John snatches the bottle from Cassie's hand, and turns to leave.
"What the fuck- give that back!" Cassie jumps up and yells.
"Nah, you two had enough." John exists without a glance back.
"I SAID GIVE IT BACK!" Cassie roars and charges after him.
"Oh no." Damien mumbles, picking himself up. "We gotta go stop them."
"Stop them from what?" I ask, but he's already running after. Stephanie and I follow his lead.
As we go downstairs, there's a thick crowd making a ring at the living room. The chants are louder than the music.
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
We shove our way through, and get a sight of Cassie and John. Just as her fist rams into his jaw. His gaze snaps sideways, and for a moment, his eyes meet mine. Then his gaze snaps back to Cassie, and he laughs like a maniac.
"That woke me up."
"That'll put you to sleep!" Cassie throws herself at him with a right cross. I shudder from the inside when I see the strength of that woman.
He sidesteps, and she misses narrowly. Instantly, she swings a hook. He ducks under her arm, and pops up behind her.
"Come on sis, you're too drunk to fight."
"No such thing." She steps in and slams a knee in his stomach. The hit seems solid, though his abs barely twitch.
"I almost felt that." John comments, and she jabs him in the mouth.
"Ouch." He smiles at her with bloody teeth.
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" The college crowd keeps chanting with unrelenting enthusiasm. All fascinated by violence between beautiful siblings. To me, it seemed a shame on their pretty faces.
"Where did Damien go?" I yell towards Stephanie, then the speakers all around the house blast in a deafening volume.
"Thank you all for coming. Party is over. Get the fuck out." Damien's voice echos. Then the crowd upraises - chants of fight turning to boos.
"GET OUT MOTHERFUCKERS BEFORE I'M COMING WITH THE SHOTGUN."
I press my palms hard to my ears as the speakers boom and screech with Damien's voice. Stephanie and Cassie do the same. John laughs and sips from their old whiskey bottle.
Damien must have convinced the crowd, because they're on the move outwards. I look to Stephanie, and she holds my arm to stay. I'm glad for that. I can't say I had enough of the Jacksons quite yet.
There is just something about them..
I can't grasp what it is, and I want to find out.
"Are you coming girls?" Joey walks up beside us, looking around nervously.
"Hey," John calls, glaring. "My brother said get the fuck out."
Joey hurries to leave, and hesitantly, we start to follow.
"Not you two." We stop, look back and see John smiling at us. He licks blood from his bottom lip, and takes a sip of whiskey.
"Gimme that." Cassie snatches the bottle from John's hand as she passes beside him. She slings her arm around Stephanie, and hands her the bottle.
Damien shuts the wooden front door with a thud, and walks up to us. "Cousin is passed out on the lawn with two blondes. Should we drag them in?"
"Nah," John answers. "It's his natural inhabitant."
Cassie laughs.
"So did you have enough drama for the night, baby?" Cassie kisses Stephanie's neck.
"I don't know, what you got planned next?"
Cassie kisses her again and whispers something in her ear. Stephanie's lips spread slowly, then open in an O. She takes Cassie's hand, and they skitter upstairs.
"One down." John grins, then frowns. "They took the bottle."
Damien lights another of his father's rolls, puffs and passes to him.
"That'll do." John smiles and smokes. He goes to sit down on the sofa, and I find myself following. He sits down in the sofa he slept in before. I sit next to him. Damien sits next to me.
I feel the heat of both their bodies at my either side, then I realize John's still in his boxers. His knee is almost brushing with mine. I find myself looking around nervously.
"What are you gonna do about this mess?" I ask, genuinely curious if they're about to bust into cleaning any time soon.
"I called the maids for tomorrow morning." Damien says.
"Damn bro. You're drilled at this." John grins and shakes his head.
"What can I say, life's a party." Damien says, kind of sarcastic with the tiredness in his voice.
John gives him a slow nod. He takes a long drag of smoke, and his eyes find mine. His gaze doesn't have the same edge of Damien's. It is like an endless void I cannot fathom. I just want to sink.
"Cassie's getting even stronger, huh?" Damien grins as he gestures to his mouth.
"Faster too. I could barely see her jab." John grins back, licking new blood from his lip. His grin fades a little. "Still mad at me for leaving."
"Cassie? Mad? No, never." Damien snorts, and reaches to take the roll. John passes it to me instead.
"Why did you leave?" I ask him, take a puff, and pass it to Damien.
"To fight."
"Fight who?" I blink.
"Fight everyone. Dumb motherfuckers."
"How drunk are you?" I laugh at him.
"Just enough to be awake."
"Seriously though..."
"I am a fighter. Quite disappointing you don't know me, actually."
"Why is it disappointing?"
"Nevermind."
"Being the world champion doesn't mean much fame these days, doesn't it bro?" Damien grins.
"Not in the right circle, apparently."
"What's the right circle?"
"Beautiful college girls." John looks in my eyes.
"Oh, so you came back with the prize to grab as many as you can?" I say, unable to hold myself back.
"No, on the contrary. I am looking for my one. " John answers.
"This again? I thought you were kidding." Damien shakes his head and passes me the roll.
"No brother, I meant what I said. I'm gonna find her here."
"Find your... 'one'?" I hear my voice from far away.
"Yes. My one. The love of my life. Who I'll share all I have with, and do everything for. I have come to the conclusion that it is worthless otherwise."
"So why do you care about beautiful college girls?"
"You are one, aren't you?" John tilts his head to the side as he looks at me.
"I guess, so?"
"So?" John smiles. "It could be you."
"Yeah Lora, are you ready for the wedding?" Damien says from my other side.
"Shut up," John snorts,
"You shut up, your lip is bleeding all over the place," Damien retorts,
"You wanna be bleeding much more?"
The pleasant dizziness in my head spins faster and faster as the banter between the brothers continues to ping and pong over my head. It feels as I'm sucked in a spiral. Their voices fade gradually, sounding from farther and farther away, and my sight blurs into a comforting, enveloping blackness.
I faint.