“That was cool,” said Brielle.
“I’ve been so angry,” said Damon, clenching his jaw, again. “I wanted to kill somebody.”
He looked at his left hand.
“Craig got in the way of my rage,” he said, rubbing his left wrist with the right hand. “I didn’t know how to deal with this whole thing. My wrist still aches.”
“I’m really sorry that you got hurt.”
“She lied,” he said, fiercely. “I’m never going to forgive her for taking my son away. That lying tramp. I’ll never trust another female as long as I live.”
Brielle
“I’ll never trust another female as long as I live.”
The words reverberated in Brielle’s mind and ping-ponged around like a stray gun shot. For a minute, she covered her ears with her hands to block out the words. She leapt up from the bleacher.
Brielle smacked him on the shoulder with her fist.
“Ow,” he said flinching, “What was that for? Are you crazy?” He stood up and took a step back to get out of the line of fire.
“No,” snapped Brielle in a low nasty voice. She swung at him again. He avoided the blow by dodging to the left.
“Cut it out,” he said.
“I am not crazy. Isn’t that what you called Sasha? Crazy? I’m not Sasha. So, no, I’m not frigging crazy.” Brielle was screaming with rage.
“You about to cuss? What is with you all of a sudden?”
Brielle’s reply was profane and graphic. Damon eyed her warily.
“I just figured this thing out,” said Brielle, quieting.
Damon looked at her with a puzzled look on his face.
“See,” said Brielle, pointing at him with one long manicured finger. “You think this is all her fault. You laid down with everybody’s favorite tramp, I don’t know how many times. And that was okay. Cause it felt good, right? You really thought that was your baby. So you got to be all noble and stepped up to be a daddy, like you were doing her some kind of favor. And everybody was there to hold you up like you did something great by taking care of your own baby. Now, you found out it’s not your baby and you’re all hurt and innocent? I hate you.”
“What?” he asked, eyes wide. “Why?”
“Because you acted just as irresponsibly as Sasha. You did the same thing she did. You were totally disrespectful of your own self and Sasha, but since it’s not your baby after all, she’s the only one at fault here? She’s the tramp? She’s the skank?!” Brielle was back to yelling.
“She’s the one who lied,” he yelled back, getting right into her face. Brielle did not back down. If anything, she inched forward until they were nearly nose to nose.
“Maybe she didn’t lie!” yelled Brielle. “Maybe she didn’t know. Maybe she really thought Ricky was your baby. He looks like you guys.”
“He does not look like me!” yelled Damon.
“Now you say that,” said Brielle, a little quieter. “But he could have been your baby. What if she hadn’t been the school skank? What if it was me or somebody like me? Somebody who loved you and had sex with you. I was willing. We almost did it. What then?”
Damon was silent.
“Didn’t that girl say she loved you?”
He stood stock still as shame washed over him.
“And I would have stood by you when you thought he was your baby. I would have compromised all my standards. All my parents standards, even. I was willing to change his diapers. I loved him, too, for you. And now you telling me you’ll never trust another female. Like we’re not even human? You-you-,” She stopped in frustration because she couldn’t think of anything horrible enough to call him. She wanted to kick him.
“Me? What?” he asked totally bewildered. “I love you, Brielle.”
Brielle felt hot tears slide slowly down her cheeks. She didn’t bother to wipe them away.
“You don’t even know what that means,” said Brielle. “You just like me because at first I wanted to wait to have sex. I was the safe girl. It’s all on me. If I had sex with you I’d be nasty, too. Except lucky me, we didn’t have much space or opportunity.”
“We could have managed,” said Damon, dryly. “I put a stop to things. I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“Oh, whatever,” said Brielle.
“What does that mean?”
“You’re the deep thinker,” said Brielle. “You read all those books. You can’t figure this out?”
“I said I didn’t understand,” said Damon. He was clenching his jaw and opening and closing his fists like he wanted to grab her.
“Join the club!”
She reached behind her neck and fumbled with her necklace.
“Here,” she said, holding out the necklace with the half a heart. “Take this thing.”
Damon froze in place, looking absolutely destroyed, his beautiful eyes nearly opaque with misery.
“You are going to abandon me, too?”
“Me abandon you?” asked Brielle. She sniffed back the rest of her tears and wiped her face with the back of her hand. “You’ve been blowing me off for months.”
“I had a baby to take care of,” he said, still defensive.
“And now you don’t. So?”
“It took up all of my time.”
“Please,” said Brielle, holding up her hand to stop him from coming any closer. “Your mama and everybody else was loving on the baby same as you. We’re just as upset that he’s gone. I’ve decided that males can’t be trusted. You’re so busy having your own personal pity party-, forget it.”
Brielle slashed the air with one hand, dropped the necklace on the ground in front of her and stomped off towards the building, leaving Damon; shoulders slumped, in front of the bleachers with one hand covering his face.
Brielle
Brielle was sitting on Sammie’s family room floor, working on
