Fix You.

[14]

Buck's house was crowded, but not as crowded as it had been last Friday. We didn't talk to anyone, we just sat awkwardly on the couch and drank. I promised myself I wouldn't have more than three beers, I wanted to stay somewhat aware of what I was doing. I had people come up and talk to me, and I would make very little conversation.

"Want another beer?" Dallas asked me.

"Yeah, sure." I said. It would be my last.

I was sitting there, minding my own business and Curly Shepard came wandering up. He sat down on the couch quite close to me.

"How's it going?" he asks me.

"Good. I thought you were in jail." I said.

"Not since yesterday." he told me. "Did you come here with anyone?"

"Yeah, uh, Dallas." I said.

"Dallas? Last I heard he hadn't picked up a broad in months."

"Yeah, well, you've been in jail."

"Where is he at?"

"Getting me and him a beer."

"What's taking him so long then?"

"I don't know."

"Well, I know what we can do while we wait." He started to push me back on the couch.

"Curly, no, you're 15, you're practically a kid." I said, trying to push him off.

"I don't fuck like a kid..." he said in my ear.

"Jesus Christ, Curly, get off." I continued to try to push him off. He began to kiss my neck.

"I said get off!" I screamed.

Someone lifted Curly off of me, and threw him on the floor.

"She said to get off." Dallas said, very calmly.

"So now you have a claim on her? You shouldn't have left her alone." Curly said, getting up. Dallas took one of the beer bottles and smashed it over his head. Curly fell to the ground. He was out cold. Well, there goes my beer.

But then Dallas is on the ground. Tim had pulled him around and punched him square in the face.

"Don't touch my brother." Tim said.

Dallas got up, stumbling. His nose was bleeding, it looked broken. He punched Tim back. But before it got out of hand, I got up and pulled Dallas back.

"STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT! RIGHT NOW." I screamed at both of them.

"JESUS CHRIST! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO? YOU'RE BEST FRIENDS!"

"I-" Dallas started.

"You know what, I don't care. Come on, let's go home and get you cleaned up."

• • • • • •

"Sit on the couch while I get some ice." I told Dallas as soon as we got in my apartment. He sat on the edge of the couch, elbows on knees with one hand on his nose. I went into the kitchen and got a cloth, put 4 pieces of ice in it, wrapped it up and walked back into the living room.

He was sitting the way he was when I left. I crouched down next to him.

"Move your hand." I said.

"I don't need to you to doctor me, my nose has been broken bef-"

"Move. Your. Hand." I said, looking him in the eyes. He moved it. I placed the ice on his nose, and he cringed.

"That's fucking cold and it hurts!"

"Well, number one, it's ice, and number two, your nose is broken. Yeah, it's gonna hurt. Grow a pair." I said.

"I do have a pair, you've seen 'em." he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Hold that there, I'm gonna go get some gauze." I said. I ran the the bathroom and got gauze for the bleeding, it was getting on my pretty dishcloth.

I walked back in the room and crushed down.

"Take the ice off." I said. He did.

"Now, I'm going to reposition your nose. Or else it'll heal crooked." I told him.

"Get it over with." he said. I moved it back straight, quick.

"FUCK, GODDAMMIT, SON OF A BITCH!" He yelled.

"Now look at me." he did. Except I wasn't looking at his nose anymore. I was looking at how beautiful he was. He was looking at me too, until I kissed him.

We made out on the couch, and began taking our clothes off.

"You know," I said between kisses, "I made a bet with Cierra."

"Yeah?" he said, un-clasping my bra.

"She said you just wanted to get in my pants, so I said if you didn't try anything on our next date, then she was wrong. But if you did, she was right." I sat up on top of him and unbuttoned his pants.

"So, do you think she won the bet?" he asked.

"No, I kissed you, remember?" I said, giggling.

"I remember... " he said, and our conversation ended.