Chapter Thirty-Four:

“Hey,” I walked up to Jace. He nodded.

“Are you really okay? Or did you just want me to cool it before I kicked someone’s ass?” He asked me.

“I’m as okay as I ever am, Jay. I feel like I’m stuck.” I told him. He sat down in the computer room. I shut the door so we could talk without being overheard. “I made the mistake of thinking that I could just drop everything once Eric is back. I was naïve to think it would be that easy. I mean, that’s the way that makes the most sense, but he’s not just going to walk away from this.”

“Gel, you can’t control what anyone else does. You know that. If he doesn’t walk away, that’s on him. But, he cares about you as much as he says he does, he’ll give you space when you ask for it. If he’s the reason you get the shit beat out of you, then we’re going to have a bigger problem than Eric. He can get over himself.” Jace fumed.

“You make him sound so much worse than he is.” I defended Matt.

“Angela, babe, get real with me. It’s not like you haven’t thought about it either. He beat the crap out of you last time. And that’s because he was jealous of Matt. What’s he going to do when he finds out you’re still with him?”

“So I should just let him dictate every second of my life?”

“No! But you need to do whatever necessary to get out of this alive! I can’t lose you! Do you hear me?! I’m not going to watch you die for him!” He yelled.

“I’m not going to let him kill me.”

“How are you so sure? Because you’ve been so successful stopping him so far?” He asked. I was trembling again.

“I don’t have my head in the sand, Jay. I know that I have to take a step back, but I don’t know if he’s going to. Like you said, I can’t control what everyone else does. Which is it? You don’t like him. Just say it.”

“I don’t have to like him.”

“You’re not even giving him a chance and we both know why.” I told him.

“He doesn’t put your well-being first. I don’t need any other reason than that.” Jace told me. This conversation is over. It won’t matter if I say anything else to him. He won’t hear me because he’s already made up his mind.

“I can’t be fighting with both of you, Jay. Don’t pretend that all of this is about my well-being. Maybe you can explain things to him about Eric because I don’t think he’s getting where I’m coming from. And you’re going to have to accept that we’re together. I know that you’ve said that you have but you still act like my jealous ex around him.”

“I’m in love with you, Angela. How would you like me to behave?” He asked, getting uncomfortably close to me. I didn’t say anything. “Do you want to know that it kills me when I have to see the two of you together? Or that I’d like you to wake up one morning and realize I’m the better choice for you? Or that we both know that you feel something for me but you’re choosing not to act on it because the thought of losing me kills you?” He asked me.

“My feelings aren’t as strong as yours are and of course I don’t want to lose you. I like having you in my life. You know that I love you but I’m not in love with you.”

“Or you’re just afraid to admit it to yourself.” He brushed hair out of my face.

“Don’t do this, please.”

“What? Do you love Matt?” He asked me.

“I-I don’t know. I care about him.”

“Is it love?”

“I’m falling for him, Jay.” I told him.

“Fine. I’ll be here when you realize he isn’t the guy for you. And, I’ll talk to him. I’ll make more of an effort to not be an ass while he’s around.” Jace promised. I nodded.

“Thank you.” I told him. He leaned in and hugged me. He kissed my forehead and pulled away. And the complications keep piling on.

-.-

Jace and Matt talked upstairs. Gwen left to go pick up the pizza. I kept Brian company while he flipped through cable channels. He kept shooting me sympathetic looks. Those are the worse. That’s exactly why I didn’t want people to know.

“I’m sorry about everything.” He blurted out. I laughed.

“You didn’t do anything to me. You shouldn’t be sorry.” I told him.

“Yeah, but –”

“But nothing. You didn’t do anything. Life sucks. That’s just life. It’s not your problem.” I told him.

“Matt’s trying. He doesn’t stand for abusive men, especially after his dad.” Brian explained.

“I know, but if he doesn’t back off for awhile, I could die. I don’t think he sees it the way I do.” I confessed. Brian didn’t say anything.

“Give it time.”

“I don’t have time. It’s okay. I’ll figure something out. Always do.” I forced a smile.

-.-

Jace’s POV

I hate that she chose him instead of me. I can’t change her mind. God knows I’ve tried. All I can do now is be there for her and hope shit doesn’t hit the fan.

“She’s not trying to break up with you, man. She’s trying to stay safe. She just needs you to take the back burner for a minute while her father comes up with something to get her out of that house. It’s not that hard to understand.”

“It feels like she’s running.”

“You have to trust her.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Yeah, it is. If you can’t do that, you don’t need to be a part of her life. She doesn’t need to be worrying about you, too. Not on top of everything else she has going on.” I told him. That shut him up.

“That’s not what I’m trying to do.”

“Then prove it. Step up and give her what she needs.”

“What about you? Don’t think I haven’t noticed. She’s not single anymore. You can’t just worm your way in while I’m out of the picture.” He told me. I smirked.

“If she wanted me, you would have never been in the picture. She knows where I stand. If that changes, it’ll be up to her. I told her I would back off and I will.”

“Then we understand each other?” He asked.

“As long as you understand that if you get her killed, you’re dead. That’s not a threat. That’s a promise.”

“Okay.” He agreed. We headed back downstairs. Angela’s talking with Brian. Matt stopped just out of sight of the living room.

“Matt’s trying. He doesn’t stand for abusive men, especially after his dad.” Brian told Angela. She sighed.

“I know, but if he doesn’t back off for awhile, I could die. I don’t think he sees it the way I do.” She told him.

“Give it time.” He tried to comfort her.

“I don’t have time. It’s okay. I’ll figure something out. Always do.” She whispered.

Matt froze. I think what Gel was trying to tell him finally sank in.

-.-
Angela’s POV

I looked over and saw Matt and Jace staring at us. How much did they hear? Well, the damage is done. Brian scooted over and gave me a one-armed hug.

“Thanks.” I told him.

“What for?”

“Being yourself.” I told him. I think we’re going to be better friends than I thought we would be.

“No thanks required. You’re one of us now… One of the dudes.” He smiled.

“I’m a dude?”

“A hot dude?” He offered. I chuckled.

“You should come over more often. You keep things light.”

“As long as there’s food.”

“Gwen should be back with the pizza soon.” I told him. He smiled.

“You’re not a dude. Maybe like a slightly younger, way shorter, sister.” He decided.

“I can live with that.” I told him. Jace and Matt finally came in.

“Room for two more?” Matt asked. I nodded.

“Yeah, sure.” I told them both. We ended up on a bunch of blankets on the floor with all the pillows we could find. We were watching Hellboy. That started a mass discussion about powers we wanted and why. We didn’t even hear Gwen come back. She walked in with the pizza and some plates.

We were digging in when my phone started going off. I answered it.

“Hello?”

“How is my darling daughter?” Eric asked.

“What do you want?”

“To let you know that I’ll be back in two days.”

“What?”

“Two days, Angel. Aren’t you excited to see me?” He asked.

“When?”

“Monday night around 7. I’ll be home around 8 p.m. I expect you to be there. Oh, and bring your little friend. I think it’s time I have a little talk with Matthew.”

“Why?”

“So many questions. I’ll see you Monday. Bye Angel.” He hung up. Well, so much for freedom.