I'm (Not) Sorry

Chapter 4

"So, there's nothing you can do?"

"Sorry, son. It's out of our hands."

"What d'you mean it's outta your hands?! You're the police! Nothin's outta your hands!"

"Don't take that tone with me. If you can provide solid evidence that he's threatening you and your girlfriend, we'll investigate it a bit more."

I didn't say anything back. I just hung up. Damn police. I was beyond annoyed at that point. I was furious. I threw my phone onto the couch, right next to Jasmine.

"Careful!" she shouted.

"Sorry..." I took my phone and sat down next to her. "I can't believe they'd do that. I just can't believe it. We showed them the texts, we told them what he done to you before. Why ain't they listenin'?"

"I dunno, baby," Jasmine said softly. "We can only hope for the best."

"Yeah, look at where hope got us," I mumbled. It's a lost cause, I thought. Might as well just let him kill us at this point. Wouldn't mind it.

"Don't talk like that," Jasmine said sternly. "Hope is all we got. Maybe he's too scared to find us? Maybe he's just all talk?"

I knew Jasmine was trying to make me feel better, but, as much as I appreciated it, it just wasn't helpful. Hope was something I could never wrap my head around. Why spend all your time wishing for something to happen when you could just go out and make it happen yourself?

That's when a thought came to me.

It was late when I left the apartment. I made sure Jasmine was still in bed so that she couldn't follow me. I didn't want to put her in danger. She didn't deserve to get hurt because of my stupid ideas. I didn't wanna be a hero. I just wanted it all to be over.

I walked down streets, crowded and empty ones, alleys, and searched through different buildings. (Public buildings that were open, of course.)

I saw him at a bar.

Drinking.

Laughing.

Acting like he didn't deserve to burn in Hell.

I didn't wanna cause a scene. Not yet, at least. I just sat down next to him and waited for someone to come by and ask for my order. I got a drink. I wouldn't have fought as well if I didn't have some sort of alcohol in me. Dallas didn't notice me yet. He was too busy talking to the other guy next to him. I just wanted to bang his big head into the counter so hard that the few teeth he had left would be gone, too. God, did I want that man dead.

When I realized what he was talking about, I saw red.

"A slut like her ain't worth my time, anyway. It's her boyfriend I'm after. Bastard put me in jail for two years, and I ain't goin' back."

"Bet."

Dallas turned to me. I was surprised he could hear me.

"Huh," was all he said at first. "It's been a while since I heard that voice."

"And it's the last time you'll ever get to hear it." I threw the first punch. Dallas fell onto the ground, and a few people had to move out of the way. I wasn't satisfied, though. I stood up and just started stomping. I wanted him dead. I felt a pull on my leg. He probably had enough of the stomping, which I get, I guess. He deserved it, though. He threw me onto the ground and began to throw me a few, too. I wasn't about to let him win.

A lot of people in the bar were shouting and hollering. All them drunk idiots wanted to see a fight. Well, it was a fight they were gonna get.

I heard a different sort of shouting. It was Jasmine. Oh God...

"Anthony Ramos Martinez, what the hell are you doing?!"

I looked over at her for a second. Apparently, my nose was bleeding a bit, which was probably why Jasmine went from angry to worried.

"Jazz, you gotta hear me out-" Before I could finish, Dallas tackled me and started swinging. I didn't fight as violently as I did before, since Jasmine was right there. How did she even find out? I didn't really care. All I knew was that I was being a damn idiot.

Not being as ruthless was definitely a mistake. Dallas was beating me into the ground. I did my best to fight back. I really did. He had the upper hand, though, and I was slipping in and out of consciousness.

For some reason, Dallas stood up and walked away. Jasmine rushed over to me and helped me up. I looked over and saw him whispering to another guy. A really big guy, too. He started advancing towards me and Jazz, so I pushed her behind me. I didn't stand a chance, though. He basically threw me into the wall, and when I got back up, I was on the ground again. I felt a sharp pain on my head, and I swore I heard something crack. The last thing I heard was Jasmine's screams before I saw black.