WARNING: This chapter has a flashback that gets a little violent.
Chapter 6
Dean and Kayla sat on the couch dining on Pizza Hut pizza after most of the stuff was umpacked. The kitchen, living room and bathroom was done. The only room left was the bedroom, but Dean would worry about that the next day.
"Thanks for your help today, Kayla. I really appreciate it."
"Sure thing, Dean. No problem."
"Maybe the next time I present you with food, it will be better than pizza and soda."
Kayla took a sip of her coke before replying. "This was just fine with me. I'm not that hard to please. So back to you being a cop. What made you want to be one?"
"Well..." Dean began after swallowing his bite of pizza. "I've always wanted to help people. That's one reason."
"What's the other reason?"
"Seriously?" Kayla nodded. "You."
"Me? How me?"
"You don't remember?"
"Remember what?"
"I'll tell you."
FLASHBACK
16 year old Dean Ambrose was sitting on his bed practicing on his acoustic guitar when a soft knock interrupted his strumming of the strings. "Come in."
Robbie Ambrose opened the door to his son's room and stepped inside.
"Hey, Dean."
"Hi, dad." Dean greeted sitting the guitar to his right on the bed.
"That sounds good, son," Robbie said complimenting Dean on his guitar playing. "You're getting better."
"Oh. Thanks."
Robbie took a seat at the foot of Dean's bed. "For your little garage band?"
"Yeah."
"Good, good. Mom wants to know what you think on going out for Chinese for supper tonight?"
"Sure," Dean answered with a shrug. "Sounds delicious."
"Alrighty. So how did your algebra test go?"
"Oh...got a B+."
"That's great, Dean."
"To be honest, Dad, I think I could have done better."
"Did you do the best you could?"
"Yeah. Of course."
"Then that's all that matters to your mother and I."
"Some of the questions were tricky."
"Algebra's a tricky subject. Still, we're proud of you, buddy, just the same."
"Thanks."
Robbie looked over Dean's left shoulder and saw Kayla sitting at her desk studying. She looked up and waved. Robbie waved back. "Kayla's such a nice girl."
Dean looked over his left shoulder and waved at his school mate. "Yeah. She is."
"Are you going to ask her to prom?"
Dean looked back at his father. "Dad. We're just friends."
"Hey. Friends take friends to prom."
Robbie looked through the window again just as a dark-haired man walked into Kayla's room. It was her mother's new-and very strict-boyfriend named Brad. Brad was holding a piece of paper in front of Kayla's face. He looked upset. He looked angry. Kayla looked scared and very nervous. Brad was yelling at Kayla. He slammed the paper down onto Kayla's desk causing her to jump in her desk chair.
"Dad...are you seeing..."
"Yeah, son. I am."
Dean didn't like what he was seeing. Robbie didn't like what he was seeing. Both men were feeling uncomfortable watching the scene unfold before them. Brad kept on yelling at Kayla and it looked liked she was apologizing for whatever might have been on that paper.
*SMACK*
"NO!" Dean cried out rising from the bed.
"Oh no..." Robbie muttered.
Brad had backhanded Kayla out of her chair and onto the floor. Brad looked up and made eye-contact with Dean. The look on Brad's face made Dean's stomach flop. Brad reached for the blinds hanging by Kayla's window and pulled them closed. Dean rushed out of his bedroom before Robbie had a second to react.
"DEAN! WAIT!"
-"A B Kayla? You got a B on your algebra test?!"
Kayla looked up at Brad with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Brad. I really tried. The questions on that test weren't easy!"
The open palm of Brad's right hand struck Kayla hard across the face. She curled up into a ball on the floor and cried even more.
"I expected better from you, little girl. No more excuses. I must teach you a lesson."
Brad removed the leather belt from his pants. He folded it and gave it a tug. Leather snapped against leather. Brad reached down and grabbed a handful of Kayla's long hair and pulled her to her feet. He forced her upper body onto the bed.
"Please! Stop!"
"It's for your own good," Brad sneered. His left hand was pressed against the back of her neck holding her down.
"This is exactly what you deserve."
"NOOOOOOO!"
Brad brought the belt upward ready to strike only to stop at the sound of the bedroom door slamming open. He turned to see Dean and Robbie rush in. They tackled Brad to the floor. He struggled against their weight trying to hold him down.
"GRAB THE BELT, DEAN!"
Dean reached for Brad's right hand and bit down hard causing Brad to cry out in pain. He had finally released the belt.
"THE CLOSET, DAD!"
Robbie pulled Brad to his feet and towards the closet. He opened the door and shoved him in. He shut the door and stood in front of it.
"Hurry, Dean! The desk chair."
Dean grabbed the desk chair and brought it over to the closet. They jammed in under the door knob so the door would be impossible to open. Brad was yelling and banging on the door demanding they let him out. Robbie and Dean stepped away from the door breathing heavily. Robbie touched his son's right shoulder.
"Nice work, son."
"You too, Dad."
Dean turned to see Kayla kneeling by her bed. He walked over and knelt beside her. He examined her face. A large hand print was visible on her left cheek and a cut was visible on her right cheek. Dean was furious. He had nothing to say. He just pulled her close into his arms and let her cry. Robbie joined them by the bedside.
"Dean. Why don't you go ahead and take her over to our house? I'll stay here and call the police."
"Sure."
Dean and Robbie assisted Kayla to her feet. Dean had an arm wrapped around her a led her out of the bedroom. Robbie walked over to Kayla's desk and picked up that piece of paper. He examined it and recognized it as the algebra test Dean had also taken. He looked at the grade at the top of the page. Robbie shook his head in disgust.
"Over a B. All this over a B on a test."