Ace Merrill

My Person

"Shit, shit, shit!" Eyeball shouted holding his head back with blood draining from his nose, "can someone hand me something?"

Ace started the engine and reached over to the glove compartment on the passenger and grabbed out a polishing rag, "This'll have to do for now, don't tilt your head back too man- you know this by now-"

Ace had been to this rodeo hundreds of times (not the angry dads, the fights) he was basically a nurse to the guys at the house if they got hurt.

"Yeah yeah I know Ace I didn't wanna bleed all o'er the seats man." Eyeball mumbles as he holds the cloth under his nose, the polish fumes probably weren't doing any good for him.

" I'd rather you bleed all over than have a blood clot and get bad" Ace swings round corners as if it was just him in the car.

Meanwhile in the back Lili consoled an emotional Janie, given the bump Lili thought she was at least 4 months. How didn't Eyeball know for so long? Janie was uncontrollably crying as Lili held her in her arms, combing through her hair with her fingers. Trying to tell Janie it would be okay, she has somewhere to stay and nothing bad was going to happen. But nothing stopped her crying, Eyeball turned from his seat and placed his hand on her knee and she looked straight into his eyes.

"You'll be alright, baby, don't worry." He could calm her down just with a simple touch, thats how Lili felt about Ace.

The car journey was to the boys' house and Ace got out the car first taking Eyeball straight to the bathroom to sort him out with a first aid kit if he needed it. While Lili and Janie sat together in the car together, in silence, as Lili was still combing through Janie's hair.

"Well this was a chaotic way to meet for the first time.." the words awkwardly left Janie's mouth, "I hope that didn't freak you out and i'm sorry , I promise I'm a nice girl."

"Hey hey- no need to apologise for actions you didn't have control over. That kind of anger was going to come out sooner or later" Lili spoke assertively and looked at Janie, "I know first hand how scary it when the pent up anger comes out for the first time."

"..that wasn't the first time though, Dad was always angry and if it wasn't mom getting the blunt of it.. best believe it was me." Janie says wiping the last of her tears away, "I just never thought he'd be violent to other people, to Eyeball.."

"Let's go inside and I'll get you a drink, we can talk about things that are a bit more positive." Lili tried to distract her because she knew thats what she would've wanted when she was going through things with Wes.

The girls made their way to the kitchen as some of the cobras lazed around the house and some were out playing pool at Irby's. They all knew Janie so it was okay if they came in the kitchen or if the girls went in the living room, the girls knew that the cobras would sit up on the sofas to make some room for them if they went in. So they did, with a glass of water each. Lili and Janie chatted as the guys watched Castle Rock's own news station. It was talking about how a young man just got arrested for being caught in a rumble, something..Winston. Lili and Janie were waiting for Ace and Eyeball to come back.

Ace took one look at Eyeballs nose and noticed how broken it was and then his eyes were drawn to the massive red rash looking mark on his jaw from where he was punched. That was going to bruise. The first aid kit wasn't needed in the end but Ace decided that it would be best to clean and dry Eyeballs nose before he snapped it back into place. Ace had to snap it back into place because Eyeball always refused to go to the hospital- it was some sort of trauma with his dad always getting at him not to go to the hospital. He was used to it.

"Go on just get it over with," Eyeball clenched his eyes closed.

"And you're sure you don't want to go to a doctor?" Ace holds the back of Eyeballs head and grabs his nose .

"No doctors, no nurses, no hospitals," he says in one breath, " I trust you Ace"

"You got it." Ace said and with that he clicked Eyeball's nose back into place with no warning.

"ARH, fuck man!" Eyeball shouts holding his nose, "what the hell, no warning?"

"Better to be fast." Ace says patting him on the shoulder as he walks down the stairs to the girls.

"-Asshole."

The guys sat with everyone for a while as Eyeball and Janie talked things out. It seemed in the 20 minutes that Janie and Lili sat and talked for they learnt a lot about each other and felt quite comfortable with each other. When Eyeball told Janie she could stay with Lili she wasn't nervous to or anything.

Ace sat with one knee bobbing up and down and he kept looking in different directions every once in a while, almost like he was trying to clear his mind of something but couldn't. Ace stood abruptly and went to his room. Lili followed right behind him asking what was up and Ace just got out a cigarette and started smoking it with his door closed and one window open, the hot sun causing him to sweat.

"What's on your mind Ace? Tell me-" Lili walks over to him and he sits down on his arm chair.

"His dad. What if his dad finds out? I know I said it would be fine and he wouldn't but.." he flicks ash into the ash tray, "Mr Chambers would do anything to hurt his kids. I know I was a dick to Chris when we were young but I didn't think his dad was doing what he did to eyeball to him too."

He took a breath, " if he's capable of doing what he did to his youngest son for just being 5 minutes late home, then what the hell do you think he'll do to Eyeball if he finds out he's got a grandbaby?"

"Ace.." Lili sits on his lap and wraps her arms around him.

"Eyeball hates hospitals. Thats exactly where his dad will put him if he finds out about this." He takes a breath, "It'll break him if his dad get onto him because he's better now and he doesn't get beat up by his old man no more."

"I get it, you're worried about your friend..But until something happens you have to embrace what you all have." Lili says with her head nestled into his neck.

They sat idly until Ace had a hot reminder that he had a cigarette in his hands when it burnt him. When it did it made them both jump a bit, they got up and went back out with the cobras and Janie. The plans of going out on a walk weren't ruined yet though as Lili got everyone in the house into the cars outside and the cobras all went out to the top of castle rock for a camp fire night. It was 21:20 by the time they got to their spot and the stars spread across the sky like butter on toast. Everyone sat on their own camping chair or blanket. The cobras sat in their sub groups and they all had a night like they would've 3 years ago. It all felt the same. So comforting to Lili and she hoped it felt good for Janie too.

Lili sat in between Ace's legs that were out in a v shape and his legs bent up cradling Lili. He played with the ends of her hair as they both looked up to the stars.

"You know, you're prettier than the tonight's sky." Ace whispered to Lili.

"Don't make me fall too hard for you Merrill.." leant her head back onto his shoulder, " I still like you Ace.."

"You've always got a place in my heart, you'll always be my person no matter if you decide to run off with someone else" he says, " you'll always be in my heart, sunshine."

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