Insatiable

Ten

"Oh, my baby." 

"Nice shot, sis."

"That's my girl." 

"Hey, guys." I wave awkwardly at my family as they bombard my personal space in the doorway.

"We heard about Brett. How's your hand?" My father asks. I hold up the wrapped limb and he grins. 

"They wrapped it up for me at the doctors. I'm fine, by the way. They put me on some medicine and told me it'll be fine next month." I answer. I see my brother sigh in relief knowing that this means I'm not pregnant. "What'd you do to Brett?" I ask him.

"Nothing. Told him if he ever even goes near you again, I will personally put him in the hospital but I figured this was your moment. You did break his nose. He's also off the team for misconduct." I'm thankful Isaac didn't hurt him. This was my battle and I think I got my revenge pretty good even if my hand is still throbbing.

"Guys, can I have like a bowl of ice for this?" I slowly unwrap the bandage to reveal the purple and red splotches and the swelling forming on my middle and pointer knuckles. The bruising has spread from the tip of my knuckles to midway down the back of my hand and there are divets in my palm from where my nails were forced into the skin from the blow but I can't stop grinning. This was so fucking worth it. I rewrap my hand submerge it into the ice mom got. She can't bear to look at the bruises but my dad and brother think they are cool. It's the first time I've ever been hurt that didn't have anything to do with cheer or clumsiness. I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket and I have to twist weirdly to avoid hitting the bad hand. 

"Oh my god, Haley!" Camila cries on the other end. "First of all, congrats on not being pregnant but holy shit. You punched Brett!"

"Shhh, I'm in the family room," I whisper.

"Oh, sorry. But you punched Brett! Does this mean you and Shawn are together now?"  She squeals.

"I said I'm in the family room, C." I sigh.

"You punched Brett!"

"I know." I laugh.

"That man whore!" She yells. I agree silently. "How's your hand?"

"Sore. And throbbing and purple."  I admit.

"Was it worth it?"

"Hell yes." She giggles at me and I smile, kicking my feet out excitedly. A wave of dizziness hits me and I stop. My stomach roars to life so I take a cube of ice and munch on it. It doesn't help like it usually does but that's ok. I remember what the doctor said about me needing to eat but I can't quit now. "Quit chomping in my ear you dinosaur." I laugh.

"So what did the girls say about my scene?" I ask.

"Well, aside from how you didn't act properly at all, most of them were too stunned to say anything else. Like half of them were guilty anyway." She shrugs but I suddenly can't breathe. These are my girls. My best friends are the ones my boyfriend slept with. It doesn't surprise me, but it hurts like hell. These are the girls I grew up with. I trusted them and I shared everything with them from clothes to memories and everything in between. But not boyfriends. I would never sleep with one of their boyfriend's. How could they betray me like that? "Haley?" Camila asks.

"How could they?" I whisper.

"Come on, Haley. You know that's just how they are." She tries.

"Like sluts? Like bitches? Untrustworthy and unloyal? Disgusting and a pig just like Brett?" Isaac has joined me in the living room and is listening to everything we say.