Even Heroes Fall

16. Violet

We were about ten minutes into Clueless, nachos and popcorn laid out on the coffee table, when someone started knocking insistently at the front door.

'Leave them, they're probably just trying to sell something,' Jo suggested, stuffing popcorn into her mouth.

Then we heard someone, male, drunkenly shouting Celia's name.

'Oh, fuck.' Celia's face went pale. 'I think it's Max.'

'Max? What the Hell is he doing here?' I rolled my eyes.

'I don't know but I don't want to face him right now, can you go and talk to him please?' she asked me, a pleading look in her eyes. I wanted to ask "why me" but the answer was simple, I was her best friend. It was my duty to deal with annoying ex-boyfriends who could not take a hint. Sighing I propelled myself off the sofa and out of the front room, leaving the girls behind me.

'She does not want to see you so I suggest you go home,' I snapped as I opened the door, glaring out across the step at him.

He looked genuinely forlorn standing there in front of me, swaying slightly. I could smell the alcohol on him. 'Please, let me talk to her,' he said pathetically. 

I felt a stab of pity for him. Even though I would not exactly count him among my favourite humans he had saved me from that drunken idiot and been weirdly cool about keeping my father's identity a secret. 

'Sorry, Max,' I said, 'but Celia doesn't want to see you. Ever.' I tried to close the door but he wedged his foot in the way.

'I haven't done anything wrong.'

'That's not what I heard.'

'It's... complicated.' He ran his hands through his hair emulating the same gesture I had seen Ghoul not long ago that evening. In the evening light I could almost convince myself his hair even seemed the same colour. 

'I think you need to take your foot out of the door and off my front step before I call the police.' I pushed his chest firmly forgetting how firm it was and that shoving him made little difference.

'Please, Violet,' he pleaded, 'you know I'm a good guy, I would never cheat on her.'

'I don't, actually, I barely know you,' I snapped, ignoring the hurt that spiked in his eyes. 'Now you have ten seconds before I call the police. Ten, nine....' I pulled my mobile from my pocket.

'OK, OK.' Reluctantly he stepped back, his hands up in defeat. 'Just tell Celia... tell her I never cheated on her, please?' He stumbled a little.

'Sure,' I said sweetly, though I did not believe him. I slammed the door shut and locked it firmly in case he got any dumb ideas, then I went back to join the girls in the front room.

'What did he want?' Celia asked nervously. 

'He wanted to come in and talk to you,' I plopped down on the sofa. I was exhausted. After not sleeping properly on the hard police cell bed, working all day, and meeting Ghoul, I felt like I could sleep for a week.

'Maybe I should have....' Celia started to say but Jo cut across her.

'No,' Jo said firmly. 'He treated you with no respect so he deserves this. If my girlfriend started acting weirdly, not returning my texts or calls, some nights not talking to me at all, disappearing for days on end, and refusing to tell me where she had been then I would suspect her of cheating too.'

'Exactly. Especially as it happened more than once,' put in Laura.

'That is so messed up,' Jo continued, 'definitely cheating.'