Deserving | ✔

Chapter 36

I don't have time to think. Ian is two minutes away from becoming a murderer and Leril, a dead body.

I pounce on Ian from the back and lock my arms firmly around his armpit.

"Ian! Stop!" I cry and pry him away from Leril.

"You don't know her, Phillip! She's a bitch!" He says and tries to shake my hold off of himself.

I reach for his hand forcing the air off of Leril's throat and pull his hand away from her. I quickly push him off with all my strength and get in between them.

"What the fuck, dude!" I shout as I stand in front of Leril, my back facing her as I protect her from the monster inside Ian.

"Phillip, you don't know - " he begins and takes a step closer to me, more particularly towards a coughing Leril.

"No, I know this: if you take one step closer, I will not hesitate to stab you and then hand you over to the cops for attempting murder. I have a knife right inside my pocket. I repeat, I will not hesitate," I say, my voice firm.

He takes a step back. "You're - You're choosing her over me?" He sounds surprised.

"Yes," I grit my teeth. "I'm choosing the vulnerable victim of murder, who is also my close friend, over the vile and psychotic criminal of murder, who was my best friend."

"Was?" He sounds hurt.

"Yes, was. You were not there when I needed you. You cannot expect me to take you back with a warm smile after you disappear on me for a whole month doing God knows what.

"That is not the point now. The point is, I want you to get the hell out of my house and clear your head. If you still want to attack this woman, or any other woman for that fact, then never set foot in my house again. I am ashamed to be the friend of someone who would attack a woman, no matter who she is or what she did, and I will try to forget your existence entirely if you don't regret this huge mistake of yours sooner. Now, get the fuck out, you asshole."

His eyes flash once at Leril, and then at me.

"Whatever," he murmurs and brusquely strides out of my home. On his way out, he slams the door shut.

I take a step forward and turn towards Leril. She's shaking, physically shaking. I do not see the Leril I know. I see a vulnerable, shaken girl. No girl should feel what Leril is feeling right now: unsafe.

"Leril?" I softly call to see if she's mentally present here.

She's not. She stares into the horizon and her vision is not focused. I can sense her mind travelling through depths of depressing emotions. I don't know what else to do except to show her that I'm here for her.

So I take a step forward and lock my arms around her. I expected her to relax in my arms, but she does the opposite. She tenses up and pushes me away with her arms.

"Please don't do anything!" She shrieks and tears fall from her eyes.

My heart wrenches. "Leril, it's me, Phillip." My words don't seem to enter her mind.

"Don't... Do... Anything. Please!"

Her voice is so shrilly from the panic she's feeling. What am I going to do?

"I... I deserve it. I... Should've expected it. He's right. Ian is right," she keeps murmuring.

Why does she keep saying that? What has she done? What has Ian done?

I push those thoughts away as this was not the time to think about all that. There's a panicking woman in front of me. I try to think of what I should do.