Dangerous & Anew (Sequel to Inhaling Alongside You)✔️

Chapter Twenty-Two: Chandlers Retaliation

If I broke down and lost all control,
Would you know how to handle me,
Would you hold me 'til I stop shaking,
Kiss away all of my tears?
Would you know how to lift me up
From a place far below recognition?
You see a sexy, loving woman,
But I'm so much more.

Broken (exerted poem) by unknown.

Weary, exhausted, and drained. That's what I am. Rage, anguish, and bemused. That's what I feel. Shatters, pieces, and scatters. That's what my life is in, in this moment. I haven't reached an nadir of annoyance, but I'm not far from it. I may be strong, but I can't always fight. I can't always hold back the tears. I'm human.

Jesse can only take so much.

In addition to the confrontation between the Chandlers and I, Michael and I also engaged in a verbal quarrel. That quarrel only led me to try to knock a bit of intellect in him-literally. When I say I've never seen Michael so enraged or engulfed with anger to the point that a beam of red flashes across those once loving almonds of his, I mean it. I've never seen him so angry. But, he has another thing coming if he feels he's going to end this on his terms.

He'd be absolutely insane.

"Jess! Jess!" His voice screeches through the hallway.

I quietly slip out of Noah's nursery, gently closing the door behind me. Upon noticing Michael's plaid flannel, I inhale deeply to prepare myself for what is to come. In a tactic to alleviate the possibility of Noah being awoken to his mother and fathers howling at each other, I step away from the his door and head towards Michael.

I meet Michael at the door of his office, waiting for him to open it. He doesn't even give me so much of a quick glance before angrily shoving the key into its hole and forcing the door open. I quickly slip into the office and wait for the door to slam, indicating Michael is ready to begin. Instead, he quietly closes the door and walks over to his desk.

All the while I watch him carefully. Michael can be a bit of a ticking time bomb, I'm just preparing myself for the explosion.

After a few silent moments, he slams his palm against the wooden desk and glances up at me, his eyes still dark
With fury.

"Why? Why in the hell would you... You fucking slapped me! Why?!" He screeches, glaring at me coldly.

I take a moment to mentally gather myself. I want to maintain my composure. I not only want to prohibit waking Noah, but I also am in mood to fight anymore.

"You have a lot of nerve Michael. A lot of damn nerve to sit here and yell and raise hell with me. Why are you angry? You know as well as I do that you deserved that. Only one man has ever talked to me like that, and even then he'd have the decency to apologize." I calmly state, maintaining our eye contact.

With every word, especially with my last few words, Michael's expression softens. He has knowledge of my fathers verbally harsh approach when handling me sometimes. He also knows how much I hated it. Therefore he should know that I don't respond well to someone else speaking to me in that same manner.

I simply refuse to deal with it.

"Jess you know I didn't mean for it to come out like that. It's just you threw out invisible bombs and we were just hit with sudden explosions. I'm frustrated-"

"Don't you think I am too? Don't you think I get tired of this same crap. Michael you have to wake up... You need to wake up" I sigh, feeling the mental exhaustion hovering over me.

I'm tired of talking about this now.

"Don't you know I'm trying? I feel like I try and try, but you never see it. Do I even make you happy anymore?" Michael stresses, his voice straining at his last question.