he held the door for me with a smile.

“Ladies first,” he smirked and I walked in while rolling my eyes. Chloe gave us a table for four and we gave our order for drinks.

“So what’s with you Will? Play any sports?” Joey asked.

“Well I play pool,” he laughed, “Does that count?”

“No… it doesn’t,” he said stoically.

“Yeah well… it was a joke,” Will tried with a smile.

“Not funny,” Joey said, getting angry now.

“Sorry,” Will huffed with an annoyed smirk.

“Do you work out a lot?” Joey asked harshly.

“Sure, I guess you could say that,” he sighed. Chloe brought our drinks.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“Exactly what you think it means,” he sighed and looked away.

“Don’t worry about it Joe,” I whispered.

“I was just asking,” he seethed.

“Drop it Joe!” Laura said, frustrated, putting her head in her hands.

“You don’t tell me what to do!” he shouted.

“Can I get y’all’s order?” Chloe said cheerfully as she rounded the corner. We all calmed down and told her what we wanted. When she walked away we were left in silence.

“Well this is fun,” Joey sighed.

“Ok, why don’t we find something interesting to talk about,” Will said cheerfully.

“I don’t know!” Joey exclaimed motioning his hands out across the table, “What do losers talk about?”

“Joey! What the hell?” Laura shouted standing up from the table.

“What! You’re the one who dragged me here!” he shouted standing up as well.

“Hey, hey, let’s calm down here!” Will shouted standing up. I looked down at my lap embraced.

“I’m out of here!” Joey sighed and rolled his eyes as he walked out.

“Well,” Will hissed in outrage. Laura sat down and then Will followed. We told Chloe not to bring his food, but that was the only thing we said. We ate our food in silence which made it go down a lot faster.

“I… I’m gona go check on my uncle,” Laura whispered while standing up and walking towards the kitchen. We sat for a while just staring at empty plates.

“I guess I’ll be taking you home?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I whispered.

“Why doesn’t she leave him?”

“I don’t know, something about her just… she attracts strange… men…”

“We don’t know anyone like that do we?”

“Well when I say strange I mean… you know what I mean!” I gasped, “Are you saying you’re a strange man?” I asked in disbelief.

“No!” he laughed, “I meant I was a stranger,” he laughed a little unsure, “I’m fine…”

“You’re fine!” I asked faking outrage, “That’s not the issue.”

“You know what I meant!” he hissed, “I’m safe.”

“Sure…” I sighed, trying to hide my grin.

“You’re smiling aren’t you,” he chuckled. I felt his arm wrap around me. I looked up at him. His face was close to mine. I nodded slightly and our smiles faded. He lowered his mouth to mine. it was longer but still not long enough. He pulled away and gave me an innocent look. I squirmed in my seat and pulled back a little. A blush spread across my face as I noticed we were being watched.

“Come on, it’s time to get you home,” he smiled. He offered me his arm and we both got up.

Just as I reached the door Laura signaled for me to come talk to her. I gave Will an apologetic smile, he told me to go on and he’d pull the car around. Together we went for the kitchen. We huddled inside the pantry.

“Well what did you guys talk about?” she whispered excitedly.

“Nothing we didn’t talk,” I sighed.

“Oh how exciting,” she rolled her eyes.

“Shut up,” I hissed and rolled my eyes.

“Well you really should find out more about him,” she rolled her eyes again.

“Laurie! Are you with him or against him? Make up your mind!” I sighed energetically at her.

“I just want you to enjoy yourself, your always so serious and if he’s what makes you happy I’m all for it,” she whispered to the ground.

“I have enough fun with you,” I told her.

“Lily, I can’t be the only one you can come to, I have so much else on my mind,” she sighed. I felt the weight of her words deep in my chest.

“Oh so I see, I’m just a burden,” I hissed.

“Lily!” she exclaimed in shock, “No! That’s not at all what I mean… I just meant…”

“You have your own problems, I know,” I hissed, “but whenever I ask you never say anything. Laura, if you needed me I was always there, I’m still here.”

“I know but Lily,” she was starting to sob, “it’s so hard,” she panted.

“I know it’s hard and that’s why I’m here… but if you don’t understand that you have to talk things out with people sometimes I guess you don’t need me,” I huffed. She looked up at me in shock as I made for the door.

“What do you mean?” she asked in a strained voice.

“I mean that until you’re willing to tell me what’s been going on we’re not talking,” I answered calmly as I walked out the door.

“Lily wait, Lily I can’t…” she shouted after me but made no attempt to follow, “Please I can’t tell you.” It was the hardest thing I ever did to walk away but the thought that she didn’t trust me burned.

I walked out of the restaurant and expected him to be there with a grin holding the door open. I pursed my lips and began to look around the dark parking lot. His car was in the same place where we left it so he hadn’t abandoned me but what else could it be. I realized what I was doing was dangerous so I ran back to the side walk outside the door. I heard grunting from the side of the building. I knew it was wrong but I didn’t have much else to do so I inched closer to the edge and peeked around. What I saw took my breath away. One man had the other held against the wall by his collar. The one against the wall kicked the other who let him fall. Before I knew it the guy who had had him against the wall held him by the jacket and punched him repeatedly in the stomach. When I realized who was the one doing the beating up I came full around the corner. Will was using all his strength to keep the man under control. I gasped and nearly passed out; I had to put my arm out against the wall for support.

Will looked at me and froze for a moment allowing the man to crumble. I watched him fall and closed my eyes. He started for me before the man came at him.

“Give me my God damn money you punk!” the man shouted. Will’s mouth fell open as the man kicked him in the back. He sunk momentarily and then swung around and punched the man. I grabbed the wall and tried not to faint. The man fell to the ground and stayed there. Will turned back to me and made for me. I started backing up slowly as he came forward. Before I could turn around and run he grabbed my arms.

“Please Lily, try to understand,” he whispered.

“Understand what,” I whispered hoarsely.

“That… that was, I…” he stuttered.

“There’s nothing,” I said with sudden courage, “you can say that would explain…” I said in outrage.

“Please let me…” he was straggling to say.

“No, let me go!” I screamed struggling to get free.

“Wait please Lily!” he whispered, “Lily it doesn’t matter.”

“Yes it does! Yes it does! You just beat the crap out of a man!” I shouted now beating him as best I could with my arms in his hands.

“Wait, just wait,” he sighed. I stomped on his foot and he finally let go. I didn’t look back I just ran. I was back in the building. I knew I couldn’t run to Laura after what I’d just said to her so I ran to the bathroom. I went to the sink and sank to my knees. I couldn’t believe that all my fears were suddenly there. He was dangerous just maybe not to me. I couldn’t understand why that man would want money for him. I was looking for any reason that maybe some guy was asking for money from him. I had this sinking feeling in my chest thinking about just what he could be.

I dropped my hands from the sink and wrapped them around my legs. The scene kept playing over and over again in my mind. I kept seeing the ferocity in his eyes as he punched the man again and again. The way he did it, the way he was able to keep the situation under control, it was like he’d done it before… he’d done it a lot. Before I knew it the tears were streaming down my face.

“Oh honey…” I heard Laura and I couldn’t believe it. I fell back on the floor as she wrapped her arms around me.

“Where were you?” I asked in shock.

“I was in the stall, sweety what happened?” she whispered as she held me close and rubbed my arms.

“He was, he was fighting,” I sobbed.

“Fighting? Fighting who?” she asked confused.

“I don’t know! Does it matter?” I sobbed into her shoulder.

“Well honey was the guy mugging him?” she asked worriedly.

“No,” I sobbed, “The guy asked for his money, I’m pretty sure that’s not what muggers do,” I said in outrage.

“Well, don’t cry, don’t cry, I’m sure there’s a good reason,” she soothed.

“Yeah, he’s in a gang!” I shouted standing up.

“What?”

“He… his friend… and him being… so… vague,” I whispered between sobs as I paced back and forth.

“Listen I’m sure he has a reason!” she whispered urgently.

“No! You listen! He was beating a man up!” I told her strictly, to her face. “I don’t even know his parents, if he really goes to Huntsville, I don’t know anything about him hardly!”

“Well,” she sighed desperately, “then let him go.”

“But,” I shouted desperately running my hand through my hair.

“But what? What else is there? If you don’t want to hear what he has to say then… then you can’t expect to keep him around can you?” she told me calmly.

“You can’t…” I shouted, “You can’t do this to me,” I whimpered.

“Well what do you want me to say?” her voice cracked and I fell back to the floor with her. We hugged and I cried for a long time on that dirty bathroom floor.

“Come on, it’s getting late,” she whispered to me, “I’ll get Charley to give us a ride home.” I sighed and followed slowly. I waited outside the kitchen door while she went in and talked to him. When she came out she was followed by some young boy.

“Hey this is my cousin, Andy,” she smiled breathlessly.

“Oh hey,” I said trying for a smile.

“Hey,” he smiled back, a little worried. We shook hands awkwardly and smiled at each other for minute.

“Well…” Laura said, breaking the silence. We dropped hands, “Let’s go, he’s giving us a ride home,” she smiled.

“Wait I thought Charley…”

“Busy, Andy’s his son and he’s supposed to be headed home right now anyways.”

“Yeah, I have to get up early and come to work. Then school,” he sighed exhaustedly.

“How early do you have to come in?”

“Dad makes me come in as early as five for the early risers,” he sighed.

“Wow,” I said surprised, “so how late does he make you stay?”

“Until eight is as late as he makes me but I like to hang out with people,” he smiled. I started to smile but couldn’t bring myself to keep it. I hid my face behind my hands and started to tear up again. We got into the car in silence; me and Laura in back with Andy up front driving. There wasn’t any talking only Andy’s blasted radio singing some classic rock songs. I leant against Laura and let the tears fall silently. We got to my house first and Laura saw me up to my room where I passed out on my bed.