Crashed

IX

Max

I'm driving very agressively. I can't stand the thought of someone hurting her like this. I arrive at her old house. I ring the bell and Eric opens the door. He's surprised to see me, I can tell. "Max hey, come in mate! Want a beer?" I try to keep my face as neutral as possible. "Yeah that's good." He comes back with two beers and we settle in the living room. "I mean, you're kind off the last person I would have thought to come here for her." He laughs and takes a sip of his drink. "Do you know where she stays? I want to bring her some of her stuff she left here." I shake my head. "She just visited us, maybe she stays in a hotel or something. Why did you do it man?" "Honestly, she was so caught up in work for the past year, and her friend is so hot. We always had a little of flirty banter but one time we crossed the line. It was so good and so nice to fuck someone other than Zoë. We kept doing it without her ever finding out. I told her it was a few months but more like almost a year. She's so dumb." He laughs about it, he just straight up insults her. My blood is boiling. I finished my beer and he get's another one. I'm standing when he get's back. "Hey do you know how she got all those bruises?" "She's a clumpsy girl, probably just hit something." He shrugs. The liar. I take my beer and take a large sip. Without hesitation my fist hits his face. That felt amazing. He falls to the floor. "What the fuck man?!" He screams at me. "That is for breaking her heart" He comes up and holds his face. I hit him with the other side. "And that's for hurting her. And I'm not scared to give you another one if you ever come near her again. You're a piece of trash." I walk out but turn around at the door "I can fuck her better than you ever have." I go back home.

Kelly and Zoë are laughing on the couch when I come in. I say hi to them and walk in a straight line to the kitchen. I need something cold on my knuckles. Zoë comes in to get their drinks refilled. "Oh my god, are you okay? What did you do?" She looks worried and takes my hands. My knuckles have started to swell and are very red, she quickly grabs the ice and puts it in a cloth on my hands. "Told you I would find out who did that to you." I smile at her, her face so close to mine. She looks me in the eyes and her look softens. "I..eh..thank you." I get lost in her eyes for a minute. Kelly comes in while Zo still holds the ice on my hands. "Oh my god babe, what happened?" Zoë takes her hands back and Kelly rushes over. "Well I think Zoë told you what happened, so I went to talk to the dickhead. Let's just say he won't ever come near Zoë again."

Zoë

I hear Max going out with his car. I sigh and a knock forms on my door. "Come in." I say. It's Kelly. "Babe, I heard yelling. What happened?" I burst in tears and show her my arms. I tell her everything. She sits in silence, letting me spill it all. She hugs me afterwards. "I just don't know where to go or what to do anymore." I let out a sigh. She strokes my arm. "We need to go to the police, tomorrow first thing okay? I know Max is doing something now that he does because he cares about you. And tomorrow you and I will go to the police together. This is assault and domestic violence. We're going to get the asshole." I smile at her. I calmed down and hear a small voice in the open door. Penelope. She asks me to come play with her and heard me crying so she made her teaset ready since that helps her when she feels sad. I smile at her and join her. Later when P is in bed, Kelly and I open a bottle of wine. "You still need to tell me about your night with mr. Norris." She smirks at me. I turn bright red. "Oh my god, you can't tell anyone but I was so drunk, I actually don't even remember anything about it. I mean I remember we kissed, I remember the taxi, I remember taking him with me and the way he kissed me in the elevator but I don't remember the actual deed. This is awfull." She laughs at me and I hit her with a pillow. "No it's so not funny. And it gets even worse. So he bought me almost all of the breakfast menu since I had to race Max and he didn't want me to go on an empty stomach. He just brought it in and left a note next to it." "Ah that's so sweet of him." "It really was but I'm not looking for another relationship, he messages me sometimes. What do I do?" Kelly takes my hand. "You had a night of fun and that's the end. Just ignore his messages, I mean it's not like you'll be very likely to see him again. Well you also don't remember the night of fun which makes it even easier." 

Our glasses are empty in the meantime. I want to get a refill when Max storms in. He greets us but sprints to the kitchen. I look at Kelly, she shrugs her shoulders. "You go." She whispers to me. I walk to the kitchen and hear him banging drawers in the freezer. I come in and his eyes are furious. He puts something on his knuckels and I see how swolen they are. I rush to him. Did he hurt himself for me? I don't know what to say. His piercing blue eyes look back into mine. For a moment time freezes, us just standing there in that kitchen, me holding his hands, looking into eachothers eyes. The moment is interrupted when I hear Kelly's voice, worried about him. I quickly take a step back as she comes to look at his hands. I run back to my room. I don't understand what I'm feeling right now. I think back to his eyes. They had some kind of glow towards me, my blood rushes through my body by thinking of them. What the fuck. No, I hate him. Or do I not hate him? What is happening?