Chapter Thirty Three

I was drunk off my ass when I tried to flag down a ride from outside Irby's. I was stumbling all over the place and the few cars that did come my way whooshed by without slowing.

Then a familiar car pulled up.

"Fancy meeting you here." His smirk was the same as i remembered it and something in me sighed with relief.

"Shut up and drive me home," I said, yanking open the door and falling into the passenger seat.

"You talk to your faggot boyfriend that way?" Ace raised an eyebrow at me and it was then that I burst into tears.

"Jesus, what did I say?" He pulled away from the curb as a way to busy himself. He had never been good with crying.

"He's not my boyfriend anymore. He dumped me."

Ace gave a low whistle.

"No shit. Why?"

I looked at him for a sign of smugness, some element of joy that he was gaining from my misery but Ace just looked curious. I told him how Chris was going away to college and I would be left behind.

Ace shrugged.

"Nothing wrong with being a townie. I'd rather be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish lost in the ocean."

I sniffed and looked at him in surprise.

"You would?"

"Sure. It's only the assholes who can't manage their home towns that go running to see the rest of the world. Wimps, social outcasts, Chris Chambers."

"Well, what about me?"

Ace gave me a sideways look, his mouth sliding into a smile.

"You've always fitted in, Willis. I don't know where all this ambitious shit came from but you would do just fine staying here in Castle Rock. That's why you and Chambers ain't suited. He knows it as well as I do. Some people are cool enough to stay. They ain't got nothing to prove to the world."

I started to sob again and I guess I fell asleep because when I woke up, we were parked up outside Ace's place.

"W-what are we doing here?"

"What do you think we're doing here?" His calm eyes and soft voice were strangely comforting.

"But I can't. Chris-"

"He dumped you, Nina. It's over. "

I started to cry again and Ace held out his hand in a scarily similar fashion to how Chris had a week before. I'd ignored his hand and he'd ended it. If i turned down Ace's hand, who would I have then?

I was giddy from the alcohol and still sniffling when I took Ace's hand and climbed out of the car.

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I had absolutely no idea where I was when I woke up. For a few strange seconds I wondered why I was at Ace's and then the previous night came flooding back to me.

I bolted out of the bed and straight for the bathroom, vomiting heavily into the toilet. I don't know if it was so much the hangover or the sickening thing that I'd done, but I heaved and heaved until I was sure there was nothing left inside me.

"You done?" Ace eased open the door, looking decidedly fresh faced to see me on my knees in the bathroom.

"You bastard!" I screamed at him. "You total bastard! You took advantage of me and you weren't even drunk!"

"Hey, you weren't protesting too much last night, doll." He looked so proud of himself that I immediately threw up again.

Ace grimaced from the doorway.

"I was gonna see if you were game for round two, but I think I'll pass."

I grabbed some tissue and wiped my mouth.

"I hate you, Ace Merrill."

"You can't get enough of me, Christina."

"I feel nothing for you!" I spat. "I was drunk last night, drunk and vulnerable and you took advantage of me! It's Chris I want to be with."

"Doll, if he wasn't done with you already, he sure will be when he hears about this."

I stared at him.

"You wouldn't?"

"Hell, of course I would. I told you I'd get even with that little punk and now I have."

"Ace, please-" I pleaded, getting shakily to my feet. "For me! Don't tell him."

"Fuck you, Christina. What happened to you feel nothing for me? Did you forget you dropped me on my ass for that faggot? I don't give a shit what happens to you."

"You asshole!" I screamed.

"In fact, I'm gonna get in the shower and head on over to pick Eyeball up. Maybe I'll see his faggot brother while I'm there."

I yelled and threw the roll of tissue at him but Ace just laughed and started taking his underwear off. Shoving him aside, I located my clothes and yanked them on. Chris was going to find out. So it was better that I did the deed first.

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I was a total mess by the time I reached the Chambers.

I banged hard on the door and it was Becky who opened it, still in her pyjamas, her blond hair in disarray. I tried to pull myself together when I saw her.

"Uh, hi Becky. Is Chris here?"

Somebody yanked the door open further and Eyeball peered out at me, his left eye purply-green and swollen.

"You look like shit," he commented.

"Is Chris here?"

Eyeball shrugged but Becky nodded.

"He's out back, doing his homework."

Eyeball put an arm around Becky and pulled her back inside.

"Keep it down, pip squeak. You know Dad's sleeping it off."

Becky put a guilty hand over her mouth and smiled at me.

"Can I go back there?" I asked, pointing to the side of the house. Eyeball shrugged, tugged Becky away from the door and said "whatever" before he closed the door again.

I rounded the side of the shambling house and into an overgrown yard. At the furthest end, I could see Chris, his upper body and a pile of books sprawled on a small blanket, diligently scribbling in a notepad. I stood and watched him a while, knowing this might be the last time I looked at him and he didn't hate me. Or maybe he already did hate me, but not as much as he would once he found out the truth.

It wasn't warm outside and it was early still, but I guessed that down here in the yard was the only peace Chris would get to study. Especially if his dad was on a mean streak. And by the looks of Eyeball's face, he was on a mean streak.

I stared at him for what felt like an eternity, studying his handsomely boyish features, his look of concentration, every muscled curve in his body. He was perfect and I'd ruined everything.

Finally, Chris felt my eyes on him and glanced up.

"Hey."

He got to his feet in surprise, his jeans damp from the grass, and moved towards me.

"You okay?"

I guess he could see from my face that I was far from okay but I wished for the cold uninvolved Chris from Monday. The guy who bore no ill feelings but just knew I wasn't right for him. That Chris would be a hell of a lot easier to confess to.

"Listen, I'm glad you're here. I was hoping I'd run into you. I've missed you."

I tried to form words as the tears spilled down my cheeks but I couldn't find any.

"Nina, I'm sorry. About the night in Irby's, about what I said on the bus." He tried to hug me but I shoved him away. I was fresh from Ace's bed and I didn't deserve his affection.

"Nina, I was a jerk, okay? I felt like you picked Ace over me and it hurt. But I don't want to end it."

He didn't know it, but right then, they were the worst words he could have said to me and I wanted him to take them back.

"But we're going different places," I sobbed. "You don't want to be with someone who wants to stay here."

"Nina, come on. Of course I want you to come with me and of course I think you're too good to be a waitress. What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

One like Ace Merril, my mind screamed.

Chris took my wet cheeks in his hands.

"If you don't want to go to college, we'll make it work. I love you regardless."

The word regardless made me cry harder. Some things would trump his love for me and sleeping with Ace was one of them.

"Nina, please. He tried again to hug me and again I shoved him away.

"I can't, Chris. It's over."

"What? It was just a fight." He was confused. "Couples have them all the time."

'It was not just a fight!" I snapped. "You told me it was over! You told me it was over and I got drunk and then Ace gave me a ride home!" I started to cry heavily then and something seemed to click in Chris' brain as he scanned my crumpled clothes, messy hair and streaked make up.

His voice went super quiet.

"Did he do something to you?"

I wanted to say yes, he had, that I was drunk and upset and Ace took advantage but I knew that I was responsible. I had chosen to go into Ace's place. I had squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to think of Chris as Ace's hands had roamed my body. I had just not wanted to be alone.

"It wasn't just him," I whispered.

I will never forget the look on his face. Not for as long as I live.

"You slept with him?" His voice was hard. Cold.

"I was drunk!" I sobbed. "He doesn't mean anything to me. I didn't even like it-"

"Enough!" He roared at me, loud enough for me to shrink back. I had never heard him speak that way to anybody, Let alone me.

"Would you shut up?" Eyeball was making his way down the yard. "You woke the old man. Do you want a beating or what?"

"You shut up! You shut the hell up!" Chris bellowed at Eyeball.

"Richie!" Becky called from the back step. "Ace is here!"

Eyeball had no idea why fear shuddered through me at the same time anger thundered through Chris and he stood bewildered as Chris raced off towards the house and I sprinted after him. By the time I made it to the front, Chris had already thrown the first punch.

"Stop it!" I screamed. "Both of you!"

Chris delivered a series of raging punches, the last one knocking Ace over as he tripped on the crumbling path. Chris, who would never hit a guy on the ground, then began to kick Ace furiously until Ace grabbed his leg and twisted, pulling Chris down to his level. The two of them tousled furiously, Ace socking Chris in the face and then stomach before Eyeball raced round the side of the house. He stood gawping beside me as he watched his brother and best friend fight.

"What the fuck-"

"Stay out of it, Eyeball," Ace grunted, as he grabbed hold of Chris' shirt and slammed a fist into his face. I screamed again and went to rush forward before Eyeball grabbed hold of me. Chris wrestled with Ace, managing to catch him under the chin with a left handed swing. Despite rooting for Chris, I grimaced at the sound of knuckle against bone.

"What in the hell is going on?" Mr Chambers appeared in the doorway, dishevelled and swaying. He looked like he'd has as much to drink the night before as I had.

Neither Ace not Chris seemed to care that he was there but Eyeball flicked a nervous look towards his father who yelled at him to separate the two.

Eyeball went forward reluctantly, pulling them apart and then dragging Ace away, but Chris came at them both, still swinging wildly, landing a punch a piece on both his brother and Ace.

"You little shit!" Eyeball yelled as blood trickled from his nose. He let go of Ace to wipe away the blood and Ace went straight back at Chris.

"Richard, you get hold of your friend right now!" Mr Chambers bellowed, this time coming outside in his bare feet and dragging Chris away from the fight.

Eyeball got a hold of Ace again and though both Chris and Ace were panting and swearing, they were dragged bodily away from each other and Chris' father dragged him into the house. The door slammed shut behind them while I stood there shaking and sobbing on the front lawn.

"What the hell is going on?" Eyeball finally let go of Ace, who gave him a hard shove in return.

"I banged your brother's girl. I'd say he's a little pissed about it."

"Shut up, Ace!" I snapped.

For once, Eyeball didn't look like he was getting off on Chris' misery. His eyes swung from me back to Ace before he nodded at Ace's plymouth.

"Come on, Ace, lets go."

"You want a ride, or you had your fill?" Ace smirked at me.

"Go to hell!" I spat.

Eyeball nudged Ace towards the car but it was only when the two of them started walking off that I realised Ace was hurt. He kept a hand over his ribs and he was limping slightly. In addition to that, his eye was swelling and starting to close. He and Eyeball would have matching shiners.

When the car drove away, I sat down on the sidewalk and wept into my hands.

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