After a few dances and some talking in between, I found out his name was Myles and he was in his final year at the university. He offered to buy me a drink and I happily accepted. After a few more shots, we danced for another two songs and I felt like I was on top of the world. The next thing I know, Myles was dragging me towards the exit sign. I lamely attempted to tell him my friend Stella was here, but I barely got the sentence out before the lights went out.
Chapter Nine
Jude
I tried all night to just keep busy at the bar and not look over at her on the dance floor. I went beyond what I usually do, but my eyes just kept trailing back over to her. She danced like she was the only one on the floor, she didn’t even realize when Stella called over that she was coming over here. By the way Knox is staring at Stella talking to Ezra to Madison dancing, he looked like he was ready to blow.
Madison dancing was dangerous and it made me want to go up to her and pull her close. You know what, it’s her ass. The Madison I knew never had curves, fuck she was just skin and bones when I met her. It was the first time I wanted to kill who ever could do that to her when I met her. She had the sweetest smile that could light a room up, but you can tell in her eyes she was full of sadness. When I was her best friend, I tried for years to get the light back in her. I was so wrong because she was no angel, but the straight up devil.
By the time my shift ended, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to get one more look and then close door on her for good. I didn’t need the complications or the memories she would bring. Well that thought flew out the window when I saw she was dancing with fucking Myles.
Myles has had it out for me since the time he caught me sleeping with his girlfriend. In my defense, she never told me she had a boyfriend, but I didn’t care to ask anyways. Ever since then he has tried to steal every girl I talk to in his lame attempt to get me back.
I wanted to go over there, but what right did I have? She wasn’t my girlfriend and I knew me going over there she would take it as me being jealous and he would take it as a win. All bets were off though when I saw her passing out and him still trying to drag her outside.
“Get the fuck away from her!” I was there in a second. There was no way she should be passed out from a few lemon drop shots. I heard rumors of Myles drugging girls and I put two and two together.
“She doesn’t want you, now get lost.” He scooped her up and started to walk again. I grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him towards me. He slipped and dropped her again, but luckily Knox saw it all and was coming towards us.
“Jude what are you doing! Wait, is that Madison?”
“Madison is drunk and this scumbag here is trying to take her home while she is unconscious!”
The idiot was asking for a death wish when he opened his mouth again to tell me to go away. I didn’t give him a second before I punched him in the jaw, knocking him out. I knew I was going to hear it from Tony, our boss, but he deserved it.
“Dude get out of here before Tony comes down from the office to see all this commotion. Taken Madison home and I’ll have Ezra take Stella there so we can keep an eye on them.”
Fuck, he was right. I couldn’t afford another strike, so I picked Madison up and took her outside. I laid her in the back of my 1969 Chevelle. The car was the one nice thing in my life and I prayed Madison didn’t puke all over the back seat. I white knuckled the steering wheel, talking myself out of going back there to knock Myles around some more. How can she be that stupid to take a drink off a stranger?
By the time we were almost back at my place, the guilt started to bubble up. Even though I hated the girl, I couldn’t help but think if I didn’t cut her off, she most likely wouldn’t have taken a drink off him. The next time I see Myles, I swear he’s going to wish he never went near her.
I parked my car and tried to take a few breaths to calm down. There would be no talking to her tonight, she wouldn’t remember a damn thing if she woke up anyways. I picked her up and started to walk up to the second floor. When I put her down to open the door, she faintly whispered tree. It was the nickname she gave me after the first time I saved her ass.
~.~
9 years ago…
It was the first day of seventh grade for me and Madison’s first day of fifth. She’s been living with us for the last month of the summer so far, but we barely talked. I had no idea what to say to her. I overheard Mrs. Montgomery gossiping to her friends about Madison’s low life parents being dead. Her dad shot her mom then pulled the trigger on himself. The worst part of the story is it happened all in front of Madison. It explained why she always
