Wanderers (1st Draft)

Shattered

Alice

"Rixton dinner is getting..." James stands in the doorway, his mouth hanging open shock. "What the...Alice?"

Alice flies off of Rixton's lap and lands a couple feet away. She spins around and stares at James, wide-eyed and full of shock. He looks between her and Rixton with a mix of shock, anger, and betrayal in his eyes. Slowly Rixton stands up and turns to face him. He keeps his face carefully even, making it hard for Alice to tell what he's thinking. None of them say a word. They all stand in the awkward silence.

James is the first one to move. He walks across the room only to stop a foot in front of Rixton. In a flash of movement, he swings up his fist and punches Rixton in the jaw. Rixton goes stumbling backwards. He trips over the chair and falls to the ground.

"I was gone for two days. You couldn't keep your hands off of her for two days?" James almost yells.

"That's not what happened." Rixton says pushing himself to his feet.

"Oh really?" James snaps. "So you weren't just making out with my girlfriend?"

Both of them act as if Alice wasn't in the room, which is fine with her. She's frozen in place, left standing to the side to watch the chaos unfold before her.

"James would—" Rixton starts.

"How could you do this to me?" James demands cutting him off.

"I...it..." Rixton can't seem to form any words. He just stands there stuttering.

"No. I know how. You're selfish." James says flatly. "You can't stand to see anyone else happy. You couldn't stand the fact that Alice chose me over you. You had to take her away. You just had to ruin it."

James words give Rixton his voice back. "That's not true, and you know it." He snaps.

"Well then what happened? What drove you to stab your best friend in the back?" James asks coldly. He crosses his arms over his chest and frowns at Rixton.

"You weren't here." Rixton says quietly.

"What?" James asks confused. "So, because I wasn't here you just had to move in on my girl?"

"Yes...no." Rixton shakes his head. "You weren't here when she needed you."

"What are you talking about?" James demands.

"I'm talking about Chris and how he abused her." Rixton says sharply. He throws out his arm towards Alice, as if he's pointing at her.

She cringes a little when he says Chris's name. She knows James would have found out about her and Rixton sooner or later, but she was really wishing it was later. With everything that's happened, and how he's finding out, it's just not right.

James turns his head to look at her. There is a mixture of surprise and disbelief in his eyes. "That's not true." He looks back at Rixton. "It can't be true."

"Didn't you ever wonder why she was so skittish around us? Or why she was so guarded?" Rixton asks. "Oh that right, you did. Only you pinned it on Snake." He frowns at James.

"I..." James starts.

"You weren't there that night when she needed you. She went looking for you and you weren't there." Rixton says. His voice somehow stays calm. "I know, how could I? But how could you? You left, you lied about where you were, and you lost her."

The room goes quiet as Rixton's words sink. Again James is the first one to make a move.

"I'm done." James looks from Rixton to Alice. "We're done." He spins around and walks out of the room.

Rixton

Standing outside the open door are Amelia, Jackson, and Mason. They stare at Alice and Rixton, confusion clearly written across their faces.

"What's going on?" Mason asks.

Rixton doesn't answer him. Instead he looks over at Alice. She stares at the ground, her face drained of color. Before he can speak she rushes out the door.

"Alice, wait." Rixton calls after her.

Amelia steps into the room, blocking the doorway. "Rixton. What happened?" She asks.

Rixton shakes his head. He turns around and sits down in one of the chairs. Behind him he can hear Amelia, Mason, and Jackson.

"You two can go to bed. I'll handle this." Amelia says softly.

The door closes and Amelia comes to sit in the chair next to Rixton. She doesn't say anything which makes Rixton uncomfortable. He sinks down in his chair and stares at the floor between his feet.

"You going to tell me what happened?" Amelia asks after a while.

Rixton turns his head to look at her. "I don't want to."

Amelia frowns at him. "I know. But you're going to"

Rixton lets out a sigh. He runs a hand through his hair then says. "I kissed Alice. And slept with her. Not slept with her, but fell asleep with her on purpose."

Amelia doesn't say anything for a few seconds. She looks away from his and stares at the clock on the wall. Rixton's knee starts to bounce up and down nervously.

"Why?" Amelia asks finally.

Her question catches Rixton off guard. He was expecting her to yell at him, or storm out of the room, anything but this. The way she asks it even surprises him. She is calm and composed. Her face is blank, but her eyes show real interest. It takes him a moment to form his answer.

"I like her. A lot." He admits.

Amelia nods her head slowly. "You really know how to screw things up, don't you?"

"I didn't mean to hurt James. It just happened. I wouldn't take it back, but I would do it differently if I could. I really would." Rixton says it more to himself than to Amelia.

"I really wish I could help you on this, but I can't. You dug yourself into this hole, and you gotta pull yourself out." Amelia says softly.

Rixton nods his head. "I know. Thanks anyway."

Amelia gives him a sympathetic smile and stands up. "Give him some time. When he calms down it might be easier to talk things through." She says before she leaves.

As soon as the door closes, Rixton stands up. He paces around the room for a few minutes, his thought s swirling in his head. Eventually all his anger and confusion and frustration start to boil over. He grabs a cup of water off the desk and throws it against the wall. Glass and water shatter to the floor.