Brown Eyed Boy

Fight Interrupted (Jessie POV)

“Because that's not what Michael thought. Hell, he still owns you doesn't he?” Jared's words were like glue as they clung to each of my nerves, keeping me frozen to the spot. His smirk was like a slap to my face and I couldn't bring myself to struggle against his hold anymore. All I could think was that Jared was right on some level. Michael did own me in the sense that the memory of what happened to me that night would drift into my present. Whether I was sleeping or awake, it haunted me and kept me from moving on; especially since Jared continued to bring it up.

My mind seemed to go blank, trying to protect me from the dark images and I barely registered someone coming at Jared and his hold on my arm disappearing. Without him holding on to me, I fell to the ground and just sat, my vision seeming to blur. I could see Jared fighting someone in front of me but I couldn't see their face or who was winning. I pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around them as I watched the fight without actually seeing anything. Suddenly someone was in front of me and  after a few gentle shakes, I realized that it was Emmett and he was saying something I wasn't really hearing.

“What?” I managed to get out in confusion. His face was worried as he stared back at me.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I- I guess so,” I answered. He paused for only a second as he looked back at me and then nodded.

“Good,” he replied. “Because I'm going to need your help stopping Carlos.”

“Carlos?” I asked, feeling as if I were in some sort of fog that was slowly receding. “What's wrong with Carlos?”

Emmett looked at me as though I were crazy and then stepped to the side so that I could see the fight again. For the first time, I saw that the person fighting Jared was Carlos, and Jared was losing. The thought that Jared was paying for the pain that he caused me yet again almost made me smile. But then I saw the angry look on Carlos' face and the almost emptiness in his brown eyes and something just felt wrong. This wasn't my best friend; this wasn't the same Carlos who had let me cry into his chest and fall asleep on his couch. This wasn't the same sweet hearted guy who would go to the end of the world and back for his sister. The guy punching Jared and not reacting to a single blow that was inflicted on him was emotionless and dark and it scared me. This wasn't the Carlos I knew and certainly not one I wanted to know.

“Carlos,” I called as I got up from the floor. Not even a twitch to acknowledge that he heard me. “Carlos!” Still nothing. I ran over to them and grabbed on to his arm with one hand before he yanked it out of my grip. “Carlos, stop! You're going to get suspended!” He continued to punch Jared and I felt the fear spread like ice cold water in my veins. “Carlos you're going to kill him, please stop!” I grabbed on to his arm again, this time with both hands, as he pulled back preparing to deliver another blow. I felt the muscle in his arm flex as he tried to pull out of my grasp again and then he turned on me angrily. I wanted to flinch as his cold empty eyes fell on me, but then I saw recognition flash across his face when he saw it was me. “Carlos please,” I pleaded, afraid he would go back to punching Jared.

“What?” he asked me as his eyes seemed to flicker back to life. They were full of confusion as he stared up at me.

“Please stop,” I said. “I'm fine. There's no reason for you to get suspended for fighting.”

“But-”

“Please,” I said again. “For me.” I didn't want to admit it but I was scared of the Carlos I had just seen. I knew he was only sticking up for me, being the best friend that he was. But I couldn't shake that coldness I felt when I saw his empty eyes. I was so used to their warmth and humor and all the caring he always had in them that I was afraid Jared had somehow taken it from him. And if I never saw it again, I didn't know what I would do.