A Love of Christmas

Little Drummer Boy

Ryan's POV:

"Hey Abbie" I chirp to her as she walks towards me. I didn't think she'd be over today since she said she'd be working late. Peculiarly she keeps her gaze to the ground a she stalks past and out of the building, without even acknowledging me. This isn't like her.
What the hell did John do?
I dash upstairs but before I can even put my key in the lock, the apartment door opens and I come face to face with an unfamiliar blonde girl with her jacket and bag bundled in her arms. Next to her, John is grinning triumphantly and my blood boils.
I let the blonde slip out past me and I step into the apartment.
   "Who's that?" I ask as calmly as I can.
John, who's tidying things from around the living room, shrugs dismissively; A thing he does when he doesn't want to talk about something.
"Abbie caught ya, didn't she?" I ask rhetorically, clenching my jaw in anger.
That was why Abbie didn't acknowledge me downstairs. She didn't want me to see her hurt, to see the tears.
"Can you believe it, first time in history" John chuckles.
"You have to be fucking messing with me right now" I growl, my anger rising.
"Fuck off Ryan, it's not like it's any of your business anyway" John opens the fridge and takes out a bottle of water and drinks casually as if we're just debating about something stupid.
"She's my friend" I snarl. "Tyler and Demi's too and you just fucked her over as though she's another notch on your bedpost"
"She'll get over it and be begging for me back next week"
I hate how easy he thinks all this is, that just like that she'd come crawling back to him, but I know she won't.
Abbie's not like that.
"I've known you a long time man" I slowly cross the room to where he is, "and you've always been a shit friend" I state before my right fist comes flying up, connecting with his nose.
His hands fly to his face.
"You bastard" He curses as the blood gushes down his face. At least his smirk is gone. "I don't need to put up with this shit over some chick" he growls. My fist is still clenched, waiting for an opportunity to do it again. "I'm outta here" He huffs, holding his head back As he disappears into his room.
I've wanted to do that for years and honestly, it felt great.
Satisfied, I begin making make myself dinner and a cup of tea. I'd only sat on the sofa to drink my tea when the door flung open and Tyler came in scanning the place.
"Where is he?" Tyler questions with a viciousness in his tone. Just then, John's bedroom door opens and he emerges, struggling with two bags stuffed to the brim of his belongings. "What's going on?" Tyler anger quickly turns to bewilderment, noticing the bags and the tissue shoved up John' nostrils in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
"I don't need this shithole, and the so called friends in it" John awkwardly drags his bags to the door. "I'll be back for the rest of my things when he's not here" He says striding past Tyler in the doorway.
"what happened that anger you came barging in with?" I ask, turning back in my seat to watch the television.
"I don't know" Tyler says in utter confusion. "I came to give him a piece of my mind because he fucking cheated on Abbie but.." Tyler comes and sits on the armchair nearby and stares at me. "..What did you do?" He accuses.
"I gave him a piece of my mind.." I smirk deviously.
"then what happened his nose?"
"...And maybe my fist too" I add casually and take a sip of my tea.
"You hit him!" Tyler says shocked.
I try not to be a violent person. I can count on one hand how many people I've hit in my life including John, and the only reason I even hit those people was because they started on Tyler and I finished it.
What can I say, he's like my brother and I'm very protective of those I care about.
"He deserved it" Tyler relaxes into the seat, shaking his head in disbelief. "Did you see Abbie?" I had to ask, since it seems she's on the list of people I care about now.
"Yeah, she was crying to Demi when I left"
"Poor Abbs. She's too good for that dickhead"
"Yeah, she should be with you" Tyler wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at me.
I swear, he's determined to get me and Abbie together.
From the day Abbie and I met, we just clicked.We became like instant friends. We could insult one another and laugh it off. Tyler thought I'd finally met my match and pestered me to ask her out and I honestly don't think I would have but then she met John and we all thought that was it; she was going to change him; clearly not.
I shake my head at him. "As much as I like the girl, I don't think I'm the guy for her either"
"Whatever. I'm gonna head back up and see how they are, wanna come?" Tyler offers hauling himself from the armchair.
"No thanks" I kindly turn down his offer. I'd rather chill here and ice my sore knuckles. "Just don't tell them what happened here please. I don't think she needs any more drama right now"