“Speak of my sister again, and I'll fucking kill you!” Vance has lost all sense of reality, and I have to stop him before he does kill him. In seconds I'm at Vance's back, grabbing his arms and pulling them behind his back, “Dude, stop!” I yell, trying to break through the trance he's in. The wailing sirens are coming closer, and he struggles against my hold. Dixon’s face is covered in blood “Vance, we need to go!”
Vance's chest is heaving, a groan passes through Dixon's bloody lips, giving me a bit of peace. “We have to go!” I repeat, and this time, I’m yanking on him with all of my upper strength. Red and blue lights approaching seem to get Vance moving, so pushes himself up, and we both take off towards my truck. Within seconds, we're peeling out of the parking lot and into the alleyway. I glance in the rearview mirror just in time to see Dixon's body being tossed into a car. I don't turn on the lights until we come to the end of the alley. Vance is quiet despite his heavy breathing.
“Dude you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah,” his voice is rough.
“What the fuck were you thinking?”
“I wasn't.”
“No shit!”
“What the fuck was that?” He goes on a coughing fit, “Ah. Fuck.”
“You wanna go to the hospital?”
“Nah. This isn't my first brawl, cowboy.” Vance laughs. “Ah. That hurts.”
“What?”
“You've been gone a while.”
“Where am I taking you?”
“Talia's. She's expecting me. “
“Dude, you'll scare her. You're looking gnarly.”
“She's studying to be a nurse. She'll baby me and then fuck me silly.”
I laugh. “Alright, man. Just tell me where to go.”
After about twenty minutes we arrive outside of Talia's dorm, where she waits outside in her robe. “I am going to kill you, Vance Michael Russo!” I hear her stern voice as she helps him from the truck.
“Oh baby, you love me. Plus, this is practice.”
“Thanks, Chase.” Talia waves and then shuts the door, leaving me to the silence of the cab. The clock on my dash says it's nearly three am, and I know this is not the smartest thing for me to do, but the adrenaline has me wide awake. I unlock my phone, and select the phone icon, pressing on the second name in my history.
“Hello?” her voice is just above a whisper.
“Hey, you. Did I wake you?”
“Yes, but I don’t mind. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I want to see you.”
“You miss me?”
“Yes.”
She laughs breathlessly, and it's such a hypnotizing sound. “What time is it? Where's Vance?”
I cringe a bit. “It's almost three, and I just dropped him off at Talia's.”
“Three?” she groans.
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you. It was a crazy night, and I just wanted to see you. I'll call you in the morning.”
“No, No!” She sounds more alert. “Park down the block and I'll meet you out front.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“I'll be there in fifteen,” I tell her.
“Okay, see you soon.”
I end the call and speed towards my dream girl.
Late Night
I jump out of bed, throw on a sweater and rush to my bedroom door. I pull open the door, slowly, only to be met with darkness. Just what I wanted to see. I peek my head out, looking at each door for any signs of life, but all is black. I creep down the hall, avoiding the creaky spots that I've memorized. I know that sneaking Chase into the house is insane--my heart is pounding wildly--but this is also so exhilarating.
I pace the front foyer and wait for any indication that he's near or here. After an agonizing seventeen minutes my phone chimes in my hands and a squeak of excitement passes my lips. The light from my phone blinds me as I look at his text. My legs begin to dance, and I have to remind myself to be quiet. I excitedly move to the door, whip it open, and wait upon the threshold until I see a figure walking down the driveway. I jump in place until I can't keep myself together any longer. I rush towards him, throwing myself in his arms. He laughs into my neck, “Someone did miss me.”
I pull back to look at this face, and I'm greeted by his beautiful smile. “I did.”
He gives me a small peck on my lips. “We should probably head inside.”
I nod in agreement, and he releases me onto my feet. We make our way into the house and up the stairs.
“Stay towards the wall,” I whisper. Once we reach my door, I hurry in and lock it behind us. That's when I notice the blood on his shirt. A gasp escapes my lips, I rush towards him and grab onto him. “What happened? Are you okay?”
He looks down confused but, strangely, his face relaxes when he sees the blood. He places his hands over mine. “Yeah, I'm fine. Vance is a bit roughed up though.”
“What?” I gasp, my jaw going slack.
Chase pulls me to my bed, sitting down, and having me sit next to him. “He'll be fine. There was an incident at Sliders.”
“An incident?” I ask sarcastically.
“Dixon.”
“Oh no.” I sigh.
“V, he was talking a lot of shit.”
“About what?”
“You,” he pauses, “Me. Us.”
“Us? What do you mean?”
“I don't know. I don't remember exactly what he was saying, but he was referring to you as my girlfriend. I managed to get Vance to walk away until Dixon shoved me, and Vance went nuts. Dixon looks a lot worse off than Vance.”
“Oh no.” I’m repeating myself.
“V,” he breathes heavily, “We have to talk to Vance soon. He never questioned what was said, thankfully, but if he did...I don't think I could lie to his face.” I can see the internal struggle I’m putting Chase through, and I let out a lengthy sigh. I know he's right. I'm terrified of what may happen when he does find out. I lean into Chase, needing his comfort, and he doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around me. “It'll be okay, no matter what happens. We will be okay.”
We're quiet for a while, and I'm just enjoying his company until he breaks the silence. “I should probably go.”
“No!” I say, panicked. “Stay.”
“Are you sure that's a good idea?”
“Yeah, we'll figure it out tomorrow. I'll go get you a new shirt.” I move out of his hold and leave my room again, making sure to be unheard as I head into Vance’s room--adjacent to mine. I turn the knob and start pushing the door open quietly. I flick on the light and tiptoe across his room to his dresser. It takes three different drawers until I find his sport shirts, but I grab the first one I see and quickly leave his room. I make sure the door is shut and lights are off--just how he left it. I hurry back to my room, close the door, and lock it. My eyes move to Chase, who is still sitting where I left him, but he's removed his shirt. My heart kicks into overdrive when I catch sight of him. I grasp onto the shirt, and pull it to my chest.