Set Fire to The Rain -- Completed

Chapter 11

“Set Fire to the Rain”

2011 © All Rights Reserved

Chapter 11

Joey and Hope drove along the familiar roads that would eventually lead them back to Joey’s house in utter silence.  Joey worked hard to maintain his calm in the smothering confines of the truck but he couldn’t get beyond the haunting image of that freak bending over his beautiful Hope and then pressing his mouth to her lips. 

He had no right, Joey thought angrily, no right at all to touch her like that.  Hope was his girl friend and dammit, those were his lips.  He should be the only one to taste the sugary sweetness that they offer, the only one to know how truly soft those decadent rosy lips really were.  They were silken like rose petals and they were supposed to be his.

His hold tightened on the steering wheel as the visual continued to replay over and over in his mind.  The more that he tried to forget about it, the more vivid the image became.  His knuckles began to ache from the sheer intensity that he was holding the wheel and Joey reveled in that ache because it was the only thing that kept Joey from going back and punching Liam in the face again.   

Why, he wondered did Liam all of a sudden have an interest in his girl.  They weren’t even on the same social scale.   His Hope was beautiful, out going, the head cheer leader and then there was Liam who was nothing, a loner.  They didn’t have anything in common whatsoever.

What right did he have to make a move on my girl?  Joey's thoughts continued to assail him until he stopped at a red light.  Then he stole a quick glance at Hope and all the pent up rage seemed to flow out of him.  He couldn't blame her.  She was as innocent as he was.  

Hope seemed to be consumed in her own thoughts at the moment.  It was Liam Goler that had caused this drastic change in Hope.  He did something to her on Friday night to turn her away from him and Joey was determined to find out exactly what it was.  He wanted his girl friend back and at this point he was willing to do what ever he had to do in order to bring her back to him, back where she rightfully belonged.

Hope kept her eyes trained out side the passenger window.  She was scared to look in Joey’s direction.  She had never seen him lose his cool the way that he did back there in the halls with Liam and that really bothered her.  One of the things that she had always loved about Joey was the simple fact that he was easy going and mild tempered; there wasn’t much that a person could say or do that he would take personally.

Unless someone kissed his long time girl friend that he had just recently professed his love too.  As soon as the thought occurred to her she felt like the biggest doofus in the world.  She had been so wrapped up in her own life altering experiences that she hadn’t considered the effects that all of this was having on Joey.

Hope closed her eyes and let the silence engulf her.  Joey had not done anything other than try to be a good boyfriend to her and in return she has only pushed him further away.  She wasn’t being fair to either him or herself if she blocked him out now.  If he truly loved her the way that he had said then surely they could somehow get through this.  Together, they could figure it out and with a little time maybe she could even find some normalcy again. 

Joey had stopped in his driveway and for several moments he just sat there with the truck still running, watching Hope stare off into space.  This was the girl that he loved.  He hated seeing her so discombobulated.  All he wanted was his precious Hope back.  The Hope whose smile never failed to brighten his whole day and the same one whose simple touch always seemed to make everything bad just disappear.  He wanted that vibrant Hope back and right now he wanted her more than anything else that he could think of.