As I left Adam's place, I looked around and let out a deep, satisfied breath. Damn I'm good...
It was times like these that I relished my unparalelled, Machiavellian dexterity.
Not only had I gotten Drew to agree to help me out of my little bind, but he had also lavished his great appreciation on me for being such a loyal friend to his brother. I chuckled to myself- if he only knew that I didn't see Adam as any different from the rest. Drew seemed to be building from the past- the picture of Gracie still alive in his mind- and, although he had wholly accepted his brother, the loss of his 'sister' had clearly affected him.
But I didn't see the package. Adam might be stocked with different parts but that didn't change anything. He was my friend, case closed.
Strolling down Toronto's wide, urban avenue, I caught sight of myself in the glass of a nearby shop front. Clad in my customary black, I raised my brows at the open grin that split my typically somber features. It was amusing, my dark, goulish look coupled with the excited expression- I looked like a walking contradiction!
But I had good reason.
My master plan was actually going to work. I knew that Clare would never voluntarily meet with me. She had given Adam the silent treatment just for being my henchman so, I knew if I wanted to get her to listen, I would have to put her in a situation where she couldn't escape.
Cue my sneaky but rather productive scheming.
I had devised a way to get Clare alone and there was nothing she could do about it. The set up was fool proof- Drew would text her from Alli's phone, saying that the hellion had just had a huge fight with her boyfriend and that she needed to talk. "Alli" would ask Clare to meet her at Above the Dot, where I would be waiting, ready to dazzle with a presentation of true penitance. Adam had agreed to bar the doors once she got there, leaving us 'locked in' and Clare, unable to escape. Off hand, I noted how creepy that sounded- as if I'd decided to kidnap her or something... Great, first I sexually assault her and now I hold her hostage...
Christ, I had issues.
Looking down at my phone, I noted that I had exactly two hours before everything would go down. I still felt like shit but I was willing to power through it to make it up to Clare. I deserved to feel like this after what I'd done. She was the sweetest, most amazing girl I'd ever known and I'd royally mucked up any chance I might have had with her.
Coming to terms with my blunder was obviously still a work in progress.
Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I sped up, hoping to make it home in time to take a shower. I reeked of alcohol and day old stank and that was the last thing I wanted Clare to get a whiff of. Although it had worked in my favor while vying for Dead Hands passes, I had a feeling it would do nothing to woo the girl in question. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what would woo Clare, considering the circumstances. The plan was a good one as far as getting her there but, where it concerned making amends, well...I still hadn't figured out what I might say.
"Hi Clare, sorry about sticking my tongue down your throat, feeling you up, and then taking off- leaving you in a deserted alley alone and confused!"
Yeah, that'd go over well.
Heaving a sigh, I decided I'd just have to wing it. Things were usually like that with Clare anyway. We never had a normal conversation because we were both completely abnormal. We had our own ticks- things that would set each other off- and witty banter had become the cornerstone of our relationship. It was how we communicated- how we flirted- and boy did I like it. Smiling, I ducked into a nearby alley, planning to take a short cut that would dump me just a block from me street.
That was my first mistake.
There's something about taking a fist to the gut that makes you want to flat out croak. Indeed, as the air left my body and I doubled over in pain, I wished I could relinquish any and all evidence of my existence.
"Stupid freak, you think I'd let you get away with that shit last night?" Fitz's angry voice rang in my ears and I groaned as another fist landed against my side.
Glancing up at him, I grimaced. "Hate to burst your bubble, Fitz," I rasped, "I know you can't go a day without touching me and all, but...I don't do dudes."
He snarled and jumped towards me, shoving me into the wall in the process. "Funny, d'you see me with a dude last night, smart guy?" he hissed, shoving his forearm up under my chin and pressing down against my throat. I stuggled against him as the move pinched my windpipe.
"I'll take that as a no," he continued, a haughty grin playing on his lips. "Listen good, Eli...Clare is mine. She will never be yours. I will do whatever it takes to keep the two of you apart, even if that means putting your head through a fucking wall." He pushed against me and my arms went limp as the last of my air was cut off. "Capiche, emo boy?"
I could barely move let alone nod. I just hung there, Fitz's arm depriving me of life giving air. He held it for a few more seconds and black spots began to drift into my field of vision. It was only when I thought I might pass out that he finally let go. I fell to the ground, clutching my throat and gulping air as quickly as my lungs could pull it in. My body was frozen, probably from shock, and I turned my head towards the sky as shadow blocked out the sun. My tormentor stood over me, looking pretty damn pleased with himself. He wore a wily smirk on his freckled face and cracked his knuckles in a primitive fashion.
Feeling began to seep back into my body in the form of anger. I was pissed. Pushing up off the ground, I gathered every ounce of strength I had and put it behind my clenched fist. It smashed into Fitz's face, just below his left eye. He stumbled backwards and I took the opportunity to shove him hard. Toppling over, he went down like a lumbered tree, his large body slamming against the asphalt with a loud crash!
I looked down at him and smirked. "Like a knife to the eye..." I drawled, in honor of my favorite character from The Goon.
Fitz sneered up at me. "You would like Franky, you pansy!" he shouted and drove up off the pavement, right into my stomach. We crashed into a pile of cardboard boxes and my feet went over my head as Fitz landed on top of me. His fist caught my chin and I grunted, holding my hands out towards him in an effort to block his blows.
"How does that feel," he snarled, landing another hit on my back as I rolled away from him. "Feel good, freak? I was gonna cut you some slack but now I'm gonna make you pay!"
"Let me know where to make out the check," I huffed and managed to stick a couple of punches in his gut. He winced, giving me the opportunity to push him off of me. Moving sideways, I got up off the ground but Fitz had done the same. We faced each other, fists popped, ready for combat like a couple of MMA fighters.
"The next place that little She-Man will visit you will be the hospital," he threatened, wiping the blood off of his split cheek. "And I'll have Clare to nurse me back to health..."
His grinning face and suggestive tone unleashed something inside of me. "Not if I can help it!" I roared, and dove on him in a state of pure, unadulterated fury. Honestly, I don't think Fitz saw it coming. We smashed into a large dumpster and I whaled on the kid with every single bit of strength I had left- which wasn't much- but it seemed to be doing the trick. Fitz's face had twisted in surprise and he tried to block the succession of punches as I pummeled his head.
Take that you overgrown ass! I was officially frenetic- my hands were moving of their own accord and my brain was struggling to catch up. I seemed to be running on pure adrenaline and I couldn't quite fathom what I was doing to the oaf now pinned beneath me. It was an impromptu reaction- an odd rendition of the kid from A Christmas Story- I was actually beating the crap out of my bully. Yet, it wasn't just the physical violence that had me going. Fitz wanted to take Clare away from me- he wanted to keep us from having a relationship. Hell, I don't think he even wanted us to be friends!
That was not something I would take lying down. Clare was my sun- she lit up my world like no one else. Where my mother had done the same, in the end she had failed me. And the more time I spent with Clare, the more I realized that. I had always thought that I had been the one to throw in the towel- that my actions had caused the break in our family- but I was wrong. I couldn't keep blaming myself for my mother's actions, or for my father's. I had been a good kid and their personal problems had bled over into my life, staining it with crimson guilt.
But Clare had come along and changed that. Without even knowing it, she cleansed me. When I was with her, I was happy. I remembered what life could be like. I guess you could say that Clare gave me the hope I'd never had before.
And Fitz wanted to rip that away.
No two ton, brainless moron is going to tell me I can't be with the girl I love! Eyes wide, I nearly fell over as the realization hit me. Holy Shit! I love Clare!
My hands stopped moving and I stilled, completely blown by my mid-skirmish epiphany. My mouth opened and closed, my fists clenched and unclenched, and I blinked in repetition as the truth sank in.
I love Clare.
Recognizing it made me feel...relieved and a weight I hadn't even known was there lifted off me. I love Clare.I could say it a thousand times and it wouldn't matter! Suddenly I was...whole. I could face my emotions, I could feel them! The sentiment running through my head leached down into my body and I grinned in satisfaction.
I love Clare!
The euphoric effects of this realization made me forget everything, including the colossal jerk I currently sat on.
That was my second mistake.
The last thing I saw before the bright day went black was Fitz's angry face and one, big ass, bloody fist.