Mixed Up

4

   He watched her hold her red cup of beer as she laughed her butt off, flirting with random, pedophile guys. Brady shook his head in disappointment and rolled his eyes because he could tell that Tiana was drunk. He thought to himself, "She wouldn't have listened to me if I had told her to stop drinking anyway. She's too stubborn." He continued to watch her throw herself at everyone in her path as she headed towards him. "Hey, party pooper. You having fun yet?" she laughed in a drowsy tone.
   "No. I'm worried about you. You should stop this, Ti."
   "Why would I want to stop? I'm having fun. Something you should have one day," she said getting upset while handing him her cup of beer for him to drink.
   "Tiana, you know this isn't my type of thing," Brady said pushing back the cup in her hand.
   "Well, then why'd you come?" She said irritated.
   "To make sure you don't do anything stup---"
   "Oh cut the crap, Brady. I'm tired of you acting like my dad all of the time. I'm fine. So what. I make dumb decisions. That's me. The dumb daughter who's never going to make her dead mother proud," Tiana said wiping the trail of tears from her eyes with one hand and drinking her cup of beer with the other.
   "Ti, please don't say tha---"
   "Whatever. Just leave me alone, alright."
   "Tiana. . ." Brady grabbed her hand to stop her and looked at her with his concerned blue eyes. Tiana's big brown eyes looked away from him and said, "Just leave me alone, Brady. Geez," as she snatched her hand from his.

   Brady watched her walk away again and back into the crowd of chaos. He was so upset at her that he got up, grabbed his car keys, and started towards Lauren's back door.
   "Where you off to, Brady?" Lauren said jumping in front of him with her cheeky smile. Brady looked surprised and said, "I'm just going to go sit in my car and wait for. . .", he paused and looked back at Tiana flopping her arms around and dancing.
   "Wait for who?" Lauren said tapping him on his shoulder to grab his attention again.
   "Uh. . .nothing. I'm just going to go sit in the car---"
   "And be a party pooper?" She laughed with disappointment.
Brady chuckled and rolled his eyes saying, "Whatever," as he brushed passed her and contiued to walk towards the back door.
   "Wait. . . ," Lauren begged, grabbing his cold hand. Brady turned around and looked down at their hands holding, and then looked back up at her with a smirk. Lauren started to blush and she quickly snatched her hand away.
   "What is it?" Brady said breaking the awkwardness.
   "I just wanted to see if you wanted to um. . . dance with me," Lauren said dancing like an idiot.
   Brady chuckled and said, "I don't dance, Lauren."
   "Oh come on. Just one dance?" she said still dancing and playfully nudging against him. Brady started to laugh at her silliness and suddenly felt her pull him further towards her and the chaotic crowd. The two started to dance and smile at each other. "See, you can have fun!" Lauren laughed wrapping her arms around his neck. He laughed at her and slowly maneuvered his hands around her waist. But then, he looked up at Tiana and watched her rub herself all over some random guys. He decided that maybe it was best for him to stay at the party to make sure no guys try to do anything funny to her. And maybe so he could try to get to know Lauren a little better, even though him, her, and Tiana had known each other since they were kids. It's like Lauren was always excluded from him and Tiana though. He didn't really realize how fun she was until now.

   "Can I ask you something?" Lauren said to him.
   "Sure."
   "Are you and Tiana. . . like. . . together?"
   "Why does everyone ask me that?" Brady said annoyed.
   "Because you two practically act like a couple."
   "Look, Tiana and I---we're just close friends. I don't think we'll ever be more than that."
   "Are you sure about that?"
   Brady looked up at Tiana again and seen her making out with one of the guys she was dancing on. The guy was redheaded, tall, and looked like a total pig because he was touching all over her. Brady rose with not what you call jealousy, but more so concern for Tiana. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her. He had a funny feeling though that just that was about to happen. "Uh. . . yeah. . . I'm sure," he finally responded to Lauren, not really paying attention to her irritated expression on her face.
   "You don't sound so sure," Lauren smirked, but then she looked behind her where Brady was looking. She seen Tiana and the guy all over each other and her heart just. . . sank. She started to rise with nothing other than jealousy because she knew that Brady was lying to her. Why else would he be angrily staring dead at Tiana locking lips with some other guy. It made so much sense.
   "It's obvious you really like her," she said in a disappointed tone.
   "What?" Brady firmly snapped his blue eyes back down to Lauren. "I don't like Tiana like that. Trust me."
   "Oh, yeah? Then why do you look so jealous watching her make out with someone who's not you?"
   Brady paused for a moment and looked up at Tiana laughing her butt off with the redheaded guy and then back at Lauren. "Hey, you call it jealousy. I call it concern for a friend."
   "Just leave her be, she's just having fun."
   "Yeah, well I don't trust that redhead pig. He looks like he wants one thing and one thing only."
   "Oh? And what's that?" Lauren asked playing dumb.
   Brady watched the guy pull Tiana close to him and whisper something in her ear. She giggled at what he said and then let him grab her hand and start pulling her towards the back door of Lauren's house. Brady had a bad feeling of what was about to happen and completely ignored Lauren's question. He kind of set Lauren to the side and said, "Um. . . will you excuse me, Lauren? I have to go now."
   "Where are you going. . . ," Lauren asked to him trailing off, but he still ignored her and kept walking towards Tiana and the guy. She watched him walk away with deep sadness.

   Brady quickly walked in front of Tiana and the guy, stopping them in their pathway.
   "What are you doing?" Tiana asked Brady with a sigh of irritation.
   "Where are you going with this guy, Ti?"
   "None of your---"
   "Does it matter where we're going, buddy?", the guy interrupted Tiana while roughly grabbing her waist with both of his tanned, hairy arms.
   "Last time I checked, I was actually asking my friend, Tiana here, where she was going. So thanks"
   "And last time I checked, Tiana here wants nothing to do with you so move it."
   "No. Tiana come on, let's go home," Brady said grabbing her arm.
   "No, Brady," Tiana said snatching her arm away, "Just leave, okay?"
   "No, Tiana. I'm not leaving you with this scumbag."
   "The girl said leave, you idiot. So leave," the guy said angrily shoving Brady. Brady started to get angry. Tiana just looked at him with irritation in her big brown eyes. "Just go, please," she said.
   "Look, if your girl wanted to leave with you, she would have left already, buddy," said the guy. Then he whispered in Brady's ear and chuckled, "Now if you excuse us, me and your girl are going upstairs to have a little fun in the bedroom now."
   What that guy had just said made Brady reach his breaking point. He didn't even let the guy walk one more step before grabbing the guy's tanned shoulder, turning him around, and constantly punching the living crap out of him.
   "Brady! No! Stop!" yelled Tiana calling more attention to the fight. The guy tried to throw a couple of punches back, but he couldn't help not taking Brady's blow after blow to his face, which was was covered in blood.

   "Brady, leave him alone! Your hurting him!" Tiana said trying to pull him off of the guy, Lauren trying to help pull him off as well. Brady suddenly snapped back to himself and realized what he had done. He got up and watched the guy lay there on the ground in agony and pain. And then, through his heavy panting, Brady threatened the guy telling him, "Stay---away---from Tiana." Brady looked around at everyone who was staring at him terrified. They never thought of a "good ole' quiet" Brady being the kind of guy to beat someone up. Even Tiana looked terrified of him, but Brady didn't care about that. He just wanted her to be safe. He calmly grabbed her hand and said to her, "Come on, Tiana. We should go," but Tiana just stood where she was and started to look a little woosey. Brady looked concerned, calmly grabbed her shoulders, and asked if she was okay; not knowing that that next second, she would finally pass out in his arms.