Give Me Life

Chapter 3. Right From Wrong

"That night... I lost myself."

Devlin tried to peer down at Katrina's reaction, but he couldn't see her face, so he kept going.

"My anger consumed me.. It turned me into someone that I'm not.. When I punched her; I wanted to punch myself afterwards... And then I saw her boyfriend coming at me and... I knew it was going to be ugly." This guy was scrawny so; I knew that he had no chance between me and him... I.." He paused, and nervously stared up at the ceiling. "I didn't mean to hurt her, I just wanted to scare her..."

Katrina sat in silence. She didn't know whether to leave, or keep listening; She heard him correctly. "He did hit this girl." It wasn't something petty, like a slap or shove, he punched the girl.

"And then I heard it."

"It was so loud my ears rang and I froze because... I thought maybe it had been me who was hit."

"But I was wrong."

"I seen that the guy had fell down... Before he fell, he was touching the back of his head, and he stared at me with confusion in his eyes.. Like.. I don't know... I look at him, he look at me... I wos the last person he saw.. And then, when I looked around to see where it came from, I couldn't hear anything... That girl." He corrected himself. "Jasmine.. She went to him.. And was holding his head."

He breathed in and swallowed.

"Someone shot him, and it wasn't me, I just stood there; And stood there, and stood there." He paused, and heavily sighed, staring at the dresser.

"I couldn't get a good view of the mans face, but I knew he was still near us.. I could clearly see the gun from the distance where I was at... Next thing I know, the gun landed right in front of me.. Someone kicked it to me, I didn't even touch it." He rushed.

"When the cops came, she told them I shot him... She explained the fight and... From there on, I'm pretty sure you heard the rest." He murmured.

"I served my time, gave the authorities the information they needed, and they let me go." He said dismissively.

"They just let you go? Like that?" She softly whispered.

Katrina didn't know how to take in this information. There was just something that didn't sound right. It seemed like he was protecting someone, he chose his words very carefully, almost too calculated... "But who?" She thought to herself.

"I think you know the person who shot him.." Katrina accidentally blurted out loud, Devlin frowned at her, he also couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I don't know what you're talking abot'..." He said slowly.

"You're protecting someone Devlin, I think..." She didn't want to say it like that but, she had a strong feeling he was.

"You think? I'm not afraid of anyone? Protecting who? You don't know what you're talking abot."

Katrina sat up, and began putting on her shoes. He seemed extremely angry, and she didn't want to make him even more upset. Devlin laughed and leaned back on the bed, placing his hands on his face. "Oh man, this is what I get, I deserve this... I don't deserve someone like you." Katrina stopped in her tracks and placed her hands on her hips. "Please explain?"

"I don't mean it like that.. I meant; Fuck... You're a smart girl, figure it out..."

"Figure out what? I don't understand any of this... I don't understand, why such a good man, well I think is a good man... Is punishing himself for something he didn't do..."

"I did do something..." He grounded out, taking his hands off his face, Katrina just shook her head. "No... You didn't, you shouldn't have went to prison if you didn't kill that man..."