The Fighter

Chapter 19

Greg had to go home tonight, so I was all alone. I was doing mine and Avery's laundry and cleaning our rooms. Gavin and Julie came in the house when I was making dinner. "Hey, did you come to change, shower, and sleep?" I asked when they walked in. "Yeah, hospital life. It never changes." He yawned. "I know. It was worse when mom was in the hospital all the time, because she was actually awake and talking. That made it harder to leave." "I know, Dad's unconscious so he has no idea if we are even there or not. That makes it so much easier to leave." He sat down at the counter and Julie sat next to him. "You both look tired. You should eat dinner with me, then go shower, and get some sleep." I strained the noodles. While the water was running on them, I took a second to text Greg back. "Where's Greg?" Julie asked. "He had to go home for the night. He's texting me." I smiled and put the noodles back in the pot. "Did you ever find Kyle?" "Yeah, well sort of. He found us. I took the back way home and stopped at the station to pee and he showed up there." I explained. "Was he with Tessa last night?" "Yeah, he's been with her for a couple days. That's why he hadn't been answering me. Oh, well." I shrugged.

They took turns showering and then headed to bed. Julie forgot PJ's so she borrowed a pair of my sweat pants and wore one of Gavin's T-shirts. They were out as soon as their heads hit the pillows. I went and watched TV. My phone started ringing. I looked and it was John. "Hello?" I answered confused as to why in the world he was calling me. "Mickie, I have to talk to you." He sounded so serious. "Hi John, how are you? I'm good thanks." I rolled my eyes. "Mick, I'm serious." "Okay, what's wrong?" "Come outside. We'll take a ride." "You're in my drive way? You couldn't have just came to the door?" "Nope. Figured this was easier." "Okay, I'm coming." I went out and got into his truck.

"What's up?" I asked closing the door. "So, word going around is you're dating Greg. Is it true?" he asked. "Who did you hear this word from?" "I don't reveal my sources." He pulled out of my driveway. "Kyle. It was Kyle wasn't it?" I knew, he couldn't lie or keep anything from me. "I'm not telling you who I heard it from." "It's Kyle." "I'm not saying who." "It's so freaking Kyle." "Shut up, is it true?" "Tell me if it was Kyle and I'll tell you." "It was Kyle now tell me!" "I knew it!" "Mickie, tell me!" he was getting annoyed with me. I don't know how we even lasted six months together. "Yes, John. Yes. I am dating Greg." "Why?" "Why not? I like him. He likes me." "Mickie, he's going to hurt you." "No, he's not! Why do you and Kyle think he's going to hurt me?" "Because he's a kid. He doesn't want what you want." "And how do you know that?" "Because he's a dick, he's an asshole, and he walks around like he owns the place." "And you don't? That is everything that you were to me." "I know, and I saw how much I hurt you. I can't see you get hurt again. I know his type, Mickie. Hell I was that type." "And you're different now?" "Yes! I have tried showing you that. You ignored it. I get why you ignored it, because I hurt you and you didn't want to go down that road again." "John I know how he is around all of you. He's a downright asshole, but he's not to me. He doesn't act that way when it's just him and I." "That's because he wanted to get you. Now that he's got you, he'll keep it up for a while and then it's going to stop." "That's what you guys think! You don't know that and I don't know that. But I have hope for him. I trust him."

"Do you trust Kyle?" "Yes, I trust Kyle!" "Do you trust Jet?" "Yes." "Do you trust me?" he asked that one last on purpose. "Yes John, I trust you." "Then trust us when we tell you that this is not a good idea and you're going to get hurt." "I'm a big girl! I can handle myself!" "He can't handle you. He can't handle your life. He can't handle Avery and you raising her. He can't handle you when you get mad, or freak out, and he sure as hell can't handle you when you're depressed." "Why do you care so much if he hurts me? I get why Kyle would care, he's my best friend. I get why Jet would care, he promised me that he would always be there for me. But, I don't get why you would care. I left you months and months ago. It was not the cleanest break up. I gave up on us, you said it yourself. Why do you care so much?" "Because I do. Mickie you would never understand." "Try me! I used to understand you very well." "I love you. I have loved you. I never told you and I wish that I did. It would kill me to see you hurt, by someone who is just like the way I was. You trust me, you said it yourself, and you know when I lie. You know that I'm not lying when I say that." He stopped the argument. I stopped arguing to hear him out. I didn't know what else to say.

He had tears in his eyes. I have never see him cry. Not once in the 15 years we've know each other. "Okay. I'm sorry." I slid over to the middle and hugged him. "Why are you sorry?" "I'm sorry because I never knew that you loved me." "Well, I do. I never stopped. Neither has Jet. Kyle loves you just as much as we do. Mickie, you're one of a kind. You're our girl. We couldn't take you getting hurt." "Okay." I sighed.

He dropped me off at home and I changed and went to lay in bed. It was around quarter to 1, when I heard the dogs go crazy. I got up to see what they were barking at. Greg was at the front door. "Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked opening the door. "I tried going home, I tried going to bed, but something was missing." He sighed. "Did you leave something here? What was missing?" "You." He hugged me. "Come on in, you can come lay in bed with me." I smiled. He came in, I locked the door and we went to my room. He got in bed with me and held me. "How am I supposed to sleep now? I'm too excited that you're here to sleep." "Good, you can stay up and talk to me." "Duh!" I teased him. "You're such a hater!" he teased me back. "I'm not a hater! You're a hater!" "Never." "Never ever?" "Nope! I could never be a hater." "If you think so." "I do, loser." "You're a loser, but you're my loser." "Yes, I am." He kissed me and smiled. I smiled back and just kept looking at him. God he was cute. "What?" he asked knowing something was on my mind. "You." "No, you." "Nope." "Yes. Always you." My life was almost perfect. The only thing that was perfect was the fact that my friends were against my relationship and that sucked.