Dean's Life

Nick of Time

Dean's pov

Amy gave me the cold shoulder last night, literally. When I tried to spoon her in bed, she used her shoulder like a battering ram to push me off her. The ice had thawed a little bit this morning but I still got a pretty chilly reception over coffee. It's probably best I stay out of her hair and off her radar today so I don't make things worse. I'm still not exactly sure why I'm in the doghouse but I know better than to ask. I think I'll hide out in the basement until this cold front blows over. With Sammy out of town, the remodel has pretty much come to a stand still.

I'd been working down there for a couple hours when out of nowhere, I heard people shouting upstairs. Even the noise from my circular saw couldn't drown out the angry voices filtering down through the kitchen vent. What the Hell is goin' on up there, I wondered? Quickly shutting off the saw mid-cut, I hightailed it upstairs to investigate, and not a minute too soon. The scene I saw in the kitchen was so horrific, it played out in slow motion, like the fleeting moment right before impact in a car crash. You see it coming with excruciating clarity, you know the collision is inevitable but you don't have time to react, or stop it from happening.

Amy was standing in front of the door to the garage.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING!" she screamed at Alex, arms outstretched to block his exit.

"YES I AM," Alex shouted, "AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA STOP ME!" He lunged towards Amy, quickly closing the gap between them. "GET OUTTA MY WAY!" he yelled, when Amy remained rooted in place, turning her head and shielding her face.

I leapt up the remaining two steps and rushed Alex from behind, slamming into him, just inches from where Amy stood shaking.

Pinning him to the wall with my elbow digging into his back, I growled, "You ever step to your mom or any other woman like that again, I'll lay you out flat, without hesitation." Releasing the pressure on his back, I angrily turned him towards me. Gripping him by his shirt collar, I pulled him within an inch of my face so we were nose to nose. "You understand me, boy?" I seethed through gritted teeth.

"Get the fuck off me," he spat, shoving hard against my chest.

I stumbled back, letting go of his shirt. The kid is strong, I'll grant him that. All the weight training and conditioning he's done for sports has really paid off. There's not one ounce of fat on this kid, he's thin but toned. He's got a good two inches on me in height already and he's not even done growing yet. All the more reason to put him in his place now before he gets any bigger and stronger. The kid has gotta learn he can't intimidate his mom by throwing his weight around.

Grabbing his arm, I hiss, "You listen to me, you little..."

"DEAN, DON'T! LET HIM GO!" Amy shouts, in the nick of time.

I was this close to losin' my temper and throttling the little shit. Letting go of his arm, I turn towards my girlfriend with an angry scowl on my face.

"Alex, go to your room," she dictates with very little authority.

I think she's a bit frightened by the icy cold glare I'm shooting in her direction.

"No!" Alex replies defiantly.

"Alex, please," she poses more as a question than a demand, so of course the little bastard ignores her.

"No! I'm sick of you always taking his side," he replies angrily. "I'm your son, you should choose me over your stupid boyfriend but you never do!" His fists are balled and his face is getting redder by the second as he yells at his mom. "It's cuz you're weak, mom. You're weak and pathetic and you always kowtow to whatever jerk you're currently fucking!"