Chapter 18: It's Not What You Think
~*Craig*~
I needed to talk to Bianca alone. And since Jimmy was currently in the shower, and Manny was out by the pool tanning with Paige, now was the perfect time. She was sitting on the couch, flipping through the TV, trying to find something on the satellite.
"Hey, Bianca." I said, sitting down next to her.
She jumped about three feet in the air, which in turn freaked me out a little too.
"Whoa!" I said. "Are you okay?"
"Um...yeah. I'm...okay." She said, sitting stiff as a board and looking at me. I didn't like the look she was giving me, and I didn't understand it either.
"So, you like the Caribbean? You having fun?" I asked, trying to make conversation.
"Yeah. It's fun." She replied, scooting down the couch away from me. I gave her a confused look.
"Bianca, what's wrong?" I asked.
"Ummm...n-nothing. Nothing. Nothing's wrong." She stood up quickly. "I gotta go."
"Bianca, I needed to talk to you." I said.
"Well, um...we'll talk later. Or talk to...Manny. She talks. Paige too. Bye." She turned to leave, and I grabbed her arm. I stood up and walked around the couch to where she was, still holding onto her arm.
"Where you going?" I asked.
"Craig, let go of me." She said, pulling away. I still didn't let go of her arm.
"Bianca, what the hell's wrong with you?" I asked. I really didn't understand how she was acting.
"Let go of me." She said, louder this time.
"Bianca, I just want to talk to you!" I said, exasperated. "Is that so wrong?"
"I said let go!" she yelled, pushing at my hand to make me let go.
"Bianca calm down!" I said sternly. I didn't know why she was freaking out, and I didn't really like it either. She didn't have to freak out around me. I was Craig. Her Craig. Or at least I used to be, before Jimmy came along.
"Let go!" she screamed. "You're hurting me!"
"I am not hurting you, I just want to talk to you." I said, pulling her closer to me. "Now just calm down!"
That's when she drew back and hit me across the face, her ring splitting my cheek. I grabbed the arm that had hit me, forcing both arms down.
"What the hell is your problem?" I yelled.
"Let me go!!!" she screamed, trying to pull away.
"Bianca, I'm not letting go, so just get over that, I need to talk to you."
"Let her go." A deep voice said. I looked up to see Jimmy walking down the steps in nothing but a pair of jeans. He was still wet from the shower. Ellie was behind him. She had probably ran and told him what was going on.
"Jimmy, chill out. I just need to talk to her. It's no big deal."
"Take your hands off her." Jimmy said. He was about a foot away from me now, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Oh, like you didn't have your hands all over her last night?" I sneered.
"LET ME GO!!!" Bianca screamed.
"Craig, let her go." Manny said.
"Why? I'm not doing anything, I just wanna talk to the girl." I told my girlfriend. "Why is everyone freaking out?"
"Because you're scaring her, Craig!" Paige yelled. "Let her go."
"Fine!" I yelled. I let go of her arms just as Bianca was pulling away again, and she tumbled to the floor, hitting her head. She held her head in pain, sobbing. Jimmy rushed over to her side, helping her up.
"Damn, baby, are you alright?" he asked. She said nothing, just stared at me. As I stared back, that's when I registered the fear in her eyes. Oh god. What had I done?
Jimmy stood up, glaring at me. "Paige, can you get Bianca some ice for her head?"
"Sure, Jimmy." She said softly, helping Bianca up. "Come on, Bianca."
When Ellie, Paige, Manny, and Bianca went into the kitchen, it left just me, Spinner, and Jimmy.
"You, me, outside, right now." He said.
~*Jimmy*~
I followed Craig out on the porch, trying to fight the urge to beat him to a bloody pulp. At least until we were out of the girls' sight.
"Jimmy, don't kill him." Spinner warned as he followed us out, shutting the double doors behind him. Spin was following us out to guarantee I didn't do just that.
"I'm not gonna kill him, Spin." I replied. "I'm just gonna show him what happens when you mess with my girlfriend."
"Hey, she was my girlfriend first, so deal with it." Craig snapped.
"You know, I don't get it. If she's your ex-girlfriend and you treated her so well, then why the hell is she afraid of you?"
"She's afraid of everyone these days." Craig replied.
"Really? She's not afraid of Marco. She's not afraid of Spinner. She's not even afraid of Dylan, and Dylan's huge. So what gives, Manning? Something you're not telling me?" I asked, pushing him.
"Man, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Did something happen that night in the woods that I wasn't aware of? Why she screaming in absolute terror when you brought her in? Why does she avoid you all the time now? Why did she freak out today when you touched her?"
"Because I was the first person she saw when she came to!" Craig shouted.
"Bullshit." I spat. "It was you, wasn't it? You tried to rape MY girlfriend and then beat the shit out of her because you wanted one more go with her, right? You were pissed off that I had her and you didn't, and you wanted another shot in paradise, didn't you?"
"I was with Manny." Craig replied simply.
"You know what?"
"What's that?" Craig asked with a superior look on his face.
"Don't believe you." I replied, before diving on him.
~*Paige*~
"They've been out there awhile." I remarked, and looked at Bianca. "How's your head?"
"Mixed up. Insane. Growing crazier by the minute." She responded softly, looking at the ice bag in her lap. I rolled me eyes, grabbed the ice bag, and put it back on the back of her head. I grabbed her hand and made her hold it there.
"Hold it there." I ordered. I looked at her wrists. "Wow. Craig really did a number on those."
She looked at the wrist that wasn't holding the ice bag and sighed. "When did things get so complicated?"
Suddenly, the doors blew open, and Craig stormed in, shirt ripped up, lip and nose bleeding, various scrapes and cuts all over his arms, and the beginning of a black eye forming. Bianca gasped and jumped up off the counter, and ran behind the table. He stopped, and looked at her.
"Are you really that afraid of me?"
She didn't say anything, just kept looking at the floor.
"Answer me!" he yelled.
"Craig..." I warned.
"Stay out of this, Paige." He warned back. "Why are you afraid of me?"
She still said nothing. He walked towards her.
"Why, Bianca? We had something special, you know? I thought you loved me! Why are you so afraid of me? You don't think I'm the one that did that to you, do you?"
He reached out to touch her shoulder, and she jerked away, finally looking at him. Her eyes radiated terror.
"Oh my god. You do." Craig said unbelievably. He looked at her for a few seconds, not saying anything, and stormed out.
"Craig..." Manny said.
"Leave me alone." Craig said, and headed out the front door. Manny ran after him, slamming the door shut.
"Bianca, did Craig..." I was almost afraid to say it, and I prayed to god it wasn't true. Something like that would change my impression of Craig forever.
Jimmy and Spinner walked in finally. Spinner didn't have a scratch on him, but Jimmy was similar to Craig in terms of taking a beating, although he looked slightly better. He had a few scratches on his chest, a busted lip, and a black eye, and was breathing hard, angrily. He looked at Bianca, and his anger seemed to melt away. He stretched out his arms.
"C'mere." He said to her, and she ran to him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, whispering sweet words of comfort.
"Spin, you guys didn't gang up on him, did you?" I asked. Spinner shook his head.
"I was just making sure Jimmy didn't kill him." Spinner replied.
"But you let him get beat up." Ellie noted.
"Because he deserved it. Jimmy knows now. Craig tried to rape Bianca."
I gasped, and covered my mouth with my hand. So it was true. I folded my arms and looked at Bianca and Jimmy, then back at Spinner.
"Craig is not staying in this house." I said.
~*Craig*~
I needed to talk to Bianca alone. And since Jimmy was currently in the shower, and Manny was out by the pool tanning with Paige, now was the perfect time. She was sitting on the couch, flipping through the TV, trying to find something on the satellite.
"Hey, Bianca." I said, sitting down next to her.
She jumped about three feet in the air, which in turn freaked me out a little too.
"Whoa!" I said. "Are you okay?"
"Um...yeah. I'm...okay." She said, sitting stiff as a board and looking at me. I didn't like the look she was giving me, and I didn't understand it either.
"So, you like the Caribbean? You having fun?" I asked, trying to make conversation.
"Yeah. It's fun." She replied, scooting down the couch away from me. I gave her a confused look.
"Bianca, what's wrong?" I asked.
"Ummm...n-nothing. Nothing. Nothing's wrong." She stood up quickly. "I gotta go."
"Bianca, I needed to talk to you." I said.
"Well, um...we'll talk later. Or talk to...Manny. She talks. Paige too. Bye." She turned to leave, and I grabbed her arm. I stood up and walked around the couch to where she was, still holding onto her arm.
"Where you going?" I asked.
"Craig, let go of me." She said, pulling away. I still didn't let go of her arm.
"Bianca, what the hell's wrong with you?" I asked. I really didn't understand how she was acting.
"Let go of me." She said, louder this time.
"Bianca, I just want to talk to you!" I said, exasperated. "Is that so wrong?"
"I said let go!" she yelled, pushing at my hand to make me let go.
"Bianca calm down!" I said sternly. I didn't know why she was freaking out, and I didn't really like it either. She didn't have to freak out around me. I was Craig. Her Craig. Or at least I used to be, before Jimmy came along.
"Let go!" she screamed. "You're hurting me!"
"I am not hurting you, I just want to talk to you." I said, pulling her closer to me. "Now just calm down!"
That's when she drew back and hit me across the face, her ring splitting my cheek. I grabbed the arm that had hit me, forcing both arms down.
"What the hell is your problem?" I yelled.
"Let me go!!!" she screamed, trying to pull away.
"Bianca, I'm not letting go, so just get over that, I need to talk to you."
"Let her go." A deep voice said. I looked up to see Jimmy walking down the steps in nothing but a pair of jeans. He was still wet from the shower. Ellie was behind him. She had probably ran and told him what was going on.
"Jimmy, chill out. I just need to talk to her. It's no big deal."
"Take your hands off her." Jimmy said. He was about a foot away from me now, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Oh, like you didn't have your hands all over her last night?" I sneered.
"LET ME GO!!!" Bianca screamed.
"Craig, let her go." Manny said.
"Why? I'm not doing anything, I just wanna talk to the girl." I told my girlfriend. "Why is everyone freaking out?"
"Because you're scaring her, Craig!" Paige yelled. "Let her go."
"Fine!" I yelled. I let go of her arms just as Bianca was pulling away again, and she tumbled to the floor, hitting her head. She held her head in pain, sobbing. Jimmy rushed over to her side, helping her up.
"Damn, baby, are you alright?" he asked. She said nothing, just stared at me. As I stared back, that's when I registered the fear in her eyes. Oh god. What had I done?
Jimmy stood up, glaring at me. "Paige, can you get Bianca some ice for her head?"
"Sure, Jimmy." She said softly, helping Bianca up. "Come on, Bianca."
When Ellie, Paige, Manny, and Bianca went into the kitchen, it left just me, Spinner, and Jimmy.
"You, me, outside, right now." He said.
~*Jimmy*~
I followed Craig out on the porch, trying to fight the urge to beat him to a bloody pulp. At least until we were out of the girls' sight.
"Jimmy, don't kill him." Spinner warned as he followed us out, shutting the double doors behind him. Spin was following us out to guarantee I didn't do just that.
"I'm not gonna kill him, Spin." I replied. "I'm just gonna show him what happens when you mess with my girlfriend."
"Hey, she was my girlfriend first, so deal with it." Craig snapped.
"You know, I don't get it. If she's your ex-girlfriend and you treated her so well, then why the hell is she afraid of you?"
"She's afraid of everyone these days." Craig replied.
"Really? She's not afraid of Marco. She's not afraid of Spinner. She's not even afraid of Dylan, and Dylan's huge. So what gives, Manning? Something you're not telling me?" I asked, pushing him.
"Man, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Did something happen that night in the woods that I wasn't aware of? Why she screaming in absolute terror when you brought her in? Why does she avoid you all the time now? Why did she freak out today when you touched her?"
"Because I was the first person she saw when she came to!" Craig shouted.
"Bullshit." I spat. "It was you, wasn't it? You tried to rape MY girlfriend and then beat the shit out of her because you wanted one more go with her, right? You were pissed off that I had her and you didn't, and you wanted another shot in paradise, didn't you?"
"I was with Manny." Craig replied simply.
"You know what?"
"What's that?" Craig asked with a superior look on his face.
"Don't believe you." I replied, before diving on him.
~*Paige*~
"They've been out there awhile." I remarked, and looked at Bianca. "How's your head?"
"Mixed up. Insane. Growing crazier by the minute." She responded softly, looking at the ice bag in her lap. I rolled me eyes, grabbed the ice bag, and put it back on the back of her head. I grabbed her hand and made her hold it there.
"Hold it there." I ordered. I looked at her wrists. "Wow. Craig really did a number on those."
She looked at the wrist that wasn't holding the ice bag and sighed. "When did things get so complicated?"
Suddenly, the doors blew open, and Craig stormed in, shirt ripped up, lip and nose bleeding, various scrapes and cuts all over his arms, and the beginning of a black eye forming. Bianca gasped and jumped up off the counter, and ran behind the table. He stopped, and looked at her.
"Are you really that afraid of me?"
She didn't say anything, just kept looking at the floor.
"Answer me!" he yelled.
"Craig..." I warned.
"Stay out of this, Paige." He warned back. "Why are you afraid of me?"
She still said nothing. He walked towards her.
"Why, Bianca? We had something special, you know? I thought you loved me! Why are you so afraid of me? You don't think I'm the one that did that to you, do you?"
He reached out to touch her shoulder, and she jerked away, finally looking at him. Her eyes radiated terror.
"Oh my god. You do." Craig said unbelievably. He looked at her for a few seconds, not saying anything, and stormed out.
"Craig..." Manny said.
"Leave me alone." Craig said, and headed out the front door. Manny ran after him, slamming the door shut.
"Bianca, did Craig..." I was almost afraid to say it, and I prayed to god it wasn't true. Something like that would change my impression of Craig forever.
Jimmy and Spinner walked in finally. Spinner didn't have a scratch on him, but Jimmy was similar to Craig in terms of taking a beating, although he looked slightly better. He had a few scratches on his chest, a busted lip, and a black eye, and was breathing hard, angrily. He looked at Bianca, and his anger seemed to melt away. He stretched out his arms.
"C'mere." He said to her, and she ran to him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, whispering sweet words of comfort.
"Spin, you guys didn't gang up on him, did you?" I asked. Spinner shook his head.
"I was just making sure Jimmy didn't kill him." Spinner replied.
"But you let him get beat up." Ellie noted.
"Because he deserved it. Jimmy knows now. Craig tried to rape Bianca."
I gasped, and covered my mouth with my hand. So it was true. I folded my arms and looked at Bianca and Jimmy, then back at Spinner.
"Craig is not staying in this house." I said.
