Chapter 7
I was so glad they left when they did or I might have done something totally stupid that could have got me shot or something. I was so angry with them for making her cry like that, it took me ages to get her to stop crying and talk to me. I hadn't even thought about what could have gone on when they were here last time; I wasn't all that bothered then what went on in the sheriff's family. Last time they were in town they had kidnapped Stephanie and refused to let her go till sheriff McMahon paid them money and handed over the town to them. They were driven out of town in the end by some of the men along with some that came from Black water to help us. I always wondered who the girl was that Rocky claimed to have saved and 'got' in the process. The outlaws had been in the town for a day now and I had just two days to go to the party and my outfit was nearly finished. I'd got over my not being able to talk to her phase and felt really comfortable around her, I spent the whole day with her the day before and I was on my way to go to her house to pick her up. She didn't like being on her own while DX were around and for some reason she thought I'd be able to look after her.
"Chris slow down will ya!" Edge shouts running to catch up with me, he insisted on tagging along with Stephanie and me for the day. I couldn't really say no to him because we really didn't have any other friends apart from each other and he looked all sad and alone.
"I cant be late, I said I'd be there at eleven" I say quickening my pace making him whine even more, I stop and wait for him to catch up "Why did you even bother coming with me if you are going to be a pain?" I say as he catches me up and carries on walking trying to get ahead of me.
"Well someone has to keep their eye on you two love birds" he laughs as I shake my head and carry on walking, we get to the sheriffs house and I step up onto the porch and knock on the door. I stand waiting for a while and hear Edge laughing quietly "Some bodies nervous" he says smiling at me. I go to say something back to him but the door opens and Sheriff McMahon stands there.
"Good morning Sheriff" I say taking my hat off as he opens the door inviting me inside. "Is Stephanie ready?" I ask before having my own question answered when she walks down the stairs smiling at me. My heart leaps into my throat and I gulp as she walks over to me. "You look beautiful"
"Thank you" she says as I hold out my hooked arm to her "Bye Daddy" she says taking my arm and almost hugging it with both of hers.
"Stay away from them, if you see them you bring her straight home" Sheriff McMahon says to me as he walks us to the door "Even if you see them bring her home"
"I will," I say putting my hat back on and walking down the steps to the porch with her where Edge sits waiting for us. He climbs to his feet and grins at Sheriff McMahon making me roll my eyes. We set off down the street talking away to each other as Edge skulks along behind us; I had no idea where we were going we were just walking around. We soon decided to go down to the creek where there was some shade out of the midday sun; it was Edges idea because he had been complaining about the heat since we left the McMahon's house.
"Chris, watch me!" Edge shouts to me skimming stones across the water "Chris watch!" he shouts again, I'd heard him the first time but I really didn't want to watch him skimming stones. I'd see him do it a million times before. We sit under the trees, she leans against my shoulder and holds my hand tightly watching Edge splash around in the water.
"Ah how sweet" Helmsley laughs leaning against the tree we are sitting under, I look up at him as Stephanie sits up quickly still holding onto my hand.
"What do you want?" I snap at him, he just laughs again. By this time Edge has heard what is going on and has waded out of the water and is walking towards us. I climb to my feet letting go of Stephanie's hand and grab Helmsley's collar in clenched fists "Keep away from us!" I yell as Edge runs over not managing to get to me in time. Helmsley's huge fist comes towards my face as he nails me right in the nose making blood gush from it. Edge dives in between us and holds me back as I take a swing back at Helmsley, Edge pushes me back as Helmsley starts laughing and walks off. Stephanie looks at me and my bloodied face before running off. I had acted like a complete idiot loosing my cool with him like that; I must have looked so bad to her.
"I'll go after her, you get back home and clean yourself up. I'll make sure she gets home" he says before running after her, I cup my nose in my hands and kick at the ground angrily. It had been going so well till he showed up and ruined everything. I can feel the blood dripping into my hands and I slowly walk home trying to let my anger calm. She was going to hate me forever now, I totally screwed everything up. She'd think I was some guy that would attack people all the time and she'd break off going to the party with me and go with that pompous idiot Deputy Test! I wiped my face with my sleeve as I walked back up the track towards the town and home.
"I bet you think your smart don't you" Helmsley said as he appeared with his gang blocking my way "Trying to stand up to me in front of her only to get your nose bust, your lucky I didn't pull the gun on you right there and then" he says grabbing my shirt collar. "You stay out of my way Jericho, you come anywhere near me again and your friend Edge will get some work at that undertakers when they burry your broken body ya hear me!" he yells letting go of me and shoving my backwards.
"I hear ya" I growl pushing past him to walk away, he grabs the back of my shirt and picks me up and grabs my around my throat.
"You show me some respect or I'll beat it into you" he says, I push him away from me and carry on walking not caring what he did to me now. I can hear him trying to come after me but his friends hold him back, I guess they didn't want my death on their hands.
"Swing for it!" I shout back at him before sprinting off home in case they decided to let him go and kill me, I run up my front porch and push open the door walking inside our broken down old house. I walk into my room and over to the basin and mirror and look at myself. My face was bloodied and my eyes were already bruising and swelling from the hard right hand from Helmsley. I ran some water onto a cloth and cleaned off the blood and winced as I held it to my nose.
"What in gods name happened to you!" My father says walking into my room and seeing me, I turn to face him as his eyes widen seeing my whole face. "Please Chris, tell me you didn't get into a fight, I thought I brought you up well on my own. I thought I brought you up to know fighting isn't the right thing to do..I hope though the other guy looks worse than you," he says walking over to the cupboard and going through his bottles of ointments and treatments.
"I didn't even get a shot at the other guy" I say miserably, given the chance I would have broke his goddamn nose! "It was one of the outlaws, the leader Helmsley. I got mad with him after he turned up when I was down at the creek with Stephanie and he hit me" I say as my father walks over to me with a bottle of brown liquid inside it.
"I want you to stay away from them, they are nothing but trouble and I don't want you getting yourself hurt again" he says dabbing some of the foul smelling liquid onto the cloth and making me hold it against my face. "This will help the bruising and the swelling," he says putting the bottle down on the side cabinet "I know you care about her but getting yourself beat up because of her isn't the way to prove to her now is it"
"No I guess not," I say wishing I could hold my nose to block out the disgusting stink of the medicine.
"There's no 'I guess not' about it Chris, you stay away from them from now on, you may be older now but I'm still your father and you still live under my rules. Keep away from them" he says sternly before walking out of the room, he was right. Getting myself beat up wasn't the best way to impress Stephanie and with my face looking like it was right now probably wouldn't help matters.
I was so glad they left when they did or I might have done something totally stupid that could have got me shot or something. I was so angry with them for making her cry like that, it took me ages to get her to stop crying and talk to me. I hadn't even thought about what could have gone on when they were here last time; I wasn't all that bothered then what went on in the sheriff's family. Last time they were in town they had kidnapped Stephanie and refused to let her go till sheriff McMahon paid them money and handed over the town to them. They were driven out of town in the end by some of the men along with some that came from Black water to help us. I always wondered who the girl was that Rocky claimed to have saved and 'got' in the process. The outlaws had been in the town for a day now and I had just two days to go to the party and my outfit was nearly finished. I'd got over my not being able to talk to her phase and felt really comfortable around her, I spent the whole day with her the day before and I was on my way to go to her house to pick her up. She didn't like being on her own while DX were around and for some reason she thought I'd be able to look after her.
"Chris slow down will ya!" Edge shouts running to catch up with me, he insisted on tagging along with Stephanie and me for the day. I couldn't really say no to him because we really didn't have any other friends apart from each other and he looked all sad and alone.
"I cant be late, I said I'd be there at eleven" I say quickening my pace making him whine even more, I stop and wait for him to catch up "Why did you even bother coming with me if you are going to be a pain?" I say as he catches me up and carries on walking trying to get ahead of me.
"Well someone has to keep their eye on you two love birds" he laughs as I shake my head and carry on walking, we get to the sheriffs house and I step up onto the porch and knock on the door. I stand waiting for a while and hear Edge laughing quietly "Some bodies nervous" he says smiling at me. I go to say something back to him but the door opens and Sheriff McMahon stands there.
"Good morning Sheriff" I say taking my hat off as he opens the door inviting me inside. "Is Stephanie ready?" I ask before having my own question answered when she walks down the stairs smiling at me. My heart leaps into my throat and I gulp as she walks over to me. "You look beautiful"
"Thank you" she says as I hold out my hooked arm to her "Bye Daddy" she says taking my arm and almost hugging it with both of hers.
"Stay away from them, if you see them you bring her straight home" Sheriff McMahon says to me as he walks us to the door "Even if you see them bring her home"
"I will," I say putting my hat back on and walking down the steps to the porch with her where Edge sits waiting for us. He climbs to his feet and grins at Sheriff McMahon making me roll my eyes. We set off down the street talking away to each other as Edge skulks along behind us; I had no idea where we were going we were just walking around. We soon decided to go down to the creek where there was some shade out of the midday sun; it was Edges idea because he had been complaining about the heat since we left the McMahon's house.
"Chris, watch me!" Edge shouts to me skimming stones across the water "Chris watch!" he shouts again, I'd heard him the first time but I really didn't want to watch him skimming stones. I'd see him do it a million times before. We sit under the trees, she leans against my shoulder and holds my hand tightly watching Edge splash around in the water.
"Ah how sweet" Helmsley laughs leaning against the tree we are sitting under, I look up at him as Stephanie sits up quickly still holding onto my hand.
"What do you want?" I snap at him, he just laughs again. By this time Edge has heard what is going on and has waded out of the water and is walking towards us. I climb to my feet letting go of Stephanie's hand and grab Helmsley's collar in clenched fists "Keep away from us!" I yell as Edge runs over not managing to get to me in time. Helmsley's huge fist comes towards my face as he nails me right in the nose making blood gush from it. Edge dives in between us and holds me back as I take a swing back at Helmsley, Edge pushes me back as Helmsley starts laughing and walks off. Stephanie looks at me and my bloodied face before running off. I had acted like a complete idiot loosing my cool with him like that; I must have looked so bad to her.
"I'll go after her, you get back home and clean yourself up. I'll make sure she gets home" he says before running after her, I cup my nose in my hands and kick at the ground angrily. It had been going so well till he showed up and ruined everything. I can feel the blood dripping into my hands and I slowly walk home trying to let my anger calm. She was going to hate me forever now, I totally screwed everything up. She'd think I was some guy that would attack people all the time and she'd break off going to the party with me and go with that pompous idiot Deputy Test! I wiped my face with my sleeve as I walked back up the track towards the town and home.
"I bet you think your smart don't you" Helmsley said as he appeared with his gang blocking my way "Trying to stand up to me in front of her only to get your nose bust, your lucky I didn't pull the gun on you right there and then" he says grabbing my shirt collar. "You stay out of my way Jericho, you come anywhere near me again and your friend Edge will get some work at that undertakers when they burry your broken body ya hear me!" he yells letting go of me and shoving my backwards.
"I hear ya" I growl pushing past him to walk away, he grabs the back of my shirt and picks me up and grabs my around my throat.
"You show me some respect or I'll beat it into you" he says, I push him away from me and carry on walking not caring what he did to me now. I can hear him trying to come after me but his friends hold him back, I guess they didn't want my death on their hands.
"Swing for it!" I shout back at him before sprinting off home in case they decided to let him go and kill me, I run up my front porch and push open the door walking inside our broken down old house. I walk into my room and over to the basin and mirror and look at myself. My face was bloodied and my eyes were already bruising and swelling from the hard right hand from Helmsley. I ran some water onto a cloth and cleaned off the blood and winced as I held it to my nose.
"What in gods name happened to you!" My father says walking into my room and seeing me, I turn to face him as his eyes widen seeing my whole face. "Please Chris, tell me you didn't get into a fight, I thought I brought you up well on my own. I thought I brought you up to know fighting isn't the right thing to do..I hope though the other guy looks worse than you," he says walking over to the cupboard and going through his bottles of ointments and treatments.
"I didn't even get a shot at the other guy" I say miserably, given the chance I would have broke his goddamn nose! "It was one of the outlaws, the leader Helmsley. I got mad with him after he turned up when I was down at the creek with Stephanie and he hit me" I say as my father walks over to me with a bottle of brown liquid inside it.
"I want you to stay away from them, they are nothing but trouble and I don't want you getting yourself hurt again" he says dabbing some of the foul smelling liquid onto the cloth and making me hold it against my face. "This will help the bruising and the swelling," he says putting the bottle down on the side cabinet "I know you care about her but getting yourself beat up because of her isn't the way to prove to her now is it"
"No I guess not," I say wishing I could hold my nose to block out the disgusting stink of the medicine.
"There's no 'I guess not' about it Chris, you stay away from them from now on, you may be older now but I'm still your father and you still live under my rules. Keep away from them" he says sternly before walking out of the room, he was right. Getting myself beat up wasn't the best way to impress Stephanie and with my face looking like it was right now probably wouldn't help matters.