falling in love with a gang leader

chapter 23

sam and the others were sitting in my living room, in the spots that they sit in at their place. the only thing i questioned in my head was if they have assigned seats. they're always in a specific order and i never understood why. i shrugged it off, noticing everyone looking at colby and i with wide eyes. here we go...
emma: "give us three seconds to breathe before you attack us with comments, please."
colby laughed and everyone else smiled. i was being serious, but i guess they found it funny.
kevin: "one... two..." he paused, adding climax to his words, "three!" he laughed. and from there on, all the comments rushed in like it was black friday. god, help me.
elton: "you guys are so cute together." he smiled, giggling like a kid in a candy shop. i've never known elton to be as soft as he was acting right now and it was weird.
kevin: "emma, you are so much better than colby's first and past girlfriends."
thoughts started running through my mind of colby flirting with other females. i don't want to think about him with anyone else. for god's sake, emma.
colby: "you didn't even know me when i had my very first girlfriend." he laughed in response to kevin.
kevin: "didn't have to. from the stories you told me, they weren't good for you. emma's good for you."
jake: "this relationship... the flavor...," he paused, everyone going silent and waiting for what he had to say in the moment of climax, "... immaculate." he laughed, blowing a chef's kiss. we all laughed hysterically, including me, and mike just sat there, not talking, with no expression on his face whatsoever. he's been kind of off lately, anyways. he caught my eye, glaring at me with an evil look. not the devilish i-want-to taste-you-now look that colby gives me, but an evil, i-have-something-against-you look. i brushed it off, feeling a bit intimidated, before feeling colby's hand snake around my waist, pulling closer to his hip. i glanced up at him and saw him glaring at mike. i put my arm around colby, letting my nails gently scratch his back through his band t-shirt. i smiled to myself knowing that i've never fell for anyone harder than i fell for colby. it felt good. the energy that i'm putting in, is being given right back, but in a positive way. it feels right. my other relationships could never. i snapped out of my head and another thought ran through my mind as soon as i did. i see sam, kevin, elton, jake, and mike... where's katrina?
i nodded, "oh okay." i murmured. i looked up at colby and he caught my eye and smiled.
emma: "i'm going to go wash dishes. i'll be back." i rubbed his back one last time before he released me and i walked away. he winked at me when i looked back at him and i smiled in reply before turning back around to the kitchen. damn, i love him. as i turned the water on, i felt like i was being watched. not eyes in admiration, but evil eyes. that's when i remembered the look that mike gave me not even two minutes ago. my eyes widened and just as was about to turn around to see if anyone was there, i felt a pair of hands circle around waist before i could fully turn my head to see who it was. fuck. fuck. fuck fuck. it wasn't colby. colby's hands were larger and chubbier. the hands wrapped around me weren't strong hands, either. the touch of a woman's hand, only a little bit larger than the average woman's hand. i turned the water off and whipped my head around, not worrying about my soaking wet, soapy hands, and there i saw him. mike standing behind me with an evil, scary glare like i had done something terrible to him. i have done absolutely nothing to this man so what was this whole thing about? i turned my front to him, trying to get out of his grip, but he was insistent and wouldn't let me go... his eyes traveling to my breasts and down my body. i felt so... vulnerable and... disgusting at this very moment. it was gross and i felt like i needed another shower.
emma: "mike, get off." i spoke harshly, still trying to push him off of me.
he refused, "not going to happen. i want you, pretty girl." his voice was deep and scary, as if he was planning something larger against me to hurt me or scare me. i cringed at him and tried to get out of his grip again... but it didn't work.
elton: "mike! hurry up in the bathroom, dude! you have to see this!" he laughed from the couch. he's not in the bathroom, he's harassing me... i only had one choice. and i'm not even sure if it was going to work. i was just going to scream, but i thought about it and didn't know what mike was capable of if he were to hurt me. i mean, for god's sake, he's in a gang... he could do many things.
emma: "stop, mike, i have a boyfriend!" i scolded. then, sam came running into the kitchen. he must've heard me. where's colby? mike let go of me and stood in front of me.
mike: "who?" he cocked his head to one side, glaring at me... i was scared like you wouldn't believe. i'm confused as to why he asked who, though... didn't he see colby and i walk out of the same room earlier?
sam: "mike, why were your hands on her?" he asked angrily.
mike: "because i want her and she wants me." he smirked evilly.
emma: "no, i don't." i said in disgust. mike turned his head back to me.
mike: "so, who's this boyfriend of yours...?" he swiped his finger gently across my cheek. ew, go away. i said nothing, just staring at sam for help, and mike came up closer to me, gripping my waist tightly and uncomfortably. ouch.
mike: "who is he?" he asked angrily, ripping into my skin. sam tried to push him off of me but mike wasn't budging. mike started mumbling things to me through clenched teeth as he intentionally dug, ripped, and scraped his fingers deeper into my now sensitive and bruising sides.
emma: "where's colby!" a tear slipped from my eye as i looked at sam, moving my head away from mike who's head was right next to my ear.
sam: "colby!" he shouted.
mike: "is that who it is?" he spoke louder, burying his fingers even deeper into my side. fuck! ouch! i winced from the pain and flicked backwards, gripping the counter top closest to me.
emma: "mike, stop! you're hurting me!" i instinctively slapped him across the face. i was immediately reminded of stephan slapping me at the mall. no, no, no. my eyes widened in fear as his mouth dropped and i knew what he was about to do. he brought his hand up to hit me and i flinched, covering my face with my hands best i could.
please, stop, mike. another tear slips from my eye, my heart beating faster in fear, anxiety running through my veins. my head went fuzzy and soon i hear colby.
colby: "what did you do to her! get your hands off of her!" he shouted. when i moved my hands from my face, colby was slamming mike forcefully into the closest wall that was there, causing a loud bang throughout the apartment. colby must've saw that i was crying because his eyes widened and he ran back over to me, holding me tightly and rubbing my back.
colby: "it's okay, baby. i'm right here." he said soothingly, my whimpers being muffled by his shirt.
emma: "it hurts." i whined, not knowing what else to say or how to react.
colby: "what hurts?" he sounded more forceful as he spoke through a clenched jaw, now looking at my face directly. i lifted up my shirt and looked down at my waist at the same time he did. holy shit. the bruises are dark. they're small, but deep and they're throbbing like you wouldn't believe. colby's eyes deepened with anger when he saw what i was seeing. it was like a fire that couldn't be put out no matter how hard you tried.
sam: "mike, leave!" he said angrily, standing next to colby and glaring at mike who was now trying to stand up.
mike: "not without emma. i want her! she deserves me!" he shouted. colby averted his attention from me and stood directly in front mike who was successful in his attempt to stand up. this is not going to end well. someone's going to get hurt.
colby: "leave before i beat your ass." he demanded harshly and forcefully, his fists clenching, causing his knuckles to turn yellow.
mike: "why are you getting so defensive?"
why is he getting so defensive? that has to be the most stupid question i've heard. especially in a situation like this. mike looked from me to colby, then repeated the same action a couple times more. it was silent for a moment and elton and kevin came rushing into the kitchen on standby. i rubbed my sides from the bruises that were now starting to feel better, and when i looked back up, mike lunged at me. colby grabbed him by the shoulders before he could reach me and slammed him against the same wall he previously threw him into. i flinched and ended up hitting my back against the refrigerator that i forgot was behind me.
colby: "DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HER!" he screamed. he took a deep breath and called to sam, not taking his eyes off of mike who was now on the floor aching.
colby: "sam, make sure emma's okay." he strangled the words as they came out of his mouth. sam came over to me and put his arm around my shoulders to comfort me. i was now shaking, anxiety rushing through my veins. we stood quietly and just watched what was about to go down. shit. shit. shit.