Chapter 14
Rolling over in his bed, Justin groaned when he saw that it was only one-seventeen in the morning. Thinking he was dreaming, he closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep. But there it was again. The bang bang bang. He wasn’t dreaming. He was wide awake, and there was someone at the door. Literally rolling out of his bed, Justin made his way down the hallway to the stairs, and then to his front door.
Opening the door, he was kind of surprised to see JC standing there. But it didn’t make him any less pissed that he had woken him up from his peaceful slumber. “What the fuck, JC? You do know that some people sleep, right?”
“I didn’t come here to joke around.” Brushing past Justin, JC went into the living room.
“Sure. Just come right on in.” Justin said to the now empty porch. Following JC into the living room, Justin plopped down on the couch. “So what’s up man?”
“You’re dick apparently.” He said rather harshly. Well, if Justin wasn’t awake before, he certainly was now.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. What, you can’t keep it in your pants? Or you’re just not satisfied until you get every girl you want, not caring who it hurts?”
“What are you....”
“How could you do this to me? I thought we were friends...brothers.”
“We are.”
“Then why the hell did you fuck Violet?” His voice was so loud and boisterous, it made Justin jump. Never had he ever heard JC so mad the entire time he had known him. “Friends don’t cross that line. Neither do brothers. I don’t know who you are, but it certainly isn’t any friend of mine.”
“I’m sorry, JC but I...”
“No you’re not! If you were sorry you never would have slept with her!”
“I’m sorry I hurt you. But I had to tell her. It was killing me inside knowing that you were in the place I had wanted to be in for so long. And I’m sorry I don’t regret it one bit.”
Nodding his head, JC stood up from the chair he had fallen into. Turning away, he looked over at Justin. “I thought I knew you, man. I thought you were my friend. But I was very wrong. I hope you two have a nice life together.” He turned away from him and made his way towards the front door.
“JC! Come on, man. Don’t leave it like this.” Justin begged. Their friendship was too strong to come to an end over a girl, wasn’t it?
“I’m not, Justin. You are.” And with that, he was gone. Justin had no idea what JC had meant by that statement, or when he was going to see his friend of over a decade again, if ever.
~*~
~2 Weeks Later~
“So when’s the last time you two talked?”
“Two weeks ago.” JC answered Joey solemnly as he played with his bracelet.
“I haven’t seen or spoken to either of them.”
“Haven’t you wanted to?”
“Of course I have, Joey! God, Justin’s one of my brothers. And Vi’I just can’t be with her if it’s only friendship.”
“You have too much pride, you know that?”
“Yeah and it’s gonna catch up to me one day.”
Looking at JC, Joey replied quietly. “I think it already has.” Bringing his gaze back up to his friend, JC silently agreed with him.
~*~
Violet paced her living room back forth. She had been doing it since Danni had left for her boyfriend’s house twenty minutes earlier. She had decided she was going to make things right with both JC and Justin, but how she was to do that, she had no idea. Ideas of just getting together with both of them at the same time and forcing them to make up and being with neither of them romantically ran through her head more than anything else. But she didn’t know if she could do that. How had this happened? How could she have let herself fall in love with both of them? Now, in the end, all them would be getting hurt, and it was all her fault.
Going over to the phone, Violet decided to just call Justin and tell him she couldn’t be with him. Then she would call JC and tell him the same thing. But just as she picked up the phone, there was a knock on the door. Hoping it was one of the guys, Violet quickly put down the phone and ran over to the door. Swinging the door open, her smile quickly vanished and appeared a look of pure fear.
“Hello, baby.” There was that coy voice that she had feared for almost eight years. She felt like the scared little seventeen year old she use to be again. She tried to speak, but nothing would come out. All her voice was, was but a little whisper, and the only thing it would allow her to utter was the name nobody, who knew the story of her past, could ever bring themselves to say.
“Ben.”
~*~
Joey and JC had decided to shoot some pool. After discussing everything under the sun (or in Orlando’s case, moon) they could think of that had absolutely nothing to do with Violet, they were right back to where they started.
“Seriously Joe. Am I just being stubborn? Or do I have a right in not wanting to be in her life?”
“You have a right. I mean, yes you are being a little stubborn. But you two were already talking about kids for Christ’s sake! We all thought you and Vi were destined.”
“Yeah. But then Justin freakin’ Timberlake comes along confessing his undying love for the girl and there she goes. Fawning over the one that never was!” Not being able to hold it in anymore, JC began pacing back and forth trying not to punch whatever came into view. “I gave her everything! I was so alone after Bobbie and I broke up. I didn’t think I’d get over it but there Violet was. She was like my sunshine after the rain, not trying to sound cheesy or anything but she was! And god, I loved her more than anything. I still love her more than anything. And I’d give any and everything I could to win her heart over. If she wants to be with Justin, fine. Whatever makes her happy. But I will be damned before I say it doesn’t bother the fuck outta me! Damn.”
The urge becoming too strong to hold back any longer, JC let go and his hand smashed through Joey’s two-hundred and fifty dollar lamp.
“What the fuck man?” Joey shot up and over to his broken lamp.
“Sorry Joe. I’ll replace it.” He began running up the stairs and Joey called after him. “Where are you going?”
“I gotta talk to her before it’s too late!”
~*~
“What are you doing here?” Violet asked wearily. She knew that at any moment her life could be in jeopardy yet again, if it wasn’t since the moment she opened the door.
“Don’t you remember, Vi?” Slowly walking towards her, Ben’s voice became very low as he spoke those two lines that gave her nightmares for years. “You can run all you want, but I will always find you.”
“How?” Her voice was a mere whisper. Never had she thought he would actually find her again. Yes, she had feared for two years he would look for her until he had found her and made her life a living hell, but she didn’t think it would actually come to be.
“You forget Violet. I’m very disappointed in you. Don’t you remember that I have my connections? You’ve hidden yourself pretty well this time, I must admit though. And for that I give you credit. But that gets thrown right out the fucking window when I stop to think about how you made me search for your ass for six years, all the while running from the goddamn police!” Him yelling caused Violet to jump. She could feel the tears threatening to fall and prayed he would just get this over with as fast as possible. But nothing ever goes the way you wish it to, does it?
“No one made you come after me! You did that all by yourself and you’ll be wishing they had caught you back then when I get through with you now.”
“No!” Running up to Violet, Ben grabbed a hold of her arm, squeezing it tight causing her more pain than she could ever remember, both physical and mental. The last thing she had ever wanted, or needed was for him to touch her again. And with the touch, brought back millions of memories of the times he felt her, he hit her, he tried raping her when she begged him to stop. “You made me come after you when I didn’t finish putting you through the hell I was put through!”
“You put yourself through that hell!” Suddenly getting a rush of courage, Violet finally stood up to him. “I never asked to meet you! I never asked to be tortured the way you had tortured me! And I certainly did not ask to be put in the fucking hospital for 3 weeks because you weren’t enough of a man to know I would never cheat on you! Everything that we have been through is all your fucking fault!”
Reaching back, Ben slapped violet across the face, and hard. Not once could he remember her being so outspoken, so strongly will-powered. But her running mouth was going to get her in more trouble than she could possibly ever dream of. Grabbing her again and pulling her close to him, Ben pulled out his gun. Showing it to her, he growled, “You ever raise your voice to me again and this will be put to your head.”
Violet knew he wasn’t joking. He had taken a gun to her before. But Violet had been lucky then. This time, she wasn’t so sure if she was to have the same luck.
Hearing a knock at the door, Ben told Violet to be quiet if she knew what was good for her, and then he threw her against the wall, causing her to hit the end table as she landed.
“Not one sound!” He pointed the gun at her, and left it pointed as he opened the door a tiny bit to see one of violet’s nosy neighbors.
As violet nursed her cut head from him throwing her against the wall and hitting the end table, she listened to what they were speaking about. She could recognize the voice as Mrs. Evans. The nicest old lady you could know, but if you made too much noise at night, you were doomed.
Knowing that if she were caught she would more than likely be shot, Violet stood up, as much as she could, and ran to her bedroom. As quietly as possible, she shut the door and locked it. Looking around the bedroom in a rush, she tried to find anything that could help her get out of there. But there was nothing. She didn’t even have a phone hooked up In there and her cell phone was out in the living room in her purse. All that was there was a bathroom door and a window.
A window.
Running over to the window, Violet looked down. It was a two story drop. Could she make it? She didn’t know. But as soon as she heard Ben banging on the door and screaming for her to “open the fucking door,” she knew she had no choice. Opening the window just in time, she jumped and plummeted to the ground, breaking her ankle in the process.
“What the hell?” Ben said to himself, not understanding the amount of pain this girl was going to go through just to be rid of him. But in his mind, she was never going to be rid of him. He would always be there. There to make her pay for all the things he had endured over the years. Raising his gun, Ben pointed it at the figure limping away from the apartment building. “Violet! Stop, Violet or I'm gonna shoot!” Seeing that she was in fact getting closer to running faster than slowing down, he fired a shot at her. Seeing that he had hit her in the arm as she rounded the corner, Ben smiled to himself. She wouldn’t get too far with a broken ankle and a gun wound to the shoulder. Running out of the apartment and down to outside, Ben began chasing Violet.
~*~
“Man, will you hold up a second?” Joey yelled after JC in the hallway.
“Joey, I’m sorry to run out on you, but if I don’t tell her now I don’t think I ever will have the chance.”
“What do you mean, you don’t think you’ll have the chance? All you have to do is pick up the phone and call her or go over to her place.”
“No. I have this really bad feeling like something’s going to happen. I feel like if I don’t tell her now, she’ll never know. And I’ll never get the chance to tell her.” Looking deep into his friend’s eyes, Joey smile warmly at him.
“Go get her, man.”
“Wish me luck, Joe.”
“Break a leg.” Joey laughed. Smiling at Joey, JC ran to the front door and down the porch steps. Midway to his car though, he heard something that would haunt him for the rest of his life. It sounded as though someone were being brutally murdered. Looking toward where the cry was coming from, JC got a look of pure horror on his face.
“JC!”
“Violet?” Seeing her fall to the ground, JC bolted toward her. “Violet!”
~*~
˜Oh god! What the fuck is wrong with that man? God I think I’m dying. Oh my god my back is soaked, please oh please let me make it there!’ Violet’s head screamed to her as she ran the distance to Joey’s home. ˜Yes! It’s right there. Come on, Violet. You can make it. Just a little further.’ She coaxed herself on. As much pain she was in and as scared as she was, she had to make it. The last place she wanted to die was in the middle of the street with not one person she cared about. She just prayed he was home.
And then she saw him. JC running out of Joey’s house and to his jeep. Could she get any luckier? Picking up as much speed as she could, she ran even faster. Excusing her hoarse voice from crying, Violet screamed at him.
“JC!” She knew he had heard her because he stopped running. Trying again, she saw him look towards her with a look of fear.
“Violet?”
“JC!” But it was too late. She heard the gunshot, she felt the ground on her front side and face. She felt the warm liquid pouring from both her shoulder and side now. And she felt JC’s arms envelope her shaking body.
“Violet, oh god. Violet, please stay with me.” Opening her eyes, Violet saw JC’s tears. She could feel his fear, along with her own fear and pain. But it was no longer of dying young.
“Don’t worry.” She whispered weakly. “I’m not scared of death anymore.”
“What are you scared of then?” JC whispered back through the tears.
“I’m scared of not being with you.”
“Oh god, please don’t say that. You’re not going to die. You’re not going to be away from me ever again.”
Raising her right hand to JC’s face, she tried not cry even harder. “I want you to know, that no matter what happens to my body or where I end up. I will love you always and forever. Nothing can change that.”
Then her hand fell limp next to her cold, limp body.
“Violet? No, Violet you cannot leave me! Violet! Come back. Come back. I love you. I need you violet. Come back.” JC cried, cradling her lifeless body as he heard the paramedics’ sirens In the distance. But they were too late. She was already gone, and JC would never be able to speak to her again.
The bastard who did this was never going to see the light of day again.