When Our Stories Entwine

Chapter Nine - Maggie

Maggie-

Suddenly I feel myself jerked away and the man who had his tongue deep in my mouth gets a swift punch to the jaw. Jackson turns to face me and shakes his hand which now has blood dripping from his knuckles.

I gasp and before I can adequately react he's picked me up and thrown me over his shoulder. I don't bother fighting him, instead, I squeeze my eyes shut, hold my skirt down and just try to concentrate on not vomiting.

I'm bent over him in the perfect position for his shoulder to put a lot of pressure on my stomach and I'm feeling slightly uneasy. Jack sets me down on a stool in front of the bar next to Julie.

Ugh. Julie.

I look at her in disgust and cross my arms then pout at Jackson.

"What the fuck Maggie? You're going all wild woman on me?" He growls through a clenched jaw.

"What does it matter to you? We're not together anymore." I slur.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Of course, we're together!" He yells.

Then Julie decides it's a good time to cut in. "Are you sure you guys are together Jackie?  She certainly seems like she's not into you." Then she gives a sweet smile and bats her lashes at Jack.

Rage.

More rage.

"Maggie, while you were losing your shit on the dance floor I was letting Julie here know that you're my girlfriend." He says with both hands on my shoulders trying to reason with me.

I squint and pull my brows together in confusion. My mind isn't able to come up with coherent thoughts and I feel the vomit churning in my stomach.

All I can manage is, "You still love me?" in a pathetic squeaky voice.

He smiles softly and places a kiss on my forehead, "Of course I love you."

Even though I'm struggling to keep my head up, I can't help but look for Julie's reaction and it's even more satisfying than I could have imagined. Her mouth is wide open as she stares between the two of us.

I'm sure when Jack told her we were together she assumed I was another one of his many flings. However, hearing him say I love you is another matter entirely.

This is the man that would have argued with you for hours, just for bringing up the idea that love was real and tangible. Yet here he is confessing his love to me, to the drunk sweaty woman with wild hair and crazy mood swings.

Despite the satisfaction I got from seeing Julie's face, I'm suddenly incredibly embarrassed by my behavior and the urge to vomit is rearing its ugly head.

To avoid any further embarrassment, I lean into Jack slightly and whisper, "I'm going to throw up."  His diamond eyes widen in shock but he gracefully smiles and nods as if everything's fine. I'm grateful for his charade as he helps me walk to the bathroom, leaving Julie in the dust.

Jack attempts to walk into the bathroom with me but I stop him. "I'm okay, I'll just be a minute."

I stumble into the washroom and run straight into Bethany.

"Maggie!" Bethany screams and her blonde curls bob up and down as she bounces excitedly. She wraps her arms around me squeezing tightly and I'm not sure I can hold back the vomit.

"Beth, I'm gonna puke!" I slur.

Bethany pulls back slightly but nods and immediately takes action. She guides me to the nearest toilet then holds my hair back and we wait for the event to start.