Bombshells ~ Complete

Chapter Thirteen: Bathroom's and Sobbing

"Are you kidding me? He actually said that?" Kas laughed. I laughed along with her, a fork poised right above my lips. Zander had given me money today for lunch and I was stretching it as far as I could. 

"No, he really did. And then Kade kinda gave a brooding glare and said 'Watch it man. That's my baby brother.'" I then took my bite of mystery meat. 

I think it was supposed to be meatloaf, but no one was sure. Not even the lunch ladies, and that was what was really scary. They were the ones who cooked it. 

"I'm still getting over the fact that Jaydon ran face first into a three hundred pound wall of muscle, looked up and said 'Pardon me, big sir.'" Kas was bent over laughing, tears escaping her closed eyes. 

We were still eating in the library with no one bothering us. Neither of us had brought up the fact her lip was busted and I had a faint hand-print around my neck. No one else seemed to see it, so why should we talk about it?

There was a new development, though. Our friendship circle had grown by one person. Jaydon was now sitting with Kas and I and he would occasionally talk. He was running late that day, though. 

"Trust me. I was there and I could barely believe Jaydon said that. God, I thought that guy was going to kill Jaydon." I chuckled, my laughter dying down as my worry built up. Jaydon was always the first person at our table. He was never late, and when he was he told us he would be late. 

I sounded so clingy, even to myself. But I couldn't help but feel that familiar tug in my gut that something was wrong. I hated that feeling. 

Kas was looking at me strangely. Did I miss something? 

"Are you alright? I asked you the same question twice and I still haven't gotten anything. Twitch if you're alive." She joked lightly. I smiled at her but turned towards the door. I threw all my trash away and then came back to the table. 

"I think i'm gonna go find out what's keeping Jaydon. I think something's wrong." I told her, leaning against the table. She gave a small smile and nodded her head. I then headed down a random hall. 

Jaydon had French right before lunch so that was eight hundred hall. I know, our halls were so weird. I also know that I sounded like a complete and total stalker right then, knowing his schedule and everything, but he had told me in case I needed him. 

Like last week, if my ribs started hurting I could just go get him and have him drive me home. Or call a taxi for me. Taxis at school. Who woulda thought?

Nothing. There was no sign of him. I was considering calling Ethan to see if he knew where Jaydon was, but then I heard a sound. And not a good one. 

It was a thudding I was all too familiar with for all the wrong reasons. It was coming from the boy's bathroom. This was going to be so wrong and gross, but it was for someone I cared about. 

I opened the door and stopped at what I saw. Two pretty muscular guys and one scrawny guy had Jaydon laying on the floor, as they kicked him in the gut. Yeah, I knew how that felt all too much. That feeling of lost hope and helplessness. Of being useless. 

He was yelping in pain, which meant he wasn't used to it. This was new. That was good. I think?

"Stop! Stop hurting him." I finally flew into action and pushed the bigger guys off of Jaydon who paled at the sight of me. It was like he was afraid these knuckleheads could hurt me worse than my father could. 

"You gotta be shittin' me, man. Having a girl come and protect you? God, you really are pathetic, aren't you?" The scrawny guy snickered. I glared at him and then went back to helping Jaydon sit up. 

He leaned against the tile of the wall and clutched at his ribs. I pressed my hand against them and felt a familiar feeling. Broken. But only one or two.

"Ariel, just go. I don't need your help." He grunted. I don't know where the sudden burst of confidence came from but I simply arched an eyebrow at him and looked him up and down. 

"Really? Cause right now you're getting your ass handed to you on a silver platter. I'll go get Kade or Lucas if you don't want me fighting your battle." I said, standing up. Jaydon caught my wrist in a surprisingly strong grip. 

One of the guys behind me gasped. 

"Like Kade Steel? The scary one?" A muscular one asked. Fear was written all over the three's faces. I bit out a laugh. 

"I think, before you start kicking the crap out of a guy, you should find out who he is. Meet Jaydon Steel, the youngest Steel brother. And, yes, Kade's the scary one. And his older brother." I said sarcastically. And almost sweetly. 

I had never been prouder of myself.

When the three had sprinted from the bathroom, I realized Jaydon's grip on my wrist had gotten excruciatingly tight. I started trying to tug away, but Jaydon was standing. I never noticed how much taller he was. Or bigger. 

"Why did you do that?" He asked softly. 

Why did he remind me of my father? Why was I afraid? Jaydon would never hurt me. Never in a million years.

"Do what? Use your brothers as a scare tactic to scare away some bullies? I think that's pretty obvious." I gave a small smile, before looking down at my bruising skin. 

What was happening? Why was Jaydon acting like this? Had I hurt his feelings?

"No! You stepped in! I had everything perfectly in control and you had to step in!" He yelled. I tried to step backwards, but I couldn't move. He didn't notice.

"Jaydon." I whimpered. I don't think he actually heard me, he was so caught up in himself. People tended to do that. Not hear because they're so wrapped up in their own problems. 

"I had everything handled! Why couldn't you just be the cowardly little girl that everyone else sees the one time I didn't want you? Why couldn't you just act like normal?" He yelled. I had tears rolling down my cheeks. 

I didn't even realize I had started crying. I just... Started crying for no reason. Why was Jaydon being so mean? I was trying to help, for God's sake!

"I care about you! I didn't want you to feel like I feel every day of my life! What is so wrong with that?" I finally yelled. I didn't know my voice was building up like that. And then it came out like a waterfall. 

I was sobbing when Jaydon seemed to break out of his trance. He yanked his hand away from my wrist like I had burned him, horror splayed across his face. He looked like he wanted to say something. Something important, i'm sure. But he didn't say it. 

Instead he just rushed from the bathroom. I wanted to follow him, and I tried. But my legs buckled and I crashed into the bathroom floor. I crawled my way into the hallway, a couple feet to the right, and then into the girls bathroom. 

Then I started fully sobbing. 

Bathroom's and sobbing. I suddenly understood why, in every good high school cliche, there was a good bathroom sob. Somehow, bathroom's and sobbing just worked.