Bar Red's Redemption ✔

c h a p t e r. 37

"There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature."
― Jane Austen

chapter 37

"I can't stop fighting," Bar told her, hating his life. Hating what he has to do to survive it when most times he doesn't even want to.

Clementine's eyes flashed, "Why n-not?"

"It... I just need-- I just want to, okay?"

Lie.

Lie.

Lie.

When will he ever get to stop lying?

"No, it's not o-okay!" She throws her hands into the air. "Look at you, Oly, you're bleeding and hurt and I'm, and I'm tired of seeing you like t-that."

"I'll be more careful, I'll be hurt less," Bar says, cautious of Clementine's rising tone. He doesn't wasn't to fight with her. "But I need you to understand that I can't give up fighting. I need to do it."

"Why?" Clementine says, tone begging to understand something out of her reach. "Why do you n-need to fight?"

"If I don't then something bad happens."

"Like with your, with y-your cuts?"

Bar tensed, "Not exactly."

"Then explain, help me understand why you h-have to put yourself in danger," She said. "What bad thing is, is going t-to happen?"

His sister could get beat by his father just like Bar did monthly.

"I don't," The brute couldn't tell her the truth. He felt like his father was ruining his relationship and Talmai wasn't even there. "I don't know, okay? It just is."

"This isn't s-some s-sup-super--" Clementine took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. When she opened them, there was a whole new emotion inside. "This isn't some superstitious, l-let's phone a friend for the answer. It's, it's a yes or no, simple question. Why can't you stop f-fighting?"

"Because I can't."

"That doesn't m-make any sense!" Clementine yelled. "You realize that, right, you realize that y-you need to, to stop fighting? You are going to get yourself killed, Oly!"

"So what?" Bar yells back. "So what if I fucking get killed?"

So much has happened in such a small timeframe and it was getting to him. His brain needed a break, he needed to process but things just kept happening, not allowing him to.

But life was like that.

It didn't care if someone had the time, it didn't care if they were prepared or not.

It just kicked them in the face regardless if they saw the boot coming right at them.

Clementine stared wide-eyed up at Bar and he realized that was the first time he ever yelled, his bullying years excluded.

He just yelled at her...

"So what if y-you get killed?" Clementine repeated, voice barely above a whisper. "If you get killed, do you know what would happen? I would die along with you, Oly! I love you. Gwen loves you and so does Auggie and Law and you c-can't, you can't just say stuff like that."

"I know, I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me today."

"Stop saying sorry," Clementine actually glares at him now. "I-I don't want your apologies, I want you to stop fighting. I want you, I want you to have a life with me, Oly-- a life together, for however long as we live. And I can't do t-that with you if, if you get killed fighting people every single month."