“What,” she asked quietly.

“Are you. Cheating. On me,” I yelled. I can’t take this. I think I’m going to throw up…

“What…? Jimmy, I- NO! I’m not. I would never,” she said, stepping forward. But just as she did, I stepped back. I can’t be near her. Not until I was sure.

“Then please,” I started. “Tell me why you’re acting like I don’t matter. How the FUCK are you able to talk to me like I am shit, Meghan? I’ve tried. I’ve tried so much. I tried everything. But nothing was fucking working. I couldn’t through to you. You won’t talk to me, you won’t look at me, the closest you fucking get near me is when you sit next to me in the Goddamn car, so I would only assume, dude. I mean, this is the first time in a fucking month that you actually straight up answer anything that I ask you. So please… Please tell me… Are you?”

Meghan’s crying was getting harder, “NO Jimmy! I am NOT cheating on you!”

”THEN WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING WRONG, GODDAMN IT?!” My left hand went to my stomach, and my right hand clenched and slammed down onto the counter.

“IT ISN’T YOU JIMMY! OH MY GOD, ARE YOU FUCKING BLIND?! IT’S ME! IT’S ME! EVERYTHING I DO IS WRONG. I FUCK EVERYTHING UP. IT’S ALL MY FAULT!” Meghan dropped to her knees and sobbed. I hate seeing her like this, but it was almost like it was the only way she’d talk to me. I got down to my knees slowly, and crawled over to her. Just as I got there, she jumped into my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. Holding me tightly as if I’d leave it she didn’t…

I didn’t say a word. Not one. I just held her as she cried into my neck, I rubbed her back and rocked back and forth. What else could I do? There was obviously something wrong, of course, but what?

“I’m sorry, Jimmy,” She cried. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to treat you all shitty. I just- I don’t even know.” Meghan’s cries were beginning to hurt my heart. I couldn’t take it. But I needed to hear her. I needed to listen to what she had to say.

“Meghan, just tell me what’s going on,” I said. “I need to know. I can’t stand being in the dark here, I didn’t even fucking know that you were hurting, babe. Shit! If you would have been talking to me, I could’ve helped you fix this!”

Meghan started to hiccup, and just as I finished, she held on to me tighter.

“Meghan,” I said softly. “Baby, look at me please.”

Sure enough, slowly, she let go and faced me. I sighed, and cupped her cheek. “Meghan, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that you could have done to screw anything up, love. Nothing! I doubt that you did anything to do harm. Or at least not intentionally. You were distant. Okay. So? You invalidated my suspicions and that’s great. But-“

“No Jimmy,” Meghan interrupted me. “This w-was way before you…”

Wait, what? I looked at her, and could practically feel the confusion on my face. “What do you mean- No Meghan,” she looked down from me and I brought her chin up so that she could look back into my eyes. “Tell me. And no bullshit, got it?”

She nodded, and I could tell she was fighting the urge to look down. “It,-it was-… Remember that thing with Anna…?”

I nodded. By “thing” she meant what that stupid asshole did to her sister. Meghan always refrained from using the word “rape”. It bothered her so much, but who could blame her?

“Well,” she said. “That man… I- I had been dating his son. And one day, I was at his house. His son wanted to introduce me to his parents and I had gotten there super early. Well, B- Brandon wasn’t there yet, and hi-his dad started talking t-to me. It went from that, to constant compliments, and he started touching my arm and whatnot. When he started getting really suggestive, I stopped him. I told him to back the fuck off, and he didn’t like that. I had gotten up from where I was and threatened to call the cops, and I kicked him in his pathetic fucking nuts and as I started to leave…”

Meghan started crying really hard again. She was trying to breathe and was holding her chest. “Shh,” I said, rubbing her shoulders. “It’s okay, sweetie. I’m right here… Take it slow, okay? Tell me. Tell me what happened…” Please God, don’t let it be what I think it is…

“He- h- he told me that he w-was go-i-ing to f-find someone who w-would give in…” she said. I felt my heart hit the floor. He fucking threatened her with her sister. And she’d been too pissed off and scared to even know it.

“I-it’s all my fault Jimmy,” she cried loudly, shaking. “It’s all my f-f-fault. I w-was supposed to be there a-at that stupid party with h-her, but I h-had broken up with Brandon and I d-didn’t want t-to ever s-step foot in that fucking house ever again. But sh-she did. M-my baby sister went, and that fucking perv knew who she was to me. It’s all my fault. I fucked everything up, Jimmy.”

I brought her to my chest, and she continued to cry. That fucking asshole… How could someone do this to people? How many other girls had he done it to? How many other girls would he have done it to? That sick son of a bitch is rotting in Hell and here Meghan is, blaming herself for something that she had no part in…

I pulled away from Meghan and kissed her lips. “Look at me, Meghan,” she did as I said, and as she looked into my eyes, I continued to speak to her. “You… had no part in what happened to your sister.” As soon as that came out of my mouth, Meghan began to sob again.

“You had absolutely no part in what that disgusting bastard did to Anna. You did what you had to do to get away from him and you fucking did it. You hear me? Had you not, you would be in Anna’s position and then what? Huh? Would Anna want that for you?” I held Meghan by her shoulders, and she covered her face with her hands.

“But had I not gotten away, I would be the one like that. Not her. She would be able to do something in life. Fulfill her dreams, and now she can’t,” she mumbled.

“Meghan, this should never have happened at all. But look baby,” Meghan’s bloodshot eyes met mine, and I continued. “It did. And I am so, so sorry. When people say that shit happens, they fucking mean it. But seriously look at your sister. Does she ever have to worry anymore? Of course not. There is nothing she ever has to worry about. She’s living a happier life now, and she can move on with Johnny, little baby, and you, and that is all that matters to her in life now.”

I pulled Meghan up with me as I stood, “Now, one more question.”

Meghan nodded. “Shoot,” she said, her voice still shaky.

“Why were you crying when you got out of work?” Meghan’s lower lip trembled. Just as I was about to ask what was wrong she stepped back and lifted up her shirt to reveal her now bruised rib.

“I quit my job right before you drove in,” she said, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. “The manager touched my lower back, and just before his hand got any lower I pushed him away. All this week I’ve been blowing him off and whatnot and today he got angry…”

“He… what?”

What happened next, I can’t explain. Everything that we had just talked about, it was almost like it didn’t happen. We were back in the car faster than anyone in the world could say ‘ohhh shit!’ I was seeing red, I could feel the anger in me boiling up. I told Meghan to call the police and tell them everything. They were to meet us there at the shop, and I already knew they were going to get there late. As she called them, I called Bri on my phone, “Have the boys all meet us at the music store where Meghan works. I’m about to fuck some shit up real motherfucking quick…”

“What the fuck,” I could hear rustling in the background and some keys jingling. Ah, I have the best fucking friends in the world. “I’m on my way Jimmy. Don’t even fucking worry.”

I hung up, and stepped on the gas. Before I knew it, we were there, and I was standing outside of a glass door with big ass block letters that said “closed”. I started banging on the door, and Meghan stood next to me, holding on to my arm for dear life.

A tall, kind of buff blonde guy came to the door, and looked me straight in the eyes. ’You might look like you’re tough shit, but you’re not bitch.’

He fucking knew who I was, I could fucking see that. And he didn’t know what was coming for him. Just as he opened the door, Matt’s car pulled up and as I started banging on the door again, yelling for that bitch to open up, Matt, Val, and Zacky got out of the car, and Brian pulled up not too long after.

“Jim,” Val yelled. “Come on, what’s going on?”

“OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR, YOU FUCKING PUSSY,” I screamed. The guy smiled and unlocked it. BIG. FUCKING. MISTAKE.

I swung the door open and snatched that bitch out of the building, throwing him to the floor and kicked him while he was down. “You stupid. Fucking. ASSHOLE!”

The guy grabbed my leg and pulled me down, I landed face first onto the pavement but crawled over to him quickly and started punching his face just as Johnny’s car pulled in. “FUCK YEAH,” Matt yelled, just as Brian started yelling, “Get ‘em Jimmy! Get ‘em!”

The guy push me off of him and I fell onto my back, propping myself up on my elbows as I saw him stand.

“Move back Meghan,” Anna said as she and Johnny got off the car.

“GET THE FUCK UP JIMMY,” Zacky yelled. Oh, I did. I swung my leg up and kicked the guy square in his chest, knocking his air out and giving me a chance to get up.

“You wanna fucking touch my girl, huh,” I roared. “I’m gonna fucking show you what happens when you think you can fuck with some female.” I sent a right hook to his face, then straight punched him in his stomach.

“You stupid bitch,” he yelled. He squared his shoulders, and tackled me to the ground again. I’m too fast though, Goddamn it. I threw him over and started to pound his face with my fists. I grabbed his head and slammed it on the ground, then I picked him up and threw him to the side of the building, making sure he hit his face on the wall.

I heard the sirens just in time. ‘Fuck yeah,’ I thought. ‘Fucking worth it.’
I laughed in this guy’s face and said, “You ever touch her again, I’ll fucking kill you. You worthless son of a bitch.”

I turned around, and Meghan ran over and threw her arms around my waist. We walked over to my car and sat on the hood, holding each other. The guys all stood with us quietly until the police got here.

I’ve been arrested before, but this was different. For something that really mattered. This time, the bail money was for something that was worth it. And because of it, I didn’t mind going through all the bullshit processing and whatnot. Hell I’d do it again if I had to. All because seeing Meghan’s perfect smile again after being bailed out was worth more to me than anything. To me, she was perfect regardless of her past or of what she thought of herself.

Notes

Oh how cute.:)