CHAPTER TWELVE

Bobby lounged on the couch in his mother's house contemplating about what to do in his current situation; rat Jack out and get the girl he loved or stay loyal to his brother and let Carmen find out on her own what Jackie had done. He decided either way would end in pain for the young woman; caught in a rock and hard place.

"Jack?" Bobby murmured, confused. "What the fuck're you waking me up at 2 in the morning for?"

"I just totally fucked up my relationship with Carm; I just…uh…" His baby brother paused, stumbling to find the right words to even come close to justifying what he'd done even though he knew he couldn't. "I just need you to cover--"

"Oh no you don't. I'm not letting you off the hook until you tell me what you did," Bobby stated. "You woke me up already, now I'm listening." His hopes were sky high for this. Maybe he'd get his second chance with Carmen Johanson.

Jack cleared his throat and shifted restlessly on the edge of the unfamiliar bed. "I was at a party and it ended in drunken sex with some girl I'm positive I don't know…"

"So in other words, you cheated and you want me to keep it to myself until you get home."

"I'll be home in the morning; I just need you to tell her I wasn't driving home drunk or…something. Alright?"

"I don't know…" Bobby was just messing with his brother's head; or atleast that's what he thought… He would've loved to ruin this and be back laying up under Carmen again, but no. Not to little Jackie; Jack could fuck this relationship up on his own, apparently. "Fine, but be home as soon as you fuckin' can."

Rock and a hard place. That's where Bobby Mercer was at the moment. The horrible guilt surrounding his baby brother's voice over the phone was enough to tell him to let Jack do this himself.

"Bobby?" Carmen's fingers snapped in front of his distant stare in the direction of the black screen of the television. "Sleeping with your eyes open?"

"I need to talk to you," He stated, blankly.

"Uh, okay… 'Bout what?" She asked, confused.

"I wasn't going to tell you, 'cause I wasn't really supposed to, but…" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly then decided it'd be best to just blurt it out. "Jack cheated last night… That's why he got home so late…or early, whatever you want to call it, but he called me at like two this morning saying that he'd made a huge fucking mistake and--" He looked up at the shocked expression on Carmen's face.

Only moments later, it turned into pure anger. "JACK MERCER, YOU BETTER START RUNNING 'CAUSE FOR CHRIST'S FUCKING SAKE, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" She screamed.

Before Bobby could stop her, she'd punched a hole in the nearest wall and started for the stairs, but he caught her around the waist on the bottom step and hoisted her over his shoulder and out the door to the porch. Quickly grabbing their coats, he carried the fuming brunette down the street to the old Skatepark's swings until she calmed down a little a half hour later.

"I didn't want to upset you by telling you, but I figured what the hell? You're going to fuckin' find out anyway, why wait until Jack breaks down?" Bobby chuckled, lightly, snaking his arm around her waist on the park bench in what he thought had been a friendly gesture for comfort. "Sorry for being a dick the past five years," He added.

Carmen looked up at him, completely surprised by this statement. "Did you just apologize? For a grudge?"

He shuddered mockingly. "By fucking golly, I think I did."

She broke a small smile and they locked eyes, peering silently at one another for a long, long moment.

Bobby leaned into a deep, rather hot, kiss that she certainly didn't refuse, but accepted hungrily as she threw her arms around his neck – his mild touch alone had her going.

Just as she was about to move to straddling him to the icy park bench, the rational – or irrational, depending on how you want to look at it - side of her thoughts took over. Carmen, this is Bobby. Fuck and toss, remember? Jack might've made a mistake, but two wrongs certainly don't make a right in this situation.

Now holding him to the bench with her legs on either side of his body, Carmen broke the kiss, breathing rather heavily, her hot breath tickling his skin as she rested her forehead against his own, hands still holding his face, slowly loosening their grip now as she stumbled for words, brown eyes hidden behind their closed doors. "Bobby, I…" She breathed, shaking her head a little. She was shaking like a leaf in the autumn breeze, and it certainly wasn't from the cold.

Bobby nodded, thinking he understood what she was trying to say. Then she slipped the gold band off her ring finger and a small, unreadable smile flickered across her face.

A/N: Hehe. (Cackles evilly) HEY! You're lucky you got anything for an update! xD

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