Something Happened

Chapter 14

So, we did, in fact, get 'this thing started'. Most of the guys argued on who should roll the ball first and whose ball was bigger. That led to a much larger discussion that I had no interest in being a part of.

At one point, someone had ordered four buckets of fries and six pitchers of soda and water. Trenton, Jared, Damon, Derek, and some guy named Sam all had pretty close scores. People started placing bets on who would win the game, even my mom joined in, placing thirty dollars on Jared.

"Suck it, Jaeden!" Sam yells out when Jaeden score had fallen to the bottom. I am sure I would have been at the bottom too, but I dropped out of the game when my anxiety got too bad. Something about having a large group of guys stare at me as I lose terribly didn't sit well with me.

"Who are you betting on?" Damon asks me, coming too close for my liking. I shuffle away a little.

"I put fifteen down on my brother. He's a machine," I tell him. He scowls at me.

"What? You don't have faith in me?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" I ask him, a smirk playing on my lips.

"Ouch, you wound me, Estelle," he clutches his heart and throws his head back. I laugh at his antics.

"What are we laughing about?" My hair stands on end and the good moment I was feeling quickly turns sour.

I could tell Damon wasn't Derek's biggest fan, but he tolerated him. "Hey man, just telling Estelle that she should be nicer to me. When I win this thing she's gonna wanna be on my side," Damon tells him. I swallow a few times to make sure I don't puke on him.

"Yeah, I know how you feel. Estelle is a bitter little thing, isn't she?" Derek says. He throws his arm around my shoulder and I am again frozen, hypnotized. His touch burns through my thin sweater. I wish I had worn something thicker to ward off his touch.

A few of the guys notice his action and they start talking. I hear different questions from all around our group. 'Are they together?' 'Wasn't she just yelling at him in the halls?' 'Damn, Derek always gets the girls!' 'Do you think I could get on that?'

Jamie finds his way over to us on the bench to see what's going on.

"Hey, I don't know if you should be doing that," Jamie says, being the first to speak up when I can't.

"We are just messing around. Estelle and I had a thing not too long ago, truth be told," Derek says. Damon and Jamie both look at me as if questioning its truthfulness.

"Why don't you just give her some space," Damon says eventually, looking unsure of himself. He and Jamie look at each other then at me, waiting for me to say something.

I try to force words out of my mouth but Derek's eyes keep me captive. When I try to look away from them I am met by Jamie's. They are so similar. That night they were the only thing clear in my vision. His eyes they stuck out in the moonlight and haunted my dreams. I saw them every night within the darkness.

I don't know why Derek was suddenly so rough and loud. I think back to when he tried telling me about his dad. I wonder if something had happened before he came here tonight. Did he and his dad get into a fight? Will he try and make me feel his pain again?

Jared looks around after his turn, trying to figure out what's going on. His eyes eventually meet mine and he stands there looking confused for a few minutes before coming over to us. He looks between Jamie and Damon and then he looks between Derek and I. His eyebrows furrow.

"Am I missing something? What's going on?" Jared asks, completely confused.

"I am just trying to convince Estelle to let me show her a really good time," Derek says in a guttural tone.

Jared's eyes briefly met mine before he was grabbing onto the collar of Derek's shirt and pushing him up against the nearest wall. Damon and Jamie rush forward and I back away. My eyes widen and my stomach churns and my anxiety goes the highest it's ever been. I have no idea what's going on.

Arms wrap themselves around me and pull me back, away from the commotion. I open my mouth to scream but Ethan's voice floats through my ears. "It's okay, It's just me."

Guys gather around, some of them try to pull Jared off of Derek, others tell them to fight. My mother yells and Jared to stop but she gets bumped to the back of the circle and her words mean nothing. The waitress that was working stops and grabs her phone as if to call the police but she never dials, she just stands there, her phone tight in her grip.

I wasn't sure who threw the first punch but suddenly fists were being thrown and Ethan's arms around me tense. A few of the guys back away, being sure not to get hit in the crossfire. Damon and Jamie jump in to try and pull them apart but Derek punches Damon hard in the face, blood pours from his nose and both Damon and Jamie curse.

Jared pins Derek to the floor and holds him back. He starts yelling as he hits, his words fill the building.

"What did you do to my sister!" Jared yells more than asks. Every single person in the building whips their heads towards me with patronizing gazes. I look over at Jamie and Damon. They are already staring at me with expressions that I can't read. Tears spring to my eyes without my permission. Damon tried to come towards me but someone holds him back, telling him that he needs to make sure his nose isn't broken. He obeys and lets the guy look at his nose.

When I turn around Derek finds the strength to flip Jared over and pin him down, switching their roles. When I see blood coming out of my brother's mouth and nose I run forward. Ethan tried to grab back onto me but I slip just out of his reach. I am almost close enough to touch my brother before I am grabbed onto. This time by Jamie. I turn in his arms to tell him to let me go but my stare gets caught in his. Derek. His touch. Derek. His body. Derek. His eyes. Derek.

"No! Stop! Don't touch me! Please, leave me alone!" I sob. Jamie holds me tighter and I sob even harder because of Derek and because I am no longer me and because I can't stand to be around this guy who has only ever been nice to me.

Jamie spins around to walk us in the other direction, over his shoulder, I can see Damon finally pull them apart. All three of them are bleeding but Jared looks at Derek like he isn't bleeding enough.

I want to go to them, but Jamie holds me in place whether it's to comfort me or make sure I don't get stepped on or in the way. Either way, at this moment, Jamie isn't Derek. Jamie never hurt me or touch me in places that are soft and vulnerable. I smell caramel instead of the familiar body spray and sweat stench from that night. Jamie is Jamie, not Derek. Jamie is Jamie.