"One of your pals?" Christine asked Eric.

"Na…"

"Of course I'm not one of your pals 'cause I'm friends with the other girl you claim to be dating steadily!" Clay wasn't happy.

"What is he talking about, Eric?" Christine asked.

"Anna, that's who I'm talkin' about… the girl you push aside but won't let go of!" Clay wasn't going to relent on Eric… he deserved little in the way of mercy in Clay's eyes.

"Listen, I'm sure a cowboy like you would rather be working on a ranch than messing in my life."

"I would be happy to go back to my ranch and leave you alone if it was only you involved, but you don't know how badly you're hurting Anna, she could find someone out there that really would be faithful to her… I doubt a snake like you even knows what that words means," Clay spat angrily, he didn't have any of the other Xiaolin warriors to hold him back so he was, at that moment, a lose cannon.

"Well, gee, what would a simpleton like you know…"

Clay had just about had enough of this guys badmouthing.

"Is that all you can do, insult me 'cause you ain't got the guts to admit that you might be wrong!"

Christine looked at Clay and then at Eric… maybe this cowboy was telling the truth.

"Is she the reason you're always late for our dates?" Christine demanded.

"Christine, he doesn't know what he's talking about," Eric said.

"Like hell I don't," Clay was ready to hurt someone and Eric was the only person on the short list. He didn't blame Christine; by her reactions, he would have guessed she didn't know that any of this was going on. "I just got through talkin' with Anna, she doesn't know 'bout this yet, but she does know well enough that your supposed to steer clear of rattlesnakes, 'n' believe me partner, I knew what you were the moment I laid eyes on you."

Christine knew to step back when Eric started to move towards Clay… Eric was going to threaten the cowboy and probably get the shit beat out of him. He reached back to hit Clay, but Clay didn't give him the chance to connect. One upper cut had Eric sprawled out on the floor.

"Maybe that'll teach ya to mess with me," Clay said and walked off.

"We're through," Christine said and kicked Eric's shoulder and walked away.

Kimiko walked up to Clay and then looked over at Eric.

"Clay what did you do?"

"Just got rid of a snake" he replied.

Kimiko didn't say a word she knew that she was better off not saying a word.

Clay walked past Kimiko, he knew he had a duty to Anna to tell her that her boyfriend was a two timing creep.

Anna sighed as she sat on her bed, how could she break up with Eric she was afraid of him… he had struck her more than once and it was always when she was hinting on breaking up with him.

Clay didn't know that Eric had hit Anna and that was why she hadn't broken up with him a lot earlier.

Anna got up and walked out of her room, she couldn't really stay in that room for much longer she had to sort out her thoughts about Clay and what he said.

Anna arrived at the only park in the area and sighed she didn't know what she was going to do but she had to do something.

She walked the park trying to figure out exactly what she was supposed to do when…

"Anna?"

She looked back to see Clay standing behind her.

"Yes…" she smiled.

"I have somethin' to tell you about Eric…"

"What is it?"

"He… I went to see Eric and… well… I saw him with another girl," Clay sighed, "I didn't want to have to…"

"I always thought that he was dating someone else I just wasn't sure until now," Anna sighed and told him that she had tried to break up with Eric but he had hurt her for it.

"Why that low down dirty snake," Clay said then looked at Anna, "what are you going to do?"

"I want to break up with him… but… I'm scared of him."

Clay Sighed, "Listen, I'll go with you if you want to break up with him… he raises a hand to you and I'll hurt him."

"Thanks Clay," Anna smiled as she felt actually safe with Clay it was more than she could ever say about Eric.

The next day rolled around and Clay met Anna at an agreed location, as did Eric.

Anna stood to confront Eric, and Clay stood against the wall with his arms crossed ready at a moments notice to step in on Anna's behalf.

"Anna, what are you doing with him?" Eric said referring to Clay who really got ready after that.

"Getting ready to do something I should have done a long time ago… gotten rid of you." Anna said, "Eric, we're finished!"

To Be Continued…