Anyway, this next chapter of Perfect Strangers pulls a lot of emotion from Damon. I would write sections in between episodes, and I really felt bad for Damon. He's just so misunderstood. :(
Enjoy while I get back to my show.
Chapter twenty-two
Through the blur of unshed tears clouding my eyes I managed to make it home safely, pulling my car into the garage and placing the tarp lovingly over the top once more before running inside, paying no mind to anyone or anything in my way. I bit my lip so hard as I ran it began to bleed, dribbling scarlet liquid down my chin. I heard my mom call to me as I barreled past her as she came in the door, making my way up the stairs. When I made it to my room I slammed the door, causing a few pictures hanging on my wall to crash to the floor. Some of the glass frames shattered, but I didn't care. I threw myself onto my bed and sobbed. How could he do that to me? Why? I had been so good to him, and he had saved my life. We were perfect for each other, but it seemed apparent at that moment that I had been living in some fantasy world I had created for the two of us to live together in. The world it seemed had been sewn together with the thinnest threads and paper landscapes as I watched it get shredded to pieces and trampled carelessly. I hated him. Loathed him beyond the human capacity to loathe someone.
I could feel my makeup running down my face, black rivers of mascara and eyeliner coating my cheeks, but I didn't care. Someone knocked at the door, a muffled voice came from behind it. Without looking at the door I shouted at them to leave me alone, and of course that did nothing. The door opened and I heard my mom gasp. She carefully stepped across the room, and sat on my bed. She put her hand on my shoulder which I quickly shrunk away from, growling through my sobbing hiccups for her to go away.
“What's wrong, Laela?” She asked quietly.
“I told you to go away. I need to be alone right now.” I sobbed, turning my head into my pillow, smudging makeup across it.
My mom was never one to push, so with a sigh she stood up and left, reminding me that the glass was still on the floor and that I should be careful when exiting. Through my tears I snorted a laugh. She always knew what to say, but somehow the laugh did little for my mood; the anger and despair quickly set back in as a whole new wave of tears hit me full force. My body rocked with sobs, heaving breaths and loud cries. I didn't care who heard me, I needed to let it all out. No, I needed to destroy something. Rolling over I sat up on my bed and stared out the window to the backyard. My eyes settled on the glass picnic table, and I had the sudden urge to smash it to bits. I looked at the shattered glass that littered my floor and for a moment considered smashing them against the wall, but the obsessive neat freak that was dying to be let out won that battle, and I left them where they were. Instead, I sat on my bed, staring at the door, hugging a pillow to my chest and sobbing.
It didn't make sense to me that he had been cheating for that long and I hadn't noticed any signs of unfaithfulness. My mind wandered back to the party Tony had mentioned. It had been the only party that I had ever had way too much to drink at. Normally I was the designated driver, so I hardly drank at all, but that night I let myself go. It had been the last party of the summer, and I had been all over Tony, doing things I knew I wouldn't if I were sober. He hadn't seemed to mind my advances that night, but of course he was completely wasted too. At some point between one and three in the morning, I began to drift in and out of consciousness on the couch in the living room of Rush's brother's apartment, but I remembered clearly hearing bits and pieces of conversation. Rush was hitting up some college girl, flirting like I had never seen him do before. Keltie was dancing and singing to the music with Burt, Rush's brother, and Tony was in the kitchen talking to someone. I couldn't remember who it was, the voice was quiet, hissing something in a low voice. Tony agreed, to what I couldn't remember, but with what was said today I knew now that it was Victoria's voice and he had agreed to go skinny dipping. That was what started it all.
Six months they had said. As I thought about it, the signs became clearer. There had been times I would call him and invite him over for dinner or just to hang out and he would tell me he was busy with his family. At the time I didn't think much about it, big Italian family and all—they had always been close—but it seemed a little odd since Bambi usually invited me to family outings. She considered me a part of their family. Then came the new cologne. I thought it was just something he was trying, and I liked it. He said he was doing something different, trying on different smells just to see which ones I liked better. I growled, strangling my pillow in my hands. That jerk! He was going to pay for this one way or another. A stab of pain rocketed up my arm and I cried out, looking down at my hand. It was still bloody, and my joint was swelling up where I had most likely broken it punching Tony in the jaw. I needed to get some ice on it but I didn't want to leave my room. Stepping off of my bed, I went to my desk, looking at the items on the desk. All of them were from Tony. I clenched my jaw, glaring at the objects. Pictures, cds, notes, tiny glass figurines, and more. With a shout, I shoved everything off the desk, sending papers flying, and things sprawling across the room. I slammed my hands onto the desk, crying out again in pain as my hand throbbed. The others were downstairs. I didn't want to face them. I dropped to my knees, running my hands through my hair. Just ignore everyone downstairs and get some ice. I thought to myself.
With a sigh, I stood up, avoiding the glass on the floor, crunching on the things Tony had given me, and stepping into the hallway. I didn't care to fix my makeup, or even hide the fact that I had been crying. I was still crying, the tears leaking down my cheeks. I doubted my eyes would be dry for days. Some trip back home this had turned out to be. I moped down the stairs, leaning against the wall as I went, dragging my shoulder against it. When I reached the kitchen, my skin went cold, and my heart became icy.
Tony was standing in my kitchen, talking to my friends as if nothing were wrong.
I bit my bottom lip, holding back the growl I could feel coming, and took off my shoe. I glared daggers at the back of his head as I launched my shoe at him. It hit the back of his head, throwing him off balance. He stumbled forward as I took off my other shoe and prepared to throw it. Everyone was watching me now, and as Tony turned to face me, I launched my other shoe, hitting him square in the nose. He stared at me in shock as blood dripped from his nose. My body became rigid, I hoped my eyes were burning and he could see the rage within them.
“Get the hell out of my house,” I hissed, searching for something else I could throw at him.
“Laela, babe, can we talk about this?” he asked, holding his hand below his chin to catch the dripping blood.
My lip twitched. “Talk about this?!” I screeched, taking the last four steps and walking into the kitchen. I wanted to punch him again. “What is there to talk about! And don't you dare call me babe.”
He fidgeted uncomfortably. “I'm sorry, Laela. Truly.”
“Bullshit,” I thumped him as hard as I could in the chest with my good fist. “I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING MORE TO SAY TO YOU THAN HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID!!” I didn't care that everyone in the room was staring at us in complete and utter shock. I hit him again. “You could get down on your knees and lick the dust off every inch of floor in this house, grovel and beg, and I would never forgive you.” I drew my fist back to hit him again, and fear flickered across his eyes.
He flinched back a step, running into Cam, who suddenly seemed rather angry, glaring down at him as if he knew exactly what was going on. Jay and Kitty kept glancing back and forth between him and I as if they were watching a tennis match, but Stitch's eyes were glued to me. A rage, powerful and almost tangible, like nothing I had felt before surged through me. I spotted my mom's knife rack out of the corner of my eye and made quick move, grabbing the first knife I could. It turned out to be the largest butcher knife we owned. Tony's eyes grew wide as I jabbed the knife forward.
“Get out of my house!” I shrieked, jabbing it forward again, “I never want to see your face around here again! Don't call, don't even think about me! You are dead to me!”
He swallowed a lump in his throat and stepped around the knife, backing himself into the entrance hall, taking slow steps toward the door. When he opened it, he backed straight into Rush, who loomed over him like a Reaper ready to bring its last soul to the afterlife.
“You've got guts showing your face here after what you did to her.” Rush growled, grabbing him by the shirt collar and yanking him out of the door. He tossed him, not all too gently, to the sidewalk. “You'll stay away from her if you know what's good for you.”
Rush stepped inside and slammed the door behind him. He turned to me, a look of concern in his eyes. I was still holding the knife in front of me, my hands shaking. Behind me there was a small puddle of blood on the tile; Rush eyed it curiously.
“I never really took you for the dangerous knife-wielding type, Laela.” he said, laughing. I didn't see it as funny. “Okay, so the humor is lost on you at this point. How's the hand?”
“What happened to your hand?” Cam asked, stepping in front of me, looking at my hands. “Laela, your hands are all bloody! What happened?!”
I bit my lip, my tooth falling into the groove of the wound I had made earlier, drawing blood once more. In the pit of my stomach I could feel the anguish building, the despair, the emptiness. It was like a void, a black hole, forming in my body. I started to shake again, swallowing huge gulps of air in an attempt to keep myself from breaking down again. I felt lost, knowing that the one I loved never loved me. Never. None of it was real. I could hear my friends asking questions, but their voices sounded miles away. My head started to pound, my cheeks were moist again, tears rolling off my chin and splashing onto my chest, black makeup trails slithering down my skin. I put the knife down on the counter, the metal clinging against it as my tremors continued. Everyone had stopped talking and waited, watching me, hoping for an answer.
“I'm sorry,” I sobbed, “Sorry you have to see this, sorry to ruin our trip only two days in.” I felt guilty, like I was ruining their lives because they weren't having fun.
Stitch put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his chest. “Shh,” he crooned, stroking the back of my head slowly. “You're not ruining our trip, Laela. We're your friends, and we are concerned. Please, tell us what happened so we can make it better.”
“Laela, I've seen that anger before.” Kitty said, sounding as if there were tears in her voice. “I know what it comes from.”
I turned my head, still pressed against Stitch, so I could look at her. Her eyes were glistening with moisture, her bottom lip quivering.
“I saw it in my mum, the day she discovered my dad's affair.”
My heart broke again, but this time not for myself. It broke for Kitty. She understood my pain, and suddenly I wished I could take hers away. She never talked about her father, and now I knew why. Standing there in my kitchen, she looked as if her world were going to end. I pushed away from Stitch and ran to embrace her. We stood crying in the center of the room, holding each other tightly for what seemed like a solid ten minutes. Finally she pulled back and looked me in the eye.
“Can you tell us what happened?” she asked, her makeup now running down her face.
“It's Tony.” I said, hiccuping. “I went to surprise him today, and I kissed him. He seemed tense at first, and I thought it was just surprise, but then my friend, one of my best friends, Victoria shows up. She asks what I'm doing kissing my boy—Tony, and then it all came spilling out.” I glanced at Rush, who was hovering in the back corner away from everyone else. “I guess Tony had told everyone that he and I were broken up, and he went public with Victoria. Tony lied and told them that I knew. I never knew.” Sobs broke out again and Kitty hugged me against her. “I loved him! I would never lie to him, and I thought... I thought he would be... the one I would spend the rest of my life with! But now I don't know what to do with myself!”
They let me sob without interruption for a few minutes before Kitty pulled away, and with a giggle through her tears she said,
“I could tell you what my mum did, but I doubt you would agree with her methods.” She raised her eyebrow at me, waiting for a signal. I just stared, waiting for her to continue. “She spent a month with male prostitutes in Amsterdam.” She offered a weak smile before laughing again.
I couldn't help but to smile. “I'll pass on that one.” I laughed.
Rush cleared his throat from the back of the room. I glanced up at him; he nodded his head toward the door and I excused myself, following him. We stepped out onto the porch, the sub blazing down in afternoon heat. Rush was missing his last class to be here with me. He gathered me into a hug, holding me against his chest, and I began to cry again.
“I feel so pathetic Rush.” I said, nuzzling my face into his chest. His hand was moving in a large circle across my back. “I hate crying, I hate this feeling. It's my fault, all of this. I ruined our relationship.”
Rush kissed the top of my head, “You didn't ruin it. He's a dick, and he ruined it.” He said. “He couldn't see what he had, and his hormones got the better of him. He lost the greatest treasure in the world, and he's going to wake up tomorrow and regret it.” His voice had become dark and angry. “How are you feeling?” I stared up at him with a look that screamed 'Does-it-look-like-I'm-okay?' and waited for him to say something. “Right, that was a stupid question. I don't want to leave, but I need to be at practice today. Want me to swing by later with some of your best friends Ben and Jerry?”
I smiled. “I would like that. Just call before you come, okay?”
“I will, promise.” He kissed my forehead and my stomach tightened. “I'll be back later.”
He hugged me tightly before stepping off the porch again. I went inside, wiping my tears away from my cheeks and taking a deep breath. Everyone waited and watched, Kitty and Jay smiling sympathetically, but Cam and Stitch looked like they were going to kill someone, someone named Tony. I excused myself to wash my face, and then left. As I made my way up the stairs I remembered why we were here. I was supposed to show them my favorite places. But now they were all poisoned. All but two. My car, and the graveyard. But there were mixed feelings about that place. I chuckled to myself realizing how bizzare it sounded that one of my favorite places was a graveyard, but so many things had happened there.
Things that at times I didn't want to remember.
Splashing cold water over my face one last time I grabbed the towel off the wall and dried it. I stared at myself in the mirror. I never liked the way I looked without makeup. I wasn't pretty. Victoria was beautiful even when she didn't have makeup on. Yet another thing that Victoria had that I didn't. I sent a text to Kitty telling her I was going to take a nap, cool down, and they were welcome to the pool and movies, anything they could find, and went back to my room. Kay, love you Laela. We'll just chill till you get up. And don't worry about anything. I'll keep everyone in check. Was her reply. I looked at the disaster my room had become, and sighed. Carefully I began picking up the pieces of glass from the shattered frames, throwing them into my trash can. A half hour later my room was glass free and Tony's things were piled next to the trash. I slumped onto my bed and fell asleep in an instant.
****
Stitch had slipped away from the others while they had been watching a movie, they had hardly noticed him leave. He didn't know where Tony would be, but he would find him. Suddenly a ginger tabby rubbed itself against his legs. He glanced down as he walked, the cat twisting through his legs.
“Aren't you supposed to be in England, Leo?” he asked the cat, continuing down the street.
'Aren't you supposed to be back at Laela's?' A deep voice spoke to his mind. 'You're going to do something stupid.'
He rolled his eyes. “I'm not going to do something stupid. I'm going to... make a point, that's all.”
The cat clawed at his pant leg. 'You don't make a point without someone getting hurt, I know you. Don't sink to his level.'
Stitch glared down at him. “Leo, go home. Watch Laela. That's an order.”
The cat hissed and turned around, stalking down the street back to Laela's. Stitch continued down the block, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Reveal he whispered. Opening his eyes again, there was a path of purple gas lingering on the sidewalk that only he could see. He followed it, walking quickly. When he reached its end, he found Tony leaning against a tree, nursing his wounds. His face was bloody and bruised, his cheek swollen. Stitch moved quietly across the grass to where he stood. Tony heard him coming, spinning on his heels so quickly to face Stitch that he nearly fell over.
“Who are you? What do you want?” he asked, glaring through a swollen eye.
“Who I am doesn't matter, but as for what I want, I'll tell you.” Stitch said, his voice uncharacteristically low. “I want you to stay away from Laela, You hurt her, and that's not okay with me.” A breeze started to blow around them, lifting fallen leaves and trash off the ground. “If you so much as think about Laela, you'll regret it. Something bad will happen, and you can't stop it.” The breeze turned into a gust of sudden wind, knocking Tony to the ground. “And I'll be sure to thank Rush for beating you up, I would have hated to have to do it myself.”
Stitch turned to leave, when Tony suddenly started screaming in pain. A dark smile crossed Stitch's face as Tony's scream escalated. He clutched his head in pain, rolling and thrashing in the grass. The smile only became wider as he left, Tony still screaming in agony behind him.
“I told you that you would regret it.”
****
When I woke up it was getting dark, the sun was splashed with oranges and pinks. I changed out of my clothes and into a pair of sweats and a jacket and went downstairs. I could hear the others out in the pool. There was a note on my counter from my mom. She was at work and wanted me to call her when I got the chance. I didn't want to call her just yet, so I went to the basement and started browsing the shelves for a movie. I wanted something filled with explosions. I moved to our collection of James Bond films and extracted Die Another Day. When I turned around to put the disk in, I gasped, startled, and clutched my chest.
Cam was standing inches away from me. How had I not heard him?
“You feeling better?” he asked, putting his hand on my cheek.
Part of me wanted to push his hand away instantly, but a bigger part of me liked the feel of his hand against my face. “Yes, thank you.”
“Anything I can do to make it better?” He stepped forward, our bodies were nearly touching now.
My breath caught in my throat. Blinking a few times I suddenly felt dizzy, like the room had suddenly been filled with some sort of gas, but in an instant it was gone. I stared up at Cam, his blue eyes sparkling even in the low light. He put an arm around my waist and took the movie from my hand, setting it down on the DVD player. He lead me to the couch, and we sat down.
“I'm here to listen.” He said, his voice sincere. “Talk.”
“I don't want to talk,” I said, the sudden desire to kiss him overwhelmed me, and in my state, I gave in.
He didn't seem surprised as he pulled me into him, his arm snaking around my waist. He pulled me onto his lap, kissing me deeply, our breathing was heavy and labored between kisses. He moved, pinning me under him on the couch, his lips trailing kisses down my jaw and neck where he nibbled at my collar bone. I moaned, our bodies moving against each other felt good, but not right. I didn't care, I needed a distraction. He wasn't wearing a shirt, having come in from the pool, and when his hands grabbed the bottom of my shirt, I didn't think twice before sitting up enough that he could pull it off of me. My pants were low on my hips, my body exposed, our skin touching, setting my insides on fire. He moved back to my lips, and my head started to spin. His hands trailed down my bare flesh, softly, but hungrily. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him close.
The lights suddenly flipped on, and we jumped apart.
In the doorway was Stitch.
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