Chapter Seven
Alicia stood by the coffee maker, watching with wide and eager eyes as fresh coffee started to fill the carafe. Jason came stumbling out of the bathroom, looking around the apartment. "Hailey isn't up yet?" She was usually up before them. Her body on some weird schedule, up by five-thirty regardless of what time she went to bed most of the time.
Alicia shook her head. "Not yet. Figured a fresh pot of coffee would lure her out of her cave," she snickered. Glancing over at Jason, she gestured towards Hailey's room. "Unless you want to go and get her?"
Padding down the hall, Jason paused at her door, noting the dull light coming from beneath it. She'd been awake this whole time? From the other side, he could hear hushed conversation. Hailey and Murdoc. When did he show up? They hadn't heard him arrive and Hailey had made no mention of him planning on coming over. He backed away, ready to just go back to the kitchen and leave them be. Hailey's voice, a little louder now. "I hear you out there, Jason. Come on in."
He slowly opened the door, peering in. Both Hailey and Murdoc were sitting on her bed, smoking cigarettes, fully clothed. Judging by the rumpled state of Murdoc's T-shirt and jeans, it looked as if he had slept in his clothes. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"Does it look like it?" Murdoc chuckled.
Jason flashed a slightly embarrassed smile. "No, I guess not," he snickered. "There's coffee being made. Plenty for everyone."
Hailey stubbed her cigarette out and crawled across Murdoc to get off the bed. "Coffee sounds great."
Jason felt awkward standing there in her doorway, watching as the bassist wrapped his arms around Hailey's waist and pulled her back against him. "Where do you think you're goin'?" he growled playfully.
"Coffee!" she squealed, trying to break free.
Jason moved out of the doorway, heading back towards the kitchen. Alicia was staring at him, holding her cup of coffee, a small twitch forming at the corner of her eye. "He's here, isn't he?" she demanded in a low whisper.
"Yup," Jason said flatly, pouring his own cup.
"Why?"
Jason frowned, almost wincing at her tone. "Well, shit, I don't know, Ali. Maybe because he's visiting with your room-mate?"
"Visiting, eh?" she hissed.
"Yeah," Murdoc grumbled, standing in the doorway just behind Jason. "I was just visitin'."
"You can't honestly expect me to believe that you actually came here to visit with Hailey, do you?" Alicia whispered in an icy tone.
Murdoc leaned in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. "An' what makes it so unbelievable, Ali-love?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Hailey appeared suddenly, wedging herself between the numerous bodies that had gathered in the narrow little kitchen. "Coffee, coffee, coffee..."
"Hailey-love," Murdoc hissed, his dark eyes narrowing at the tall blond just behind her. "What is your flat-mate's bloody fuckin' problem with me?"
Hailey froze in mid-pour, unsure of what to say. She really didn't know. Jason was even baffled, based off what she had picked up between the blond and her boyfriend. God, she wanted coffee bad. Though she could certainly sense the tension around her, the only thing on her mind when she finally managed to escape the bed was a nice fresh cup of coffee with tons of creamer. "I don't know," she said quickly. "I really don't have a clue."
Alicia let out a scoffing laugh, setting her cup down on the table just behind her. "You can't play stupid with me," she snapped. "I know what you're like. I've read about you. Different women, different cities...I'm sure Hailey isn't the only one here in Seattle."
"Ali, you need to back off," Hailey muttered, now looking up at the woman. "You've never acted like this with any of the others. Why choose now?"
"Because the others never stuck around once they realized the fucked up shit you like," Alicia snarled. "Because the others never pursued you like a fucking animal the moment they laid eyes on you."
Jason was in the middle suddenly, his hands on Alicia's shoulders. "You need to let it go, Alicia. It doesn't concern you. If Hailey is okay with this, then you need to stop."
"Might want t' take his advice, love," Murdoc hissed in an icy tone. "Our little thin' isn't your business, now is it?"
"She's been my best friend for nineteen years, you slimy fuck," Alicia hissed back. "It is my business!"
"No, it's not!" Hailey barked suddenly, glaring up at Alicia. "It's not your business. You need to stop trying to make it your business, alright!"
"Whatever it is you two have going on isn't even close to healthy, let alone normal," Alicia growled. She reached out, clutching at Hailey's shirt, pulling it away enough to expose the fading mark on her shoulder. "How can anyone enjoy this?" Something in Hailey's expression flickered. Something building within that Alicia was unfamiliar with. Jason sensed it as well, drawing back from the shorter woman.
Murdoc almost smiled at the sight. Hailey was about ready to blow. He could feel it. The blond cunt deserved whatever tirade was coming. Slowly, Hailey gripped the counters, her head lowered, body moving slightly as she took a few breaths. "I'm so sorry that my sex life is such a threat to your narrow little concept of what sex and foreplay should be. But you listen and you had better listen fucking good, Alicia Hunter...It does not concern you what I do behind my own closed doors. Who I share my bed with is my business and my business only."
"She's got a good point, Ali-love," Murdoc chuckled. "Might want t' take some notes."
"You just keep your crooked nose out of this!" Alicia spat.
"Like hell I will," Murdoc barked. "You've had a problem with me since day one. I haven't done shit t' you, girl. Do you really find it difficult t' believe that I actually do enjoy Hailey's company?"
"And the fact that you were able to fuck her within hours of meeting her has nothing to do with it, right?" Alicia hissed.
"Well, it was a perk, if you really must know," he chuckled, lighting a cigarette.
"Fucking pig," Alicia muttered, turning her attention back to Hailey. "You know what I think of your quirks, Hailey. I know it has to do with what happened to you as a kid..."
Jason vacated the kitchen quickly, leaving Murdoc standing there and staring at the two women with wide eyes. He had never seen an all out chick-war. Jason hissed at him to get out of there. Drawing back out of the entryway, he looked over at Jason. "What kind of Freudian garbage is she spewin'?"
"Alicia believes that Hailey only likes the rough play because she was abused so badly when she was small." Looking at the smaller man, Jason nodded his head towards him. "Same with you."
Hailey's face was a deep shade of scarlet, her eyes narrowing to slits. "Which really goes to show that you know nothing!"
"Nobody else I know is into that kind of shit!" Alicia snapped. "You sit and say that other people dig it, too, but I have yet to meet anyone like that who didn't come from some fucked up situation."
"So, why are you so pissed off about him and I being involved?" Hailey asked in a cold tone. "What's wrong with a little excitement? Not everyone just lies there like a cold fucking fish and waits for their man to blow his load, maybe making a little noise along the way to make it sound like they're into it." A humorless chuckle erupted from the woman. "Have you told Jason how you felt? Does he know that's what you do? Oh, wait, I'm mistaken, you don't mind getting bent over, but it still turns into you just laying there and waiting for him to finish up..."
Alicia screamed, tackling the smaller woman against the cupboards, her hands locking onto Hailey's throat. "You fucking bitch! What's gotten into you!"
"C'mon, baby," Hailey cackled, her face blotched. "Little harder. You'll like it."
Alicia fixed her eyes on Hailey, teeth bared, hands squeezing down on the woman's throat. "You like that!" she shrieked. "You fucked up little cunt...you like it now!"
Both Murdoc and Jason felt glued to where they stood. Jason didn't know what to make of the scene, never before seeing them fight like this. Murdoc didn't know whether he should be turned on by it or not. It was pretty hot, but disturbing at the same time. Particularly because Hailey didn't seem to react at all to the fact that she was really being choked.
"Harder, you bitch," Hailey croaked, a grin on her blue-ish face. "Choke me like you fucking mean it, Alicia." Alicia's grip tightened, causing Hailey to let out a weird croaking sound. Now she was thrashing against the hands that held her, that had pushed her up the cupboards and off her feet. Jason jumped in, grabbing Alicia, yanking her from the other woman. Hailey hit the floor, clutching at her throat, coughing and gagging. "You're weak!" Hailey barked.
Alicia stormed away, pausing just besides Murdoc. "You better be outa my fucking house by the time I'm finished getting ready for work, you sleazy little bastard."
"Actually, I do believe it's Hailey's flat as well, seeing that she pays half the bills 'round here," he hissed, glaring at her. "I have as much right t' be here as the Jason bloke."
Alicia made another noise, storming towards her room and slamming the door. Jason turned his attention over to Hailey, who was on her feet, rubbing at her neck. "You okay, Hailey?" he asked in a shaky voice, unable to grasp just what had taken place.
"Fine, Jason," she whispered flatly. "Go tend to the Amazon." She heard him shuffle away from her, a small sigh of relief escaping her as she grabbed her coffee and tried to act like nothing had happened. Murdoc came up beside her, finally pouring himself a cup, glancing at the flavored creamers. She couldn't even explain what had happened. She cast an anxious look over at Murdoc, who was staring at her. She tried to smile, but it felt off. "Sorry you had to see that," she muttered.
"From the sounds of thins', it was bound t' happen at some point," he said in a matter of fact tone. "Sounds like her issues 'bout you were buildin' and buildin'...she would have blown no matter what." A weird smile played on his face as he nudged at her with his shoulder. "So...you like bein' choked, too, eh?"
"Actually, no," she whispered, half laughing. "I was so angry with her and her self righteous attitude about shit...I just wanted her to actually let it all go." Her eyes surfaced from her coffee, peering up at him, almost threatening tears. "Scared the shit outa me, actually. We've known each other since we were twelve and fourteen and I have never seen her lose it like that." Her eyes shot to the little wall clock, widening slightly. "Christ, it's almost six-thirty...I have to be at work in a hour..."
Murdoc finished his coffee, setting the mug into the sink. "Got lots of thins' t' do today as well. You're still makin' the show tonight, yeah?"
"Wouldn't miss it," she said, flashing a smile.
Jason watched from Alicia's doorway as both Hailey and Murdoc lingered at the front door, talking in low voices, quick hug before the man opened the door and slipped out. Without a word, Hailey moved past him as if he were invisible, going to her room to get ready for work.
Alicia sat at the foot of her bed, her hands shaking. What the hell had she done? Since when did she, Alicia Hunter, lose control like that? She was supposed to be the level-headed one, the one who looked for logic and peaceful solutions. But she had cracked, unable to take Hailey's malicious taunting. She could feel Jason staring at her, most likely judging her. Did it even register in his head what Hailey had said? Had he been so shocked by their sudden argument that he didn't realize what had been said? How dare Hailey use that against her! She had blurted it out one night when it had just been her and Hailey, watching movies and drinking. But of course Hailey would use it. She found your weakness and exploited it. That was how it always was with her. Even Gina, Hailey's boss, had said that the woman was in a constant war of words with some broad named Chloe at her work. It had never resorted to physical confrontation, but Hailey would pick up on the things about people that they didn't want others to know and use it.
By the time she regained her composure, Hailey was already out on the balcony, ready for work and having a last minute cigarette. The smaller woman's throat showed signs of their battle. Hailey's eyes shot in Alicia's direction, her stare almost acidic.
"I'm sorry," Alicia whispered, unable to meet the other woman's icy stare.
"You've gone through life with that self righteous attitude for too long, Ali," Hailey whispered flatly. "You need to stop acting like you're so much better than everyone else."
"But I don't..."
"You do," Hailey muttered, her eyes still locked on the taller woman. "Even when we were kids, Ali. Anything I did that was outside your little box of existence was deemed unhealthy, unnatural..."
"I felt like I had to protect you," Alicia said, lighting a cigarette. "You were already so messed up from all that had happened to you...Nobody normal will ever like you for you, Hailey." Oh, Christ, the last sentence was a mistake, she thought suddenly. She hadn't meant to say it out loud.
Hailey's eyes narrowed, mouth twitching at the corners. "What the fuck do you mean by that?"
"I just mean..." Alicia's mind worked hard to try to find a way to get herself out of this foot-in-mouth moment. "I mean...I mean that unless you get help, the only thing your going to attract are weaselly little slime-balls who are as messed up as you. Do you really think you can actually pull off some charade of family with anyone like him or you? Do you really think CPS would allow two people with your kinds of backgrounds to ever keep any kids they have?" Moving to the far side of the balcony, Alicia flicked her ash off the railing. "People like you aren't meant to obtain the things that normal people with normal upbringings have..."
"You have a lot of fucking nerve, Alicia," Hailey snarled. "So, while you move forward with your precious and insanely boring-in-bed Jason, I'm supposed to just hang out at your side, unable to move forward myself?" She got closer to the blond, fighting the urge to shove her lit cigarette into the woman's arm. She was fighting a lot of urges so far this morning. "Why don't you just fucking admit it, Alicia...You've been my friend out of pity. It's all brownie points for you. Deep down you think I'm this fucked up person who shouldn't be allowed to find a scrap of happiness...You feel threatened by me at the same time because I don't allow others to dictate how I should live my life. So you stay close enough to make sure you can keep me in the place you feel I belong..."
"Why can't you just fucking admit that you need help!" Alicia barked, flicking her cigarette off the balcony. "Why can't you just admit that something is wrong in your head! You like being bitten and scratched? You like doing it back? What makes you think that you can have anything close to a normal relationship and family with those kinds of quirks?"
"For Christ's sake, stop using that as your excuse to be such a self righteous cunt," Hailey snarled, pushing past the blond to get through the door. "I know what it all is now. I can't believe I actually allowed myself to get fooled like this."
Alicia watched as Hailey merely threw her hair into a ponytail and smeared some cover up across the ring of bruising on her neck, grabbing her purse and storming through the front door. She bit her lip against the tears that threatened. Her gaze fell to Jason, who had been sitting on the couch, trying to stay out of the line of fire. "She's really angry at me...," she whispered.
"You should have kept your mouth shut, Ali," he said in a low voice. "I know you never approved of her lifestyle, but actually claiming that she was so messed up, she didn't deserve the things that others had was a low blow." He shot her a dark look, setting his half finished coffee on the small table. "Personally, I agree with her. But I also think that you're jealous of the fact that she found someone she could talk to and relate to. She no longer needs you and that's what you can't stand..."
"But he's only in town for a short time," Alicia muttered in a meek voice. "What then?"
"She probably would have turned to you, just as she had done in the past," he said in a flat tone. "But you ruined it now, Alicia."
