The Cliche Gone Wrong

Chapter Sixty

I pull the blanket up to Kenedi's chin as I tuck her already sleeping form into my bed. I pat Chi on the head as she turns in a few circles on the pillow by Ken's head before I quietly leave the room. How could this happen? I lean back against the closed the door to my bedroom, taking deep breaths as I try to keep myself in check. Breathe in. Breath out. Calm down. Everything is okay. But no amount of regulated breathing can calm the rage that is building inside of me. I can't stop remembering the hysterical tears running down Ken's face.

I push off from the door and start walking down the hallway. My fingers clench and unclench repeatedly, my rampant fury coursing through my body. I'm going to kill them. I have time too. Ken is going to be sleeping for a while since she took a shower and had something to eat. I'll call her parents in an hour or so to let them know that she's safe. But right now, I have something else to do.

I think back on the broken explanation she gave me, sobbing out an incoherent reason of why she was a mess. I was too freaked out when I picked her up from her job I thought she was injured. It All I heard was her mumble the name Alan and my vision turned red. I could barely stop myself from running back into that restaurant and murdering everyone that allowed my baby to get hurt like this. I couldn't leave her, though. She was clutching to my shirt so tightly her palms were turning red. It's only now that she is asleep that I'll be able to make sure that this never happens again.

My walk turns into a jog as I speed down the stairs and out the front door, not bothering to grab my car keys since I'm not going very far. I start to run down the street, passing the 4 other houses on my court as I make my way to the main street. I suck in breath after breath as I continue to run, for the first time in my life hating the fact that all of the houses are so far apart. It doesn't matter how far I have to run though. Nothing is going to stop me right now. Three streets over I finally turn right, picking up the pace as the second house on the right comes into view. I run up the pristine sidewalk bordered by roses to the painfully white door.

I jiggle the handle, intent on walking straight in but unfortunately the door is locked. So, I start ringing the doorbell, knowing that Alan is probably home. They always meet here on Thursdays. A couple minutes later I'm about to give up when the door opens. My hand immediately balls into a fist, my first instinct to punch whoever is in front of me. And there's Alan, a smug grin on his face as he looks me up and down.

"I figured you'd come crawling back to us soon enough. Finally come to your senses?" He laughs, one of his hands holding open the door. "Hey guys Jude is—"

I can't stop myself.

I hurl myself through the open door directly at him. And I punch him. Hard. My fists rear back again and again as I strike his face repeatedly.

"Oh shit!" Alan yells, struggling to get me off of him.

I can't stop though. I don't want to. The words just come pouring out of me as I continue to beat the shit out of him. "What...did you do...to Kenedi?"

Realization flashes through his eyes a second before my fist connects with his right one. At that moment I really start to see red, my fists flying even faster in an effort to make sure he never even thinks about coming near Ken again. Alan has finally started to fight back. He tries to dodge a couple of my punches before giving up and aiming for my stomach.

"Woah woah woah!" I hear a voice yell from down the hallway.

I don't look up to see who it is, continuing to beat Alan's ass. Finally, someone yanks me off of him, struggling to hold me back as I start to kick and punch the air now.

"What the fuck is going on?" The person holding me back yells. It's Connor. That fucking snake. He struggles to hold me back, giving Alan time to get off of the floor. If he's here that means he was probably in on it too. I turn to address him, my anger momentarily redirected.

"Did you do it too?" I yell at Connor, now struggling to turn around in his grip so I can attack him.

It takes me a less than a second to take in the guilty look on Connor's face before I'm throwing my head back into his nose.

"What the fuck!" he screams. He lets go of me immediately to clutch his nose, blood leaking out from between his long fingers.

"I'll fucking kill you!" I scream prepared to beat his ass just like I did Alan, but before I can pounce on him someone grabs me from behind.

I struggle to get free but before I can do anything I'm thrown backwards and out the door. My head smashes into the pavement and my vision blurs. The sky spins in a continuous circle, making it impossible for me to focus on anything. There's a sudden blinding pain in my side and I force a cough as I curl into myself. For a second my eyes focus on Alan towering over me but that doesn't last long as I clutch my other side in pain.

Alan rears back to kick me again but stops last second, instead crouching down next to me so I can hear his whispered threat. "I'm gonna get you when you least expect it, Jude. You shouldn't have fucked with me."

I groan as I roll away from him, unable to stand up yet. I hear Connor and Alan's laughter echoing right before the front door slams closed. I clutch my stomach even tighter as I lay on the sidewalk.

I need to get up.

I have to get back to Kenedi.

My hands leave my stomach to brace against the side walk, smearing some blood that must have fallen from my cut forehead. I stumble to my feet. Pushing one foot in front of the other I slowly make my way back to my house.

I hope Ken didn't wake up and see I'm not there.