Jayson

Chapter 10

Our eyes locked, and a brief rash of emotions flashed across his face before settling on anger.  Storming up between us, he shoved Rob back away from me and grabbed my arm tightly, pulling me away toward him.  

"What the fuck did I just see?" He asked, glancing at me and then Rob. Rob's shocked expression matched how I felt.

"We...I..." he stuttered.

"How long has this been a thing? Like, the entire time I've been gone?" He asked, still holding my arm in a death grip.

"We -,"he started again, glancing at me.  I bit my lip nervously and subtly shook my head, telling him not to say anything more.

Jayson continued, red faced and pissed, "Okay, so I fucking leave town to get away from my abusive ass family and you try to steal my girl?!"

"No, man, it wasn't like that."

"No?" Jayson asked. "It wasn't like that?  What was it like then? Because I know what I saw when I walked up and that's what it looked like."

"Alright, come on.  You're overreacting, just a -" and suddenly, Jayson had let go of my arm and tackled Rob to the ground, straddling him with his shirt clenched in his fists.

"Jayson, dude, get off me." he said calmly, but with a warning tone. "Let's be real for a minute.  You were in the great sunny state of Florida and you're telling me  you didn't do one girl while you were-" Jayson didn't let him finish. His eyes narrowed and his fist came flying hard and fast into Rob's face. 

My hands flew to my mouth and I yelled for Jayson to stop, but he didn't.  He threw punch after punch and the sound of it every time he made contact with Rob's face was unsettling.  Before I knew it, Rob had escaped from beneath Jayson and was returning the punches in earnest.

"Both of you stop!" I shouted, wanting to jump in between the two, but afraid to do so. "I mean it! Stop, or I'm calling the cops."

Rob stood up over Jayson and threw Jayson's baseball cap at him, "you're a bitch, dude," he told Jayson, wiping the blood from his lip with his thumb.

Jayson stood up and walked up close to Rob, "say it again to my face, fucking dick." 

And I couldn't believe it when I heard Rob reply, "bitch."

Again, before I knew what had happened the two boys were wrestling again.  This time, afraid for Jayson's safety more than Rob's, I ran over and tried to separate the two, but Jayson shoved me hard and I fell backward into the grass. I stayed, sprawled out in grass, sobbing as I helplessly watched.  Why was he doing this?  "Jayson!" I yelled, as Rob slammed Jayson's head down on the concrete. "Rob, stop it!" I screamed, using all of my strength to try to pull him away, but with no success. "Stop!" I yelled, petrified. And then suddenly, it was over.  Rob stood up, running a hand through his dark hair and moved toward me.

"This is the guy you want, huh?" he asked me. "Good, you can have each other!  Neither of you is worth this shit." I watched him walk away, my heart still pounding in my chest. 

"Haven?" I heard Jayson quietly call out.

I rushed to his side, kneeling on the sidewalk and lifting his head just enough to rest it on my thighs.  "I'm here," I told him. "What should I do?"

"Call Jess, please. I don't think I'll make it if I walk home."

"Jayson, I'm so sorry," I frowned, "I mean it.  None of this was supposed to happen."  I helped him up as best I could and led him into house where I finally saw how bad he'd been hurt. His lip was bloody, his eye was swelling and there was a pretty big cut gushing on his face. I led him to the bathroom where he sat on the edge of the tub and I handed him a wet towel to hold against his face. While he waited, I ran to the living room to call Jesse and tell him some of what happened.