Beanie Power

The Confrontation

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tracy demanded in a voice that honestly scared me.

"The last time I checked, it was a free country. If that has changed please tell me, otherwise back off, Tracy." Charlie sneered her name. I turned to look at him to see him glowering down at Tracy. His whole body completely lost the lazy, relaxed posture I have gotten used to seeing on him. Now his body was as tightly strung as a bow, his hands curled into fists.

To say I was shocked at this confrontation would be an understatement. I stepped in between the two and softly pushed them away from each other. I didn't know Charlie enough to know what he would do to Tracy if he got mad enough but I wasn't going to stand back and find out. Strangely, I didn't want Tracy to hurt Charlie either, plus we were starting to make a scene. "Woah, wait. You two know each other?"

"Oh, I more than know him, Melanie and trust me when I say, this guy is bad news." Tracy looked deeply into my eyes, her blue to my green, practically willing me to believe her.

"Tracy, don't." Charlie growled tightly.

"Why shouldn't I? Melanie is one of my best friends and I will not let her get mixed up with an demented, delusional, dangerous piece of shit like you. Do you hear that fucking alliteration asshole?" Tracy closed her glaring eyes and took a few calming breaths. If Charlie got Tracy this upset... I don't even know. This was just extremely bad and the whole situation was starting to scare me shitless. Finally Tracy seemed to calm down and opened her eyes to look at Charlie with an almost sad look on her face. "Tell her what happened to your brother Charlie."

Charlie stumbled back at her words like she slapped him in the face and seemed to be losing his cool, he was starting to shake and breathe heavily. If I didn't get him out of here he would explode.

I quickly pushed him back out of the door then turned to frown at Tracy. This was a new side of her that I had never known she had. "Outside. Now."

Tracy breathed in deeply before letting it all out at once. She then ripped off her apron and threw it carelessly in the floor, storming out into the night with me right on her heels.

Outside Charlie had been pacing back and forth. When he saw us walking towards he wasted no time marching up to Tracy. The look in his eyes was slightly crazed and that scared me, but not enough to let him approach my friend like that. I pulled Tracy behind me and placed my hand on his chest, preventing him from coming any closer. That didn't seem to deter him at all.

"How dare you? How fucking dare you?" He hissed at her, his blue eyes were somehow a shining silver in this light but Tracy's were just black. Somehow his low voice was scarier than if he had been yelling. "You have no right, no right at all. You don't even know the whole story."

"I know enough Charlie. Enough to know you can't be trusted, enough to know not to let anyone I care about be around you. Not again." Tracy's voice was harder than I've ever heard it.

"You can't say that." Charlie's voice shook with such raw emotion that I had to hold back tears. What was happening right now? What are they talking about? Do I even want to know?

The answer to that was a hell yes, I do want to know.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" I demanded, looking at Tracy and then Charlie. Tracy just crossed her arms and leaned back into the building. Charlie turned his back to both of us.

"I'm not going to tell her Charlie." Tracy said softly, I looked at her, shocked by the sudden return of her normal tone.

Charlie spun around and looked at her with wide eyed. "B-but, why?" He frowned at her suddenly suspicious. "Why aren't you going to tell her?"

Tracy straightened up and fixed her appearance before turning to walk back into the building. "Because, Charlie, you're going to tell her yourself. Unlike you, I would feel bad if I ruined somebodies chance for something good."

Before Tracy opened the door she paused and met Charlie's eyes one more time. The barely suppressed hatred in Tracy's eyes stunned me. "But believe me Charlie, if I find out you didn't tell her or that she got hurt in any possible way because of you, I'm talking the slightest cut or bruise, you'll regret it."

At those wonderfully cheerful words Tracy shot me a warning glance before slipping back into the pizza place, the smell no longer appetizing.

Charlie walked up to me slowly as if I would run away from him if he movies too fast. I stared into his silvery blue eyes as he stopped in front of me, a pained look on his beautiful face.

"I'm so sorry you had to see me like that." He murmured as he took my hands in his.

"What was all that about Charlie?" I asked softly.

He sighed and bowed his head for a second then looked at be again. "Pass?"

I stared at him for a second before cracking up. Did he really just say pass to my question? This guy was really something.

"Okay then, pass." I giggled and squeezed his hands.

He looked at me wide eyed. "It's that easy?'

"I take it you're used to nosey people." I said smiling, repeating my words from earlier.

"Yeah. It's a refreshing change." He grinned but it faded and suddenly he pulled me into a tight hug. I breathed in his spicy cologne and smiled as I melted into his embrace.