Brandon
I never saw the first hit coming. It landed on the side of my face, causing a sharp stab of pain to splinter across my cheekbone. Spinning around, I return the punch, landing it squarely on his nose, which then results in his exit from this stupid brawl. Pushing my way back into the group, I grab hold of my buddy's shirt and start pulling him backwards out of the mass of people. I can feel the movement of his shirt as he continues to throw punches forward into the group.
"What the fuck, Brandon? That asshole started it. I barely touched his chick." My friend Eddy starts to wipe at the blood that is dripping from his nose.
"We have to get the fuck out of here. I'm sure they already called the cops. Let's get Tyler and hit the road before this gets any bigger than it already is." He nods his head once at me, but I can see he's still on a hair trigger. I turn back to the moving mass of people throwing punches and make my way over to my other friend.
Tyler is holding his own against the guy who started this whole damn thing. I try to grab his arm, but he shrugs me away and gets back into the face of the instigator. "Let it go, Tyler. This guy isn't worth it." I try again to untangle them and this time in the darkness I can see that a woman whispers something into the asshole's ear. With all the strength of a man on steroids, he pushes the girl away. She stumbles back and skids across the now beer-covered bar floor.
Without thinking it through, I square up to the abusive ass and start throwing punches. This time it's Tyler who's trying to pull me away. He won't have to, I hear the yelling from the police officers about thirty seconds before I'm sprawled out on the bar floor with a cop on my back. Great.
From the wet ground I watch as people scatter past me and clear out the once packed bar. The band has stopped playing, but remains perched on the stage watching the police try to get a handle on the situation. I would be ok if my friends ditched me, but I can already see that they are talking to a few of the officers near the door. Pain shoots up my arms as the officer grips the cuffs and yanks me to my feet.
At least the asshole that started it is also in cuffs. I remember the reason I got involved and turn my head to try to find the woman who he'd shoved. I can't see her anywhere. The police officer pushes me towards the front door of the bar. There's still a crowd of people outside, but they start to leave when the cops begin dragging people out.
The officer asks me to lean against the car while he checks me for weapons and I comply. He reads me my rights and then asks, "Start from the beginning and tell me what happened."
"That guy over there," I say nudging my chin in the direction of the man now cuffed and sitting on the curb, "started talking shit when my friend asked his date if she wanted to dance. He didn't know they were together. That guy got up in my friend's face and eventually threw the first punch. I stayed out of it until he shoved his girlfriend hard and had her laid out on the dirty floor."
The policeman nods his head and writes a few notes down. I can't tell if he believes me or not because his facial expression has been the same since I first saw him. Another police officer is talking to the cuffed asshole on the curb and I notice the cop motion to come over to the cop talking to me.
The cop opens the back door of the cruiser and says, "Watch your head," as I sit down. I bend into the backseat with my hands still behind my back, repeating to myself that this is not happening.
When I'm all the way onto the seat, I turn myself around to face forward and notice I'm not alone in the car. The woman who was tossed across the floor is sitting in the back of the cop car with me, her hands cuffed behind her back. Her face is turned away from me as she watches the cops interview the people from the bar. "Hey," I say, turning my body towards her, "Are you ok?" She nods her head and then looks up to me.
The woman's face is so familiar, but I'm having trouble placing it in my mind. It's dark in the car, but my eyes are adjusting now and I can make out most of her delicate features. I watch as she studies me also. "Brandon?" she asks, and now I know we clearly know each other. When I nod my head she rolls her eyes and huffs before leaning back against the seat and staring up at the roof of the car. With that display of attitude it all clicks.
"Jaycee Bishop. Holy shit. What the hell are you doing back in town?" Jaycee's family used to be close to mine. We practically grew up together until the summer before junior high. Her father decided to open up a new location in their chain of five star restaurants and picked the whole family up and moved them across the country. I haven't seen her since then.
When we were younger, our parents would insist we all play together, but I hated Jaycee. She would always find a way to rope my sister into something mischievous and we would all get into trouble. I once got grounded for two weeks for hiding frogs in her backpack to get back at her for a prank she had pulled on me. Apparently she's still trouble, but I guess I can't say much since I'm sitting next to her in the back of this cop car.
"I moved back a few months ago. I graduated and decided it was time to branch out on my own. I would've never thought I would find you in a place like that." She looks to the bar and I nod my head. She's right. The bar is run down and in a shady part of town. The only reason I was here tonight was to listen to a friend of mine play in the band.
"I was here to see the drummer play. What were you here for?" I stare out the window watching as my friends wave their arms in conversation with a police officer. I have a sinking feeling that I'm not getting out of this. I throw my head back against the seat and shut my eyes.
"The guy you were fighting is my boyfriend." She says it in a timid voice but it still causes rage to boil up inside of me.
"Keeping good company, huh? Didn't get to speak with him much, but I'm sure he's a great guy." The sarcasm drips from my words. She just straightens up and looks out the front window.
"Well, he wasn't my best choice," she replies with an equally sarcastic tone and I can't help but to smile. Her personality is exactly how I remember, feisty and stubborn. Her appearance, however, is completely different. I remember her as a scrawny little girl who was always dressed in fancy clothes, but covered in dirt from playing outside.
"Has he hit you like that before?" I ask, curious if that asshole has a habit of hitting his girlfriends.
"Nope, that was the first time. It was also the last time. I don't let anyone push me around. You can put away your cape, Mr. Stone. I appreciate your help back there, but I won't be making that mistake again." I nod my head and before I can speak to her again a policeman opens her door and tells her to get out of the car. I watch from inside as he removes the handcuffs and she rubs her wrists.
At least she isn't going to be punished for the stupid fight in the bar. She nods her head at the police officer and then walks off and out of my range of sight. The door beside me opens and the officer leans in. "We are taking you down to the station. He's insisting on pressing charges against you since he's going to be facing a lot of charges himself. We will book you on a small assault charge and you can post bond and get out." I nod my head and start to think of who I'm going to call.
My family is well known in this city, but I don't expect special treatment. I'm finger printed and my mug shot is taken after a quick change into a dark jumpsuit. From there I'm told to wait in a small area, cuffed to a bench until they get a chance to process everything and allow my phone call. I know I couldn't have been here more than twenty minutes when an officer comes back and releases my cuffs. He tells me that everything has been taken care of and I'm free to go.
As I leave the police station, I'm expecting to see one of my friends or brothers, but instead I see Jaycee leaned up against a small silver sports car. It is the first time I'm able to really see her and I'm so grateful for the bright streetlight that is lighting her up. All I can think about in this moment is how much little Jaycee has grown up.
Jaycee has always been petite, and now I would be surprised if she is even 5'6". Her body is amazing. Her toned legs and small curves definitely have my attention. I watch as she adjusts her stance and crosses her arms over her chest. Her hair is messy; hanging haphazardly from a ponytail that I'm sure must have been perfect at the beginning of the night. Her little black dress is riding up her legs as she shifts her weight on the tallest pair of heels I have ever seen.
"You did this?" I ask, making my way over to her. I put my shoes on the ground and step into them when I realize I'm still carrying them in my rush to get out of there.
"Yes. I think I owed you this. They are going to drop the charges, but I would get out of here now. In addition to calling in a favor from an ex of mine, who thank goodness is an amazing lawyer, I had to make a deal with the devil and that devil is about to be released as well. I watch as her eyes dance back up to the front door of the police station.
"You didn't have to do that, Jaycee. I don't think it is a good idea to be around him." I hate that I have fallen back into older brother lecture mode with this stunningly beautiful ghost from my past.
She chuckles at me and then turns and opens her car door. "I'm not stupid, Brandon, but you are sure lucky that he is." With that she slides in and turns the engine. Jaycee shuts her door giving me a small wave with her fingers. I hear the asshole from the top of the steps yell her name and a few choice curses and then throw the items in his hand down the street after her car.
When I hear a car pull up behind me, I step up on the curb and wait as my friends swerve in and pick me up.
"Dude, how the hell did you get out so fast? We had to go get the car." I slide into the back seat as the asshole from the bar turns around and looks at us.
"I'll explain it all later." We blow past him and laugh at how pathetic he looks standing in the middle of the street trying to find the things he threw. He can't even gather the dignity to look us in the eye as we leave. I hope Jaycee knows what she's doing and that her little sports car can get her out of town fast. If she doesn't get far away from both of us, I can guarantee that there's going to be trouble.