Chapter 10
Justin
Seeing Katherine sitting on the hood of her car brought back a lot of memories, and there's no doubt about that. She's my ex-girlfriend, and we dated for a while, but it's not like I was head over heels for her. I just thought that she was hot and amazing when we were under the sheets, but other than that, I really couldn't care less about her. And yet here she is, trying to talk to me about God knows what.
"Hey," She shot me a smirk as she got off the hood of her car.
"What the hell do you want?" I asked, not wanting to waste any time on her.
She rolled her eyes. "Look, can't we just talk?"
The doors of my car slammed and I turned my head to shoot Pheonix a look. She already knows that my car is my baby, and there she goes, slamming the doors. But she was too busy juggling her shopping bags and trying to get Evan and Cassidy out of the car. I turned my attention towards Katherine.
"Who's she?" She cocked her head towards Pheonix.
"She's nobody," I snapped quickly, not wanting to explain anything.
Then, Riley walked out of the house and walked over to Pheonix, apparently offering to help her with the shopping bags. I didn't have to turn around to know that Pheonix was probably mumbling a thank you towards him.
Katherine gritted her teeth for a second and then turned her eyes towards me. "Is she staying here with you guys?" She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Katherine, that's none of your damn business," I groaned, irritated beyond belief.
She placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, stop being a douchebag. It's okay if she's your girlfriend, we can still have a little fun in secrecy," She smirked and bit down on her bottom lip. "If you know what I mean."
Vomit literally traveled up my throat, but I swallowed it down. I unwrapped her arms from around my neck. "Okay, first, she's not my girlfriend, that's just gross."
"Hm, so I'm gross?" Pheonix asked from behind me.
I closed my eyes and sighed. Man, I need to lock her up in her room and make sure that she doesn't come out for the next twenty years. I turned around.
"Pheonix, stay out of this." I snapped at her. She glanced down at her feet, pressing her lips together. Evan and Cassidy enveloped her hands in theirs to try and comfort her.
"What kind of name is Pheonix?" Katherine cut in from my other side.
Pheonix shrugged but kept her gaze down. Evan squeezed her hand and looked at her to wait for a reaction. I was waiting for her to say something. Then, she looked up at Katherine.
"It's a name that has nothing to do with you." She responded as she straightened up her shoulders and looked at Katherine straight in the eyes.
Katherine narrowed her eyes at her. "Wow, you're such a smart girl," She shot back with sarcasm. "But last time I checked, you weren't even here in the first place, so why don't you tell me who the hell you are."
Pheonix placed a hand over her heart. "Look, you don't need to know who I am, so just continue your conversation with...him," She shot me a look." And I'll just be going inside."
"Yeah, walk away like a little bitch," Katherine spat after Pheonix walked past her and placed her foot on the first step of the stairs belonging to the front porch.
Pheonix froze in her spot, her hair cascading behind her. "Whatever," She muttered without turning around.
"Aw," Katherine fake pouted. "Looks like I have more balls than you."
"Katherine, stop," I grabbed her by her upper arm and squeezed. "Just leave her alone and talk to me about whatever it is you wanted to talk about, because I don't have time to waste on trash."
But Pheonix turned around and placed her hands on her hips. "Look, Katherine, I don't even know who you are, and I don't care either. Don't mess with me, because you won't like the outcome."
Katherine raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Wow, I'm so scared," She said with sarcasm.
Evan wrapped an arm around Pheonix's arm to try and hold her back, but he's small and doesn't seem that strong. But Pheonix unwrapped his arm from around her and dropped it down to his side softly. Katherine cracked her knuckles. Pheonix dropped her shopping bags and began walking towards Katherine.
"Pheonix, don't," I said as I walked over to her and grabbed her by her upper arms.
She pushed me off her. "Justin, let me go," She ordered.
I kept my hold on her. Then, she kicked me on the thigh. I winced and let go of her. She took her chance and walked past me. I picked up her shopping bags and approached Evan and Cassidy. They were staring at Pheonix with anxious expressions. When I turned around, Pheonix was pushing Katherine to the ground and kicking her. Katherine howled in pain as Pheonix's foot came in contact with her body over and over again.
"Riley! Caleb! Moose! Nick! Come out here right now!" I yelled as I kicked the front door opened, issuing for them to come out.
They all ran out at once and their eyes widened once they saw what was going on. Katherine stood up and punched Pheonix in the face. Riley was the only one that came to his senses, because he immediately ran over to them and tried to separate them. Pheonix pushed Riley out of the way and swung at Katherine, hitting her right in the face, knocking her down with one swipe.
Evan moved closer to me and grabbed my arm, trying to shield his eyes from what he was seeing. I looked down at him and Cassidy, who were both looking at me, scared. I took a hold of their hands and pulled them inside the house, taking them into the kitchen.
They each took a seat on the dining table. Cassidy and Evan held hands and I opened the fridge, giving each of them a pack of Capri Suns. Moose is a big fan of those, so he makes sure that we always have some in stock.
I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. "You guys going to be okay in here?" I asked them. They solemnly nodded and I took that as my cue to walk back outside.
Oh, my God, I said to myself as I saw what was going on. Caleb was holding Katherine back while Moose and Riley held Pheonix back with Nick standing in the middle with his hands stretched out on either side of him, keeping the girls apart from each other. Katherine had a few scratches here and there, but Pheonix was the one that was really beaten up.
"Enough!" I yelled as I ran towards them and took Katherine's side, holding her back from hitting Pheonix.
They all stopped, and all you could hear was panting. I looked at Katherine and saw her breathing hard, blood on her cheek. Then, I looked at Pheonix. She had a bloody noise, split lip, and a black eye. Her hair was catastrophic, and there were tears in her eyes. But not the sad kind of tears. The ones that emerge in your eyes whenever you get really mad.
"Katherine, leave, now!" I pointed to her car.
She pushed past Caleb and me. I thought that she was leaving, but she walked over to Pheonix and kicked her hard in the stomach. Pheonix cried out in pain and fell to the ground on her knees, her tears streaming down her face. Then, Katherine got into her car and drove away.
Riley scooped Pheonix up into his arms and ran into the house. I ran after him without even thinking twice about it. Once I entered, I saw Cassidy hugging Evan, who was panicking at the sight of his broken sister. I walked over to them and just stared at them while Caleb, Moose, and Nick followed after Riley.
Cassidy was biting down on her lower lip. She took a seat on one of the chairs, but Evan just stood there, staring at me. Then, out of nowhere, he walked up to me and hugged me tightly, his small arms wrapping around my waist. I stood there, in shock, but then soon enough, I just hugged him back.
"Is Phen going to be okay?" He asked, his voice muffled into my shirt.
Cassidy was looking at me, waiting for an answer. "Yeah, she's going to be okay."
I hope.
