CHAPTER FIVE

Three weeks after the "Accident"

Tom was cooking his famous "beef" and veggie stew when there was a loud rap on the door. Sighing, he threw down the stirring spoon and walked to the door, taking off the oven mits as he went. He held them in his left hand and answered the door, surprised to see Annie, Allen, and Don, smiling at him.

"Hey guys!" He cried happily as he let them in. They greeted him and he took them to the kitchen, where the pot was almost boiling over. "Oh shit!" He yelled as he ran to the stove and turned it down, the blue flame receding into the burner. Annie giggled.

"Thomas Brown Hewitt, I will not have that language in my house!" He heard Luda May yell from the porch. He yelled an apology and finished the stew, pouring some into two bowls, one for his mom and the other for his father. He brought it out to them and introduced his friends to them. Luda May took a liking into Annie almost right away and they started talking about room decor and stuff that girls talk about. Ol' Monty started to talk to Allen and Don about his butcher company, bringing Tom up sometimes and how well he does his job. Annie looked up at him and smiled, causing Tom to blush. He turned away and went back into the kitchen, Annie following him.

"Um... Tom?" Tom turned around and stared at her intently behind his human flesh mask. She hesitated, then, "I really like you." Tom stared at her in surprise. Someone actually liked him. Someone actually looked past his broken face to see the man inside. He blushed. She smiled, tears forming in her eyes as she watched Jedidiah play with his toys, silently crying. He put his hand on her cheek and she turned back to him. He brushed the tears away and stared at her intently.

"You... you do?" Now she was blushing. Instead of saying something, she leaned into him and kissed him. His eyes widened and he brought his hand up behind her head, brushing her hair gently. She wrapped her arms around him and broke the kiss. She layed her head onto his chest softly and sighed. He closed his eyes and smiled.

"Yes Tom..." She whispered. "I-"

"Don't!" Dallas shrieked as Annie looked at him hardly.

"Yes I do Dallas. I love someone else and I'm leaving you." She repeated. He growled.

"I bet it's that Shitface, right?" He snarled. When she didn't say anything, he laughed. "I knew it. I KNEW it! You do love him!" He grabbed her by the shirt collar and yanked her towards him. "How many times have you fucked him, huh? How many times?" When she still didn't reply, he made a noise between a laugh and a snarl. "Well, little miss whore, I won't let you leave!"

"Then I'll make you!" A voice snarled. Dallas whipped around, only to see Tom standing, prepared to fight. He grunted and threw Annie away from him, causing her to stagger and trip over the curb. Tom strode over to Dallas and threw him against the nearest car, hands on his throat. "You stay away from Annie or you'll be my next Anatomy project!" He growled menacingly. Dallas gagged and Tom dropped him, shoving his face into the curb.

"Thanks Tom." Annie sighed, hugging him. She and Tom were about to leave when Dallas collided with him, throwing him forward onto the ground, the maddened blonde on top of him, holding Tom's face into the dirt. Annie screamed and Tom threw Dallas off with a punch. Tom then dove for the downed boy, landing on his rib cage and punching him in the face. Some kids came to watch the brawl, randomly yelling "Kill Him!" and "Go Tom(or Dallas)!" He finally got up, knowing Dallas couldn't take anymore and watched Annie give him a good kick in the balls.

"Just so you know Dallas, I didn't fuck him at all! So, you've just dumped me for no reason!" She yelled happily. She jogged up to Tom, took hold of his hand and dragged him to the cafeteria, where Don and Allen waited. They watched Dallas come in a few minutes later with the help of Codey and Rex, two of his thugs. They laughed and went back to talking, but Tom saw how angry Dallas looked, and feared for his life... and Annie's.

A/N: Yeah, short chapter, but the next few will be really detailed and gory as hell! ENJOY!