Leland
My heart ached as I heard her repeat her story. How anyone could treat her like that is beyond me. Theres a part of me that just wants to hold her. But I know that I shouldn't. All I can really do is be here for her. "So," she asked, "what are we going to do now it 10:30?" "Really? How about we go home and watch a movie?" "Sounds good."
You
You stood up and was helping Leland with the blanket, when your phone went off. The number was blocked and the screen said incoming call so you answered it. "You think that your gonna rid of me that easily. Baby we been together far too long. Come home to me. Please I need you to come home. I need you." You knew who it was after the first word. "No, no, no you are not going to do this to me again." Leland was looking at you with a questioning look. 'hey everything ok Angel?' he mouths. You shake your head yes. He tells you to wait right here for a sec. Chris is still on the phone saying "Come home, babygirl please just come home. I need you to come home." Leland is back and he takes your hand and starts walking back to the car. "You need to stay the hell away from me." And you hang up the phone. He calls four more times by the time you get the truck. Leland opens the door for you and by the time he get around to the other side Chris has called two more times. Now he's calling you again and this time Leland picks up the phone and says "bra you need to stay the hell from this girl. She deservers much better then you. You will never see her again so stop calling her now." And he hangs up your phone "Sorry but that ringing was just bugging the shit out of me." Leland says and you both laugh. Youre phone goes off again and Leland goes to reach for it. "no, no its ok, its a text." You start laughing at it. It reads 'hey now its getting late. No sex on the beach.' "Whats all that about?" "Um your brother just texted me." "Yea? What did he say now?" So you showed him the message and he almost forgot to turn the wheel. You cant tell if hes mad or not. Then he just smiles and says "Oh I'm gonna kill him when we get home." "Le-le dont sweat the small shit. Hes just having fun." Your phone rings a couple more times. You just put it on vibrate. You guys get back to the house and everyone is kind of surprised to see you guys. Duane Lee says "Whats the matter Leland dont have the same spark as you used to?" "Hey Duane lee when was the last time you went somewhere with a beautiful girl like this?" Leland says as he moves his hands as if to show you off. "Alright, alright point well taken. So what are you guys doing home?" "Well we came home to watch a movie. Plus I was getting tired of Leland here." You say and he looks at you with a shocked look on his face. "Chill there kid I'm joking." "Ok good," he says. Just then Baby Lyssa comes out of the kitchen and grabs your hand and takes you to your room. "Ok well I guess Im going to go change now." You say over your shoulder.
Leland
"So howd it go tonight?" Duane lee asked. "It was good. I found a lot about her tonight. Im worried about her though. Her ex called her and just kept calling her." "Bra dont worry about it, she with us here. You know nothing will happen here." "Yea I hope your right Duane Lee."
You
"So how was it?" Lyssa asked. "Fine he asked about my past and I told him. My phone kept going off. It was the ex and Leland talked to him once and then just let it ring." "So what the hell are you doing back here?" Lyssa asked. "We decided to come back and chill here," you had started to change and you had taken off your shirt and thats when you heard Baby Lyssa behind you. "Fuck I forgot you were behind me." "Angel what happened to your back?" "Um Chris, my ex one day got really, really high and I made him upset. This was a while ago thats before we came here and thats why I have a tattoo that kind of covers it. It's ok. I'm ok." "You sure? Excuse me for asking but," "It was with a knife he always carried around. He didnt do it that deep so that I wouldnt have to go to the hospital but deep enough as he put it 'to remember him.' But the scaring as gone down a lot and the tattoo hides it on the shoulder." You say this without a blink of an eye. You said it before and you have no problem saying it now. "So how many tattoos do you have?" baby Lyssa asks, "I have 13," you say as you walk of the bedroom. "13 what?" Duane lee asks and Leland turns to you as you sit next to him on the couch. Tim and his wife are there and so are Beth and Dog. "I have 13 tattoos." "No you dont" Tim says. "Yea I do." "Show us." Beth says not believing you . "Ok," so you show then the two on your left arm, the one on your right arm, the two on your lower back, the ones on each ankle, the one on your forearm, and the across your chest. Then you told them about the ones on each hip. "Hey thats only 11. Where are the other two?" Duane lee asked. "Damn and here I thought you couldnt count." You joked with him. "Theres one on my back now before I show them to you guys, there is something on my back and I need you guys not to freak out. It happened a while ago ok?" everyone shakes their head. You take off your shit and can hear everyone gasping. "So sista whats with the names?" Beth asks. Your thankful she doesnt ask about the scars. They are in memory of those family members and friends that have passed on. "Thats so nice angel." Dog says. "So did they hurt Angel?" Duane Lee asks. "Compared to other things that I've been through not at all." "So what about the other one?" "Oh that one is on my neck." So you show them the pentacle on your neck. They kind of look at you as if to say 'whats that?' "Its a pentacle its a religious symbol but I have it as part of where I come from." "Thats nice, I think." Dog says. You sit back on the couch next to Leland. Just then your phone rings again. You look at it and Leland looks over your shoulder. "Is it him again?" he asks "yea this is enough, excuse me please" you get up and walk into the kitchen unaware that Beth and Leland are following you into the kitchen. "You need to stop calling me. I don't care about you anymore." "Who was the guy that answered the phone?" "Thats none of your business." "Angel you fucking tell me who the fuck that was right now. Are you cheating on me?" "No cuz in order to cheat on you I'd have to be with you and I'm not. So you need to leave me alone." "Thats right; you can never be with anyone else because no one would ever want you anymore. Your nothing and you'll always be nothing." You start to cry. Leland grabs the phone. "YO brother stop calling her now. Your scum and you'll always be scum. You will never lay a hand on her again." "Oh yea and whos going to stop me? You? Ok listen you little punk all that girl knows is me. She tries to leave me all the time, but she comes back and shell come back to me." "Shes better where she is now, she doesnt want you back. Now stop calling her now or I will arrest you for harassment." And with that Leland hangs up the phone and Beth walks out of the kitchen as Leland moves closer to you. "Is it ok that I give you a hug?" he asks as he laughs and moves closer to you and pulls you into a hug and gives a small peck on the forehead. "He wont hurt you again. Ok? I wont let him." "Le-le he's right. All I know is him and I always go back to him. No one would have want me, all the scars on me. Hes right Im nothing and always be nothing." "Hey stop that talk right now." Leland says and puts you at arms length. "Your something different. I've never met anyone like you before. And no I don't know you all that well but I'd like to. No I dont know why your so different but theres something about you." And he pulls you into another hug. "Le-le theres something I need to tell you about my scars, they are from Chris. He was high one night and I pissed him off and he cut me over, over, over again. As he said he did it light enough so I didnt have to go the hospital but enough to know what I did was wrong. Le-le what did I do?" "You did nothing Angel. But like I said he wont hurt you again." He takes his hands and wipes away the tears. "Ok now lets go back into the living room and watch that movie. Ok?" "ok" you said and he gives you another hug. "Hey you want anything to drink?" he asks you. "I don't care." He grabs a couple beers and then grabs your hand and you two walk into the living room. "Hey everything ok there Angel?" Beth asks you as you and Leland sit on the couch. "Hey what movie are we going to watch?" Leland asks clearly wanting to change the subject. "Yea I'm fine." You hand Leland your beer to open up. "Hey Leland wheres our drinks?" Duane Lee getting the hint that Leland didnt want to talk about what happened in the kitchen. "Hey you got two legs get and get them your self." Leland says. "Come on Duane Lee lets go get some drinks for everyone else." Tim says. Leland hands your drink back as Beth says "we are watching Walking Tall. I think." "Nice I like that movie," you say. "Thanks Le-Le." You said as he hands your beer to you and you take a swig from it. You see Dog and Beth looking at you two. "Alright here comes the beers," Tim says and hands everyone else a beer. Duane Lee sits on the couch next to you on couch and you feel a hand beside yours. Tim and his wife are sitting on the other couch with Beth and Dog. Baby Lyssa is sitting in the arm chair and she looks at you and winks. The movie is a starting when the lights go off. You cuddle up next to Leland and he puts his arm around you.
